Skywatcher Maksutov Newtonian 190mm

[durr]

Anyone know anything about this new 190mm Maksutov Newtonian that is about to be released from Skywatcher? It is extremely fast at f/5.3 and is supposedly optimised for photography, DSLR cameras and also cctv both of which would suite me down to the ground. Are these telescopes hard to maintain with collimation and would it be worth my while buying something like this for my mag 3.5-4 night sky? FLO will be selling them for £895. Steve

[Kai]

I think as there are very few scopes out there (if any) there will not be that much practical advice atm until people start to out them through their paces.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=skywatcher_mak_newt_astograph

Gives you a little information

[Doc]

Hello Steve just copied this from a website...

Similar in appearance to a Newtonian reflector, the presence of the Mak Newt corrector plate reduces the troublesome tube currents, coma and diffraction spikes experienced with a Newtonian reflector. The size of the secondary is in many cases smaller. The Mak Newt offers a larger flatter field of view than a comparable Newtonian or Mak Cass and the smaller central obstruction yields images every bit as good as the best apochromatic refractors in the world at a fraction of the cost and in a more compact form. The cost of owning an eight inch or larger apochromatic refractor is beyond the means of most enthusiasts, as is the cost of the mount to hold it. Some of the best views that can be obtained from Earth especially of the Moon and Planets can be seen through a Mak Newt.

The central obstruction is typically around 20% (on a diameter comparison) or less and is largely responsible for the sharpness, contrast, colour and clarity of the images obtained. The downside is that the shorter back-focus available on most Mak Newts. means that additional lenses may have to be used to bring the focus to a point where bino-viewers can be used. The shorter F ratios yield magnificent wide field views and good quality barlows can be used such as the 4x Powermate for the additional magnification needed for planetary studies without any loss in sharpness of the image. A slightly larger mount will be required to compensate for the longer tube and should be sturdy enough to overcome wind effects if imaging is a priority.

[FLO]

Steve, I doubt you will have to wait too long for a review

[durr]

Thanks for the replies. I really do like the sound of this scope so I just need to hope someone tries this out and sends in a report soon. Steve

[GazOC]

It been out in its Orion guise for a while, you might find some reviews on the American boards like CloudyNights.