garryblueboy

Have used several over time on various Taks All ok now I use the More Blue version just as good and a bit cheaper 

I think it would go well with the 120 ED I have been fortunate to have owned all the HD range right up to the 14” and the 8 is perfect for that bit extra 

you can get Star sense  to work on the AZEQ6 there is a skywatcher version or was .

It would be my TEC140 it’s a perfect weight and aperture for most things really 

53 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Since I have been using my APM ED 152 I have not enjoyed very good seeing more than a few times, but I have had one occasion when the seeing was near perfect and that showed an image scale with super sharpness that I have rarely seen, and on that basis I would never trade it for a 4" of any make !

Portability is not an issue of course because it lives permanently in my Dome on an AZ100

Your correct Steve the APM is a wonderful scope also I have had one and would highly recommend one or as I’ve said the 140 is also a little gem although on a good night the Little FS102 is hard to beat on contrast and sharpness but I have luxury of owning a more premium scope than that I’m surprised the original poster hasn’t considered APM 152 or the 140 as they are reasonably priced and a steal on the used market .

11 minutes ago, johnturley said:

This would indicate that the Esprit 150 is significantly superior to the ED 150, I would be interested to hear from someone who has compared them.

When I compared the view of Jupiter (and not under particularly good viewing conditions) through my Tak 100 DZ, with that through my Esprit 150, the 100 DZ (with a Strehl ratio measured by Rother Valley Optics of 0.987) did not even come close, the Esprit 150 was streets ahead. Note also that the 100 DZ is also technically superior to the 100 DC (which seems to be the benchmark 100mm Tak), although several observers have stated that there is no discernable difference between them.

John 

I’d say for sure the Esprit is a step above not significantly the 150ED but Costs 3 times the cost as would The Tak150 which I also owned is a tad better than the Esprit at 3 times the cost but both the Esprit and Tak 150 are a heavy scopes if your setting up and tearing down nightly and the View from my TEC 140 is better than my Takahashi FS102 but it’s still a close thing on planets size is relative but so is setting up etc if I had an observatory I’d still have my Tak150 and my C14 Edge but life gets in the way sometimes and as I’m getting older I want less hassle.

But that’s me everyone’s mileage will differ.

I prefer the whole field of view to be in focus and stars pin point which the non HD do not basically in centre not much difference but going outwards the HD has more  sharpness to it plus for Astro photography it already has a flat field but my imaging days are over I’m now about visual . 

Looking at your Scope line up and Budget you probably won’t find a refractor to beat a C9.25  there  but there are some that can but cost a lot more also the pictures of Saturn you refer too are these taken in the uk as Damien Peach most of his are in Places like Barbados  I have had three C9.25 and really didn’t think they lived up to the hype .

I have owned 3 and let them all go for me they didn’t live up to the planet killer every one boasts about as heavy as C11 nearly I have had up to a C14 which is a beast but now happy to settle with my C8HDEdge .

Having owned all of the scopes in the original post I would say the Tak gave the best views the 150 ED was a fine scope optics very good and yes image larger but still lacked the sharpness of the Tak the 120 I had was a very good equinox model and was in my opinion close to the Tak but I had another 120 which was not I have had several C9.25 and didn’t think they gave me any more than the C8HD edge Having tried most large apertures from top brands and Chinese makers there were two that really impressed me the Altair 130 EDT and the APM 140 which ultimately led to me obtaining a TEC140 which is now perfect size to handle I still own a Tak FS102 which gives sublime views and a great grab and go scope for me obviously other people have different opinions we all get the aperture bug but quality still outperforms quantity as I found the bigger scopes were more hassle to use and I didn’t use them as much as I do know but it was a fun and expensive journey .

Looks like pinched optics 

These are just superb and really give you the wow feeling the moon just pops 

16 hours ago, Space Hopper said:

Garry : this looks very similar to the case supplied with my scope, which is on the TEC website under accessories.

Its the only thing i was disappointed in. Basically its poor quality, i would even say cheap rubbish.

I dont trust it one bit. I worry the handle will break off so always have an arm supporting it if i'm moving it about.

This one you link to is only a little bit smaller. Yet TEC list their version at $560 USD 🫣

They also list another padded version, for a still pricey $340 USD. I may look into purchasing one at some point, though i currently have no spare funds.

 

*Apologies for drifting off topic here. Hopefully the OP will have a good idea now what to go for*

 

Hi Rob the TEC case I have is not to bad quite robust definitely not worth there price tag  the Amazon one shown is made by a company quite close to me called Allendale they do quite a good range on there website only thing is it’s not pluck foam so you need a sharp knife they do sell a pluck foam on there site but it puts the price up to around £100 , I have a nice padded soft bag for TEC which I brought for anther scope I had so I can always use that if I need I’m also about cashed out now been an expensive six months 😂😂

On 04/07/2023 at 19:00, JeremyS said:

And with the finder in place, Gary?

I do love Oklop bags

I never tried I always take my finders off when storing them but for the money it’s a great case to keep it safe 

You can get a hard case for around £60 like this one 

I Did miss this for a while not the bad back pain though but now I have the TEC140 ED in its place it’s every bit as good and half the weight 

On 02/07/2023 at 10:42, inedible_hulk said:

Been wanting one of these for a number of years…

Had mine for years now it’s one of the longest owned pieces of Astro equipment I’ve got 😂😂

Came a few days ago but only just been able to login 😞

I use the AZ-Pro great grab and go GOTO 

Over the last few weeks I have had a re shuffle of eyepieces and decided I would treat myself to some Pentax XW so thanks to a Guy in Slovenia and couple of SGL members and FLO I have a nice set of 3.5mm- 14mm XW Pentax a big thanks to John for supplying the missing 10mm also treated my self to some hard plastic cases for my sets . 

6 hours ago, bosun21 said:

I have also loved the Intes Maksutov scopes. My friend has a 715 and it’s the sharpest planetary scope I’ve ever looked through. Ed Ting sings its praises on his review of one 👇

 

Yep that’s the one great scope I had to part ways with mine to be able to afford the TEC  140ED  definitely the best MAK- SCT  I have ever looked through and I have had many 

I also like Ed’s reviews they are as he states just his opinion Televue are like Takahashi scopes there is more quality Controll in there equipment but doesn’t mean there the best like Takahashi I’ve owned quite a few Tak scopes all were great but I’ve also owned others and do now which are above them in quality and performance and some well below half the cost with 95% of the performance . I use some very nice APM flat field eyepieces for my binoculars as well as Tele Vue  Panoptics with comparable results .

I’ve owned several Mewlons a 250 and a couple of 210 over the years they are excellent scopes but the intes 715 deluxe beats them hands down in my opinion 

They do make some serious focusers 

TEC 140 last night great views Moon and Venus 

Obviously the Bino views are stunning so it’s hard to pick a winner depending on your targets really and the Binos are a good 1K more without pairs of eyepieces the Altair pier tripod is excellent Great build quality and finish