camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Loc: British Columbia
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I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
#5146005 - 03/28/12 07:39 PM
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after a 4 year hiatus of anything astronomy related, I'm about to get back into the thick of it. I've budgeted about $1500 for a scope, with all the trimmings, including a few eyepieces.
I'm going to be lazy and ask for recommendations on something that's GoTo. I'd prefer a Mak-something (sorry, but something about the Mak meniscus brings out something primal in me!  ), but having never owned a cat, I'm game for anything.
the iOptron has me interested, due to it's dual OTA possibility, in which I'd think of adding an 80mm ED scope. they have a 150mm Mak-Cas, but I can't find any reviews on how good/bad it is, aside from a detailed discussion as to it actually being 145mm due to baffling, which makes it's CO larger than quoted, affecting contrast.
so, without further adieu, feel free to interrogate me so we can find me a scope!
I need to learn it and reacquaint myself with the sky for the Kobau star party and the Merritt Star Quest. 
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MikeBOKC
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/10/10
Loc: Oklahoma City, OK
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: camvan]
#5146150 - 03/28/12 09:12 PM
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It's awfully hard to argue with the proven track record and popularity of the Nexstar SE8, which would be in your budget sweet spot.
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Jay Wise
sage
Reged: 11/21/08
Loc: Near Williamsburg VA
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: MikeBOKC]
#5146175 - 03/28/12 09:28 PM
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Just make sure you read through Rod Mollise's book on Cats!
http://www.amazon.com/Choosing-Using-New-CAT-Catadioptric/dp/0387097716/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332984243&sr=1-1
JayW
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Loc: British Columbia
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: Jay Wise]
#5146195 - 03/28/12 09:54 PM
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Quote:
Just make sure you read through Rod Mollise's book on Cats!
I'm preparing to buy it now. fortunately I have 4 months before I NEED to have a scope...3 if I want to play with it at all. Kobau isn't until August and the Star Quest isn't until September.
that said, I realize I forgot to mention that I want something that's smaller. my suite isn't large, so I don't have a lot of space for it...and I had been considering the 6 SE.
I'm starting to read up on those new Meade LS/LT scopes. a bit higher in the budget range, but perhaps I can be persuaded to invest more than the $1500 I've already come to terms with. 
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Vondragonnoggin
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/21/10
Loc: Southern CA, USA
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: camvan]
#5146237 - 03/28/12 10:23 PM
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I think my iOptron mak is awesome. It frequently hits in the 50x - 80x per inch mark on planetary views and has shown me amazing texture on nebula. Globulars look great. It's a tank with nice two speed focuser and dew shield included. Comes with 2" visual back and 1.25" adapter and camera adapter and SCT adapter for using standard SCT accessories.
I think you get a great deal on the mount and scope if you buy them together as the package deal. Takes a long time to cooldown though. A couple hours. I bought a lymax cooler for it to get it to about 25-30 minutes cooldown.
I'll send you a PM with a link to my impressions of it.
Edited by Vondragonnoggin (03/28/12 10:27 PM)
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rob cos.
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 03/11/04
Loc: New England
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: Vondragonnoggin]
#5146256 - 03/28/12 10:42 PM
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I think my iOptron mak is awesome. It frequently hits in the 50x - 80x per inch mark on planetary views and has shown me amazing texture on nebula. Globulars look great. It's a tank with nice two speed focuser and dew shield included. Comes with 2" visual back and 1.25" adapter and camera adapter and SCT adapter for using standard SCT accessories.
I think you get a great deal on the mount and scope if you buy them together as the package deal. Takes a long time to cooldown though. A couple hours. I bought a lymax cooler for it to get it to about 25-30 minutes cooldown.
I'll send you a PM with a link to my impressions of it.
Could I be so bold as to ask you to do the same for me? I just ordered the Orion 180 which is on backorder and won't rule out the Ioptron. 
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Tom Andrews
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/25/07
Loc: Albuquerque, NM
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: camvan]
#5146270 - 03/28/12 10:49 PM
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after a 4 year hiatus of anything astronomy related, I'm about to get back into the thick of it.
Cameron,
So good to see you back here! Missed you and your clown nose around these parts. I have often wondered what happened to you. Hope all is well.
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Vondragonnoggin
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/21/10
Loc: Southern CA, USA
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: Tom Andrews]
#5146279 - 03/28/12 10:53 PM
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Sent PM Rob.
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Loc: British Columbia
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: Tom Andrews]
#5146281 - 03/28/12 10:54 PM
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thanks for the warm welcome, Tom! I moved to Vancouver and started working again...lived in apartments, don't drive...and start work at 6:30AM, so I go to bed early too, which made any form of viewing next to impossible.
I'm in a spot right now that has dark skies, considering I'm in the middle of the lower mainland. light pollution abounds, so my NELM is still pretty low, but hey, I have something, so I'm going to take advantage of it! 
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pgrunwald
super member
Reged: 08/09/09
Loc: Albuquerque, NM
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: camvan]
#5149484 - 03/30/12 10:36 PM
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I would find the nicest C8 of whatever mount you want on on craiglist for $500-950 you can and spend the rest on eyepieces.
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stevew
Now I've done it
Reged: 03/03/06
Loc: British Columbia Canada
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: pgrunwald]
#5149611 - 03/31/12 01:09 AM
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Cameron, I'm not sure if your situation has changed much over the last few years, but if you will still be walking to a local beach for most of your viewing, you should stick to something 6 inches or smaller.
If you have some transportation, or a back yard to view from a C8 would be a great choice.
Steve
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Patrick
Postmaster
Reged: 05/16/03
Loc: Franklin, Ohio
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: camvan]
#5149773 - 03/31/12 07:09 AM
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Hi Cameron and welcome back!
If your primary goal is planetary viewing, then the 6" Mak Cass could be a good instrument for you. However, if you want to do some deepsky viewing with a little wider field of view, then you should consider a standard 6" or 8" SCT. A CPC800 is a little more than your budget, but it could be the scope of a lifetime. And either a 6SE or an 8SE could be very good choices in your price range. I can't believe they're selling the 6SE for $800 now. That's a great buy!
Patrick
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RogerRZ
Whatta you lookin' at?
Reged: 01/09/06
Loc: West Collette, NB, Canada
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: Patrick]
#5149776 - 03/31/12 07:15 AM
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For your budget, it would be hard to ignore a slightly used 8SE and a handful of good used eyepieces...
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YetAnotherHobby
sage
Reged: 09/02/09
Loc: Central CT
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: RogerRZ]
#5149864 - 03/31/12 09:09 AM
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I'm a big fan of used telescopes, especially if you are not absolutely certain of what you are looking for. $1500 is more than I spent for a spotless Celestron 6" achro on a GEM, a 12" Dob, and an ETX80 - combined!. In fact, that leaves you enough money to buy a handful of decent eyepieces. There are a lot of high quality instruments out there gathering dust - seems a shame to let them go to waste. Save the money for gas to travel darker skies.
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Binojunky
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/25/10
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: YetAnotherHobby]
#5149890 - 03/31/12 09:50 AM
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Theirs a seller on Canada wide astro buy and sell offering a Orion 150mm Mak for $400 Canadian, described as mint, that would leave you lots of money to get a mount and eyepieces etc, I was tempted myself however having a 127MM Apex I decided against it, Dave.
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Vondragonnoggin
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/21/10
Loc: Southern CA, USA
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: Patrick]
#5149891 - 03/31/12 09:52 AM
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Hi Cameron and welcome back!
If your primary goal is planetary viewing, then the 6" Mak Cass could be a good instrument for you. However, if you want to do some deepsky viewing with a little wider field of view, then you should consider a standard 6" or 8" SCT. A CPC800 is a little more than your budget, but it could be the scope of a lifetime. And either a 6SE or an 8SE could be very good choices in your price range. I can't believe they're selling the 6SE for $800 now. That's a great buy!
Patrick
Patrick, the 6SE would actually give a slightly smaller maximum unvignetted TFOV than the iOptron 150 he is looking at. Agreed that the package price of the 6SE is much less though by about $550.
iOptron 150 & Minitower
Celestron 6SE
6SE will cooldown in about half the time also.
CO size difference is negligible. 37% to 38%
At that point I would consider reputation of mounts and whether having a dew shield and dual speed focuser make that much difference. Or not having to collimate or slightly better coma correction.
The 8SE has better specs and still less than the ioptron/minitower combo
More aperture, still less cooldown, lower CO percentage (31%)
The mak has such a thick corrector and the tube is built like the Russian scopes - so thick I found the dovetail plate screws actually had threads bored into it besides the retaining nut on the inside of the tube. Expect 2 hours or more for complete cooldown without assisted cooling like a lymax.
The 8SE looks to be the right package here unless you are dead set on a mak.
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Loc: British Columbia
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: camvan]
#5150663 - 03/31/12 06:55 PM
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I have absolutely no qualms about buying a used scope. in fact, that mention of the 150mm Mak piqued my attention!
I have ordered that Cat book though...so I'm going to hold off until that's received and read before I make my decision.
I was really attracted to the MiniTower/II/Pro, but reading the reviews I have so far, it seems the dual scope feature that made me consider it is poorly done.
that said, being I'm in the middle of the LML (Lower Mainland) here in BC, light pollution is extreme. that means that I'll probably focused on planetary viewing. I also need it to be smaller and lighter as I a) don't have a lot of room at my place and b) currently don't drive (something I'm working on)...so 6" is about the biggest I really want...though I could be persuaded to get something 8" as it's, what, 120x the power of the 6"?
if someone would send me a PM for that 150mm Mak-Cas on AstroBuySell, I'd be appreciative too.
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Griffin!
super member
Reged: 09/12/10
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: camvan]
#5150673 - 03/31/12 07:01 PM
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If you're still considering an LS you can get a 6" with ACF optics for $1599, and the SC version for $999. Being lazy myself I found the LS really easy to use when I got to play around with it.
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NewAstronomer
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/03/04
Loc: Northeast, PA U.S.A
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: camvan]
#5150676 - 03/31/12 07:03 PM
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I mount a used C8 on a Minitower. Works great once balanced. Very heavy eyepieces , even when I have tightened the nut, throw it off balance though. Which is annoying. That being said, you could simply use lighter weight eyepieces (no big SWA/NAglers/Ethos etc). Which will actually help you budget!
The Minitower works well, its not super high end though. It does pack up into a small box for space issues. A C6 on it would work too...
Edited by NewAstronomer (03/31/12 07:03 PM)
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Loc: British Columbia
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Re: I want to buy my first cat. recommendations?
[Re: NewAstronomer]
#5150684 - 03/31/12 07:08 PM
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seems that fellow also has a 180mm Mak-Cas for $600. seems to me to be quite the steal, considering what the 180mm retails for new.
and I am seriously considering the LS 6" ACF for $1500. pushes my budget as I'd need to buy some eyepieces, but the added GPS feature is attractive, not to mention being an entry level solution to asto-photography.
I'll probably have to ask on the AP forum, but if anyone can give me the short version answer, how good are the motorized alt/az mounts for tracking/vibrations or do you really need to put on a wedge so it's just tracks?
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