Which off-axis guider?

[michaelmorris]

I'm thinking of investing in an off-axis guider for use with my Canon 1000D on an 8" LX200. So far I've found offerings by Meade (£74), Celestron (£96) and Orion (£99).

Are there any other sub-£100 offerings out there and can anyone tell me the differences between the models I have found?

[Merlin66]

Michael,

I have all of those OAG's as well as the Newtonian Lumicon version.

The Meade is very basic, with a fixed pick-off prism; the unit must be slightly unscrewed from the back of the SCT to allow rotation and/ or camera angular positioning. You may need an additional 1.25" 2" extension tube to get the guide port to focus.

The Celestron Radial guider is better: it allows in-out adjustment of the prism and about 120 degree of radial movement of the camera without touching the telescope attachment. Up until the Orion... this is the one I used on the 10" and 12" LX200.

The new Orion Deluxe OAG is the best of the bunch! It has the same adjustments as the Celestron ( but 360 degree rotation) and better connections for the guide port with fine adjustment focus.

All in all, the Orion is the winner - at that price range!

[Ben Ritchie]

There's a lengthy thread on CN which looks useful, although I must admit that i've not read more than a page or two...

Telescope Reviews: Next Generation Off-Axis Guiders

[Merlin66]

There's certainly some good stuff around.. the Baader looks very nice and then there's the older Lumicon Giant easy guider ( tried it - loved it!) but these are generally well above the target price indicated. Bang for buck on an SCT the Orion seems to be the best.