C9.25 or C11 Scope difference? Advice?

[Quetzalcoatl72]

I'm after a cassegrain reflector but I don't know which one to buy,
I have a celestron c5 and it worked wonders for all fields, I now want the same but twice as powerful as my final upgrade
I am looking at a c9.5 for £1350 or a c11 for £2000, My question is an extra 2.75" focal worth it for £750 more?
I will likely purchase one this week

[Owmuchonomy]

Will you be purchasing a new mount to go with it or will you use an existing mount?  The optical tubes you describe are much larger and heavier than your C5.

[Quetzalcoatl72]

5 minutes ago, Owmuchonomy said:

Will you be purchasing a new mount to go with it or will you use an existing mount?  The optical tubes you describe are much larger and heavier than your C5.

No I already have an NEQ6, that's another reason I want a huge upgrade instead of buying a 6 then a 8 etc.

[Quetzalcoatl72]

1 hour ago, Owmuchonomy said:

Will you be purchasing a new mount to go with it or will you use an existing mount?  The optical tubes you describe are much larger and heavier than your C5.

The other scope I have is an ED80 which I could use for andromeda as I'm sure these big scopes are too big to capture the whole thing, both my small scopes look embarrassing on my neq6 😆

[JeremyS]

The C11 is much heavier and bulkier. A major consideration if you don’t have a permanent set up

[Deadlake]

How does size effecting dewing these SCT’s? I know RC and Mewlons are less dew prone, however the C11 is a bit of a light bucket, so tempting, apart from its weight. Almost would need an observatory to house it in. 😊

[Quetzalcoatl72]

8 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

The C11 is much heavier and bulkier. A major consideration if you don’t have a permanent set up

I'm mostly in the garden, weight isn't too much of a concern for me, only for the mount which the payload is 20kg

[nfotis]

For me, the C9.25 is the practical limit for a person carrying and installing alone on an equatorial mount. A HEQ5 mount is barely capable of it, a NEQ6 should handle it quite easily.

The focal distance difference from the C11 isn't great, but the weight and price difference is quite noticeable (I suspect that the NEQ6 will be near the limit with the C11)

 

N.F.

[philtodd]

Good question, I'm just starting to research a similar buying question myself. Interesting to read that a c11 is thought probably too heavy / bulky unless you have a permanent set up.

[Deadlake]

28 minutes ago, philtodd said:

Good question, I'm just starting to research a similar buying question myself. Interesting to read that a c11 is thought probably too heavy / bulky unless you have a permanent set up.

The C11 is around 11 kg. However once mounted + items added the weight will increase, a G11 or SXP2 will do. The increase in light you get over the C9.25 is a lot, that needs to be offset against how many nights the atmosphere will support the C11 aperture. The main issue for me is dewing which an RC and Mewlon seem to be more resistant to. 

[nfotis]

2 hours ago, philtodd said:

Good question, I'm just starting to research a similar buying question myself. Interesting to read that a c11 is thought probably too heavy / bulky unless you have a permanent set up.

Don't forget that the OTA isn't the whole weight/bulk. You have to add diagonal, eyepiece, guider, camera etc.

All this starts to become really unwieldy quickly for a single person. For me, the C11 and C14 need either a permanent setup or a very organized mounting method if you are alone.

 

N.F.

[Deadlake]

3 minutes ago, nfotis said:

Don't forget that the OTA isn't the whole weight/bulk. You have to add diagonal, eyepiece, guider, camera etc.

All this starts to become really unwieldy quickly for a single person. For me, the C11 and C14 need either a permanent setup or a very organized mounting method if you are alone.

 

N.F.

An a AP mount. 🙂

[Quetzalcoatl72]

4 hours ago, nfotis said:

Don't forget that the OTA isn't the whole weight/bulk. You have to add diagonal, eyepiece, guider, camera etc.

All this starts to become really unwieldy quickly for a single person. For me, the C11 and C14 need either a permanent setup or a very organized mounting method if you are alone.

 

N.F.

I've got a while yet before i'm that age, i'll probably get a 10" newt or the 9.25 because seeing in my home town is pretty bad anything past a 10" sct is wasted

[Wintersun]

When I last looked at the EdgeHD 9.5 there were few adapter options than for the other SCTs. Third party companies go by volume of sales in producing components and in the past the 9.5 was evidently not as popular as the 8 and 11 OTA. In my case I was looking at it in terms of astrophotography and not purely for viewing. At least in terms of sales by OPT of Celestron OTA the 8" is still the most popular followed by the 14 and then the 11 inch. This has an impact on available add-ons and on potential resale value  when you decide to sell it.

Not only will the 11 or 14 OTA be itself much heavier but it will require a heavier mount and a heavier tripod or pier and more counterweight will be needed, and it all adds up.