Nexstar 8se or CPC 800 GPS (XLT)?

[klytus]

Hi all. Okay was geared up to order the 8se today when my wife asked does it or will it do everything i want it to do now or in the future. Now i may want to do deep space ap eg nebula's etc at some point which i understand the 8se is not exactly geared up for ie planetary is fine but not so good with long exposures for deep space. It looks to be similar in setup ie 3 star star alignment like the 8se is, but probably slightly heavier i imagine.

So in a quandary which one....HELP!!

[LukeSkywatcher]

If SWMBO is not happy with the 8se then you have little choice but to go for the CPC 800.

I find it best never to argue with women.

Beautiful looking scopes those CPC's.

[Stephen]

There's no such thing as a scope that does everything Tell her it's good enough .... for now

[Ludd]

If your wife has asked that question, and funds permit, I suggest you go for the CPC simply on the basis that it's more robustly mounted. The optics are, I think, identical and I've been v happy with my 8SE - especially when combined with a focal reducer to give a wider field of view.

But for astrophotography you might want to consider something on an equatorial mount (otherwise the image will suffer from rotation because the scope will not be tracking around the celestial axis).

[LukeSkywatcher]

There's no such thing as a scope that does everything Tell her it's good enough .... for now

Yes, be very blaise about it and say "oh i suppose the CPC will do for now dear".

When her indoors is not looking you can also sneak into the house a small 80-100MM refrac for imaging and if she asks what it is..................tell her it is a finderscope for the CPC.

[Dunkster]

If she's feeling pliable, show her an Edge HD 800 on CGEM

Both 8SE and CPC800 are alt-az, so you'll struggle doing any DSO photography (although I think you can get an eq wedge for the CPC).

Optically, I've pored over the specs and can't see any difference besides the finder scope.

Btw, the CPC is quite a bit heavier... I've been having aperture filled dreams of late... the CPC 800 weighs 19+12kg (mount+ota), the 8SE 4+11kg.

If the weight/size or £££ isn't an issue, the CPC wins

[klytus]

If she's feeling pliable, show her an Edge HD 800 on CGEM

Both 8SE and CPC800 are alt-az, so you'll struggle doing any DSO photography (although I think you can get an eq wedge for the CPC).

Optically, I've pored over the specs and can't see any difference besides the finder scope.

Btw, the CPC is quite a bit heavier... I've been having aperture filled dreams of late... the CPC 800 weighs 19+12kg (mount+ota), the 8SE 4+11kg.

If the weight/size or £££ isn't an issue, the CPC wins

Thanks Dunkster and you guys for your comments i've been mulling over the weight issue since late this afternoon when i found a comparison between the two.

To be honest struggling with chronic arthritis (affects back,ribs and minor joints with little or no movement in my neck,so no looking up without falling backwards ) as i do i dont want to make the same mistake i did with my sw200/heq5, the sw200 was heavy enough but the heq5 on the very few times i used it frankly knackered me (and that was before the counter-weights went on) and now it sits at the bottom of the stairs unused. Not sure of the weight of a heq5 but it can't be far off the mount weight of the CPC i imagine.

Really in some what of a quandary now but i'd like to get sorted asap as i like to get out viewing the stars and planets again especially before the celestron price increase in February .

[Dunkster]

From what I've read in other threads, the CPC splits into 3 parts. Not sure that helps much

How about wheels? If you have enough storage (shed, garage, conservatory...) then you could mount it on a trolley/trailer and just drag it out into position.

The 8SE is half the weight. I have the 6SE which uses the same mount, and is separable into 3 pieces, the legs, the motorised mount and the OTA. The mount part is the heaviest of the 3. I lift it all in one and carry it the 30ft in/out of storage.

Sorry if all this is unhelpful... like I said, I've been having aperture related dreams recently, and a CPC is pretty much top of the list of dream scopes, with my current levels of proficiency

[brantuk]

The CPC is a beautiful scope without a doubt. And though it's a little more fiddly to set up the wedge (required) for AP, it's well worth the effort. Beutiful optics and excellent tracking - and a great database and software and dead sturdy mount. A dual fork mounted scope would be much better than a single arm for the stability needed for AP.

However - if you struggled with a 200P on HEQ5 then I think the CPC is gonna be too heavy for you (much as I'd like you to get one). Hope that helps

(oh - and it comes it's in two parts - the ota and forks are a single unit - the tripod is the second - and the wedge is extra)

[rowan46]

the cpc with wedge is a much better imaging mount but it sounds to me you need the portability of the nexstar more it would be a shame to have more equipment lying under the stairs because you can't lift it. Remember apparture is the second most important criteria usability is the first

[cyborg421]

If I put my twopennyworth in.... I had made my mind up that I was having the CPC800 whatever. At the last minute I decided I'd better go and see it. I was so glad I did. The weight for me was totally unmanageable because it is small and very heavy. I suggest you might find the same. If you can please go and see the scope before you buy.

Simon