which scope to choose celestron c11 or meade lx 90

[scopekid1325]

hi im getting back into astro imaging and would like some advice please

Celestron C11 SGT XLT GOTO Schmidt Cassegrain ( comes with eyepiece set )

or

Meade LX 90 ACF 12 inch UHTC GOTO Telescope

what do u think ?

colin

[russ.will]

I think that as Meade are showing all the signs of going under, the Celestron would be a safer choice. As it's on a GEM mount, it's also the better bet for imaging.

I'll let others with experience of both, comment at to whether the CG5 mount is up to the job of imaging.

Russell

[Peter Drew]

I have two Meade SCT's and one Celestron SCT, I would go for the Celestron .

[scopekid1325]

^{do u think meade have probs then ? surely not . i c theve got a new scope on the way lx 600 and lx 850 . prob is no one has got one yet ?}

[JamesF]

If you read this thread, then it doesn't look too good for them:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/174064-meade-in-financial-trouble/

James

[rowan46]

I wouldn't have thought a cg5 was up to imaging with an 11" sct on it. Can I humbly suggest reading this book before you buy astroimagng equipment

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html

[earth titan]

I know I've been raving about these on other posts (I'm turning into an evangelist) but at that type of size, consider the C9.25.

Not much to choose between the 9.25 and the C11 according to Damian Peach, and he should know! It also means less weight on the mount.

Also avoid fork mounts for AP. It doesn't allow field rotation unless you have a wedge (more expense).

Typed by me on my fone, using fumms... Excuse eny speling errurs.

[M4lcs67]

I own two Celestrons and they are great scopes. At the leading edge of technology. Also as mentioned, word on the grapevine is that Meade are struggling and could go under.

[scopekid1325]

Hi I'm leaning towards cpc11 GPS with the sky align looks a better mount and not a lot more doshr

[rowan46]

Hi I'm leaning towards cpc11 GPS with the sky align looks a better mount and not a lot more doshr

You will need a wedge if you want to do long exposure astrophotography

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/wedge-accessories/celestron-hd-heavy-duty-pro-wedge.html

[earth titan]

Hi I'm leaning towards cpc11 GPS with the sky align looks a better mount and not a lot more doshr

Are you sure a fork mount is the way you want to go? An EQ mount will remove the need for a wedge and will work simply with control software such as EQMOD and PHD, without mods.

Can anyone tell me if a fork mount works with EQMOD and PHD out of the box?

Typed by me on my fone, using fumms... Excuse eny speling errurs.

[Dunkster]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this so far, but unless you're only looking at planetary imaging, a long focal length scope such as an SCT is not the right beast for astrophotography. For DSOs at least, you want to be looking at a short focal length decent quality refractor and a good mount.

Btw, I own 3 SCTs, so it's not like I'm biased against them

[scopekid1325]

hi thats correct im only looking for planetary imaging so that why i thought i needed to get the longer focal length ? i have considered shipping a celestron cpc hd edge from germany the price is around 800 uid cheaper minus 50 euros for packing to here in uk . with this scope u have the added option then at a later date to get the focal reducer lens for secondary mirror to take longer wider shots for deep space

[Dunkster]

Cool, for planetary imaging you should be ok, but many use an EQ anyway.

For wider "faint fuzzy" shots, you'd be better off with a small refractor (they don't need to be expensive!) but also a good EQ mount... (because field rotation occurs on an alt/az mount with exposures more than X seconds)

[E621Keith]

Assuming your budget is £3k (12" LX90 ACF), I'd consider the Celestron CGEM 1100 XLT over the LX90 or the C11-SGT.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/cgem-series/celestron-cgem-goto.html

My GPDX is at its limit carrying my C925, so there is no way the lighter CG5 can handle the heavier C11 OTA satisfactorily. If you go with the fork mount scope (CPC11 or LX90) you will be stuck with that scope and mount combo.

The CGEM on the other hand have a much higher capacity than the CG5. Furthermore, if you ever decided you want to have a go at DSO imaging, you can always replace the C11 with a fast apo, something you can't do with a fork mounted scope.

[scopekid1325]

Hi on the CPC HD edge 1100 the the tripod is bigger is heavier to maybe cope better giving better stability I must admit I had an lx 200 14inch and the tripod on that was massive. But even so wen the wind got up it shook lol. Having said that I have had some of my better pics wen there was a breeze blowing ..