Transfer season

[Ags]

Thinking once more of selling my C6, assuming I can get a fair price for it. I'd replace it with a 130PDS, it would work better as for DSO photography, and it would be a nice little widefield visual sweeper on an alt-az mount.

The remaining cash would go towards either a Classical Cassegraine 8" or a Skymax 180. The Mak is a bit lighter, easier to balance, with easier collimation and a sealed tube, which might be good as I am moving to a coastal area. The CC8 has a little more aperture and possibly a visual edge...

[Elp]

Strange, I went the other way and sold the 130pds after I got a C6 OTA, but I already have a short FL refractor too.

[Ags]

I just have the feeling the C6 doesn't do anything particularly well. The newt would do DSOs better, and the Skymax/CC8 would do planets better.

[Elp]

I chose the C6 for its flexibility. The 130 I didn't feel was much different from my Z61 (370mm w the default flattener), even though the aperture was larger on the 130 hence faster, the added FL also helps. The C6 would be my do all scope, visual natively, planetary imaging, F6.3 1000mm FL reduced imaging and F2 300mm FL hyperstar imaging. I also didn't really accept you have to do a few mods to the 130 in order to get it into prime imaging shape, it should just work out the box.

For the price though the 130 is decent. Note due to the box volume size of it your setup will also be prone to more wind/breeze vibrations, it literally acts like a sail, best used if you can used it in closed off areas or when wind is minimal or absent.

[Ags]

I have a 90 mm refractor with 500 mm focal length, so the 130 PDS would just be an evolution on that, with a bit more speed, a bit more resolution and bit better stars (in theory).

[Captain Scarlet]

Personally, and as the happy visual owner of a skymax 180 (and author of the reverse engineering skymax180 thread) I would go for the CC8. Dewing of the corrector plate on the skymax is a terrible problem.

M

[Ags]

22 hours ago, Captain Scarlet said:

Personally, and as the happy visual owner of a skymax 180 (and author of the reverse engineering skymax180 thread) I would go for the CC8.

Yes, the CC8 is EUR 300 cheaper, and importantly I can fit a carry handle to the losmandy bar. The Skymax comes with a finderscope which I don't need and a couple of worthless eyepieces.

On 23/03/2024 at 18:35, Elp said:

I also didn't really accept you have to do a few mods to the 130 in order to get it into prime imaging shape, it should just work out the box.

What be these mods of which you speak?

 

[Elp]

9 hours ago, Ags said:

What be these mods of which you speak?

The simplest one is you need to mask the rear of the tube to minimise light getting in, I used a piece of black card, many people use swimming shower caps.

The second one is some coma correctors don't reach focus as there's not enough inward travel, therefore some people are resorted to shortening the focus tube I believe. I didn't want to do this so went with a GSO coma corrector which works without needing the mod.

Third, the internal doesn't have physical baffles (as with most newtonians I believe) so to increase contrast adding internal baffling material is desirable.

Forth depending on your imaging payload the focuser can be inadequate, I didn't find there was a problem but I only used a planetary camera on mine when I had it.

Based on the above, for me anyway, I didn't find I should have to do any of this, but the scope is quite affordable in price so you have to weigh up the pros and cons, also add in the cost of the coma corrector if you desperately need the flat field across the FOV.

[Elp]

There's quite a long owners thread on here as the scope is quite popular.