Skywatcher 150PDS EQ5 v Celston 5/6se

[SimM]

If you are worried about the age then ask the owner for details e.g. ask politely if they have a sales receipt and is there a picture of the serial number (grey sticker) on the OTA body. If they can't or don't want to tell you the history then you perhaps need to look elsewhere.

The C8 has an open tube at the back so air can circulate (I have an EdgeHD 800 that's sealed, up to a point, with vents and a closed tube  e.g. extra glass compared to the C8). So you really went to inspect the product before purchase and at the very least get lots of photos showing the condition and especially the optics. That's not to say that you can't get it cleaned inside/out. 

Discontinued can mean that the original package is no longer sold e.g. mount + OTA as a "discontinued" package. If you are not buying it with a mount then what it came with doesn't matter if it's not included.

It's not from a "current" 8 SE because the tube is now orange, however this is a recent "marketing" thing as Celestron is trading on their heritage. Some folks worry also that their C8 is from a batch made in USA or is made in China. The most recent ones are made in China and this is actually a good thing because the quality and variability has improved no end and perhaps by also lowering (or keeping the price down) it has opened up the market to many more would be astronomers.

Slightly off topic, the parent company of Celestron and Sky-Watcher is the same, it's Syntra, who also sell through the Orion brand in the US. The products are however distinct e.g. A SkyWatcher mount is almost identical to an Orion one (may be black vs white) but is different to Celestron one. A Celestron HC is using different software to Sky-Watcher etc. As an example, if you are interested in reading about or knowing what the HC for the HEQ5 Pro is like, then you have to go to the US Orion website to download the V5 manual as the European SkyWatcher website only goes up to V4 (the answer is that it has the shape of the V3 HC, with the buttons and layout of V4 but with the USB interface that comes with V5 and it has a 40K object database not 13K (there is also RS232). In this respect the US is perhaps ahead of the UK. The included manuals are up to date in the box. Things like mounts also go through product changes as well, so the HEQ5 Pro gets an illuminated polar scope and more recently a variable brightness through the HC. The manual is for the mount without a HC, so is a bit "generic" and there is an updated polar screen (wha you see) that they call 2012-2030 - it doesn't show Cassiopeia (which you couldn't see in the polar scope anyway). There's a separate manual for the HC which covers the mount "electronics" too. Celestron avoid the polar scope altogether because it's not included with their mounts - you can buy it as an extra if you want one. Bad polar alignment with clever electronics does not make it into good polar alignment, which is a prerequisite for good results. Wifi is another example of updates, there are at least three version of the WifI plugin module (also used a a component inside the Evolution) and the results range from poor to about OK. For this reason my experienced users will recommend having a wired connection. Having USB with a laptop connection is an obvious example of where the market for mounts didn't innovate quick enough. I do like having an App e.g. having a planetarium program on a phone (better on a tablet) is really handy and compared to having a laptop the ergonomics are much better IMHO. I don't find it a problem to transfer an NGC number into the HC to slew to a target a problem and I can put the iPad down/way and not rely on it. HC buttons are better than tapping on a screen IMHO too.

Simon

Edited June 3, 2020 by SimM

[NallyFace]

6 hours ago, SimM said:

If you are worried about the age then ask the owner for details e.g. ask politely if they have a sales receipt and is there a picture of the serial number (grey sticker) on the OTA body. If they can't or don't want to tell you the history then you perhaps need to look elsewhere.

The C8 has an open tube at the back so air can circulate (I have an EdgeHD 800 that's sealed, up to a point, with vents and a closed tube  e.g. extra glass compared to the C8). So you really went to inspect the product before purchase and at the very least get lots of photos showing the condition and especially the optics. That's not to say that you can't get it cleaned inside/out. 

Discontinued can mean that the original package is no longer sold e.g. mount + OTA as a "discontinued" package. If you are not buying it with a mount then what it came with doesn't matter if it's not included.

It's not from a "current" 8 SE because the tube is now orange, however this is a recent "marketing" thing as Celestron is trading on their heritage. Some folks worry also that their C8 is from a batch made in USA or is made in China. The most recent ones are made in China and this is actually a good thing because the quality and variability has improved no end and perhaps by also lowering (or keeping the price down) it has opened up the market to many more would be astronomers.

Slightly off topic, the parent company of Celestron and Sky-Watcher is the same, it's Syntra, who also sell through the Orion brand in the US. The products are however distinct e.g. A SkyWatcher mount is almost identical to an Orion one (may be black vs white) but is different to Celestron one. A Celestron HC is using different software to Sky-Watcher etc. As an example, if you are interested in reading about or knowing what the HC for the HEQ5 Pro is like, then you have to go to the US Orion website to download the V5 manual as the European SkyWatcher website only goes up to V4 (the answer is that it has the shape of the V3 HC, with the buttons and layout of V4 but with the USB interface that comes with V5 and it has a 40K object database not 13K (there is also RS232). In this respect the US is perhaps ahead of the UK. The included manuals are up to date in the box. Things like mounts also go through product changes as well, so the HEQ5 Pro gets an illuminated polar scope and more recently a variable brightness through the HC. The manual is for the mount without a HC, so is a bit "generic" and there is an updated polar screen (wha you see) that they call 2012-2030 - it doesn't show Cassiopeia (which you couldn't see in the polar scope anyway). There's a separate manual for the HC which covers the mount "electronics" too. Celestron avoid the polar scope altogether because it's not included with their mounts - you can buy it as an extra if you want one. Bad polar alignment with clever electronics does not make it into good polar alignment, which is a prerequisite for good results. Wifi is another example of updates, there are at least three version of the WifI plugin module (also used a a component inside the Evolution) and the results range from poor to about OK. For this reason my experienced users will recommend having a wired connection. Having USB with a laptop connection is an obvious example of where the market for mounts didn't innovate quick enough. I do like having an App e.g. having a planetarium program on a phone (better on a tablet) is really handy and compared to having a laptop the ergonomics are much better IMHO. I don't find it a problem to transfer an NGC number into the HC to slew to a target a problem and I can put the iPad down/way and not rely on it. HC buttons are better than tapping on a screen IMHO too.

Simon

Thanks again for the detailed reply, really appreciate the help.

Im making a shortlist or the most wanted that are out of my price range and keeping an eye out for 2nd hand until the end of July. Once there did I haven’t been lucky I will purchase something around the £800 mark. All This info has been super helpful in understanding what’s what. Knowing the 8” scopes are the same is very useful. 
 

currently now have my eye on an 8SE - fingers crossed