differences between a nexstar 6 se and a nexstar 8 (not se)

[tobot]

sorry for yet another thread but im still whittleing down my scope choices and i'm down to the last couple

seeing as i missed out on the second hand nexstar 6se

my choice is now between a brand new nexstar 6 se or a second hand nexstar 8 (grey coloured tube) which i believe to be the non SE model?

[johninderby]

Th two main differences are that with the older silver N8 the OTA is non-removeable and I believe only has the basic Starbright coatings not the XLT coatings. There is a kit available to make the OTA removeable though.

http://www.buyastrostuff.com/

John

[tobot]

without the xlt coatings is it still a superior scope ?

[johninderby]

Th C8 is still a very good OTA and well worth having, even without the XLT coatings.

There's this article on Celestron's website that explains the coatings. Just click on Starbright XLT.

http://www.celestron.com/c3/page.php?PageID=364#overview

John

[tobot]

thanks john :-) im still undecided though

[TPC5]

Hi, so what was the outcome? I was about to plump for the 6 SE myself but now wonder if I should step up to the 8 SE.

I know people say the 8 SE is a bit heavy for the mount, however, it should give better DSO visual images and the tube will be usable on a better mount should/ when I decide to go on to photography.

This should also be a lower cost upgrade than buying an 8" tube and mount at that future time.

Tim

[red dwalf]

the 8 does have alot more light gathering power than the 6 but it comes down to price, if you have the money go for the 8, aperature is king

[TPC5]

Red, hi. How have you gotten on with your 6 SE, are you happy with it and the images you get? Indeed, how well does it work with objects outside of the solar system?

Many thanks

Tim

[red dwalf]

if you look in my albums there`s a few pictures taken with a philips spc900nc webcam of planets and moon, the scopes work very well on these targets and my images are getting better as i learn how to use the software better,

i also have a meade dsi pro 2 mono camera for dso work but have only used it once so far on m82, which i got some good images coming through i the half an hour i had,

for visual use there`s a good contrast on planets and moon, have also had some good views on m31 andromeda galaxy, but alot depends on the skies as you can appreciate, so i would recommend these scopes, but if i had lots of cash spare i would get bigger aperature, aperature equals more light, more light equals better contrast and better views, but the cost of all this jumps a massive amount compared to a 6 se.

hope this helps alittle with your choices

[TPC5]

Red, once again thanks for your thoughts. I think I'm off to get an 8 SE tomorrow, provided the other half is happy with the investment of course. :-)

Happy viewing

Tim

[tobot]

i ended up getting the 6se as i found a second hand one at a price i couldn't refuse and i'm extremely happy with it ;-)

as the 6 and 8 se use the same mount i may swap the tube in a couple of years.

[red dwalf]

just to let you know that i`ve just posted my last set of Jupiter images in my albums which i thought i`d already done, if you want to look at them click on my avitar, look on the left showing my albums, click show all albums and they are in there, August 2010

but the 8" se nexstar is a great scope but for a more professional start for imaging it would be better on a eq mount for long exposure images,

there`s also pictures of my scope and mount in there also

cheers

Rob

[TPC5]

Rob, hi. Just a quick update. I went, saw and purchased an 8SE. I spent a bit more than intending when I started my search but feel I've done the right thing.

I was out on Tuesday night and although I couldn't get the star alignment to work, I did get some great views of Jupiter and some of its moons. Will be trying the alignment again this evening, sky's permitting of course.

BR

Tim

[red dwalf]

you`ve made a great purchase there, you`ll get great views with this scope.

as for star aligning, it`s not to difficult to do,

download STELLARIUM, free program thats brilliant to use, shows you whats in the sky at your location, it also shows the names of the stars so when the names come up on the handcontroller you know which one you should be pointing at which i find very useful, also don`t use the battery pack on the mount, it eats batteries so when they die down the scope plays up, invest in a power tank, Maplins about £17, it`s just a jumpstarter with a cigar lighter adapter on the side.

also stellarium can control this mount via your laptop if you have one, looks great when people come round and you show off.

good luck with the scope i`m green with envy,

Rob