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Orion optics?


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36 minutes ago, Louis D said:

Sure, but how well do SCT corrector plates stand up to common carrier shipping?

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This is but a small sampling of images I found online (mostly on CN).  Most were damaged in shipping.

I couldn't locate a single image of a broken Mak meniscus corrector.  I rest my case.

That makes the point !

Thinking back, the SCT's that I've owned have been collected from the seller myself so not put at that risk.

The meniscus of a mak-cassegrain is quite a lot thicker than the corrector of an SCT.

Maksutov-Cassegrain vs Schmidt-Cassegrain: Let The Battle Begin -

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17 hours ago, John said:

I agree that maks are can be sharper than SCT's. I've owned several of both types and the build seemed solid on all of them.

The Skywatcher, Celestron and Orion (USA) maks are all made by Synta as are the Celestron SCT's now, at least the ones under 11 inches in aperture. Possibly those as well now. Even Meade seem to be selling a Synta made mak now:

https://www.meade.com/telescopes/maksutov-cassegrain/lx65-mak-6.html

 

 

If I am not mistaken, all traditional Celestron SCT are being built by Synta, only the EdgeHD seem to be still keeping production in California.

Regarding shipment of SCTs, my used C9.25 was shipped from UK to Greece between me and another forum member without any hitch (only some newbie unpacking snafu which moved the focuser a bit, it seems due to haste).

The CC and RC have their own pluses and minuses. The open tube construction exposes the innards to the elements, dew and dust, and I dislike the spider vanes spikes on stars (OK, the last one is subjective).

The SCT are a compromise of large aperture and short length, but they are quite a decent instrument which works very well with a small amount of effort (basically, you check collimation regularly). For astrophotography, it takes some extra effort but these can deliver (just saw a presentation by a very good planetary imager, who does impressive work with a C14):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puoh1ikzonA

In general, all scopes are precision tools which can offer lots of joy. The SCT are the boring Ford of astronomy which do the job without much fuss and pain, if you want long focal distance and okay focal distance (I own a Skymax 127 and a C9.25 XLT - I consider the latter the limit of portability for a middle age man who has to carry everything alone two floors above the apartment)

For visual and planetary/lunar observation, a Skymax 150 may be an excellent solution (and it has a 2" visual back, so you can screw a full frame dSLR without much vignetting). For planetary and lunar imaging, a C8 or C9.25 offer much more aperture.

N.F.

Edited by nfotis
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14 hours ago, nfotis said:

 

If I am not mistaken, all traditional Celestron SCT are being built by Synta, only the EdgeHD seem to be still keeping production in California.

Regarding shipment of SCTs, my used C9.25 was shipped from UK to Greece between me and another forum member without any hitch (only some newbie unpacking snafu which moved the focuser a bit, it seems due to haste).

The CC and RC have their own pluses and minuses. The open tube construction exposes the innards to the elements, dew and dust, and I dislike the spider vanes spikes on stars (OK, the last one is subjective).

The SCT are a compromise of large aperture and short length, but they are quite a decent instrument which works very well with a small amount of effort (basically, you check collimation regularly). For astrophotography, it takes some extra effort but these can deliver (just saw a presentation by a very good planetary imager, who does impressive work with a C14):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puoh1ikzonA

In general, all scopes are precision tools which can offer lots of joy. The SCT are the boring Ford of astronomy which do the job without much fuss and pain, if you want long focal distance and okay focal distance (I own a Skymax 127 and a C9.25 XLT - I consider the latter the limit of portability for a middle age man who has to carry everything alone two floors above the apartment)

For visual and planetary/lunar observation, a Skymax 150 may be an excellent solution (and it has a 2" visual back, so you can screw a full frame dSLR without much vignetting). For planetary and lunar imaging, a C8 or C9.25 offer much more aperture.

N.F.

Great summary, although the SCT's do seem more unreliable than the Maks. I do agree that the SCT's are probably the best all around scope. If it wasn't for the reports I've seen about many breaking during shipping and needing more collimation then I would definitely go for one.

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Correction: The CC doesn’t suffer from dew which is one of it’s biggest plusses and as for exposed to the elements well what about all those newts and dobs that seem to get by without it being a problem plus it cools down in a fraction of the time of a mak or SCT. No way would I go back to a similar sized SCT. 

I tealise a lot haven’t actually had their hands on a CC but once you have you’ll be a convert.

Edited by johninderby
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