I'm in denial....

[OXO]

[move] [/move]

[GazOC]

I hope so, because until I can afford a SW....I'm going to have to make do with LX200. Woe is me.

Actually the SW 127 Mak was not a bad scope. Well made (for the price) performs ok (for the price). Not sure about owning a frac or a Flecky though. It's bit like eating Sardines after you've had Salmon. It may taste OK.....but it's not Salmon.

You stuck up git!!

I don't reallly rate the SW refractors (not bad scopes for the money, just not that good), as for the SW Newts, well, an iffy Newt beats a good SCT any day.....

[GazOC]

I know Meade SCT's are mass produced and a apparently 95% are worth using as waste bins

But me being as lucky as I am seem only to get the 5% that aren't SHIne a liTE. Amazing really. :laugh:

Damien,

SCTs are good scopes, it's the "good alround scope" thing that I object to. If it was qualified to "Good alround deep sky scope" you'd get no complaints from me.

[MartinB]

I recently had a look at Saturn through a Takahashi 102fs complete with televue EPs. Very fine with good contrast and very sharp Cassini. got home and had a look through the NS8 - 2000mm focal length with 200mm aperture. Effortless magnification. Very much personal preference I guess but I preferred the view through the NS8 - not as sharp or contrasty but actually there was more detail thanks to the greater magnification and resolution. I had collimated it very very carefully though

Martin

[GazOC]

You'd say your 5" and 6" fracs wern't as good as your 8" and 9" SCTs on planets? That does surprise me.

I agree an 12 SCT is a good scope (not sure about GPS, I know where I live! ). The best mount I can afford is an EQ6 so I've got the choice of 10" Newt or a 11 - 12" SCT, theres quiet a price difference in those OTAs....easy pick for me. I'll be honest, if I could get a C11 or a 12" Meade at decent price then I'd be there like a shot, but I'd always have another scope for the planets....

[GazOC]

Well my 4mm Ortho gives 300x at 1200mm on my frac. My 6" Mak can get that mag using a 6mm Ortho, the view is still easily better (to me) in the frac and I used to prefer the 6" Mak to my 8"SCT using a 8mm....each to his own I supose....

I'd love my Mak to be able to replace my refractor (I could free up some space!) and it does a better job on some objects but not planets...

[gaelicstorm7]

Quite an interesting topic this is developing in to, must admit I like looking at Saturn and Jupiter, but as far as planets go thats it, even through large ish scopes (lx200 12") I've never been any more impressed than when I looked at the through my ETX90, yes they look bigger, but to me thats all, the things I really like are DSO's and my little ST80 ( yeah I know it's only a skywatcher ), really wetted my appitite for what refractors can do, thats partly why I bought my Megrez, better for imaging but much better visually too, on DSO's and the moon it's breathtaking, I've not had a chance to use it visually on the planets but intend to, and also I'm thinking of trying my Meade LPI with it on the planets, using a 2x or 4x barlow and see what results I get.

So summing up refractors get my vote --------------- for now ------unless I change my mind

Alan.

[tom.yates]

Sorry guys, The BEST Scope for the Planets are in no dought APOCROMATS OF 5 " TO 7" I'VE HAD BOTH And i also have a 12" SCT This scope is in the 5% range been tested 1/6 wave very very good for a sct but i will not beat my apo had both side by side on the planets,

[The Warthog]

If I could afford a 5" apochromat, I'd be driving a better car, and living in a bigger house, and I'd still not have one, because I'd be paying for the car and the house. I may manage a 5" achromat and an 8 to 10" Dob someday, though. And those will be my best telescopes for planetary and DSO observing, respectively.

[GazOC]

If I could afford to own a 5" apochromat, I wouldn't be driving a better car or living in a bigger house. I'd be the owner of a 5" apochromat...

[Albireo380]

The bigger car and house would be nice, but Gaz is right, the 5" Apo is an instrument you would savour for many years. A car loses value as soon as you buy it. Who needs a bigger house? - you can only be in one room at a time. But oh, for a 5" TMB Apo - what joy, what extacy! Just thinking about it makes me drool. Such things dreams are made of.

Tom

[daz]

Steady Tom!

If I could afford a 5" apo, my wife would have ..........

[tom.yates]

Guys Guys, I must admit the 5" Apo is a stunning instrument the views are fab i must also say the 7" Astro physics was also fab but it was a good 5 foot long and i had to cut the tube down by 5" to have the new focuser fitted the focuser had 15 knife edge baffels in it the contrast and images at 500 times in good seeing was like a photograph but like i say the 5" i have at the moment awsome. :laugh:

[MartinB]

Does ED and fluorite glass degrade over time?

[The Warthog]

Steady Tom!

If I could afford a 5" apo, my wife would have ..........

kittens?

The bigger car and house would be nice, but Gaz is right, the 5" Apo is an instrument you would savour for many years. A car loses value as soon as you buy it. Who needs a bigger house? - you can only be in one room at a time. But oh, for a 5" TMB Apo - what joy, what extacy! Just thinking about it makes me drool. Such things dreams are made of.

Tom

I could savour it, but Mrs. Warthog wouldn't feel quite the same way. And I could savour a nice Mercedes for quite a while. And I wouldn't have any more rooms, I'd just have a bedroom I could put an armchair and reading lamp in, and walk past the bed without turning sideways. Little things like that.

[gaelicstorm7]

Think I've about as much chance of a 5" or 7" APO as I have of going into space

Alan

It would be nice though