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mike bacanin
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/19/07
Posts: 638
Loc: united kingdom
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Following the regrettable but necessary sale of my FS 128 apo the other week,i decided to go back to an sct, which i feel comfortable with.
After trying to locate a C9.25,and being unable to find one, i have just purchased a new C8 XLT ota, with a really nice smooth focusser.
I've just been to purchase a crayford to fine focus without image shift, and incredibly, the gent has a very nice 2005 USA grey tube C9.25 starbright ota for sale.Nice clean optics,smooth focusser, quick release 50mm ra finder.
I'd like your opinions,should i consider selling the C8 to buy the C9.25?
However,something that is in my mind is,i owned the superb Tak TSC 225 last year,and it really struggled with our local very average seeing.The image potential was great, very contrasty, but it just never seemed to settle, with the fan permanently running.
I think that the C8 may cope better with the seeing issues, but the C9.25 still nags my mind,as i wonder if it will be better for my main interest of planetary/lunar observing.
I use 10mm supermono and zeiss 12.5mm ortho, giving x162 and x203 in the C8,and x188 and x235 in the C9.25.
I have not yet tested the C8 due to bad weather.
brutal logic seems to favour the C8,due to observing conditions i have.Also i have full warranty with the C8.
Downside is i could lose alot selling the C8 even though its new and unused.I think i could sell for enough to cover the price of the C9.25. But i suspect the used C9.25 could hold its value better.
I have owned a C9.25 a while ago but did not have enough real time experience with it to form an opinion compared to C8.
I have however owned a couple of superb C8's, one of which gave my most memorable Jupiter view in 1987!
Your thoughts are welcome.
Mike
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bcuddihee
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/04/06
Posts: 1401
Loc: Cincinnati Ohio
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The c8 will definately cool down faster than the 9.25. I have also looked through both and honestly there is a slight difference..most noticeably from a dark sky site, but not in any way a deal breaker for the c8. The c8 I own has very fine optics and
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B Cuddihee
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1968 Jason Empire 60X700mm refractor (my buddy from way back)
Celestron Nexstar8SE aka "The Bumblebee",(there is no way this scope should perform as well as it does...but it does)
Feathertouch Microfocuser
Stellarvue 50mm "Sparrowhawk" finder
Denk bino's with Power x switch
Pair of Smart Astronomy 19 EF's (great ep's for binos)
Pair of Edmund 28 plossls
Pair of Edmund 28 RKE'S
Pair of tv 20mm plossls
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coopman
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/23/06
Posts: 1544
Loc: South Louisiana
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IMO, the 9.25 is much heavier but offers only a minor upgrade over the 8.
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Regards,
Clay
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalms 19:1
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Bill Barlow
sage
Reged: 12/03/07
Posts: 334
Loc: Overland Park KS
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Hi Mike...
If possible, try and get a few observations with the C925 to compare to your C8. The additional light grasp of about 33% compared to the C8 will give somewhat brighter visual images, but probably not a "wow" factor. I agree that in the UK with your weather, the C925 will take longer to cool/stabilize compared to the C8. Good luck.
Bill
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Meade 10" SCT ACF OTA on a UA UniStar Deluxe Super 8 altaz mount on a UA heavy duty surveyor tripod and a Manny Miles eyepiece tray.
SV 102ED doublet refractor on a UA UniStar Light mount on a UA light surveyor tripod with a Manny Miles eyepiece tray.
Garrett Optical 10x50 and 12x60 binoculars. Also Garrett Optical 30x100 binoculars mounted on a SLIK Pro 700DX AMT tripod.
Several TV Plossls and Naglers, plus a few very good Celestron Ultima wide TFOV eyepieces.
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bcuddihee
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/04/06
Posts: 1401
Loc: Cincinnati Ohio
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I would not trade it for a c9.25, especially if it meant taking a loss dollar wise. In addition the c9.25 is a much larger and heavier ota. If it was my choice I'd stick with the c8. If you really want a discernible difference over the c8, go for the c11. I believe there is one on the for swap and shop for around 1000.00.
bc
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B Cuddihee
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1968 Jason Empire 60X700mm refractor (my buddy from way back)
Celestron Nexstar8SE aka "The Bumblebee",(there is no way this scope should perform as well as it does...but it does)
Feathertouch Microfocuser
Stellarvue 50mm "Sparrowhawk" finder
Denk bino's with Power x switch
Pair of Smart Astronomy 19 EF's (great ep's for binos)
Pair of Edmund 28 plossls
Pair of Edmund 28 RKE'S
Pair of tv 20mm plossls
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Lane
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/19/07
Posts: 1495
Loc: Frisco, Texas
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The 9.25 has a little flatter field and it does let you see a few faint globulars and galaxies better than the C8. But overall it is not a big improvement with the kinds of bright objects that we are all viewing most of the time. For instance the swan nebula and M13 are not going to look very different in these two scopes. Plus the 9.25 is a big heavy scope and not as portable or as stable on most mounts as the C8 will be.
I would say enjoy the C8 and at some point in the future when you want to view a little deeper then go for the C11 or maybe get a 12 to 14 inch dob.
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CGEM, ORION SIRIUS, AT Voyager
OTAs: C6, C8, C9.25, C11, Pronto, ED80
Orion 9x63, Fujinon 10x50 & 16x70
Ethos 13, 17 Nagler 9t1,12t4,16t2,22t4 Panoptic 27,35
Antares 1.6x, TV Powermates 2x & 4x, TV Barlow 3x, TV Plossl 8,11,13
Baader Hyperion 21, 8-24 Zoom, UO HD Ortho 6,7,9,12,18
TMB Planetaries 3.2,4,5,6,7,8, Pentax XW 10,14,40
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Bob Griffiths
Postmaster
Reged: 10/10/05
Posts: 6563
Loc: Frederick Maryland
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I passed on upgrading my C8 when I purchased my C11... The price for the extra 1.25 inches just was not worth the money...
Seriously I would keep the C8....
BTW I never give a thought about potential resale value of anything I buy... Just not my way of doing business...
Bob G.
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CPC1100
Nexstar 8i + GPS & Rays Brackets
Denk S1 power switch
Orion 100 mm Refractor
Meade LXD 55 ...AR-5 127 mm Refractor
Exploradome Observatory S.I.E. (Smiling Irish Eyes)
Gerbring Heated Motorcycle clothing in the winter
39*21'03" N
77*28'12" W
The sky over my head....
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mike bacanin
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/19/07
Posts: 638
Loc: united kingdom
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Thank you all for your comments.After giving them consideration, I'm going to stick with the C8.
Mike
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Tom yates
member
Reged: 03/28/07
Posts: 53
Loc: United Kingdom
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Think you have made the right decision mike
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Astro physics 178 Refractor Intes micro mak newt 8"
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dweller25
sage
Reged: 08/30/07
Posts: 249
Loc: 53.6°N - UK
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Yes - I would keep the C8 - it will cool quicker, is lighter, has a warranty and will be less affected by your local seeing conditions.
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Be true to your teeth and they will never be false to you.
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w orchid
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/23/07
Posts: 832
Loc: Tampa, Fl
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Get the C8.
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Celestron C8 orange tube circa 1982
Stellarvue SV102ED
Celestron NS1100GPS
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