Skw 120ED over 80ED

[Ramjo]

Hi all

I was thinking of selling my Skywatcher 80ED and replacing it with a 120, would I notice a massive difference and would it be equivilent to my 250 PDS?, I'm basically looking for something powerful yet portable to transport to darker skies

I'd be grateful for any advice or comments

[Luke]

The 120 lets in about 2.3 times more light than the ED80, so it would let you see a fair bit deeper, but nowhere near as deep as your 250, which lets in over 4 times more light than the 120.

So for general viewing I wouldn't say the ED120 is equivalent to the 250P DS.

If you want to use the EQ6 then for me a similar but more compact option to the 250 would be something like a C11 or C9.25 SCT. The C11 is quite weighty though, the 9.25 seems that bit easier to handle!

[John]

I own an ED120 and a 10" F/4.8 newtonian (Orion Optics) and I'd agree with Luke's assessment however the ED120 is a great all round scope and I find I use it more than the 10" newt, even though the latter will outperform it, as you would expect.