telescope advice before decision

[iwols]

hi all just after final advice before im going to make a decsision,first my setup swed80,nikon d750, heq5 pro mount and qhy5ii mono camera,im looking to get something for astro work planetary and a little dso(as i have the ed80 for this mainly) mainly with larger focal distance to take my d750 and eventually my qhy5ii camera,been looking for ages and probably narrowed it down to the following

1 skywatcher skymax 180 pro

2 celestron c6 xlt ota

3 celeston c8 xlt ota

4 altair astro 8" f8 ritchey chretien astrograph 

5 or even a celestron edgehd 800 optical tube or c9.25 (if i could get one reasonably priced second hand which is probably unlikely)

any final thoughts suggestions appreciated guys as my brain feels fried cheers guys

 

[Marky1973]

Hi Iwols! I was just thinking whether you had made the decision yet! :-)

You know I am making a similar decision and think, for me, for planetary, I would stick to a Mak and it would now be between the 180 pro and the C9.25 - and I am edging towards the 9.25. The 180 is obviously a lot cheaper, but has a bit of extra FL compared to the 9.25, but obviously as less aperture. The price is pushed up quite high with the addition of a focuser and reducer....so I am going to have to save.

In case you haven't seen, there is a C9.25 on Astro Buy and Sell at the moment for £750...although it is in Ipswich

[Pete Presland]

I "upgraded" from the Mak180 to a C9.25 and no regrets at all. The C9.25 is a little bit more of an all rounder, but the Mak180 isnt quite the one trick "planet killer" some would have you believe. It is slow at F15 and has a very long focal length at 2700mm, which makes it more suited to planets than DSO's. The C9.25 is F10 and focal length of 2350mm, you could also use a focal reducer with it for DSO's. For planets though i have added a Crayford which has helped a lot and recently a x1.8 Barlow which as also made improvements to my images.

 

[PeterCPC]

The Maks have a much longer cool down time than SCTs.

Peter

[Owmuchonomy]

Fully 'loaded' my SCT 9.25" was right at the very limit on my HEQ5 pro. Now I have an AZ EQ 6 GT the situation has improved dramatically either in EQ or AZ mode. Just be aware of the weight of some of these OTAs.

[iwols]

thanks guys and does anyone have experience with the lighter  celestron c8 xlt ota  against the c9.25 thanks as always

[Owmuchonomy]

I had to make my own extended counterweight bar from 18mm stainless (which I still have by the way) to get the  9.25" to balance one I had the usual bits attached.  All a bit precarious.  The guys at Widescreen did warn me that it was the very max I should load my mount (Then an HEQ5 Pro) with.  It is a great scope though.  Just a couple of nights ago I was able to pick up spiral structure in the sunflower galaxy and see several cloud structures on Jupiter without changing anything.

[iwols]

thats a very good point chris,so maybe the 8" may be a better bet for my mount, just wondering what peoples views were on the 8" v 9.25 celestron

[Marky1973]

Just looking at the FOV of both, there isn't a massive difference between the two (admittedly looking on my mobile, so might be squinting) so if weight is an issue the c8 might be a better option as you might be able to find more target with the slightly wider FOV?... Tempted back myself after looking... :-)

[iwols]

23 minutes ago, Marky1973 said:

Just looking at the FOV of both, there isn't a massive difference between the two (admittedly looking on my mobile, so might be squinting) so if weight is an issue the c8 might be a better option as you might be able to find more target with the slightly wider FOV?... Tempted back myself after looking... :-)

think you are right mark not that much between 8 and 9 but a lot between the ed80,unless anyone suggests different

[Marky1973]

And that's a good thing either way as you have the ED80 for widefield and so have the best of both worlds.

Weight is also more of an issue if you want to guide as well...and cameras, focusers, reducers.....

:-)

[hjw]

I am thinking about a second scope and I'm tossing between a 8" f/5 newtonian and a 8" f/9 RC astrograph. I also have the SW80ED as my nebula work horse. I think if  you are interested in planetary imaging the RC with 1.6m focal length would be the scope to go to while I am more inclined to go for the newtonian to get a better shot at galaxies (higher magnification and faster f-value).

Cheers and clear skies!

HJ