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elklown
member
Reged: 09/05/08
Posts: 11
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Hello -
I still consider myself a beginner in all of this despite the fact that I have been observing and imaging for years; the reason for my beginner label is that I have been using a Meade ETX-70 for all that time (about 5 years). Now this scope is hardly a amateur instrument, but I picked it up cheap and I have spent years trying to upgrade it into something respectable (upgraded autostar, finders, tripod, imagers, etc) it has served me well enough and I am finally ready to move on. I've socked away enough money to buy a truly enthusiast scope but I am unsure what to get.
I would like a scope that can last a lifetime with proper upgrades but I cannot spend more than $1000 in my initial outlay. I seriously considered a big Dob but I enjoy imaging and cannot give that up. Also, I live in dark skies now but move often and may need a portable setup. Also, I have become very used to the wide field of my little 70 and want to do more deep sky imaging, but I don't want to give up the option to crank it up and see planets in real detail. What I have been considering is:
1. Meade LXD75 SN-6AT Schmidt-Newtonian - I like fast focal, but foresee problems if I try to use a barlow or otherwise try to get high magnifications out of this scope. Also there are hardly any reviews available and what I have seen confirms my fears that the mount is inadequate as is the focuser.
2. Celestron Nexstar 6 SE - Really I have heard nothing but good things about this scope, that said I've had a great deal of trouble with accurate tracking on my little ETX from an alt azimuth mounting and feel an EQ may be better for imaging, but then again the ETX did not have PEC or decent gearing. I could use some advice on this model.
3. Celestron C6-S GT Schmidt-Cassegrain w/XLT Coatings - this scope seems to be essentially a Nexstar 6 with an upgraded mount and might be easier use as a guide scope and to add photo equipment to later such as a 80mm ED (do you think that would be too much for this scope/mount?). Why no polar scope added?
4. Meade ETX 125PE - I certainly like the Maksutov-Cassegrain design for its smaller secondary mirror and fantastic optics, but the higher focal length bothers me as does the fact that the drives probably are still plastic. I would be able to keep all my ETX specific accessories. Also, almost no one seems to image using the ETX's drive, it is almost always used as a secondary scope. I would also love to have the level north technology.
So far that's what I've got any thoughts - obviously I would love to have is an 8 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain but I just don't see any as affordable.
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kfred
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/11/03
Posts: 2005
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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Welcome to CN!
I think the C6-SCT would be an excellent pick for your needs.
Fred
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River Cam - Cambridge England
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bcuddihee
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 11/04/06
Posts: 934
Loc: Cincinnati Ohio
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I would go with the C6 for portability and very fine optics. I would change out the supplied diagonal for a quality 2" enhanced or dielectric. The Nexstar would be a good choice for a grab and go as thew whole deal weighs only approx 30,lbs. The CG5 mount will will be a better imaging platform than the Nexstar. There have been many who have really enjoyed this scope as well as the 8SE, myself included. Here is a review.
bc
http://www.astromart.com/articles/article.asp?article_id=333
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B Cuddihee
On the quest to find the best for the least!
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1968 Jason Empire 60X700mm refractor (my buddy from way back)
Celestron Nexstar8SE(a remarkable 8" grab and go)
Feathertouch Microfocuser
Stellarvue 50mm "Sparrowhawk" finder
Denk bino's with Power x switch
Pair of 26m Celestron Silvertop Plossls
Pair of Smart Astronomy 19 EF's
Pair of Smart Astronomy 16 EF's
Agena 38 SWA
Agena 26 SWA
Garrett 2" 2x ED Barlow
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bcuddihee
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 11/04/06
Posts: 934
Loc: Cincinnati Ohio
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Here is a current thread that just started.
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/2626388/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1#Post2627130
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B Cuddihee
On the quest to find the best for the least!
--------------------------
1968 Jason Empire 60X700mm refractor (my buddy from way back)
Celestron Nexstar8SE(a remarkable 8" grab and go)
Feathertouch Microfocuser
Stellarvue 50mm "Sparrowhawk" finder
Denk bino's with Power x switch
Pair of 26m Celestron Silvertop Plossls
Pair of Smart Astronomy 19 EF's
Pair of Smart Astronomy 16 EF's
Agena 38 SWA
Agena 26 SWA
Garrett 2" 2x ED Barlow
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Midnight Dan
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/23/08
Posts: 615
Loc: Brockport, NY
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I agree. The 6" Celestron is a great scope and the GEM mount on the C6-S GT would be much more appropriate for your interest in photography.
-Dan
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Scopes: Celestron NexStar 8, Orion EON 72mm ED/APO on Astroview mount (EQ3)
Eyepieces: Celestron 40mm, 25mm, Baader Hyperion 13mm, 8mm, 5mm
Other: Telrad, 2x Barlow, 0.63x Focal Reducer, Dew-not strips, DewBuster controller
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Midnight Dan
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/23/08
Posts: 615
Loc: Brockport, NY
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By the way, the NexStar 6SE does NOT have worm gears or PEC. The CG-5 mount on the C6S GT does have worm gears but I don't believe it has PEC.
-Dan
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Scopes: Celestron NexStar 8, Orion EON 72mm ED/APO on Astroview mount (EQ3)
Eyepieces: Celestron 40mm, 25mm, Baader Hyperion 13mm, 8mm, 5mm
Other: Telrad, 2x Barlow, 0.63x Focal Reducer, Dew-not strips, DewBuster controller
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 5370
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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If you're serious about a telescope for a lifetime I'd stay away from anything with electronics; they're gonna die one day and they'll eventually be obsolete. Having said that; the present crop of Meade and Celestron hand controllers have proven very enduring with few changes other than firmware upgrade for the past several years.
Of the scopes you list I own two; an LXD75 SN6AT and an ETX-125PE. As far as plastic gear; engineering plastics have come a long way and properly designed systems with good selection of materials doe very well. That aside; the LXD75 SN6AT is a fantastic scope and an excelent value. It's strong points are that it's an excellent imaging platform and wdie field telescope, but as you'd expect only fair at high magnifications. One thing I love about the LXD75 is it is very versatile and I use several telescopes on this mount including Meade's SC8 which is probably the best general purpose telescope (photo & visual) in the LXD line. The ETX-125 is an amazing little visual telescope. I bought mine as a visual companion to my LXD scopes because they're often tied up imaging. I like just about everything about this scope from the quality of the optics, the sharpness of the image, its compact design, ease of use, and the accuracy of the drive and GoTo. However, the telescope is clearly designd for visual use and while it does a fine job at lunar and planetary imaging, it's focal length is a tad long for deep sky and the drive will really nly permit basic deep sky imaging. The focal length id long (1900mm), but the image is very sharp giving excellent high contrast views of deep sky objects and you can sneak the field of view fairly wide usig long focal length eyepieces. The design also lends itself beautifully to binoviewers. Sooo, as a primarily visual scope I have high praises for my little ETX-125PE.
This s my ETX set up with Orion Binoviewers...
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-John
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Homebuilt scopes from 4.25-16.5"
Meade LXD75-N6/SN6/SC8, DSX-90, ETX-60BB, ETX-125PE, DS-2130
Orion StarBlast, BinoViewers, Coronado PST
Rebel XT/XTi, DSI Pro (I & II), DSI, LPI, Electronic Eyepiece, Phillips SPC900NC
Tasco 60mm Refractors
Edited by jgraham (09/06/08 11:45 AM)
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 5370
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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...and my LXD75 SN6AT. This has been my workhorse imaging platform and in this configuration has a Meade DSX-90 riding shotgun as a guide scope.
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-John
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Homebuilt scopes from 4.25-16.5"
Meade LXD75-N6/SN6/SC8, DSX-90, ETX-60BB, ETX-125PE, DS-2130
Orion StarBlast, BinoViewers, Coronado PST
Rebel XT/XTi, DSI Pro (I & II), DSI, LPI, Electronic Eyepiece, Phillips SPC900NC
Tasco 60mm Refractors
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smasraum
sage
Reged: 01/13/08
Posts: 492
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My big problem with your requirements is that three of your factors, "lifetime scope", imaging, and $1000, don't really seem to work out. It sounds like a list where you can pick/have two options, but not all three.
For serious imaging, you really need a GEM. Alt-Az leads to field rotation.
Would it be an option to upgrade in pieces. Maybe buy a good mount for $1000, continue to use your existing scope on the good mount, and save up and then get a better scope when you've got another $500-$1000 to spend.
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Steve
Houston (Friendswood), TX
 Space Center Houston
8" Zhumell Dob - Woo Hoo!!
Celestron C102 f/5 - Thanks Tim!
21mm, 13mm Hyperion
2.5x TV Powermate
Canon Rebel XT
Nikon 7x35
Bushnell 10x50
Edited by smasraum (09/06/08 12:38 PM)
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cuzimthedad
Just Be Cuz
Reged: 04/09/06
Posts: 2722
Loc: Sonoma, Northern California
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I own the LXD75 AR-6 and have owned the C6-SGT and would go with the SN6 as it is designed to be used for ap. It has a much faster focal ratio, f/5, than the C6, f/10, so your imaging sessions would be much shorter accordingly. The LXD75 mount has PEC. Both mounts are great for beginning ap but AFAIC, the Meade holds the edge. I own the LXD75 AR-6 and have owned the C6-SGT.
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Dan
20" Obsession (Freedom I...aka cuzimthescope)
TV102 (Star Dagger)
LXD75 AR-6 (Phoenix)
Megrez 80SD
Antares 1529 (Awaiting arrival)
Bushnell 7X50 Binoc
Zhumell 20X80 Astro-binocs
EPs: TV 5,7,9,11 T6s, 17 & 22 T4s, 31T5, 13E.
The Off Fisher Lane Irregulars
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John Carruthers
Skiprat
Reged: 02/02/07
Posts: 1701
Loc: Kent, UK
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Hi Elklown, in my limited experience I've noticed peoples scopes change as their interests evolve. We start out with something of modest aperture, move on to larger instruments then when they become unwieldy resort to something more manageable but of exquisite optical quality. A progression not unlike "the seven car ages of man" 
A 'lifetime scope' may exist but I can't quite picture it. Something like an equatorially mounted 10" Newt enough capability to keep most going for a long time certainly.
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Jc
ATM 10" F6.1, 1/25th wave spec (max wavefront error +/- 1/12.6 in zone 4 of 6, sodium light )
6" F7 spec
127mm F9.4 Refractor
10 x 50 bin
ETX80 (finder)
Canon 20D
and a curious mind
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hm insulators
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/22/07
Posts: 547
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Why not have two telescopes? Buy an 8- or 10-inch Dob (an eight-incher would be better for portability) for those nights when you won't be imaging, and hang onto the ETX-70 for pictures. The best of both worlds! 
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pstarr
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 09/17/04
Posts: 873
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
Hi Elklown, in my limited experience I've noticed peoples scopes change as their interests evolve. We start out with something of modest aperture, move on to larger instruments then when they become unwieldy resort to something more manageable but of exquisite optical quality. A progression not unlike "the seven car ages of man"
A 'lifetime scope' may exist but I can't quite picture it. Something like an equatorially mounted 10" Newt enough capability to keep most going for a long time certainly.
JC,
You have described me exactly.
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Paul
10" Home built F-6 Eq planetary Newt. w/Zambuto mirror
fully flocked aluminum tube
curved spider, Antares 1/30 wave secondary
12'x12' roll-off roof observatory
6" Home built f-6 Newt. w/Parks mirror on CG-5 Eq. mount w/Digital setting circles
4.5" Orion Starblast on Eq. mount
TV Radians 5,6,8,10,12mm
Pentax XL 10.5mm
Baader Hyperion 17mm
3.2mm TMB planetary
13mm Ethos
TV 2.5x barlow, TV 1.8x barlow
My equipment philosophy... If it ain't broke, fix it anyway.
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elklown
member
Reged: 09/05/08
Posts: 11
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Thank you all for the comments, I think so far I'm going to eliminate the ETX 125 PE (unless I find a close out, I saw some recently and at that price I $600 I just might bite) due to its focal length and my continued concerns that the mount is just too limiting. I am still considering both of the 6 inch Celestrons SCTs, I prefer the EQ mounted model in principle but the ease of setup on the Nexstar and the new SkyAlign might actually lead to more use.
The remaining scope on my early list the Meade LXD75 SN-6AT is giving me heartburn; I've come to appreciate it more as I hear comments and research it but have used one once and found it rather large - I also both love and hate the wide field. I need more help with the negatives of this scope to really decide.
My $1000 price tag is really all I can afford at the moment, I know I will need a whole slew (no pun) of new accessories and need the extra for that. I could possibly extend my range to just under $1500 adding Meade's LXD75 SC-8 AT adding the NexStar 8 SE to the list, but the reason I'm really hesitant is that winter here in Florida is approaching, the best viewing season, and I really need to upgrade from my current setup before then and going up to $1500 puts the decision well into next year.
What is the consensus?
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Saycbon
super member
Reged: 08/14/08
Posts: 163
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"What is the consensus?"
Carpe diem!
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mathteacher
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/13/07
Posts: 1045
Loc: SF Bay Area
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I agree with the others who say you'll likely go through a bunch of scopes. However, I'd like to mention that all designs using mirrors will lose reflectivity over time. You will have to re-coat them eventually. A refractor is aperture challenged, but a good refractor is forever. I will always have a refractor.
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Regards, Mr. Wang
CR 150-HD - Gordie, Vixen ED100sf - Schipperke, Orion ST80 - The Pug, Orion 7x50 Scenix
Meade DSI Color
Vixen Porta Mount, Super Polaris, 2" pipe mount
Please join the International Dark Sky Association
My CN gallery
Edited by mathteacher (09/08/08 02:19 AM)
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Winnie
super member
Reged: 04/28/07
Posts: 117
Loc: Las Vegas
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I have a C130 Mak and I get somed darned nice views out of it compared to my CPC925, so I say go for the C6 or Nexstar 6SE. For imaging, get the C6, for sure.
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CPC925 GPS
Feather Touch Microfocuser
C130 Mak
Celestron Plossl Kit
15mm Pan
9T6 Nagler
Canon 10x30 IS
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llanitedave
Humble Megalomaniac
Reged: 09/26/05
Posts: 10474
Loc: Amargosa Valley, NV, USA
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I wish you a long and happy life -- with a succession of scopes that evolve as you do.
Don't let "what I can afford right now" determine what you will use for the rest of your life. Get what you can afford now, and when you can afford more, get more.
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"S.O.E." (Sauron's Other Eye) 16" Royce conical mirror: A permanent work in progress.
10" Homebuilt dob, old Coulter mirror
Next Project: The "Eye of Sauron" Observatory!
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KWB
Postmaster
Reged: 09/30/06
Posts: 7634
Loc: Westminster,Co Elev.1646Meters
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Welcome and hello
That statement by Dave rings true IMO. You most certainly will get more in terms of astro gear down the line. Most of us do and that is one of the fun parts of this hobby for me. Don't paint yourself into a corner thinking any one scope or a any single scope design can do it all,and especially for only for a $1000.00 investment.
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Kenny
"When dealing with a mystery,choose the most unlikely of the likely possibilities"-Sherlock Holmes
Edited by KWB (09/08/08 03:07 AM)
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Brooklyn
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/24/08
Posts: 870
Loc: Central New Jersey
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There is no such thing as a telescope for a lifetime.
Your opinion will change as you go through life on what telescope you think is best for you.
First you might start out with a 8-12" dobsonian with no tracking or goto. Then you might get a larger aperture dobsonian. Then you might get into astrotography and get a SCT design telescope. You might like astrotography so much that you get a large aperture apo refractor with a expensive GEM. Later on in life you might want to go back to normal viewing so you get a new dobsonian which by this time would have radical new technologies.
Then, when you start getting old you might want to decrease aperture for a more transportable scope. I know people who have owned 25-30" telescopes, sold them and got smaller 12" to 16" dobsonian telescopes.
So, its going to vary from person to person, but there is never such a thing as a telescope for a lifetime. You might save the first telescope you ever got as a relic, but chances are you will be using the newest equipment you have to make the most out of your observing sessions.
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Meade 8.25"(209.55mm) LX-90 EMC (SCT)
Albert Einstein =>
“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”
“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.”
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