Nexstar 5SE or Nexstar 6SE

[steve_bham]

Hi all,

I need to pick your brains ive always been interested in astronomy and when i lived at home many years ago i had an 8 inch dob (to be honest not the best optics so slightly put me off as got annoyed with it)

Anyway looking to get a scope that is portable easy to use good optics and upgradable. I live in an apartment so cant use it from home so with be taking it in car to use.

I like the look at the nexstar 5 and 6 but not sure which one to go for, i know the bigger the better but my main priority is portability. Long term i would also like to do astrophotography (way down line).

Ive read the nexstar 5 has a camera input but the nexstar 6 does'nt.

So my questio is! whats the better scope for my requirements?

[brianb]

Ive read the nexstar 5 has a camera input but the nexstar 6 does'nt.

Eh? I thought they both had a standard SCT threaded rear port....

The big difference between the 5SE and the 6SE - apart from the extra inch of aperture - is that the 5SE shares the mount & tripod with the 4SE, the 6SE uses a larger & steadier mount with its bigger brother the 8SE. If you intend to attempt photography the extra steadiness is a major advantage, worth the difference in price even without the extra light grasp & resolution that comes with the large scope.

These scopes are extremely portable, the OTA detaches easily from the mount with the dovetail bar fixing and reassembly is a matter of moments. I can't imagine that a 6SE would be a problem to move around and set up to any "normally abled" person over the age of about 12. Carrying the thing a long way is of course a different matter, even the 5SE will be too much to backpack unless you're very dedicated, if this is what you want to do then you'd be better off with a small short focus refractor on a sturdy camera tripod (the William Optics Megrez 72 springs to mind).

[ChrisEdu]

I'd go for the 6SE, following the bigger is best line of thought!

[Jarndyce]

The 6SE is extremely portable. I can carry the whole assembly easily. For longer distances, it's just a matter of collapsing the tripod and carrying the whole thing over your shoulder.

However, because it's light, it's not as rigid as a heavy equatorial. I've had mixed results in terms of imaging. I can attach an SLR, but the design isn't really meant to carry a lot of extra weight.

I think if you want something portable, it's fantastic. However, if you're serious about imaging, you'd be better off with another mount. imaging is complex and to do it like some of the guys on this site, you need guide scopes and a very good mount.

If I were you, I'd go with the 6SE. As Brian says, the mount is much better than the 5SE.

Then at a later date, you could consider getting yourself an equatorial to start astrophotography. You can dabble with the alt/ax, but it is limited.

The 6" OTA, however is excellent. You'll be able to use this for imaging.

It's worth considering a couple of other things you'll need to spend money on:

A power supply - Powertank or similar.

Dew shield.

And when you can:

Replacement diagonal.

Better EPs.

The spending never ends.....

Hope this helps!

[dweller25]

6SE, more aperture, better mount.

[MeerkatinBKK]

Agree with the other posters here that the 6SE would be the way to go. Later on get an equatorial mount for deep space astrophotography (this is the future upgrade path for my 8SE too), and keep the old mount for grab 'n' go.

The 6SE mount is more than capable enough for solar system images though using a modded webcam/NexImage equivalent, so you could get started snapping the moon and planets straight away if you wished.

I'd also echo Jarndyce's advice that you should get a dew shield and powertank right from the word go.

Nick

[steve_bham]

hi guys thanks for the comments, it will be a few months before i buy one saving my pennies so just looking round for some good clubs

[Doc]

You will find that the mount is very important. If the 6SE has the bigger mount go for it as it will be sturdier and will have better dampening down times.

[BlueAstra]

I have the 8se and it is very easy to lift and carry around, even with the OTA attached (although not recommended). I would imagine the 6se would be lighter so moving it shouldn't be a problem.

[steve_bham]

thanks for your help, i know this sounds a bit thick! but whats OTA

[Jarndyce]

Optical Tube Assembly - the actual "scope".

And it's not thick at all.

[brianb]

whats OTA

Optical Tube Assembly - the cylindrical tube containing the lenses & mirrors. It connects to the mount, which in turn sits on (screwed on to) the top of the tripod.

[steve_bham]

Thanks peeps, was spending a few hours last night reading few posts, and its a wealth on knowledge on here ! so i think im going to get som binos 1st while i save the pennies for my 6se

[ChrisEdu]

Thanks peeps, was spending a few hours last night reading few posts, and its a wealth on knowledge on here ! so i think im going to get som binos 1st while i save the pennies for my 6se

Good idea! Do we now have a what binos thread?!

[steve_bham]

LOL be good! Im going to to for the Celestron 15 x 70 pair, already have a triop for my Nikon D80 so got that bit sorted.

[ChrisEdu]

Don't forget, if you've got a nice big zoom or prime lense, you can always use that, with your camera mounted on the tripod, to get a look at some things.

[seiko]

hi did, you get the 6SE, I'm torn between the 6SE and 8SE and I want a scope that I'll consider a keeper, that is portable and actually fits into a decent budget.

Any feedback on the 6SE would be welcomed.

[steve_bham]

Hi i got a second nexstar 5 off this site, and have to say its fantastic. Need a scope to be powerfull yet portable so its a winner in my book

[seiko]

Cool, I just wish I had a local shop that I could view these. It's so easy to get caught up with the aperture race that practicality often takes a back seat. It would be even better if the shops actually arranged evening visits/tests.

[jlefk44]

I am also torn between the 5SE and the 6SE as a "starter scope".

The 5SE's mount has a built-in equatorial wedge and comes with built-in camera shutter control. I'm sure pics with this scope would not win any awards but its made for some playing around for sure.

The 6SE mount is more robust but does not come with a wedge or built in camera control. From my research, a wedge (from Celestron) goes for about $150-200. Seems pricey to me but what do I know. I'm sure they come up used every once in a while.

The pice difference on the two really makes the 6SE more attractive and something that won't be traded in too soon. However, there looks to be more value to the budget-minded beginner in the 5SE.

For what its worth....

[seiko]

Thanks and yes I'm deliberating too. It's a difficult decision.

1) The 5SE is much more of a grab and go but then if you're looking for a 5" visual grab and go the ETX125 comes into the equation.

2) The 6SE indeed does have the larger/older/proven 5i/8i mount but it's then so close to the 8SE in terms of size and weight that it may be simply better to buy an 8SE as a borderline grab knowing you won't be suffering from aperture fever! I just dont see any advantage of the 6SE over the 8SE other than price.

[The Warthog]

I just came back from a 7500 km road trip, for which I didn't take either of my scopes. This turned out to be a good call, with the very late sunset at the high latitudes I was at, and the full moon and the sometimes hazy sky. Also, I had two sets of golf clubs in the car (which we didn't use, either) and things would have been just too crowded with either of my scopes in there.

A 5SE, however, without the tripod, could be set up on the picnic table and used, and wouldn't take up a whole lot of space in the back of the car, especially if I'd left the useless golf clubs at home. I like the idea of that very much, especially as I approach retirement, and will be doing more trips and more camping. I'll save the golf clubs for golf trips, and the big scopes for star party trips.

[seiko]

Just for the record, I went for a new (old) 5i, i.e. an unused 5i. Although I was initially disappointed by the dimmer views compared with my previous 8i it's portability is second to none. As such I've already used it more than my 8i.

[milan]

Check out my thread in this forum as well as the wife and i currently have 6SE (and love it) and i am just looking at getting into astrophotography. If i was starting from scratch again and new i would be getting into astro i'd start at the mount and go from there. Dont get me wrong the 6SE is a great scope and it will last us a long time but the mount isnt well suited for astrophotography, even whe using a wedge from what ive learnt in the last few days.

In terms of portability i dont have any problem lifting it and taking it through our dining room then kitchen down the two steps outside the back door and into the garden. I wouldnt say its light (but then i carry it with scope mounted on the tripod) but then its not heavy either. Only annoyance i have is that the central support to put your barlow on etc is quite fixed so you cant draw the tripod legs in without a bit of disassembly (again not difficult), but i dont bother.

Obviously depends on budget as well.