Nexstar 6 slt vs 4se

[Christio02]

Hey. I want to know which one of these will suit my needs. I want to look at planets + dsos, with go-to tracking. The aperture is better with tmthe slt, but is the mount worse? I may use my phone to take pictures, maybe eventually invest in a cheap dslr. Would this work? For long exposures, the mount needs to be eq, but that's currently out of my budget.

My budget is around 600 $ without shipping, since the VAT here in Norway is pretty high (25 %). The nexstar 4 se is around 5000 nok  (around 500 $) on Finn.no (ebay for Norway). Which one of these should I get? Or is there any scope for the same price? 

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @Christio02 and welcome to SGL. 

Depending on what you want to image, the bigger the aperture the more light photons it will contain. As both your intended 'scopes are catadioptrics, (i.e. SCT or Maksutov), they are slow, i.e. f10 or slower and do require long and tracked exposures. Also they are notorious dew magnets and will require a long time to acclimatise to the outside temperature before use and a dew shield is a must have accessory. I have a Celestron C6/SCT-xlt [f10] and a Meade ETX105 [f14] and give them about 30-60 minutes to acclimatise before popping in an eyepiece. Even with a focal reducer/field flattener your are going to be having to get use to long exposures, etc. Catadioptrics are excellent for lunar and planetary views/imaging, but not so good on DSO's as the field of view is narrow. You maybe better off purchasing a refractor of 80mm minimum.

If you wish to pursue astro-imaging, then I would recommend you read the book 'Make Every Photon Count' and/or look at the numerous online tutorials and videos on YouTube, etc., before deciding which 'scope is the right choice for you. 

[Christio02]

7 minutes ago, Philip R said:

Hi @Christio02 and welcome to SGL. 

Depending on what you want to image, the bigger the aperture the more light photons it will contain. As both your intended 'scopes are catadioptrics, (i.e. SCT or Maksutov), they are slow, i.e. f10 or slower and do require long and tracked exposures. Also they are notorious dew magnets and will require a long time to acclimatise to the outside temperature before use and a dew shield is a must have accessory. I have a Celestron C6/SCT-xlt [f10] and a Meade ETX105 [f14] and give them about 30-60 minutes to acclimatise before popping in an eyepiece. Even with a focal reducer/field flattener your are going to be having to get use to long exposures, etc. Catadioptrics are excellent for lunar and planetary views/imaging, but not so good on DSO's as the field of view is narrow. You maybe better off purchasing a refractor of 80mm minimum.

If you wish to pursue astro-imaging, then I would recommend you read the book 'Make Every Photon Count' and/or look at the numerous online tutorials and videos on YouTube, etc., before deciding which 'scope is the right choice for you. 

I understand. But refractors suffers from chromatic abberation, right? I'm pretty new to this stuff, as I've never really owned a telescope.

If I'm going to buy a refractor. Would the Orion starseeker IV, work? Thanks in advance.

[RT65CB-SWL]

8 minutes ago, Christio02 said:

I understand. But refractors suffers from chromatic abberation, right? I'm pretty new to this stuff, as I've never really owned a telescope.

If I'm going to buy a refractor. Would the Orion starseeker IV, work? Thanks in advance.

Cheap refractors i.e. online auction sites, online warehouses, department store, etc., will.
If you have a dedicated 'bricks and mortar' astronomy reseller then he/she is your best friend... including FLO sponsor of SGL. 
Not sure if FLO ship to Norway, but maybe worth enquiring with them when you have decided.    

BTW - the Orion Starseeker IV is a 'Newtonian' reflector.

[Christio02]

20 minutes ago, Philip R said:

Cheap refractors i.e. online auction sites, online warehouses, department store, etc., will.
If you have a dedicated 'bricks and mortar' astronomy reseller then he/she is your best friend... including FLO sponsor of SGL. 
Not sure if FLO ship to Norway, but maybe worth enquiring with them when you have decided.    

BTW - the Orion Starseeker IV is a 'Newtonian' reflector.

Thanks for the help 

[Cosmic Geoff]

The 4 SE has the better mount, while the 6 SLT has more aperture.  The 4SE has a built-in flip mirror intended for imaging, and the mount can be tilted for use as an 'equatorial wedge' but neither of these outfits is suited for deep space imaging with long exposures.  For that you need a totally different mount and 'scope.

Both the 4SE and the 6 SLT would be suitable for general visual observing and planetary imaging - the latter NOT with a DSLR but with a dedicated planetary video camera. 

I no longer use the SLT tripod I got with my 127mm Mak SLT as I found it too wobbly.

There were deals offering the 6SLT for around the same price as a bare 6" SCT OTA!  There are other C6 SCT OTA/mount packages which cost a lot more than the 6 SLT.