ED120 - Will It Outclass Bigger OTA's?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Also, each telescope has shortcomings and best way is to have a range that covers portability and power. A small refractor for portability, and a large Dobsonian or SCT for power. 

I love the SCT because it combines portability and power. My frac is 3.4 kg, my C8 4.7 kg, andhas the same OTA length. For just about 35% more weight I get 150% more aperture by diameter, or 525% (!) extra light.

[emadmoussa]

I love the SCT because it combines portability and power. My frac is 3.4 kg, my C8 4.7 kg, andhas the same OTA length. For just about 35% more weight I get 150% more aperture by diameter, or 525% (!) extra light.

True, but for the combined portability and power the price goes up dramatically.  And also the weight increases very noticeably after 8"...11" for example hits 12Kg. I guess the same applies to all telescope though..

What's the aperture of your refractor, Michael?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

True, but for the combined portability and power the price goes up dramatically.  And also the weight increases very noticeably after 8"...11" for example hits 12Kg. I guess the same applies to all telescope though..

What's the aperture of your refractor, Michael?

Just 80 mm. An 8" frac, let alone an 11" one will weigh rather more than a C11.

I must say i am tempted by the notion of a suitcase dob, like the Sumerians.

[Moonshane]

^{all threads like this confirm is that different scopes suit different folks and for different reasons. enjoy the one you have and don't worry about the one you haven't.}

[emadmoussa]

Yep, imagine an 11" refractor..it'll weigh at least 20-25Kg - same as a C14. My much smaller 6" is about 11.5Kg.

To be honest a 80mm ED packs more power relative to its size and comparable to achros of the same aperture. I had a lot of fun and bagged a lot of targets using my late 80ED...now, I have a 102ED and it's even better

Those Sumerian reflectors look very neat, am I right to think they seem a bit fragile ?!!

[emadmoussa]

^{all threads like this confirm is that different scopes suit different folks and for different reasons. enjoy the one you have and don't worry about the one you haven't.}

Small eye squinting font aside...these are words of wisdom, Shane

[Moonshane]

Small eye squinting font aside...these are words of wisdom, Shane

 I know - my pc seems to have a mind of its own.

[Alkaid]

Yes, dark skies do really help.  I don't even bother using my kit outside my front door anymore, as there is absolutely no point.  Streetlights galore.  My current obs site is outside of Leeds, in countryside which is a great improvement but not perfect in terms of LP.  I'll have to look up the magnitude of stars I can see from there and let you know. My obs site is a 20 minute drive away and is convenient as I can be away from the house for about 3-4 hrs and still get home at a reasonable time ready for work the next day.

I also happen to live about 1 hrs drive from the centre of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.  This is absolutely amazing - but although it is only 1 hr away it becomes far more inconvenient.  I have to plan the trip way in advance, it does not become a grab n go trip.  I have to factor in the 2hr total drive time and by the time I've done that, doing this in the working week becomes impractical.  Which leaves weekends - and the clouds have a nasty habit of appearing on a Saturday night don't they!

All things considered (and thank you for everyone's comments, they are very helpful as always) , if I lived in darker skies then I would buy the ED120 as my general purpose scope, as it would work well on DSO's in these conditions.  But as I don't get out to dark skies as  much as I would like to, I think I'm going to get a large Dob.  That should work quite well from my usual obs site outside of Leeds?  And I know it will be a killer when I am able to get it to the Dales.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Yep, imagine an 11" refractor..it'll weigh at least 20-25Kg - same as a C14. My much smaller 6" is about 11.5Kg.

To be honest a 80mm ED packs more power relative to its size and comparable to achros of the same aperture. I had a lot of fun and bagged a lot of targets using my late 80ED...now, I have a 102ED and it's even better

Those Sumerian reflectors look very neat, am I right to think they seem a bit fragile ?!!

An 11" APM refractor weighs in at 65 kg, and is about 2.8m in length. Rather heavier than 25kg. The C14 is really quite manageable for a 14" scope.

[emadmoussa]

An 11" APM refractor weighs in at 65 kg, and is about 2.8m in length. Rather heavier than 25kg. The C14 is really quite manageable for a 14" scope.

Holly molly!! You need to be one of the Transformers to make it portable

[recceranger]

Hi,

Have you ever considered a MAK 180 Pro.  Certainly cheaper than the ED120 and packing more power twined by excellent contrast?

Just a thought

Rick

[Liquid360]

I'm a big fat newb who lives in the center if devastating light pollution. It took the. Month or tow before I took the journey to a true dark sky cut. My feelings towards my scope almost instantly switched from ehhh, it's ok.... To holy Rubbish!!! I was filled with regret but in that night I became my scopes fan! Dark skies change your opinions quickly.

- Nate

Birmingham, AL

[Brian Nordstrom]

To true , I have a Saxon ( Synta )150mm f8 refractor and an Istar 127mm f8 refractor and both are great , the Istar has better optics and shows more on the moon and planets as it takes power better 300x plus but its deep sky where the 150mm Saxon struts its stuff , nothing better than a large refractor and the way it shows deep space and stars , perfect .

Brian.

I have a 102ED and 152mm Achro (improved version), and considering the aperture of the latter you'll certainly notice a difference. Like Qualia said, a 4" refractor is pretty useful if you want a  compact set up that combines good views, portability and convenience. I had an 8" reflector and 11" SCT, I can say that the reflector somehow provided slightly brighter images than the SCT. having said that, at high magnification, considering the size of aperture and seeing condition I found that the 6" refractor showed sharper stars. That's just my experience.