6 or 8 inch tube

[Pauly]

I currently have a 6" reflector and was wondering if there is a great deal of difference betwen that and an 8" ? Is it worth changing ? The 8" will work on my CG5-GT mount, but from what I read the 10" wont, so if I go any bigger than 8" I may need to upgrade the mount too. Or should I just stick with the 6" ?

[resonator77]

8" will give you sharper and bigger view of solar objects, although not noticable difference with DSO.

It is worth getting extra inch bigger the better but you need to weigh pros and cons when it comes to finances. If you can sell your current scope and add little on top you could get nice one second hand on SGL or astro buy sell

[NGC 1502]

Personaly I do think that going from 6" to 8" is worthwhile, as long as you are

certain that the mount is up to the job, but many would say that from 6", you need

to go to 10" to see a definite difference.

I'd rather have an adequately mounted 6" than a wobbly 8" !!

Best regards, Ed.

[DarkerSky]

I went from a 6" to a 8.5" newtonian a while back and I would say that it is a worthwhile jump to make. Planetary views were much improved and I got to see more detail in DSOs - more stars resolved in globulars and more structure to things like M57 ring nebula.

Both were on alt-az mounts so can't comment on stability on CG5 mount.

[Pauly]

I think I'm correct in saying that Celestron supply the 8" on the CG5 as an option, and most of the discussions I've read on the subject seem to agree that the combination works fine. The element of doubt creeps in with tubes of a larger diameter. I'm certainly happy enough to use that combination. Now all I need to do is find an 8" tube......

[CGolder]

I would recommend the 200mm, i got a cheap one to try out (bit battered but it does the job) and have owned a 150p too.

the 200mm seems to be a optimal size, its small enough to carry/mount and fits on most mid range mounts and gives some super views

I have had my finger on the add to cart on FLO for the 200DS for about 2 weeks now haha

[brantuk]

I went from a 6" newt to an 8" SCT and it was distinctly different due to the scope "types" involved. If I was going from 6" newt to bigger newt, I'd skip the 8" and go straight for a 10" or more to get a significant difference/improvement

[valleyman]

I have just put a Skywatcher 200P on my CG-5 mount with no problems. You will need 2 weights but I had it out last night for the first time and it worked OK. You will be pushing the CG-5 to the limit if you put a 10" on it. the top weight limit for the CG-5 is about 12kilo. I think it is just to risky to go to the 10" without upgrading the mount

[Pauly]

I think it is just to risky to go to the 10" without upgrading the mount

That's pretty much the conclusion I'd come to. I can't justify the cost of upgrading mount and tube at the moment, so an 8" tube on my existing mount is the most sensible option at this point.

[dweller25]

I had a 6" F/8 and a 8" F/6 at the same time. The 8" showed more planetary detail.

I still have the 8" F/6 and it's mounted on a CG-5 - a great combo.

A 10" tube would need an EQ6 type mount.

[brianb]

I'd rather have an adequately mounted 6" than a wobbly 8" !!

Agreed. Last night I was being frustrated by wind vibration on a pretty solidly mounted scope (CPC1100) to the extent that I was actually considering going for kip time before the sky clouded over. Now mounting a ZS66 on a Paramount ME might be just slightly OTT, but in my mind, though a mount can be too heavy to be carried, it can't ever be too stable.

Do yourself a favour and upgrade the mount first - especially if you have any pretensions to imaging.

[griff44]

I've just bought the 8" skywatcher dob - best decision ever!!