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gdakin
member
Reged: 11/14/06
Posts: 58
Loc: Canada
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Any thoughts on a 4" Mak for a grab'n go camping scope. looking for a balance of portability, performance and price, if there is such a thing. My thinking is, and I am often wrong, that at these smaller apperatures, DSO's are limited anyways, so why not focus on what is in reach, planetary, lunar and solar viewing which a small MAK would do well at. Sounds like with a 4" some DSO's are within reach too. Look forward to any comments. Thanks,
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8" SkyWatcher Dob
Celestron Nexstar 6SE
80mm Skywatcher ST on AZ3 mount
15 x 70 Barska binos
20 x 80 Barska binos
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little_ hubble
member
Reged: 04/19/08
Posts: 16
Loc: Aschaffenburg, Germany
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The 4" mak impresses with itīs performance/dimensions ratio, but I would suggest buying an 80ED instead. Iīve owned both of them (synta mak and ed). In my opinion the ed is the significantly better performer for planetary and dso viewing. Itīs about central obstruction and usability. The ed needs very little time to cool down, a mak without cooler about half an hour at least. If patience is not one of your virtues youīll get max 140x out of the mak with severe tube currents. Useful mag with the ED is up to 200x without image degredation even if you donīt get any better resolution over 150x. Very steady image from the start.
Iīd suggest spending some bucks more and buying an 80ED. It is a very fine performer.
Here I asked how the 80ed compares to an 127mak:
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/2568582/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1
Greets, martin
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Eddgie
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/01/06
Posts: 1723
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I concur with Martin. 80mm Refractor is more flexible and will reach surprisingly close to 4" MCT on deep sky and be better on Solar System targets.
Go to a C5 though, and it tips to the C5 EXCEPT for the fact that the C5 has a very limited field of view as compared to an 80mm. But it is much brighter and better on planets.
have owned both, and in the end, I just felt like the 80mm was just a bit too small. Great all around scope though, and if you need bigger than a 1.1 degree field, the 80mm is the way to go. If primary desire is spotting scope, general observing, and Solar System, the C5 would be my choice.
The C5 remains one of the most capable and portable small telescopes ever made. Top Choice if you need more aperture in a small package. It will provide a larger true field than a 5" Mak, weighs, less, and is more compact.
If you can find one on the old single arm mount, the whole thing can fit in a shoebox (ok, you need to have size 14 shoes.. LOL).
As old as they are though, the single arm C5s still command a pretty premium price on the used market..
Gee, I wonder why that is?
Good luck.
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Celestron C14, CGE (Big Al)
Astro-Physics 6" f/8 (Buffy)
Televue 101 (No name, but I call it my Widescreen HD Space TV)
The night sky is my mistress. She seduces me away from all other lovers.
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scopedude
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 06/26/06
Posts: 803
Loc: 6 deg. South
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Another vote for C5. It's my choice (in C5 spotter package) for the recent trip to Australia. The C5 Spotter's carrying bag fits 3 eyepieces and 1 dielectric diagonal. I paired the C5 with UA Microstar on Manfrotto 055 tripod. Much more versatile than any 80mm refractor, IMO. Well collimated, it can be pushed as high as 300x on Moon 
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Megrez 80 FD, Megrez 88, FLT-98, ZS110 APO
Vixen R150S, Vixen NA140SSf
Celestron C8 CF, C5 Spotter
WO 7x50
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Joe Aguiar
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/10/07
Posts: 707
Loc: Toront,Ontario
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I see it this way you can see the planets in any conditions with any scope & even in the heaviest light polluted skies, so if you go camping to dark skies then bring something that you can look at stuff that you cant in the city. If this is your case the 4" Mak may not be the best as the FOV is too small. The C5 should be a nice aperture with somewhat portable.
If you just want a nice grab & go just for the planets or double star a 4" Mak does fit the bill. For me Though a 80mm refractor is a bit too small to compare to a 4" Mak,unless it was a 90mm refractor.
So I vote C5
Joe
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Pauls72
member
Reged: 10/28/07
Posts: 44
Loc: LaPorte, IN
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I got tired of lugging my 8" reflector all the time and got an Orion Apex 102mm MAK (4") as a grab'n go scope. At first I tried to use it on a regular photographic tripod, that was a big mistake! I now have it on a EQ-1 GEM, makes viewing much more enjoyable, but takes some of that grab'n go portability out of it.
It's great on the Moon, not bad on planets. You can see a few DSO's OK with it, but most are just fuzzy blobs. Anything under a 7mm or 9mm or so eyepiece starts becomes pretty dim. This should give you an idea of what you are looking at. Here are a couple of pic's with my Canon Rebel DLSR on the MAK with a T-ring, using the photo tripod.
Moon
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b251/Pauls72/IMG_0184a.jpg
Comet Holmes
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b251/Pauls72/IMG_0214.jpg
I kind of wish I went with a larger MAK, but then remember a larger scope = a larger mount and tripod and it would defeat the whole grab'n go scenario. In my opinion a 4" or 5" MAK makes a nice grab'n go scope.
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Orion 8" Reflector on a Meade LXD55
Orion 102mm Mak
Meade DSI-C
SBIG ST-402ME
Canon Rebel XTi
Edited by Pauls72 (08/12/08 10:48 PM)
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j3ffr0
sage
Reged: 07/06/08
Posts: 217
Loc: Virginia
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I use my Apex 127 5" Mak as a grab and go, and I'm quite satisfied with it. Cool down time hasn't been a big deal in the summer, but I might need to deal with it a bit more in the Winter. So far I've had better views of Jupiter with this scope than an 8" SCT that I rarely use or my dob. I've not done much DSO work with it, but I live in a very light polluted location and I always take out the dob when I do more than planetary work.
I use a Voyager mount. The slow mo controls are really helpful for a mak. It's only 12 pounds or so, and can handle way more than this scope.
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10" Dob
127mm Mak
PST
35, 24 Panoptic; 16, 13, 9 Nagler
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scopethis
sage
Reged: 05/30/08
Posts: 239
Loc: Kingman, Ks
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I'd go with a 5" SCT; more light gathering and a wider field of view. And it's a great scope for daytime wildlife observing; with a correct image diagnal of course.
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gdakin
member
Reged: 11/14/06
Posts: 58
Loc: Canada
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hmm... pretty unannimous. Thanks everyone for your wisdom. Discussed it with my wife and she thinks we should go for the 6" 
Should I take her up on this. Is the 6" SCT worth the extra $$$.
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8" SkyWatcher Dob
Celestron Nexstar 6SE
80mm Skywatcher ST on AZ3 mount
15 x 70 Barska binos
20 x 80 Barska binos
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spencerj
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/17/04
Posts: 577
Loc: Derry, NH
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Quote:
hmm... pretty unannimous. Thanks everyone for your wisdom. Discussed it with my wife and she thinks we should go for the 6"
Should I take her up on this. Is the 6" SCT worth the extra $$$.
If you shop around, the C6 can be had for a pretty good price and there seem to be a lot of happy users. What are you going to mount it on?
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--Jason
"I am the victim of a series of accidents, as are we all." --Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Intes-Micro MN66 with Moonlight CR1 focuser
TeleVue 102
PST
Unistar Deluxe with TeleVue Sky Tour
CG-5 ASGT (quieted and tuned-up by Trapezium Telescopes & Services)
10" Orion Dob
WO 66 SD (stays in my truck for spontaneous observing sessions)
15x70 Oberwerk Binos
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gdakin
member
Reged: 11/14/06
Posts: 58
Loc: Canada
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If you shop around, the C6 can be had for a pretty good price and there seem to be a lot of happy users. What are you going to mount it on?
I am looking at either the 5-6SE or the C6-SGT.
The C6-SGT is where I want to be in 2-3 years, but I am not sure I am ready for that yet. Plus it is the most expensive. My concern is that the EQ mount will be a bit much for me right now in the way of portability and complexity. Time for hobbies is scarce and I would really like to keep this hobby alive. I am worried this setup may work against me in that regards until I am more established with my new business.
The 5SE is still a consideration because of price, portability and it has the built-in wedge. It would, I think, give me enough to start to learn the basics of AP. Although, rumor is that I should expect to much in this regards.
The 6SE is very popular though and I think would be great scope for general viewing and some basic introductory techniques to AP on the planet and moon. I don't know if it is capable of more or not with out a wedge. The extra aperature alone at only $150 more than the 5SE it is pretty tempting.
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8" SkyWatcher Dob
Celestron Nexstar 6SE
80mm Skywatcher ST on AZ3 mount
15 x 70 Barska binos
20 x 80 Barska binos
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Talstarone
Vendor (Inner Planetary Products)
Reged: 09/12/06
Posts: 7568
Loc: Benson, North Carolina
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I have owned the C6-SGT earlier this year and was extremely impressed with its performance.Its optical performance was extremely impressive,while the performance of the GOTO mount was impressive also.
I would consider it to be a spectacular package.It is about the limit of what I would even come close to calling a Grab-n-Go.Because of my disability and trouble walking it turned out to be far more then I could carry.
The Celestron 5SE is a better choice for portability and traveling but does lose the benefits of the much steadier mount and a slight loss in aperature.
I own the Celestron NexStar 4SE and consider it to be the best Grab-n-Go package I have ever owned.It can easily be carried as one piece and the mount is more stable with the lighter and smaller optical tube.
The 4inch Mak is best used for a Lunar,Planetary,and Double Star Work,but can handle deep sky work.
It handles deep sky work much better if you attach the Meade ETX thread adapter on the rear port(It has the same threads on the rear port as the ETX does)and use the Celestron Focal Reducer for SCT's.It gives a much wider view with shorter exposure times needed for imaging,so it can become a dual purpose scope.
But if the size and weight factor is not an issue then the C6-SGT is the best performer all around.
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Todd C.
Celestron NexStar 4SE(102mm F/13)Maksutov-Cass
Meade ETX-80AT(80mm F/5)Achro Refractor
Meade ETX-60BB(60mm F/5.8)Achro Refractor
www.innerplanetaryproducts.com
Meteorites and More....
"Outer Space at Down to Earth Prices"
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core
super member
Reged: 02/23/08
Posts: 116
Loc: Mostly in Norman, OK
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Quote:
I am looking at either the 5-6SE or the C6-SGT.
The C6-SGT is where I want to be in 2-3 years
The extra aperature alone at only $150 more than the 5SE
From my POV I don't consider the C6-SGT a 'grab-and-go' scope; still, for now both the 6SE and C6-SGT are priced the same, and imo you get a better value out of the the SGT version - esp if you intend to try out AP in the future.
Keep in mind there's also some differences between the C4/5SE and C6/8SE line; the C6 will be on a larger mount than the C5, but you loose the built-in wedge in the tripod (and it's still no competition for the SGT mount).
There's also the issue of mounting a camera/guide-scope on the C6, as there's only one set of mounting holes in the rear cell (for the finder). With the SGT, you should be able get a side-by-side mounting bar, and put your 80mm skywatcher alongside. For planet/moon imaging, the 6SE on its mount is great; I find it quite easy to track planets/moon with a webcam-type setup AND 2x barlow - something that will give you very satisfying results quickly. I'm certain that the 4/5SE mount should give you equal stability.
Now another option might be to get a 5SE for grab-n-go, and once you're comfortable with it get a SGT-type mount (or scope combo), and use the C5 OTA on that mount.
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~Peter~
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gdakin
member
Reged: 11/14/06
Posts: 58
Loc: Canada
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Thanks for your responses and for sharing all your wisdom and knowledge. 
I really seriously considered the C6-SGT, however, because of the stocking issues that my dealer had at the end of July, I was able to still get the rebate on the 6SE. So in the end I got the 6SE at $850.
The 6SE seems to be a good compromise of portability, performance, features and price (with rebate). I hope it will be a good platform for learning AP basics on. In a year or two, once I learn more of the basics of AP, I will be in the market for a C5 mount to take the AP to the next level.
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8" SkyWatcher Dob
Celestron Nexstar 6SE
80mm Skywatcher ST on AZ3 mount
15 x 70 Barska binos
20 x 80 Barska binos
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j3ffr0
sage
Reged: 07/06/08
Posts: 217
Loc: Virginia
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Yes; the 6SE is certainly a very good choice when you factor all the choices in. That's a nice size for a grab and go that should be a lot of fun. Congrats on the new scope!
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10" Dob
127mm Mak
PST
35, 24 Panoptic; 16, 13, 9 Nagler
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