Making progress but -- hhhheeellllppp please

[sirmetin]

Advice is going well - I have now been to a local scope shop - opticstar where I looked at various scopes and stands and have upped the size so I am now looking at the Celestron 8 SE XLT but they also stock the Meade LT 8 ACF there is only a few pounds in the price

Celestron NexStar 8 SE XLT Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.

Meade LT 8 ACF telescope.

Here is where I want some help, the Meade seems to have a better made (enginered) focus control, it also is reputed that the ACF optics are better and from another post I saw somewhere it uses worm gear drive rather than spur gears used in the celestron. The celestron can be mounted on other stands (this is a boon as I will get HEQ5 or better for doing imaging with a decent refractor at a later date.)

NB I have also contemplated a CPC 800 or 925 if I can find enough money, not sure the aperture is a big enough change to be worth it but I believe the optics are better and the 925 is made in CA still.

Myself and wife are booked on the peak star party and this first scope is to be her birthday present. That is on the 24th and the party is 21-23. It was suggested we look there first then pick one but it seems a great shame to be there for three days and then get her scope - if on her birthday then after a good time where she could have been learning a lot in darker skies -- I am in a quandary.

[brantuk]

I had the the CPC800 for a while and recently upgraded to the 925. The 800 is a beautiful little scope - very versatile and highly portable and I loved it - superb tracking and beautiful optics. I have used other 925's and expect mine will be every bit as good as those I've tried - a worthy upgrade.

I've looked through one or two equivalent Meades and honestly find any differences hard to detect. I've never come across anything quantitative about the differences - it's allways been subjective opinion.

I doubt you'll go wrong with either Meade or Celestron - it will in the end be personal preference I'm sure.

[imarcs]

I've been having the same conversation (sort of) with the guys at Opticstar recently. I'm also on the verge of an initial purchase. You seem to have pretty much the same requirements as i do. Why don't you ditch the fork mount and buy an EQ mount instead?, then you can use it for imaging as well. I believe (although anyone please feel free to correct) you could probably mount an SE8, and a moderately sized refractor on a HEQ5 or EQ6 mount simultaneously.

This is the way i'm intending to go in the near future so any comments about this would also assist me.

Marc

[brantuk]

Fork arm scopes can be mounted on a wedge for polar alignment and dso imaging. The setup is a little more involved than using an eq mount, but it does give you options. If I'm "grab and go'ing" for obs - I take the alt/az configuration. If I'm staying somewhere and want to do some imaging - I take the wedge and cameras

[imarcs]

Fair point, but if you're in the market for lets say an SE8 with an interest in imaging in the future then isn't it better to future proof yourself with a higher quality mount? I don't believe the standard SE8 fork mount + wedge = EQ5/6 in terms of stability/payload.

Arghhhhh........ as i'm typing this your comments are making me reconsider everything....

Marc

[brantuk]

Lol - a lot of folks have been very successful imaging with fork mounted wedges - I intend to myself one day when I get round to it. Though I don't know the particular wedge for the SE8 - the one for the 925 is the business. But that doesn't take anything away from eq mounts - I have an NEQ6 pro myself.

[sirmetin]

I think the mount on the CPC is a lot more stable than the nexstar 8SE - the mount and scope is over twice the weight CPC vs Nexstar but the celestron wedge to match is I believe around £300. I am looking at the 8SE as an easy grab and go option, if I get another stand and an APO then I can use either - I can take DSOs with a good APO refractor and I believe the 8SE and stand will be fine for planets and moon shots and if not I can move the tube to the EQ stand.

That is the peoblem with the CPC is is more stable but the scope cant be swapped. Same with the Meade although that is single armed it is fixed.

[brantuk]

An good eq mount with an interchangeable appo and sct would be a great combination I agree. It all depends pretty much what you want to do. And yes the CPC is a unit that doesn't want dismantling.

I've allways thought the 8SE on a single arm is gonna be a bit shaky - certainly not as solid and stable as fork arms. But for grab and go observation only it might be ok though I'd be inclined to go for a 6" in that config

[sirmetin]

The C8SGT is actually cheaper than the nexstar 8 SE and comes on an CG5 mount that has worm gears and stainless steel legs - is also seems that the tubes are not the same as the SE8 has a 9.8% obstruction but both the C8 SGT and the CPC 800 tubes are 11.4% yet many people have said they are identical - clearly they are not? anyone know the details ?

[brantuk]

I allways believed the optics were the same - but the configurations may well differ - I guess you'd have to research that on the Celestron website

[sirmetin]

Website tells me nothing excepting that difference with the obstruction - therefore secondary mirror size?

[brantuk]

Well I think you could look at the faq's or drop them an email if you consider it that important - they'll certainly know more about the minor differences than me - I've only owned the CPC's

[sirmetin]

Ok I think I am comming to a decision - decided to check our change box (there was a lot more than I thought) so now I am looking to the C9.25 - I did also consider the 11 but I beleive it really is too heavy for the CG5? The advantage of this is I get a great mount for sticking my camera and lens on as well. I am also guessing the CG5 will be quieter and smoother than the SE Alt AZ

[umadog]

I've heard very good things about the optics in the 9.25". The scope was reviewed by David Knisely, a very well respected amateur, a while back and he liked it so much he bought the review model. www.cloudynights.com/documents/nexstar.pdf

[umadog]

One other thing. You'll notice very little difference between a 9.25" and an 11". Given the choice, I'd go for the more portable option.

[brantuk]

The CG5GT Goto is accurate but very noisy - one of the noisiest around for slewing. But it's cheap and effective. It has thicker legs than the eq5 and the software and database is more sophisticated. Out in the field they're great, but I wouldn't use one next to sleeping neighbours.

For the C925 you'd get away with observing on a well balanced setup - but I'd go for an heq5, or preferably neq6, if you intend any imaging

[sirmetin]

C11 SGT at £1529 or C9.25 SGT at £1449 which would you go for (and I did do a double take on the price) - viewing only obviously as every one says although Celstron quote 35lbs as the limit for the stand the 28lb scope is too close to the limit?

[brantuk]

Yeah you don't want to be more than 80% of the mount load capacity with the scope. I would get an HEQ5 Pro second hand for around £500-£550 (depending on age/condition) you'll get a minty one at this price range.

And then get either ota from FLO - they'll do the best price and sometimes there are good offers - check the suppliers section for current ones.

[sirmetin]

The C11 there is cheaper than the price of tube only

[jamespels]

Just had a quick peek on Astro buy sell - there's what he claims to be a mint NEQ6 for £900 and open to offers for a quick sale: U.K. Astronomy Buy & Sell

Might mean a bit less to spend on the OTA but you're about as future-proof as you're likely to get.

[ChrisEdu]

C11 SGT at £1529 or C9.25 SGT at £1449 which would you go for (and I did do a double take on the price) - viewing only obviously as every one says although Celstron quote 35lbs as the limit for the stand the 28lb scope is too close to the limit?

I know what you're going through! I'm currently going through an almost identical process. If I go for one of these, I think it'll be the C11 with a mount upgrade later.

[sirmetin]

I went to look at both again today and as this is primarily a viewing scope I think I am going with the CPC 925 - it will store in the garage and be really easy to set up - also for garden viewing there are a number of obstrutions which mean I need to move to different parts of the garden to get good sky views - this is pointing me towards the Alt AZ

[tgc00000]

I recently purchased the CPC 800. Weighing in at over 65 lbs with the scope, mount and tripod, it is about as much as I can handle getting it in and out of the house without disassembling it.