Which spotting scope (for nature)?

[Alien 13]

I have the Celestron C90 lovely scope, mine came with a correct image diagonal and a nice 32mm eyepiece. A big plus is that a DSLR can easily be bolted on to make a good tele lens too.

Alan

P.S. I takes great Moon pictures too.

[Alan64]

I took this afocal snap of what was then a "strawberry" Moon, in 2016, via the C90...

Bill Vorce, in Arizona, has been in the equipmental business for several decades.  I got one of these from his site, "Telescope Warehouse": a .965" 8mm "Konig"; actually, an eyepiece made from one of the two from a small pair of binoculars...

Inserted into the C90, I observed and then took this rather surprisingly sharp afocal shot through that 8mm...

It was then that I found that that was US$10 well spent.

[Oat]

That's very good. The C70 or C90 are really looking like the way to go. OK so my primary idea was to use it for nature watching etc, but both would make handy scopes to take on various trips etc.

Thanks for sharing.

[happy-kat]

Don't forget the skymax 90. Through depending on bundles, same I think with the C90, you might need an erect image diagonal if it came with a star diagonal.

[happy-kat]

A related read Link here. I also have an ST80 mentioned on that thread. It's great but does show chromatic aberration on birds when used to image them and is less suited to high power.

[Alan64]

Yes, it was after I had made merry mention of the C90, and where I then read of your having offed a "Dobsonian".  I, too, have begun to abandon a larger instrument for a smaller, in my case being that the bump-and-nudge routine of an alt-azimuth has, over time, become rather old-hat.  A C90 would be a treat mounted upon an economical EQ-2.  Of the EQ series, from the diminutive EQ-1 to the EQ-8( a behemoth), the EQ-2 hits a sweet-spot, for an exquisite portability, and less procrastination when trying to decide between observing the sky, and "observing" the telly...

       

Note the "seeing-eye dog", the finderscope, for the Maksutov and its extraordinarily long focal-length.

In the case of mounting a C90, or, dare I suggest, a 127mm, the long slow-motion cables for the axes should be replaced with knobs only.  Working with an EQ-2, the experience is rather intimate, up close, so the cables are not really needed at all, and regardless of which smaller telescope one decides to mount upon it.

A 130mm f/5 Newtonian would be just as delightful mounted upon same.  Also, the RA-axis of the mount can be economically motorised with a 9V-battery motor-drive; and for automatic, hands-free tracking of any object.

Most versatile, that one is: the EQ-2...

Do keep in mind that the lowest power to be practically realised with a C90, and its 1250mm focal-length, is 39x.  That's actually one step higher than the lowest-power realised with a 200mm f/6 "Dobsonian"(38x, with a 2" 32mm 70° ocular).

[Alan64]

Oh, I almost forgot.  Definitely an EQ-1 and an EQ-2, and perhaps even an EQ-3 with a slight modification, can be transformed into an alt-azimuth mode in seconds, and back again...

And if that wasn't enough, the slow-motion controls can still be used; also, the counterweight.

What a delightful duality of purpose, eh?

[Oat]

@Alan64

Thanks for sharing. I will be keeping the spotting scope for land based spotting and the C70 might just nip it for that purpose. That said im weighing it all up...

For viewing the skies im probably looking at a 130 newt. My choice of mount will be the AZ5 as i like and benefit from the simplicity (dob like). Anything that needs setting up like a goto or eq i find to be a chor.

[happy-kat]

For digiscoping the C70 might show chromatic aberration on your bird images in certain situations. I can't say it wouldn't and I can't test it as I took mine apart.

[Alan64]

2 hours ago, Oat said:

@Alan64

Thanks for sharing. I will be keeping the spotting scope for land based spotting and the C70 might just nip it for that purpose. That said im weighing it all up...

For viewing the skies im probably looking at a 130 newt. My choice of mount will be the AZ5 as i like and benefit from the simplicity (dob like). Anything that needs setting up like a goto or eq i find to be a chor.

Not a bad selection at all, a 130mm f/5 Newtonian and the AZ-5, as I had used a similar formula with this 150mm f/5 and mounted upon what is now sold as a GSO alt-azimuth...

But now, I'm gravitating back to refractors mainly, but I also like this long-focus 114mm f/8 Newtonian that came bundled with my new EQ-2...

...and it, too, will see some sky time in future; after I blacken and flock it.

[Stub Mandrel]

I would suggest the C90 Mak (I have one ? ) or if budget is tight the Celestron Mini-Mak.

It comes with a rather nice 32mm ep but will happily take shorter FL eps.

As it can do pictures like this it should also be fine for digiscoping!

 

[Oat]

That's a stunning picture! I'm guessing that was a DSLR coupled to it, not a phone or compact camera. And a filter too? Very good work ?

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Oat said:

That's a stunning picture! I'm guessing that was a DSLR coupled to it, not a phone or compact camera. And a filter too? Very good work ?

Thanks, yes a DSLR but no filter, just very careful work to bring out the colour. If your eyes are NOT dark adapted you can just see a hint of these colours on a good night. If you are dark adapted the signal from your rods swamps the colour information from your cones!

There's a T-thread on the C90 so you just need a T2 adaptor for your camera making life really easy.

[Louis D]

It's weird that the top of the frame is out of focus while the bottom is perfectly in focus.  Tipped sensor or mirror somewhere?

[Stub Mandrel]

Possibly just processing/stacking issues. The south pole of the moon is much more contrasty than the north.

[Oat]

Hi to all and thanks for all feedback! 

I had not anticipated so many responses to a tread about an optics to be used viewing planet earth and it's inhabitants.

I have drawn to a conclusion of getting the C70 Celestron Mini Mak, unless there is any reason not to??.  I had seriously considered the  Skywatcher / Celestron 90 (i believe they are the same), even considered the Skywatcher 102. I was beginning to think i could get some good land and astro use out of the same scope...

The 70 has many positives that make it more suited to land based viewing:

• Rubber coated - so it's protected 
• Portable
• Size and (i will be carrying it...)
• Weight (again i will be carrying it...) the C90 weighs twice as much as the C70

Thanks to all

As i say, the purchase will go ahead unless there is any groundbreaking reason not to. For interest i will pop up a few images when i have experimented with it.

Cheers

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