Jump to content

NLCbanner2024.jpg.2478be509670e60c2d6efd04834b8b47.jpg

Help - advice

mattshrops

Recommended Posts

mattshrops

mattshrops

Posted
Posted

hi guys

I have been exploring with binoculars and the naked eye for a few months, and occaisionally with a meade ds-90, but feel I am ready to upgrade to explore further.

I've been looking around and quite fancy either a meade etx125pe, or a celestron nextar 6se.

I got a budget of around £700, but have no idea what to get. I like the idea of goto and will want to take some photos eventually.

Anyone got any ideas or advice?

I apologise if there is a similar thread somewhere on here, but i haven't found any!

thanks

matt :scratch:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
EA2007

EA2007

Posted
Posted

Out of the two you have outlined I would go for the Celestron NexStar 6SE, I had the NexStar 4SE and was very impressed with it considering it was only a 4" maksutov, the 6SE is a Schmidt however so you will get a little larger field of view which combined with the larger aperture of just over 6 inches then you should get very good views of DSO's. The good thing about the Celestron NexStar range is the coatings they apply to the mirrors, they give excellent contrast for planetary and lunar viewing.

I would comment that the 6SE would be rather good for imaging but you may wnat to invest in a 'wedge' as I don't think the 6SE and 8SE models come with one. The NexStar range does however have an autoguider port so if you can find a wedge (think celestron do one for <£200, but not too sure) then the autoguiding should come in very handy for imaging. you should be able to image some of the brighter DSO's such as M42,45,31,13,92,44,27 etc.

I don't have any experience with the Meade equipment so can't really comment on that. Have a good think abou what you need tho, I bought the 4SE in haste and therefore sold it on because it wasn't what I was after....the 6SE might be a lot better in some ways.

Ed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ben Ritchie

Ben Ritchie

Posted
Posted
The ETX will be OK for imaging the moon and brighter planets with a webcam

Yes, certainly

or short exposures with a DSLR

The only issue here is balance, the ETX doesn't have a lot of capacity for hauling kit around and if you're not careful then you can do some damage - this goes for piggybacking a DSLR or 'prime focus' through the 'scope. Not a show-stopper, you can counterbalance the optical tube - those velcro jogging weights are useful for that, and about a tenth of the price of equivalent astro-kit - but something to be aware of.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
scotastro

scotastro

Posted
Posted

People on SGL have ETX125s that work fine but that scope has more serious quality issues with the GOTO than the other ETX scopes.

If those two scopes are your preferred choices get the Celestron - the wedge you will need for longer exposure imaging is expensive though. Also check with the supplier how much weight can be hung off the back if you are likely to use a DSLR rather than a dedicated CCD camera

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SilverFox

SilverFox

Posted
Posted

Wow, total coincidence, but it sounds like I have exactly the same issue as you. I am drifting towards the nexstar 6 as all the research I have done seems to point out the deficiencies with the meade etx 125. I have also been on ebay quite a bit, and there seems to be a lot of meade etx's that come up for sale with people saying they bought it cos they wanted to get into astronomy and have hardly used it - a sign that they can't be that easy to use. I have a meade 4.5" reflector, and it's not a bad scope, but the equatorial mount can be a pain in the backside to use when you just want to set up and point the star at what you want to see, so moving to a go to is crucial for me. In terms of other scopes, I have seen the celestron c6 though I'm not sure how it compares.[/]

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rogue Leader

Rogue Leader

Posted
Posted

Anyone looking at a 6SE or similar at the moment should certainly wait and take a look at the new Skywatcher 127 GOTO when it comes back in stock. Unless you really need a scope right now I cannot see any reason not to hang on, I was going to get a supatrak 127 as a travel scope instead of lugging my dob around but with the new ones just come out, and all pre sold in about an hour, I know what I am going to get next year when they are back in stock. For the money and considering they are the same parent company it seems a no brainer to me.

HTH

Mike.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
iancandler

iancandler

Posted
Posted

Belay that thought lol.. In all honesty look out for one of the deals on the Celestron C6SGT set ups, its a cracker, full goto on an equatorial mount so no messing around with wedges and the tube itself is slightly better, it being easier to add aftermarket accessories. Ive had both and definatly prefer the C6SGT to the Nexstar

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
SilverFox

SilverFox

Posted
Posted

My understanding, and bearing in mind I am torn between the two scopes at the moment is that:

1/. There is no difference in aperture size

2/. The nexstar 6 is on an alt-azimuth mount, which would need to be adapted to allow for imaging. The C6 SGT is on an equatorial mount and would be fit for this purpose out of the box so to speak.

The non-computerised version of the C6 is cheap as chips at the moment. Go to FLO - £349. No use for people like me who want go to though - this model is still full price.

Does anyone know if the retailers are likely to sympathise with us poor credit crunch afflicted consumers and do more pre-Christmas discounts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
iancandler

iancandler

Posted
Posted

I have seen dealers doing the GOTO version (C6S GT) for £450, well worth it and the OTA is different to the C6se, not only is it a different colour but the finder, mounting plate etc are orientated differently.

Have a word with steve at FLO.. I'm sure he will sort you a pre christmas deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.