Help me understand Celestron NexStar vs SkyProdigy vs Evolution

[DanielC]

So a few days ago I decided to buy a Celestron NexStar 6'' but since they're out of stock right now, I'm aimlessly skimming over telescope websites and I saw that Celestron has two other telescopes that seem to be closely related to the NexStar:

• NexStar 6SE ($800)
• SkyProdigy 6 ($1,000)
• NexStar Evolution 6 ($1,300)

Can anyone help me understand what the other models have that make them more expensive and whether the price is worth it? As far as I can tell the specs of the OTA itself are nearly identical. But there seem to be several differences in the mounts:

• SkyProdigy says has a "fully automatic alignment procedure" and you can see a little camera attached to the mount. From the description, it seems to me like the SkyProdigy uses that little camera to take various pictures of the sky to orient itself. That's cool I guess.
   
• SkyProdigy seems to have a flimsy mount: 8 lbs capacity (exactly the weight of the OTA!). The tripod weighs only 5 lb.  For comparison, the NexStar holds 12 lbs (tripod weight = 9 lbs).
   
• Conversely, the Evolution is sturdy: 25 lbs capacity (tripod weight = 11 lbs).
   
• Evolution has built-in wifi, integrated Lithium-ion battery, and two eyepieces instead of one.

So... the SkyProdigy looks flimsy which is weird for a more expensive telescope; and the Evolution looks great, but is the difference really worth another $500? Is there anything about these telescopes that I've missed that help justify their prices?

Always grateful for any help.

[Cosmic Geoff]

All the "Nexstar 6" will have the same optical tube assembly (OTA).

The C6 SE can be regarded as the base model - it has a reasonably sturdy mount (also used with the C8) with no frills.

The SkyProdigy is a model we don't have in the UK. It looks lke it incorporates the Starsense system (q.v.) available here as a £300 accessory. As you say, the mount looks like the relatively flimsy SLT.

The Evolution has a better quality mount with better internal gearing and the differences you have noted. Altogether a nice piece of kit, if you can afford it.

Just to confuse you further, there are wifi and SLT models on flimsy mounts, and an AVX version on a good equatorial mount (mainly useful for advanced astro imagers).