Telescope Reviews: Celestron Super C8+

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Equipment Discussions >> Classic Telescopes

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actionhac
Post Laureate

Reged: 08/09/08

Loc: WA

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: actionhac]
#5605523 - 01/04/13 08:25 PM Attachment (24 downloads)

This is it. I don't think the Classic 8 was sold with a tripod, you purchased it extra. The Classic was a introductory model, the bare minimum. Mine came with the older style tripod:

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dogeddie
sage

Reged: 03/26/10

Loc: Wisconsin, USA

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: actionhac]
#5605628 - 01/04/13 09:48 PM

Bah - I made an appointment to check out the Classic 8 tomorrow anyway. I did confirm it has Starbright coatings. Also, based on this site - http://www.telescopebluebook.com/sct/celestron.htm - the Classic 8s were indeed made starting in 1989, which is 3 years after Halley. Plus it was owned by a little old lady who bought it when she retired from school teaching. No kidding. How can I NOT look at it?

Only problem is I will need 1 knob for the tripod leg, and it doesn't have a tracking system. Any idea where I might find these items? thanks for all the help.

Edited by dogeddie (01/04/13 11:45 PM)

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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 10/17/09

Loc: Tucson, Arizona

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: dogeddie]
#5605642 - 01/04/13 10:01 PM

I'm totally confused - I have a Super C8+ but it has a 50mm Polaris Illuminated finder, camera mount and the second generation legs for the tripod. It also has Starbright coatings and no serial number under the secondary cover thing...

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orion61
Vendor(Clear Edge Optical)

Reged: 10/20/07

Loc: NW Iowa BURRRR

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: Datapanic]
#5606083 - 01/05/13 07:34 AM

You may have a later one, the bad tripods mostly came with the C8 plus Super C8,
I still have one, Celestron made repair kits but they are lomng gons and were as bad as the otigonals.
I finally added Bicoycle seat post clamps to each leg to unlock and slide them back in. works ok, at least it doesn't
move now.
Larry

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Blake Andrews
sage

Reged: 07/31/08

Loc: Iowa

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: orion61]
#5606447 - 01/05/13 12:00 PM

Quote:

Also A word of warning Blake, the tripod that is on the SC8
has the worst designed leg locks ever made, they either break(usually) ir will slide slowly.
I had a C8 fall over because of those darn tripods..
Went inside to warm up, came out 1/2 hr later to a busted telescope, the locks are just flippers they dont screw down
like tripods today, and they cant be adjusted.
Looks like that one is leaning as we speak.. beware...
I saw one the other day for $390.00

I agree the tripod leg locks were very poor. I do have this tripod and have had it since I purchased it new with my Super C8 Plus in 1984. I now use it with a Celestar 8 Deluxe. It is unbroken and I attribute that to the way I use it (and maybe a wee bit o luck).

I always sit to observe and use a short stool to do so. So, the adjustable tripod legs are never extended by more than three inches or so. Basically just to level the scope. This behavior is probably the result of doing lots of public outreach involving elementary school kids.

Also, I've noticed that as the tripod has aged, the flipper levers would be over tightened if completely closed. Mine completely lock the legs with the lever about 30 degrees off from the leg. I suspect that this observation has probably kept the clamps from breaking over the 25+ years that I've used it.

Hope this discussion saves somebody their telescope!!!

Thanks!
Blake

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dogeddie
sage

Reged: 03/26/10

Loc: Wisconsin, USA

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: Blake Andrews]
#5606840 - 01/05/13 03:37 PM

Well, I drove a couple hours to check out the Classic 8. I shined a flashlight into the tube and noticed some small faint spider web looking imperfections around the perimeter of the main mirror. One tripod leg was cracked, and it was missing the drive cord. Based on the primary mirror issue, I declined to buy it.

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orion61
Vendor(Clear Edge Optical)

Reged: 10/20/07

Loc: NW Iowa BURRRR

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: dogeddie]
#5607053 - 01/05/13 06:01 PM

The Flashlight test is not always a good thing!
There could have been Spider webs in there! Not a big deal tho.. the cracked leg is another thing, I have even tried
Industrial Epoxy, no good.
I did see a guy that took a large radiator clamp and put a nut inside it, and make a bolt that threaded into it and pushed on the lock. It did work, looked like heck but worked..

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dogeddie
sage

Reged: 03/26/10

Loc: Wisconsin, USA

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: orion61]
#5607125 - 01/05/13 06:32 PM

"Having said all that, my Starbright coatings started to fail about 10 years ago. Small pinpoints of oxidation on the primary and spiderwebbing oxidation on the secondary. Very sad and I've still kept the scope for sentimental reasons." That was a quote from Blake earlier in this post and I was thinking maybe that is what was happening.Didn't seem like spider webs - more like the little bitty cracks were right on the mirror. What does a primary mirror look like when the coatings leave town? How would you be able to check without pulling the corrector plate off? Wish I could take it home and know for sure.

Edited by dogeddie (01/05/13 07:01 PM)

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dgreyson
sage

Reged: 11/06/12

Loc: South Carolina

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: dogeddie]
#5607163 - 01/05/13 07:11 PM

This may be a stupid question but, cant these spiderwebbed mirrors be sent off and recoated to fix that like I do my newtonian mirrors??

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AaronM
professor emeritus

Reged: 02/02/06

Loc: NRW, Germany

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: dgreyson]
#5607833 - 01/06/13 07:18 AM

..for me the best source for used SCT's is still uncle Rods booklet !

http://skywatch.brainiac.com/used/used_sct.pdf

Michael

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rmollise
Postmaster

Reged: 07/06/07

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: Geo.]
#5609704 - 01/07/13 07:44 AM

Quote:

The Classic C8 was introduced in 1989, which was well after the Halley era. That's not to say the thing wasn't some left over inventory.

The C8+ used the DC powered base first seen on the C5+ in the mid-nineties. The optical tube is the same as that found on the contemporary Ultima 8s. The RA drive was built around a pretty accurate microprocessor controlled servomotor pushing a spur gear. A similar drive was used in the DC Ultima mount, but the Ultima had a worm gear drive. The C8+ got new forks and a integrated tripod/wedge and was rebranded as the CeleStar 8 in 1996.

Assuming the optics are the same I'd lean toward the C8+ for it's better drive system, portability, better tripod and later manufacture. But $550 would be high market for the C8+.

That is correct, BUT...to avoid confusion on the part of the newbies let me add that the C8+ is different from the Super C8 PLUS, which was earlier, with the + really being more like a Powerstar, _a stripped down_ Powerstar.

Edited by rmollise (01/07/13 07:48 AM)

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orion61
Vendor(Clear Edge Optical)

Reged: 10/20/07

Loc: NW Iowa BURRRR

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: rmollise]
#5609725 - 01/07/13 08:08 AM

Don't forget the Celestar wedgepod BLEEECH!
I did get some great shots of Hale Bopp Piggybacked
on top of one tho. Made the local papers.
It had outstanding optics kind of in the Ultima
quality range in that respect!

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rmollise
Postmaster

Reged: 07/06/07

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: orion61]
#5610627 - 01/07/13 05:49 PM

Quote:

Don't forget the Celestar wedgepod BLEEECH!
I did get some great shots of Hale Bopp Piggybacked
on top of one tho. Made the local papers.
It had outstanding optics kind of in the Ultima
quality range in that respect!

Yep, but to add to the confusion, the Celestar had that dadgum wedgepod (OK for visual I reckon) while the Celestar Deluxe used a standard wedge and HD tripod.

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Geo.
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 10/01/08

Loc: Upstate NY

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: actionhac]
#5612346 - 01/08/13 05:13 PM

Quote:

I have a Classic 8 I bought recently for $350. The corrector had a film on the inside requiring the corrector to be removed from the tube and cleaned which I did. This I feel is why the price was a very reasonable amount. At least I was happy to pay $350

Yes, $350 is a good price. OTA's regularly sell around $450 with no accessories. Best price I got last year was $600 for an ex-Ultima OTA. The film shows up on any older C8. If it ain't there it's been cleaned. $100 isn't bad pay for half an hour's work.

He's referring to the center post tripod that replaced the classic locked triangle. There were two styles of center post, the one with levers and the one with hand wheels. I had one that slipped and fixed it somehow, but it's been a while and I forget. Bicycle seat post cam over clamps are good insurance and cheap enough. Personally, I like the center post tripod better than the 1990 Ultima's. (My '89 came with the centerpost type.) The Ultima tripod has a pretty high breakage rate also. A tripod wasn't included with the Classic 8, so you either bought used or ponied up for the Ultima type.

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Blake Andrews
sage

Reged: 07/31/08

Loc: Iowa

Re: Celestron Super C8+ new

[Re: dgreyson]
#5715295 - 03/05/13 08:27 PM

Quote:

This may be a stupid question but, cant these spiderwebbed mirrors be sent off and recoated to fix that like I do my newtonian mirrors??

The short answer is "Yes". OMI in Iowa City has offered mirror restoration services in the past. I'm thinking about looking into it when I have some spare change. The optics on my Super C8 Plus were the best I have ever seen in a C8 and would definitely be worth re-coating. Hmmm, might have helped that my eyes were 30 years younger at that time, too.

Cheers!
Blake

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