Skywatcher 250p vs Celestron 8SE

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The C8 was designed in California for the Californian climate bicbw

And it's not like the additional necessities for the SCT, in our more damp climate, are all that unique... let's look at our friendly neighbourhood Dob.... the flex tubes seem to attract shrouds. The mirrors tend to get fan mods added. You need some means of collimating effectively. A right angled finder or Telrad is added (don't get me started on the inadequacies of Celestron finders!), then there's Wixeys and other gizmos...

If you have ever been to San Francisco, you will know California has its share of fog and dew as well

I got my C8 on a Vixen GP mount, and set that up in about 5-10 minutes (no goto, so simple polar align is enough). The dew shield need not be bought, but can be made out of a camping mat. Dew strips and heater are not as essential, I only use them on the most humid nights. The little 6 C-cell battery pack that came with the C8 served me well for quite a while, but a battery pack (17Ah) pays itself back in about 10 sessions. The finder (6x30) was OK, but no more (better than some I have seen (shudder)), but the big 16x70 RACI finder I made myself makes life much easier.

All scopes attract paraphernalia.

[MikeDay82]

I was in same situation as you, I was stuck between the 8SE and a 250p. In the end I went for the dob, cheaper and better light grasp. In the future I can then look into a separate set up for photography.