SkyMax 127 vs. C5... again

[badhex]

Hi all, 

So I know this question has come up tons of times before and I have read through most of the existing posts on this topic but I guess I have a couple of things specific to my situation. Also I've now thunk myself into a corner and looking for outside perspectives! 

 

So currently I have an Evostar 80ED which I love the widefield views from. I am currently awaiting shipment of an EQ6-R Pro as my current mounts just can't really cope once I add the diagonal and chunky WF EPs. As I will have a good sturdy mount, I also plan in a couple of years to finally take the plunge on a C9.25 as I've always wanted one for that planet killing/manageable size sweet spot. 

In the meantime, I have been enjoying getting set up really quickly with a tiny travelscope 70 plus AZ-GTi, which is a surprisingly good combo for WF but obviously doesn't serve well for planetary. 

I will also have 3 nights in late December at a Bortle 3 site where I plan to take the 80ED/EQ6 and the AZ-GTi plus planetary companion. 

In (completely inaccessible) storage I have a skymax 102 which I loved, so my first thought was a skymax 127 which I know pairs well with the AZ-GTi but is not radically bigger than the 102 so perhaps is a bit of a duplication.

I'm also considering the C5 - perhaps giving me prior experience of an SCT, and slightly lighter with quicker cooldown. 

Lastly, I think I would initially have just bought the 127 from a cost perspective if everything was currently available, but they are sold out everywhere whereas the C5 is not,even if quite a lot more expensive. 

 

I've thought about it too much now and I don't know what to do! Help! 

Edited November 12, 2020 by badhex

[Alkaid]

I don't think there will be much in it.   The Mak might be a touch sharper and the SCT will have slightly wider FOV.  The SCT will also cool down a little faster due to the thin corrector.

 

[Greymouser]

I have a C5, well the Omni 127 and I have to say that it is the one scope I will never sell. Probably!

Superb little scope an very good on my AZGTi.

[badhex]

Thanks all. I know there's probably not much in it - apart from price and availability!

I like the idea of the C5 because it's something new to me and is a touch more portable/grab and go, but I'm just a bit put off by paying 230GBP more for minuscule differences.

Like I said before, if the Skymax was available now I might have already pulled the trigger but I'm worried it won't arrive before the dark sky trip, plus I'd like to look at Mars before it completely disappears

Good to hear it works well on the AZ-GTi - that is the intended partner for whatever I go for!

[badhex]

Holy moly, you couldn't make it up. Having debated with myself for days, I pulled the trigger on the C5 over the weekend, only to sadly get a message from FLO saying that it's been discontinued 😭

Oddly enough, I have actually found the Astro-fi 5, which appears to be a C5 with a garish blue sticker on a computerised mount - however, it's the same price, which makes me wonder if its inferior in some way. I'm going to try and confirm that, because if it is the same I can just sell the unwanted mount.

[Greymouser]

That is very bad luck and a great shame it is discontinued. However Widescreen Centre may have it in stock, not sure how their stock system works. Could be worth a phone call?

This is the one I got, but have never used the mount, the tripod is good though and gets use elsewhere.

As for the Astro Fi, I have read it is not a very good mount, but the OTA is the same as the other C5 I believe, ( hopefully! ) so perhaps buy it and sell on the mount for a little bit. Asuming you can find that in stock anywhere!
Here, is a review of the Astro Fi.

There again, it seems to be in stock from Amazon!

Edited November 16, 2020 by Greymouser

[badhex]

Thanks! Posted the question here so as to keep the topics separate. 

 

[PXR-5]

Wow, the C5 is being discontinued

I bet they will keep it around in packages like the SE and Astro Fi

As an OTA, it was over priced and rather large as a spotter IMHO 

[badhex]

5 hours ago, PXR-5 said:

I bet they will keep it around in packages like the SE and Astro Fi

As an OTA, it was over priced

Yes, I had a similar thought. Maybe they don't sell too well just as an OTA due to the high price, or some other manufacturing related reason. 

[Space Oddities]

Joe,

FYI TS in Germany has a C5 in stock  

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p10945_Celestron-C5-XLT-Spektiv---125-1250-mm-SC-Teleskop.html

They also appear to have the Mak 127, but bundled with a mount. Perhaps they would consider selling you the scope only, if you go for the Mak!

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/advanced_search_result.php?XTCsid=p0uvdgptlv5cqimjf6q1cr3no5&keywords=skymax+127&suchdas=OK

Hope that helps!

Edited November 18, 2020 by Space Oddities

[badhex]

Thanks for the heads up! I'm in Germany so good from a shipping perspective, I'll take a look. 

[Louis D]

Not clear if it has been discontinued in the US.

[badhex]

Well! What a debacle! Finally concluded on the other thread that the Astro-Fi was almost certainly the same, I hedged my bets and ordered it at a pretty reasonable 466eur from that well known online rainforest retailer, thinking I'd continue searching for the OTA.

If the Astro-Fi turned out somehow not the same scope I could send it back or if it was, just sell on the mount to someone for next to nothing (or even give it away), and merely put up with the horrible blue sticker...

Then despite being listed as in stock, the order then said "we'll email you when we have a delivery date" 😳

Confused and rather frustrated, I figured I'd just wait a bit to see what happened and investigate other options like TS above... and then later today noticed that the C5 OTA - previously unavailable on the site - came back in stock at an even more reasonable 438eur. Very confusing. 

So now I've cancelled the Astro-Fi (my second attempt to purchase the C5!) and ordered the OTA (attempt no. 3).

I much prefer buying from astronomy retailers but 200 euros is 200 euros. Fingers crossed it works out and doesn't arrive smashed to bits or something equally hideous.