Celestron 6SE Vs 127SLT

[Oat]

Hi folks

I've been using a 127SLT (borrowed), quite impressed with it but the slightest touch of the stand when viewing and the image blurs. Is the stand on the 6SE noticably better in this regard and does it warrant the huge price jump? Also is the 6SE OTA significantly better and worth the extra? If i got the 6 i would be speant up, but with the 127 i would have change for eyepieces etc.

So far only used the 127 for planets, it could be that a 90mm F10 would be better for planets anyway.

Ta

[Steep]

Either way you will eventually want to upgrade the eyepieces, in the 127 the higher power supplied eyepiece is not great though I found the wider one acceptable. My solution to the 127 wobble was to mount it on a pier but that works for me because it lives in an obs.

[M4lcs67]

I agree with Steep with regards the eyepieces. The 25mm one is actually pretty good, but the 9 is rubbish in my opinion and would require changing soonest. I also bought some anti vibration pads off Ebay to help with the wobble. They were around £20 from Astro Developments. Don't even think about getting the Celestron ones. They are around £50 and totally overpriced. Couple that with placing a bag of sand on the eyepiece tray and that should help to minimise the tripod shaking. If you did go for the 6SE then you do have an extra inch of light grasp which could be handy, but you have to decide all the different factors and weigh-up one against the the other. There are pros and cons for both.

[Dunkster]

All of the above

The SE mount is less wobbly than the SLT mount, and the 6" ota is well suited to the SE mount. However, if you observe from a hard surface, don't be surprised to get some wobble, it is still a single fork arm (half fork?) after all. The 8" ota on the same mount is noticeably more wobbly, but it can be worked around with a little patience (note the natural "upgrade" path should you be so inclined!)

As for the 6" vs 127 ota... the 6 has about 50% more light grasp so will be superior on DSOs if you're interested in those. Planet-wise, it's about a wash (from my experience), but I'd like to put them head-to-head on a good night... but how often do we get one of those

[Oat]

Thanks folks. Then i think that the 127 is best bang for buck. The goto will help me learn the skies and minimise frustrations.

I would think that eventually it will take me down the dob route but that is not a route i feel overly comfortable with as a novice as i am sure i wouldn't find things and be sure of what i find.

Your comments on eyepieces is interesting - any recommendations in terms of brand etc i should look out for? (within a sensible price bracket)

[tjr]

Decent plossl eyepieces will suite these scopes very well. For me, Vixen NPLs offer the best performance, design and quality for their price (£35ish). That's what I use with my 127 Mak and I'm very happy with them.

[lensman57]

Hi folks

I've been using a 127SLT (borrowed), quite impressed with it but the slightest touch of the stand when viewing and the image blurs. Is the stand on the 6SE noticably better in this regard and does it warrant the huge price jump? Also is the 6SE OTA significantly better and worth the extra? If i got the 6 i would be speant up, but with the 127 i would have change for eyepieces etc.

So far only used the 127 for planets, it could be that a 90mm F10 would be better for planets anyway.

Ta

Hi,

I have the 127 with the GoTo, the optics are fine but the mount and the tripod sucks but it is easily portable, with care you could use it for observation and a bit of webcam imaging on the moon and perhaps Jupiter, anything else and it won't do. If I were you I'd budget for a proper mount of some sort, perhaps and EQ3-2 and then add the goto at a later stage. Myself I had to buy an Eq5 SynScan pro at the end to get the best out of the scope. It is up to you which way wish to proceed. There are many other options such as iOptron Cube mounts but these are costly.

Regards,

A.G

[tjr]

Hi,

I have the 127 with the GoTo, the optics are fine but the mount and the tripod sucks but it is easily portable, with care you could use it for observation and a bit of webcam imaging on the moon and perhaps Jupiter, anything else and it won't do. If I were you I'd budget for a proper mount of some sort, perhaps and EQ3-2 and then add the goto at a later stage. Myself I had to buy an Eq5 SynScan pro at the end to get the best out of the scope. It is up to you which way wish to proceed. There are many other options such as iOptron Cube mounts but these are costly.

Regards,

A.G

Or an AZ4 if you want to go manual... Lensman is right, the mount is the weak link in this set-up, but it is adequate so don't be put off.