Thinking of selling the 8"

[Ant]

Morning Guys.

With my recent record of getting off my Bottom and out into the garden - I'm wondering if it has to do with the number of times that I walk back and forward getting various peices of kit!

It's even worse now that I have the 80mm F/11.

So whats going through my mind is to sell the 8" F/5 with the crayford (god the wife is going to kill me - she bought it for me for Xmas last year!). Then I have a choice of what to buy, now I'd need to put in extra money but the choices that I've come up with are

Evostar-80ED1 (3.1") F7.5 Apo £299

SKYMAX-127 (5") f/1500 £299

I'm going to want then mounted side by side on the HEQ5 so that I can guide through one and image through the other... Which would, in your opinion, be better.

From what I can see both the Skymax and the ED80 are great scopes, they are both small and light. But the FOV are massivly different. The scope that I'll be using for guiding is the 80mm F/11 (880mm FL).

So without a focal reducer the Skymax will not be suitable - would that be right?

Thoughts

Ant

[FLO]

So whats going through my mind is to sell the 8" F/5 with the crayford

Hi Ant,

Which 8" f/5 is that?

Steve

[Ant]

It's a Helios, finder, large dovetail and 2" Crayford focuser.

Ant

[OXO]

Ant,

If you want something more portable and for deep skyimaging which i think is your fav at the moment i would go for the ED80 scope for sure but f you wanna do planets then get the Skymax 127 scope.

Using a smaller scope may rekindle your appetite to get out there mate..

James

[Rob]

Wow cool Ant!... There is a lot of us doing this very thing at the moment (me inc). I like the idea of grab n go (low setup), my 2p would be the ED80!, then pick up a 127 / 105 mak later for Planets.

Rob

[GazOC]

I know I'm in a minority here, but I find if a can't bothered setting up its not how 'hard' it is to set up -t's that I'm not in the mood for observing...

Either way, if youre not in the mood or can't be bothered Ant, is the ED80 on an HEQ5 that much easier to setup than a 8" Newt on a HEQ5? Time and effort wise they seem pretty similar to me.

Just my 2p......

[OXO]

Been thinking about this again, i Miss my 8" scope matey so whatever you decide make sure your going to be happy with it remember that scope is good for both DSO's and the planets.

James

[Ant]

for me it's got to the point wheren the HEQ5 with 8" and 80mm piggy back means 4 trips to the garage. The weight is at the limit of the HEQ5 IMO.

I think that the ED80 can be left set up inthe garage and then lifted in one swoop to the observing position - the amount of times that I've started setting up and then within minutes it's clouded over again is just peeing me off!

At least this way it a 30 second job of setting up and packing away!

Ant

[OXO]

Hi Ant,

If your funds allow get the 80ED and a smaller Mount so you have both the quick setup and longer setup ie: 8" and Heq5 mount. But if money is tight then do your plan and sell the 8" scope after all the best scope is the one you will use isnt it. Another option and one you wont like is to sell ya 8" and Heq5 mount and get the ED80 and smaller Mount i suspect the 80ED would be like a feather compared to the 8" scope thus the mount woulnt need to be a Heq5 Mount..

James

[GazOC]

An EQ5 type mount woulf be plenty for an ED80.