StellaLyra 6" F12 CC

[Stu1smartcookie]

Firstly, I hope everyone had a great Christmas

I am interested in buying the StellaLyra F12 6" CC from FLO  and have read the"blurb" on the website, which is predictively gushing in its suport for this scope.  Now,  I am interested only in visual ,and to be honest with my bortle 6 skies ,mainly interested in viewing double stars , nebulea , planets and our moon . This scope seems to be a perfect fit for these targets .. but , as we all know , nothing is perfect , so please can anyone with experience of this scope share the good ,the bad and the downright frustrating . Opinions will be gratefully received as I have never owned a Classical Cassegrain before.  

TIA

Stu

[johninderby]

I have one as my grab’n’go scope. Nothing bad to say about it although I have upgraded to a Baader Steeltrack focuser. Having a proper dual speed focuser is very nice. The stock focuser is all right but no Steeltrack

Great lunar and planetary scope but should also be good on double stars. Build quality is excellent and holds collimation really well. Have never needed to collimate mine. The lack of dewing problems is a big advantage compared to a mak. I find it’s ready for use with very little cooldown. Weighs about 6kg so not the lightest. 

I also have the 8” version. 

[Stu1smartcookie]

The stock focuser will be fine for me ,I'm sure John .. ah yes collimation .. as its got a fixed primary I suppose collimation holds very well. Is it easy to collimate though ?( if it needs to be done ) Also what collimation tool works best for this scope ... Cheshire,  collimation cap or the dreaded laser (starts the collimate the collimater debate lol)

Cool down time is a massive plus for me as It will be my main scope. 

I have the sky tee mount so no problems with weight 

Edited December 29, 2021 by Stu1smartcookie

[johninderby]

Collimation isn’t too difficult and you just need a collimation cap. Although as mentioned it holds collimation so well never needed to touch mine. 

I will be getting one of these though to fine tune the collimation on the 8” for imaging. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/other-collimation-tools/ts-2-inch-led-rc-collimator.html

[Stu1smartcookie]

John I read that this collimation device isn't good for the 8" StellaLyra .. is it OK for the 6" do you think ? 

[johninderby]

I don’t see any problems using it on the 8” as it works ok on the RC version.

[Stu1smartcookie]

Well , anything that helps collimation is a great asset

Edited December 29, 2021 by Stu1smartcookie

[Captain Scarlet]

I have 3 maks: 2 Skymax and an Intes. I have considered upgrading the Skymax to a Mewlon, but the reason I haven't and won't is the same as the reason I likely won't get a CC, which is diffraction spikes from the secondary holder. Although I also have Newtonians which necessarily come with diffraction spikes, and I don't mind them too much, I'd still prefer they weren't there.

Magnus

 

[Mr Spock]

For visual use, spider vanes aren't a problem 

[Mr Spock]

For collimation, the CC will be the same as Maks or SCTs. The best method being a star test - and getting it spot on will make a huge difference. 

There's no reason why this 6" CC shouldn't be great on planets. The secondary is small enough not to affect the MTF too much.

[Stu]

8 minutes ago, Captain Magenta said:

I'd still prefer they weren't there.

I’m much the same Magnus. Visual or imaging doesn’t matter, they are still there! I enjoyed my Mewlon but the spikes were still a little annoying. I think the fixed primary of the CCs is a good advantage so the collimation isn’t affected by mirror flop.

[dweller25]

@Stu1smartcookie

Have you seen this thread on CN ?
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/624303-new-at-6-and-8-classical-cassegrain/

Edited December 29, 2021 by dweller25

[Stu1smartcookie]

2 hours ago, dweller25 said:

@Stu1smartcookie

Have you seen this thread on CN ?
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/624303-new-at-6-and-8-classical-cassegrain/

Thanks for the link,  quite a thread. I am a bit confused with this scope as I've seen some who insist that both primary and secondary need to be adjusted when collimation is needed but others say that only the secondary needs tweaking.  Any thoughts on that, anyone, as I thought the primary being fixed wouldn't need adjusting. 

[johninderby]

Here is the manual.

https://nimax-img.de/Produktdownloads/62478_1_Anleitung-EN.pdf

The optical axis pf the primary may need adjusting bit then just the secondary would neeed adjusting.

[Mark at Beaufort]

I have been considering a 6" CC for quite some time and I often wondered where/ when the extension tubes should be used. Your Orion link John  answers that question. My other concern was the mount I should use. Currently I have the AZ5 with pillar and metal tripod. I have a feeling that someone commented that the 6" CC was not a good match for the AZ5 - too much shaking at high magnification.

[johninderby]

I replaced the focuser with a refractor Steeltrack so no need for extra extension pieces as the long drawtube has enough travel.

The CC6” is a bit heavy for an AZ5. I use a modded Manfrotto 405 geared head.

Edited December 29, 2021 by johninderby

[Stu1smartcookie]

11 hours ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

I have been considering a 6" CC for quite some time and I often wondered where/ when the extension tubes should be used. Your Orion link John  answers that question. My other concern was the mount I should use. Currently I have the AZ5 with pillar and metal tripod. I have a feeling that someone commented that the 6" CC was not a good match for the AZ5 - too much shaking at high magnification.

From what I read and from experience I upgraded my mount pretty quickly to a sky Tee 2 as I also had an az5. For the smaller maks and fracs the AZ5 is a really nice mount but having briefly used it with a 4" frac I would say the vibrations would be too annoying when mounting the 6" CC . I remember commenting at the time that there isn't an "inbetween" mount that would bridge the gap between the az5 and skytee . The skyTee is rock solid .

[johninderby]

The Skytee is a really nice mount that performs better than it ought to given it’s humble origins.

[dweller25]

13 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

Thanks for the link,  quite a thread. I am a bit confused with this scope as I've seen some who insist that both primary and secondary need to be adjusted when collimation is needed but others say that only the secondary needs tweaking.  Any thoughts on that, anyone, as I thought the primary being fixed wouldn't need adjusting. 

Whilst the primary mirror does not move during focusing, it is attached to a movable plate that can be used to adjust it’s collimation from the rear.

What you adjust depends on what moves out of alignment.

If you are lucky then only the secondary will need tweaking, but if the primary support plate moves then it gets more complicated - I believe you have to adjust the primary and then the secondary multiple times until collimation is correct.

Some users have reported that due to the compromised F/12 design these GSO Cassegrains do not work at full aperture.

Edited December 30, 2021 by dweller25

[Clarkey]

19 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

I read that this collimation device isn't good for the 8" StellaLyra .. is it OK for the 6"

You are right about is not being used for the 8" - but this is for the RC only. Due to the way the baffles are set up you cannot see the edges of the primary mirror to align correctly. I use the LED collimator on my RC8 for the secondary alignment only and a star test for the primary. Seems to work quite well for me.

FWIW the LED collimator is good for Newtonian reflectors.

Edited December 30, 2021 by Clarkey

[Stu1smartcookie]

21 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

Some users have reported that due to the compromised F/12 design these GSO Cassegrains do not work at full aperture

Hmm  the more we delve into things the more we learn. Really interesting regarding the aperture .

[johninderby]

I have found that the CC is sharper on axis than the mak or SCT and has better resolution. so despite the reduced apeture It doe#n’t affect performance.

[JeremyS]

My learnings: Everything is a compromise in the end and it’s performance and pleasure of use that count 👍🏻

Edited December 30, 2021 by JeremyS

[Stu1smartcookie]

4 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

My learnings: Everything is a compromise in the end and it’s performance and pleasure of use that count 👍🏻

Whilst I agree with this , it's the  reason I asked the initial questions ie  to ascertain knowledge of the product , especially any negstives . You are so right , Jeremy , the pleasure of use indeed is the main area that counts , but to use , you have to buy , and to buy means commitment and cost . I've certainly made too many rash decisions in the past , and not so distant past in buying astronomy  equipment on a whim only to regret the purchase and of course sell at a loss thereafter.  Knowledge I am gaining on this thread has helped me in my decision of whether to buy the 6" CC . The worst type of reviews I see are the 5* reports ( of which I have undoubtedly been guilty of in the past too) . There have been certain issues, regarding the scope  on this thread that users have highlighted that I would never have even thought about . This is what SGL is all about . Sensible down to earth opinions . 

 

[JeremyS]

3 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

Whilst I agree with this , it's the  reason I asked the initial questions ie  to ascertain knowledge of the product , especially any negstives . You are so right , Jeremy , the pleasure of use indeed is the main area that counts , but to use , you have to buy , and to buy means commitment and cost . I've certainly made too many rash decisions in the past , and not so distant past in buying astronomy  equipment on a whim only to regret the purchase and of course sell at a loss thereafter.  Knowledge I am gaining on this thread has helped me in my decision of whether to buy the 6" CC . The worst type of reviews I see are the 5* reports ( of which I have undoubtedly been guilty of in the past too) . There have been certain issues, regarding the scope  on this thread that users have highlighted that I would never have even thought about . This is what SGL is all about . Sensible down to earth opinions . 

 

Spot on.

Its a bit like the discussion on the other thread about a Tak FS 60Q vs FOA 60Q. They are both wonderful performers and a joy to use. But I just get slightly more pleasure from the FOA. 
But in the end, they are both only 60mm scopes 

Edited December 30, 2021 by JeremyS