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Date: 23 Jul 2006 13:06:41
From: paulmichelle.chris9@btinternet.com
Subject: Which scope?
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I was wondering if you could offer me some advice on which scope i
should purchase. i have narrowed it down to three possibilities: the
meade LX200 8", Celestron C11 S-GT XLT or the CPC 800. I know size is
important so the C11 is in favour of being picked but i am still
unsure.
regards
chris
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Date: 23 Jul 2006 18:44:34
From: RMOLLISE
Subject: Re: Which scope?
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Joe S. wrote:
> >
>
> Go ahead, get all three scopes and a boatload of eyepieces, Barlows, and
> other stuff. You'll do it anyway so save yourself time and do it now.
Ain't THAT the truth. ;-)
Peace,
Rod Mollise
Author of:
Choosing and Using a Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope
and
The Urban Astronomer's Guide
<http://skywatch.brainiac.com/astroland >
The Annual SCT User Imaging Contest is Underway!
<http://www.rothritter.com/contest/2006/ >
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Date: 23 Jul 2006 17:16:44
From: Joe S.
Subject: Re: Which scope?
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<paulmichelle.chris9@btinternet.com > wrote in message
news:1153685201.405599.35160@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>I was wondering if you could offer me some advice on which scope i
> should purchase. i have narrowed it down to three possibilities: the
> meade LX200 8", Celestron C11 S-GT XLT or the CPC 800. I know size is
> important so the C11 is in favour of being picked but i am still
> unsure.
>
> regards
>
> chris
>
Go ahead, get all three scopes and a boatload of eyepieces, Barlows, and
other stuff. You'll do it anyway so save yourself time and do it now.
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Date: 23 Jul 2006 16:32:30
From: William Hamblen
Subject: Re: Which scope?
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On 23 Jul 2006 13:06:41 -0700, "paulmichelle.chris9@btinternet.com"
<paulmichelle.chris9@btinternet.com > wrote:
>I was wondering if you could offer me some advice on which scope i
>should purchase. i have narrowed it down to three possibilities: the
>meade LX200 8", Celestron C11 S-GT XLT or the CPC 800. I know size is
>important so the C11 is in favour of being picked but i am still
>unsure.
First decide how much telescope you are willing to carry around. A
C11 is much heavier than the 8" SCTs.
Bud
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Date: 23 Jul 2006 13:26:30
From: Jan Owen
Subject: Re: Which scope?
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<paulmichelle.chris9@btinternet.com > wrote in message
news:1153685201.405599.35160@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>I was wondering if you could offer me some advice on which scope i
> should purchase. i have narrowed it down to three possibilities: the
> meade LX200 8", Celestron C11 S-GT XLT or the CPC 800. I know size is
> important so the C11 is in favour of being picked but i am still
> unsure.
>
> regards
>
> chris
>
Can you tell us a little more about your personal preferences and needs?
Yes, aperture is very important. But so is portability and convenience...
And, further, the objects you may be most interested in can be shown best by
different scopes, depending on what your preferences may be...
Do you prefer the moon and planets? Or would you prefer to view deep space
objects in all their glory? Or BOTH???
And do you plan to do all, or mostly, visual observing, or do you plan to do
digital imaging (astrophotography) at some point... The *at some point* is
important, too, because IF you want to do this, but doing it NOW isn't
important, the answer may be one thing, but if you want to do it all NOW,
the answer may be different...
Don't want to put you on the spot for asking the question you did, but if
you can answer these questions for us, we can probably give you a better
idea of your needs, based on OUR experience. But understand, it will be
what WE think... You will need to then put the answers in your PERSONAL
equation to arrive at the correct answer... None of us will have the same
needs or expectations that YOU do. And we want this to be a good experience
for YOU...
--
Jan Owen
To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
Latitude: 33.6
Longitude: -112.3
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Date: 24 Jul 2006 02:33:17
From: paulmichelle.chris9@btinternet.com
Subject: Re: Which scope?
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Well i'm looking for a more all rounded scope but i would prefer one
that is good for deep sky. I won't actually be taking this scope very
far only in my back garden and my farther is always there to help so
thats not really an issue and i may want to do astrophotography at one
point but its still something i have to decide. take that as i do want
to do astrophotography in the future.
regards,
Chris
Jan Owen wrote:
> <paulmichelle.chris9@btinternet.com> wrote in message
> news:1153685201.405599.35160@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> >I was wondering if you could offer me some advice on which scope i
> > should purchase. i have narrowed it down to three possibilities: the
> > meade LX200 8", Celestron C11 S-GT XLT or the CPC 800. I know size is
> > important so the C11 is in favour of being picked but i am still
> > unsure.
> >
> > regards
> >
> > chris
> >
>
> Can you tell us a little more about your personal preferences and needs?
>
> Yes, aperture is very important. But so is portability and convenience...
>
> And, further, the objects you may be most interested in can be shown best by
> different scopes, depending on what your preferences may be...
>
> Do you prefer the moon and planets? Or would you prefer to view deep space
> objects in all their glory? Or BOTH???
>
> And do you plan to do all, or mostly, visual observing, or do you plan to do
> digital imaging (astrophotography) at some point... The *at some point* is
> important, too, because IF you want to do this, but doing it NOW isn't
> important, the answer may be one thing, but if you want to do it all NOW,
> the answer may be different...
>
> Don't want to put you on the spot for asking the question you did, but if
> you can answer these questions for us, we can probably give you a better
> idea of your needs, based on OUR experience. But understand, it will be
> what WE think... You will need to then put the answers in your PERSONAL
> equation to arrive at the correct answer... None of us will have the same
> needs or expectations that YOU do. And we want this to be a good experience
> for YOU...
>
> --
> Jan Owen
>
> To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
> Latitude: 33.6
> Longitude: -112.3
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Date: 24 Jul 2006 18:08:30
From: Stephen Paul
Subject: Re: Which scope?
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paulmichelle.chris9@btinternet.com wrote:
> Well i'm looking for a more all rounded scope but i would prefer one
> that is good for deep sky. I won't actually be taking this scope very
> far only in my back garden and my farther is always there to help so
> thats not really an issue and i may want to do astrophotography at one
> point but its still something i have to decide. take that as i do want
> to do astrophotography in the future.
>
What is your experience level?
1) Novice? (my first scope, or my second scope and I've little
experience with other scopes and mounts)
2) Intermediate? (my second or third scope, and I've had experience with
other scopes on various mountings, and/or I'm serious about imaging)
3) Experienced? (I don't really have any questions about equipment, I
just need some moral support to blow my hard earned cash to get what I want)
If #1, then I'd say get the CPC-800 (given your list of choices)
If #2, then I'd say get the CPC-800 and then later add a wedge and an
F6.3 R/C for trial imaging
If #3, well then we all know that you really want to get the C11S-GT, so
go for it. The worst that can happen is you decide to sell either the
C11 or the mount because you decide that the C11 is just too much scope
for it. The mount itself is capable enough for imaging with moderate to
short focal lengths up to at least a few minutes of exposure time if you
decide to pursue imaging in earnest. If the C11 isn't too wobbly on the
mount for your liking, then all you need is a second scope for imaging.
Try an inexpensive 6" or 8" F5 reflector and a DSLR to get you started.
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Date: 01 Aug 2006 01:06:31
From: Philip Washington
Subject: Re: Which scope?
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Hope I'm not to late. I had a C8 but now have a C11. I did some
astrophotography with the C8, but not very much. I've just started
to do some astrophotagraphy with the C11.
C11 is very bright and if you are planning on taking images of
Jupiter and Saturn you are going to need filters and good alignment.
Very good alignment. It can be very frustrating.
C8 you are not getting the same resolution but you can get some
very good pictures with C8.
Also remember that your field of view with the C11 is smaller.
This makes it more difficult to align and track.
The big thing with the C11 is the size. I am over 6 feet tall
and lift weights. This is a scary bitch to setup. It's heavy and
it's awkward at times to set up. I rarely will set it up alone and
never when I feel tired. The darn thing scares me because the last
time I checked you can't replace the OT for less than a 1,000.
Currently I have spent roughly 20 hours working with the C11 and
non of my pictures look that much better than what I got with my
C8.
Either way you go if you're just starting out in astrophotography is not
as easy as it might seem. It's kind of like playing golf you keep
playing and you get that one shot or part of a shot that keeps you
going. So why the recommendation for the C8. Because you are going
to need to spend a lot of time getting proficient at it. If both of
you have the bug and are willing to sit out there and work on it then
fine you'll have a partner to help you break it down. But usually
when I set up I start before sundown and go until 4 or 5 am or sun up.
depending on the moon and cloud cover. Unless you both have the bug
and the patience it can make for a long night.
And because I have a C11 I don't bring it out unless there is a forecast
of a clear night because I don't want to go through the hassle of
setting it up for only a couple of hours.
Back to the problem of city lights. Yes with larger aperature I can
see dimmer objects, but I also have to find those objects. Sometimes
that means the objects are washed out with city lights and I can't
see it with my naked eye or the finders scope. Sometimes I shoot
and move based on what I see. In a C8 this would be easier, because
it has a larger field of view. Sometimes with the C11 I can't even
find a star in the picture to help me orient my movement. So I
take the camera assembly off reset the focus try to find the object
in the eyepiece, watch and make sure I have good tracking. Then
offset the finders scope to a star I can see. Remount the camera
reset the focus and try again. I have had a couple of frustrating
experiences with getting even a planetary object in the field of
view.
Yes you get 2 the light gathering ability with a C11 but you get
about 4 times the headache. Everything is magnified in the C11
especially user errors. (alignment, alignment, alignment).
If you can somehow setup a permanent mount then I would vote for the
C11, but if you are going to be setting up every time then I'd
recommend the C8.
Like they said if you have the choice just get them all now because
your eventually going to get them. I'll probably be buying a
C8 OT for a mount I had.
On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 13:06:41 -0700, paulmichelle.chris9@btinternet.com
wrote:
> I was wondering if you could offer me some advice on which scope i
> should purchase. i have narrowed it down to three possibilities: the
> meade LX200 8", Celestron C11 S-GT XLT or the CPC 800. I know size is
> important so the C11 is in favour of being picked but i am still
> unsure.
>
> regards
>
> chris
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