Any reason to get a 6in over an 8in SCT?

[newbie alert]

24 minutes ago, Lockie said:

ok, in that case lets look at some figures as you seem to be comparing a 10" SCT to an 8".

Total telescope kit weight of a CPC800 is 19kg, and the 10" Meade is 29.5kg. Comparable?

Now lets look at both the AVX and CPC versions of the C8:

The AVX 8"SCT is 27kg all in with counterweight, so more overall weight than the CPC800 by 8kg. Stripped down the AVX I found a bit lighter to setup, but definitely more time consuming to setup. 

I've owned both these exact telescopes, I vouch for this in real life as well as the weight figures I've obtained from the net. 

I would go for the AVX if interested in DSO imaging, but for visual and planetary/lunar, the CPC is just so much easier to setup and and a lot more comfy to observe with. conversely I repeat I wouldn't go for the CPC800 for DSO imaging, even on a wedge, I'd go for a EQ mount.  

 

I wasn't comparing a 10 inch to an 8,just as you asked if I owned both the truthfull answer would of been no..but as I have owned a avx and 8sct combo and a 10 inch meade then I could compare between those 2..seen plenty of cpc set up thou and they look far heavier than a avx combo,if you can judge weight on looks alone..obviously not then..

[Stu]

1 hour ago, ollypenrice said:

Way more important. Totally agree (for deep sky.)

Olly

Yes, true enough that aperture is important for planetary and lunar imaging too.

[b16707]

On 17/07/2018 at 21:13, Stu said:

That said, the best scope is the one you use the most. My best scope is a 4” frac for this reason, I use it very frequently. If you think you would setup and use the 6” a lot more because of its lighter weight and quicker cool down then don’t feel obliged to opt for the bigger aperture, just get the scope you will use.

This is the EXACT question that gets me back to thinking of the 6in everytime i finalize on a 8in. Its no doubt the 6in would get used more, but to what enjoyment having come from my cpc800? Probably not that much enjoyment, so maybe i should indeed stick with a 8.

From my area (san francisco) I think all ill be able to see really is planets due to all the light pollution here. The portability question is when i have an opportunity to visit friends in other parts of the state. This is the sole reason why I got an AVX and now looking to sell my CPC800. While fine at home, I just cant transport the CPC800 as effectively.

[b16707]

oh and regarding the ease of setup of the CPC vs AVX are we talking about AVX having 3 major pieces to bolt together vs the CPC's 2? Or what do you guys define as "ease of setup?"

For me, since i know where the planets are, im manually slewing to these objects and dont really care much about alignment, gps, etc. If im in a super dark place and want to see DSO stuff then maybe its more time consuming to align, etc. 

For these reasons, and although i have an AVX but no C8 for it yet, I still think the AVX+C8 combo would be easier for me to setup. Shedding that CPC weight alone would be enough. But setup alone isnt one of my biggest concerns, its just portability. Multiple cases in the trunk that i can tetris around > one gigantic cpc box.

I could be jaded in my thoughts though =). Feel free to correct me.

and while im on it, why no 7in SCTs?