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roccodm
member
Reged: 01/15/08
Posts: 36
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I would like to get a little more glass than my ar5 provides for dso hunting- i am trying to decide on a 7in mak with a drive vs 8 or 10 inch dob-- i never really got much experience with a dob mount so i am kind of concerned about having to keep nudging it at higher power-ruled out an sct because of the collimation issues- i realize the fov with the mak will be quite restricted compared to the dobs but i am not overly concerned with that- also just getting into spliting doubles which is leaning me to the mak -appreciate any and all input from those of you who have used the different scopes-would probably go with a gso if i go all the way to 10 inches but would go the orion route with object locator on an 8 inch unless i could find a used 10 inch with locator- problem is most people want pick ups only on the larger dobs clear skies rocco
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Dave Mitsky
Postmaster
Reged: 04/08/02
Posts: 6285
Loc: Pennsylvania, USA
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If you're really interested in observing deep-sky objects, a 10" or larger aperture is the way to go.
Dave Mitsky
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Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
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JakeT93
member
Reged: 06/28/08
Posts: 177
Loc: Williamstown, NJ
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The Orion XT8i will help you find DSO's, but you won't see half the dtail in DSO's as you would in a 10". And a 10" takes in so much light, that it'll be easy to find many bright DSO's. If you have a good star map, or software, you shouldn't run into any problems working the GSO 10". Besides, I kinda think Orion ruined the whole point of a Dob-simplicity! Go for the 10", as it probebly costs less then the 8" XTi!
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-Jake the Snake
My equipment:
Orion DSE 10" Light Bucket!
10x50 Finder and ebay bracket
40mm GSO Plossl
32mm Celestron Plossl
2x Antares Barlow
25mm and 6.7mm Meade 3000 Plossls
Orion Explorer II 10mm and 17mm Kellners
Orion SkyGlow Ultrablock
Antares ND25
70 M's Obsreved
All Planets seen
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Achernar
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/25/06
Posts: 3721
Loc: Alabama, USA
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For many deep sky objects, aperture is everything and so it a relatively wide field of view. A 7-inch Mak comes up short on both fronts compared to a 10-inch Dob, which is a very good choice for deep sky objects as well as the planets. Not that a Mak is a lousy telescope, but they have long focal lengths that makes for narrow fields of view, and affordable ones are limited to smaller apertures. You won't believe what a 12-inch Mak would cost. One of those and a suitable mount will cost as much as a large Dob, if not a very large Dob. If you want something for a grab and go telescope you can take along while traveling, a small Mak is a great choice but if you are really interested in fainter deep sky objects, you'll find it wanting. I would go with the 10-inch or even a 12-inch Dob. They can split double stars with the best of them when they have well made and collimated optics. My 10-inch has a focal ratio of F/4.5 and it performs very well on close double stars. I even found Sirius B with it once.
Taras
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10-inch F/4.5 Discovery Dob
6-inch F/8 Homebuilt Dob
4 1/4-inch F/4 Homebuilt reflector
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stevek
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/16/06
Posts: 1229
Loc: west michigan
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Rocco - I guess I'm an aperature fan and I love the hunt, so DOBs are great for me. Biggest issue for me is the cheap & poorly made stuff you find on the beginner models (loose focuser inserts, weak primary springs, crummy secondary screws, etc). These were all mods I improved fairly easily myself after I got it and made my scope into what I wanted. If/when I upgrade my scope, I will be doing it only to add aperature. After a little practice at the EP I have no trouble at all nudging the scope along to keep DSOs & planets in the FOV, even at 300-400X. Good luck on your scope hunt & clear skies...
Steve
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DSO 8" f6 DOB w/ 8x50 RACI & 2"Crayford
1958 Sears Discoverer 76mm Refractor
GSO SV 30mm 2",21mm Hyp,13mm Strat,BO/TMB ver2-6mm & 4mm
1.25"Filters: DGM-NPB, 25%ND
1.25" plossls: 25mm,20mm,15mm,9mm
Orion 2X Shorty Barlow
Garrett Gemini LW 11x56mm binocs
BTG-10 4.0mW green laser pointer
"What is that burning in the sky? Tell me y'all..." Jeff Beck/Jan Hammer
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droid
rocketman
Reged: 08/29/04
Posts: 3121
Loc: ohio
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The only issue with a 10 inch dob is well.........size.You cant appreciate the size of a 10 inch dob till you see one.
Got back problems, not as young as you once was.???
I went backwards as I aged ,lol.Back to basically a 120mm refractor.Light easy to handle and set up, no acheing back 
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andy
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stevecoe
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2129
Loc: Arizona, USA
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My astronomy club has several members with the Orion 10 inch Dob and they are happy. I have had several nice views with their scopes and if I was in the hunt for something like that the Orion would be my choice. Yes, a screw or two might need to be tightened after shipping, but in general they are well made and worth the money.
Enjoy;
Steve Coe
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150mm 6" f/8 Celestron Refractor on Sirius Mount
80mmED 3" f/7.5 Orion Refractor
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
New Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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desertrefugee
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/06/07
Posts: 527
Loc: Arizona
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Quote:
Besides, I kinda think Orion ruined the whole point of a Dob-simplicity!
Orion was far from first to apply Digital Setting Circles (DSC) to the dobsonian mount . .
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"Look now upon the River of Heaven, Sky-Road of the Immortals, White with the star-frost of a billion years".
+++
-Darrell
Reflectors (114, 150, 254mm), Refractors (60, 76.2, 80, 120), MCT (125), way too many Binoculars
Cave Creek/Carefree, AZ
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Josh U
member
Reged: 07/10/07
Posts: 41
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I've got a ten inch dob (Zhumell), and while I'm not thrilled with the brand, I like the views that a ten inch gives! The more "eye on the sky", the better, in my book! While it's big, it manages to fit in the back of my '96 Camaro. While a dob has to cool too, remember, those maks have a nasty reputation for taking a long time to reach thermal equilibrium. However, I've never owned one, so I couldn't give a first hand account of the pros and cons of both.
I'd skip the computer, and get a good star chart. That's just my opinion (and my budget!), but I've learned a lot about the sky by puzzling over the darn thing. Great, 'cause it doesn't have batteries to go bad!
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"How you do anything is how you do everything."
Zhumell 10" dob
80mm Refractor
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RAKing
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 12/28/07
Posts: 819
Loc: Clouds-ville, Virginia
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Quote:
-ruled out an sct because of the collimation issues-
????? Collimation issues with an SCT? And you're considering a reflector or a Mak?
Every scope you mentioned, except your refractor, may have to be collimated sometime. Of the four SCTs I have in my posession, I had to collimate two of them (one time each) and haven't touched them since. The task was easier than you can imagine and I don't consider that to be an issue worth worrying about.
I agree with most folks - for DSO you want as much aperture as you can handle. For me that is now a C925 SCT. I also have a C11 SCT and use it when I feel like hauling it outside. A 10-12 inch Dob would be nice, but then you have to wrestle the heavy tube, do the nudging thing, and collimate it regularly.
To get a Mak with enough aperture (8 inches minimum), you are talking serious money - but I've been told it's worth it if you can afford it. 
Food for thought,
Ron
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Time spent looking at the stars is added to your life.
Orion XT10i / Moonlite CR2 -- The New "Time Machine"
"Hi Def" TV-102
C925-CF SCT
Ethos and Naglers
GM-8 GEM / A-P Portable Pier
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Paul_R
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/05/05
Posts: 1648
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The bigger the aperture, the more you'll see. Plus, the brighter the views will be--even at lower power!
It's really only at high powers that you have to even give thought to nudging... calculate that out... The Earth turns 15 degrees in 1 hour... or 1 degree in 4 minutes. If you have a 1 degree fov, the DSO will take 4 minutes to go through the fov! That's s-l-o-w...
Even a 1/2 degree will take 2 minutes... a good 65 degree eyepiece at 130x should be no problem... and, in a 10", you might do lots of your viewing at much lower power!
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roccodm
member
Reged: 01/15/08
Posts: 36
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Thanks to all for the advise- looks like the majority favors the dob route - i think i am going to go with a 10 inch cicus cannon and mount it so i can roll it in and out of the garage as i do the ar-5 so the wgt and size should be ok- i wonder if someone could let me know if the orion 10inch w/o the intel feature is basically the same mount as the xti or would i be better off getting the xti without the controller- it looks like the xti w/o the hand computer is pricier because it can be upgraded at a latter time- i am not really interested in the computer go to - i would use my litte etx 60 as an assist to locate objects thanks again clear skies rocco
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pdfermat
super member
Reged: 11/12/07
Posts: 147
Loc: Wisconsin
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I have only used the XTi, and not the "classic" XT with the spring system. However, I will say that the tensioning knob system on the XTi works nicely. I have a lot of control how tight or loose the movement is, and I don't worry about how heavy or light an eyepiece may be. I have also read posts from people saying that the tensioning knob system is a lot easier to work with vs. the spring system.
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Pat
Orion XT8i
TV 32mm, 25mm, 20mm, 15mm Plossls
Orion Shorty-Plus Barlow
DGM NPB Filter
Lumicon Deep Sky Filter
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