What is the best 8 inch SCT OTA?

[nightfisher]

That is basically what I did. I'm guessing at least one of those Skymax in your signature is feeling nervous about that statement, although I'm not sure how different the SCT to Mak Cass viewing experience would be? I suppose the one advantage with the Meade would be the use of 2" EPs.

Russell

To be honest i think both skymax`s are feeling nervous, i find myself always coming back to this situation of having a minimal amount of scopes, i had been posting about having just one but i think it would be 2 scopes, a 4" f10/f11 achro and a 8" sct......so the meade takes 2" eyepiece so thats a big bonus, but i thought the C8 takes 2" as well?, the big thing that puts me of going for this is dew ! sct`s seem to dew up at the drop of a hat and i wont use heaters, i manage with the maks and a good dew shield

[davedownsouth]

To be honest i think both skymax`s are feeling nervous, i find myself always coming back to this situation of having a minimal amount of scopes, i had been posting about having just one but i think it would be 2 scopes, a 4" f10/f11 achro and a 8" sct......so the meade takes 2" eyepiece so thats a big bonus, but i thought the C8 takes 2" as well?, the big thing that puts me of going for this is dew ! sct`s seem to dew up at the drop of a hat and i wont use heaters, i manage with the maks and a good dew shield

I have got an 8SE and even with dew heater, that dews up in 2 hours on a bad night.  Just ordered one of those dew shields, so will see how much that improves things?

[dweller25]

For my Mak I use an unheated Astrozap dew shield plus an extension made from a camping mat - it's good for 4 hours

[nightfisher]

For my Mak I use an unheated Astrozap dew shield plus an extension made from a camping mat - it's good for 4 hours

This is what i have found with my Maks, a long flocked dewshield seems to keep the scope going longer than i need 

[russ.will]

To be honest i think both skymax`s are feeling nervous, i find myself always coming back to this situation of having a minimal amount of scopes, i had been posting about having just one but i think it would be 2 scopes, a 4" f10/f11 achro and a 8" sct......so the meade takes 2" eyepiece so thats a big bonus, but i thought the C8 takes 2" as well?, the big thing that puts me of going for this is dew ! sct`s seem to dew up at the drop of a hat and i wont use heaters, i manage with the maks and a good dew shield

In the run up to buying an SCT, I seem to recall that the smallest Celestron that could handle 2" visual back was the 9.25. I could be wrong, but I've certainly seem it said more than once. C8 owners will have to definitively answer that one.

Bear in mind that there's a difference between accepting a 2" visual back and actually having a rear cell opening wide enough not to cause vignetting. In my LX200 the cell opening is 1.5" so vignetting would start to occur at TFOV of 1.17deg or more. To put it another way that's a 35mm SWA (70deg AFOV), 29mm UWA (82deg AFOV) or 23mm MWA(100deg AFOV). 

Having read this fact, I dumped my 40mm SWA in the 8" LX200 and pointed it at a clear early evening sky and couldn't see the edge of field darkening. Later, I tried moving barely visible stars from the center to edge of field, so see if I could see them extinguish. They didn't as a result of darkening, but the astigmatism in the outer 5-10% of that EP did the job! So either the effect is very progressive, or I'm completely insensitive to it, but at 8" EP choice does not seem impacted.

As regards dew; I've yet to suffer any issues just using a decent long dew shield. I'm about 6ft above sea level and plenty of those nights have been 90%+ humidity according to Clear Outside. I've yet to curtail a session because of dew, whilst deteriorating seeing has seen off a couple. It just goes to show how variable user experience can be.

Russell

[Luke]

I use a dew shield and dew heater with my Edge 8. If I don't have the heater on high enough it is prone to dew or frost our way on the still nights. If the heater is on high enough, never known the dew to win inc. with my old C11. No dew heater is poss for me if it is for a shorter session like on hols.

It's my favourite scope for lunar observing and imaging and makes a really nice step up from my fracs. I really love its size and weight to aperture trade off. In some ways I made a bunch of compromises with this scope but that's kind of turned out to be its strength.

[Northern Soul man]

Hi Guys, great thread - I was using an LX90 8" a couple of years ago, before moving onto the CPC - I bought the Meade second hand, I think the Guy had owned it about 5 years before I bought it, I had it for about the same length of time - so for a 10 year old scope when it was sold - it was such a sad time when I came to sell - I know I was moving to the Celestron, if I had got more money at the time I would have held onto it - virtually no image shift of re - focus, It held collimation extremely well - so easy to set up and align - very accurate, the coatings were very nice for its age - I think that there are examples of very old SCT's, not sure how they fare to the coatings of today's SCT's, but the match for me was made in heaven, I have polluted skies, so tend to steer towards Luna/Planetary - as mentioned - I think its the atmosphere/seeing that lets the scopes down - not so much the Central Obstruction - I've been observing for many years and the poor nights have come and gone - I can see why so many are very frustrated with "poor" Planetary images - but if you observe for a number of years, you can get to "know" the atmosphere  - the nights of really good seeing is where these scopes, for me - excel - I've never owned a Frac - but Planetary in an SCT on nights of very good seeing  stick with me for such a long time.

Being very light and with such a short tube - these scopes - in my opinion - are very hard to beat - very versatile now a days - I think the Binoviewers were made for these, being dual fork arm Alt/Az mounted are - for me - probably the best buys out there - even second hand - these tubes are very affordable - for me to settle down at the back of the scope for a couple of hours on Jupiter - it just doesn't get any better.

I sort of don't get involved in all the formulae, maths and the concepts of large obstruction low contrast that these types seem to get stuck with - but on a really steady night with all the usual observing techniques in place it just doesn't get any better.

Paul.

[nightfisher]

Hi Guys, great thread - I was using an LX90 8" a couple of years ago, before moving onto the CPC - I bought the Meade second hand, I think the Guy had owned it about 5 years before I bought it, I had it for about the same length of time - so for a 10 year old scope when it was sold - it was such a sad time when I came to sell - I know I was moving to the Celestron, if I had got more money at the time I would have held onto it - virtually no image shift of re - focus, It held collimation extremely well - so easy to set up and align - very accurate, the coatings were very nice for its age - I think that there are examples of very old SCT's, not sure how they fare to the coatings of today's SCT's, but the match for me was made in heaven, I have polluted skies, so tend to steer towards Luna/Planetary - as mentioned - I think its the atmosphere/seeing that lets the scopes down - not so much the Central Obstruction - I've been observing for many years and the poor nights have come and gone - I can see why so many are very frustrated with "poor" Planetary images - but if you observe for a number of years, you can get to "know" the atmosphere  - the nights of really good seeing is where these scopes, for me - excel - I've never owned a Frac - but Planetary in an SCT on nights of very good seeing  stick with me for such a long time.

Being very light and with such a short tube - these scopes - in my opinion - are very hard to beat - very versatile now a days - I think the Binoviewers were made for these, being dual fork arm Alt/Az mounted are - for me - probably the best buys out there - even second hand - these tubes are very affordable - for me to settle down at the back of the scope for a couple of hours on Jupiter - it just doesn't get any better.

I sort of don't get involved in all the formulae, maths and the concepts of large obstruction low contrast that these types seem to get stuck with - but on a really steady night with all the usual observing techniques in place it just doesn't get any better.

Paul.

Paul, a good post, might help me to still consider one of these, i would be looking for a deforked ota as it will be used on my celestron SE mount 

[rowan46]

Paul, a good post, might help me to still consider one of these, i would be looking for a deforked ota as it will be used on my celestron SE mount 

meade optics have usually been pretty good on their sct;s but their 8" sct is a kilo heavier and the mount is already on the limit with the  c8

[Geordie mc]

I've just got the a edge 8 inch. It's the first sct I've owned but blown away by the views of Jupiter it has given me over the peat couple of weeks.

[John]

Rod Mollise's "Used SCT Buyers Guide" is a free download and well worth a read Jules:

http://skywatch.brainiac.com/used/

[nightfisher]

Rod Mollise's "Used SCT Buyers Guide" is a free download and well worth a read Jules:

http://skywatch.brainiac.com/used/

great link John, i have just had a glance and lots to digest

[Merlin66]

Over the years I've used many Meade SCT's - 8" lx5, 10" LX6, a couple of the 10" f6 variants, 4 x 10" LX200 and the 12" Lx200.

I would have been very happy to keep the 12" LX200, but I couldn't use the spectroscope behind the cell/ forks.

I thought of de-forking it but at 17.1Kg bare OTA (Have you seen the BIG steel weight hiding behind the main mirror ??!!!!!!!!!!!) I went for my first Celestron  a C9.25 OTA.

It was absolutely magic!! Loved it to bits.........

I only changed up to the C11 when my ever-loving wife bought it as a "special" gift for me.

Since then the C11 on the NEQ6pro mount has been my spectroscope workhorse. No issues, no drama.

[alan potts]

Russell,

I my opinion you should be careful with that 40 mm SWA on an 8 inch scope without counterbalance weights, I know the eyepieces are made by Meade but they are as heavy as any on the market. I really don't think the motors should have to handle that type of imbalance I would not and have not subjected my large scope to these forces, but only my opinion.

Alan

[Guest]

A few years ago I sold my year 2000 8 inch LX 90.That scope gave me great views of most things.I can remember a crystal clear view of Jupiter and shadows of it's moon transits.I would always be tempted to get another 8 inch American made 8 inch Meade sct.I have a love at first sight kind of situation going on with my newly aquired Celestron C5.It's so easy to set up and start observing.I have the Orion Optics UK Newtonian which is fine.Well I will see how it all pans out.I am interested to hear some good reports about The C8 edge be good for visual.I thought that these scopes excelled visually only.

At the moment we plan to move to Dorset.Wheather we do or not ,my plan would be to have a fork mounted sct 10 inch permenantly mounted.

[Guest]

I should add ,is it me that keeps changing my telescopes,or is it a coomon thing with back garden astronomers? I would like very much to find the nirvana in telescope setups and be happy to stick to that.My wife somethimes quips that I am more interested in the buying and selling and meeting people lol.

[russ.will]

Russell,

I my opinion you should be careful with that 40 mm SWA on an 8 inch scope without counterbalance weights, I know the eyepieces are made by Meade but they are as heavy as any on the market. I really don't think the motors should have to handle that type of imbalance I would not and have not subjected my large scope to these forces, but only my opinion.

Alan

I hear you Alan - It seldom gets used - only really if a two star alignment hasn't placed the first star in the 20mm 100deg, which isn't often.

I replaced the nice, but heavy, Meade electronic microfocuser with a Baader Quicklock visual back which removes a fair bit of weight at the back and I also have quite a long and thick dew shield which adds a fair bit of weight to the front. If the 20mm (the heaviest of the ES100s) is in the diagonal with the clutches loose, the OTA doesn't seem particularly biased one way or the other. With the 40mm, it still doesn't move, but you can feel when pushing it, that the extra 300g has tipped the balance.

Russell

[russ.will]

Rod Mollise's "Used SCT Buyers Guide" is a free download and well worth a read Jules:

http://skywatch.brainiac.com/used/

Just finished reading that. It's refreshing to read such an unbiased account of the history of the two brands.

Those with polarized opinions should read that and realize that Meade & Celestron needed and made each other. Without that level of competition driving progress, the scopes and mounts we take for granted, would be a long way behind where they are now. Just as well, or we could have stuck with some of the real lemons they both produced along the way!

It strikes me that a couple of decades on, the roles are reversed and Celestron are blossoming under Synta, with all the queries being directed at Meade. Now Meade have been bought by a true optical (and cash rich) house, they may be turning the corner as Celestron did in the transition out of Swiss hands. The market needs it to be so.

It was also interesting to read his comments re the ETX v Questar scopes.

Russell

[nightfisher]

I should add ,is it me that keeps changing my telescopes,or is it a coomon thing with back garden astronomers? I would like very much to find the nirvana in telescope setups and be happy to stick to that.My wife somethimes quips that I am more interested in the buying and selling and meeting people lol.

There are some of us that buy a scope and just get on with it and enjoy using it, i used to be like that with my old 120 evostar, and for years i was like that with my Tal 1000rs (still am to a large degree), but there is the quest for a little better all the time, and other times we will buy a scope thinking it will be the holy grail but some times they fail to deliver

[Leveye]

I should add ,is it me that keeps changing my telescopes,or is it a coomon thing with back garden astronomers? I would like very much to find the nirvana in telescope setups and be happy to stick to that.My wife somethimes quips that I am more interested in the buying and selling and meeting people lol.

I don't think it can be done with just one scope. I say get one refractor, one Newtonian/Dob and an SCT. Done.

[Guest]

You probably right Leveye.

[Dave In Vermont]

I'll add my 2p here regarding Meade.

I recently needed a new Autostar II for my LX200GPS. I hunted around and found they were going for around $130. Then, knowing the utterly abysmal service from Meade, I decided I'd get a good laugh by checking their site. I nearly fainted! They had it for $89! "There has to be a catch." I muttered and placed the order - expecting to be eaten alive by shipping costs. There were no shipping costs. $89 flat.

It arrived 3 days later Express-Post.

Still Amazed,

Dave (who was thinking of calling the California Public Health Dept, as Meade must have come down with a fatal disease!)

[russ.will]

Even a Meade good news story gets sold as a downer... 

I wonder if they're de-inventorizing (if that's a word, if not, I claim it!) the USA?

Russell

[russ.will]

I don't think it can be done with just one scope. I say get one refractor, one Newtonian/Dob and an SCT. Done.

SCT, check. Frac, check, Newt.... Oh pants! I flogged it.

Russell

[Zeffer]

I know this thread is a little old but what a great read. Today I bought a used LX200R 8" after much deliberation. I am a Celestron man and have owned three Nexstar GPS scopes (I must love carbon fibre), 2 x C8 and a C11. So I was a bit paranoid about trying a Meade but have always wanted to and the ACF optics were too tempting for the price.

Of course it will be cloudy for several weeks now, but it doesn't half look good stood in everyone's way in the kitchen! Not as noisy as I was expecting (but not as quiet as my old Celestrons) and really looks sturdy, just need to watch my back, but it came with a JMI wheely thing that should help.

Now to buy a dew shield and work out the best EPs.