74 replies to this topic

[Bomber Bob]

...and, I have no problem with that.  This is a Hobby, after all.  I'm a Refractor Fan, but sometimes I have to escape from the laborious chemistry of glass types, mating elements, thermal properties of crystals, etc. over there, and come over here.  ALL of my SCTs have been Fun Scopes.  Yes, collimation can be tricky, and mirrors can shift or stick, but once all the bugs are kilt, what remains is a compact scope that can show a lot of stuff out there.

 

So, some Eye Candy of my Fun Scopes...

 

C5 ASTRO:

 

 

Meade 2045 ASTRO:

 

 

Kenko SC125L OTA:

 

[Bomber Bob]

1986 SP-C8 OTA:

 

[Jeffmar]

Bomber Bob. “and, I have no problem with that? I think I missed a previous page somewhere. 

 

I certainly agree that refractor fans can go on and on----------and on, about types of glass, Strehl ratios, and other things. For years I only had SCT’s and was kind of mystified over the nit picky comments made about refractors and SCT’s that refractor aficionados make. Now that I own way too many refractors I get the obsession a little better, but my Schmidt Cassegain scopes work better in more than a few circumstances. 

 

I like your scopes. 

[Rick-T137]

Hear, hear!

 

 

My Meade 2080 is my faithful steed. We've had a lot of fun over the years, and here's to many more adventures!

 

Bomber Bob - I absolutely adore your SP-C8! Someday I hope to get one of my own.

Edited by Rick-T137, 27 September 2024 - 01:22 PM.

[sevenofnine]

I feel the same way about my little 5" Mak. It's a fun and powerful scope 

 

.

[Bomber Bob]

Thanks!

 

The topic is a point I've tried to make over the past 11 years:  Get Out, Point Up, & Have Fun!

 

I can get nit-picky myself over high-power planetary observing.  And, if I'm doing that with a small refractor, I get some of the obsession with precision glass -- honestly, in that case, ditto for reflectors.  But once a scope has passed my tests, and becomes a Keeper, I just want to enjoy what it can show me.  I'm not concerned about a better year / version of one my Keepers.  Or, the well you know if you got a Brand X APO it would perform better because of a .976543 Strehl vs your .96898989 Strehl... Really?  They have better eyes than mine if they can see the difference.

 

That's what I like about my Keeper CATs.  They hold collimation.  They have Zero Problems with the mild temp changes down here at The Swamp.  Like my refractors, They Just Work -- and with much larger apertures, too.  Now, that's Fun!

[Echolight]

The neglected middle cat....

C6

but can be a lot of fun!

 

6SE

 

Not too big. Not too small.

 

Maybe the most perfect size for an only scope, if someone is short on space or can't lift big heavy stuff, but still wants a reasonably large aperture....

....and a not too big goto mount.

Rides in any back seat with room to spare.

[Doug Culbertson]

The neglected middle cat....

C6

but can be a lot of fun!

 

6SE

IMG_20240726_171734217~3.jpg

 

Not too big. Not too small.

 

Maybe the most perfect size for an only scope, if someone is short on space or can't lift big heavy stuff, but still wants a reasonably large aperture....

....and a not too big goto mount.

Rides in any back seat with room to spare.

IMG_20240917_153215987~3.jpg

 Last year, after going back and forth between the C5 and the C6, I bought the C5 in spite of the small difference in price. There have been many times I have wondered if I should have gotten the C6 even though I love my C5. 

[Cpk133]

Periodic fasting from the refractor forum is essential for ones mental health.  No arguments over fluorite corrector plates, just mush dogs and beyond nuts freaky sharps, nothing strange going on here.

[quilty]

wouldn't that be a good idea? A fluorite Schmidt plate?

[Cpk133]

wouldn't that be a good idea? A fluorite Schmidt plate?

It would crack into a million pieces at the first drop of dew.

[Jeffmar]

Periodic fasting from the refractor forum is essential for ones mental health.  No arguments over fluorite corrector plates, just mush dogs and beyond nuts freaky sharps, nothing strange going on here.

YES!! 

[Bill Barlow]

My first telescope when I got into this hobby some 18 years ago was a C6 purchased from OPT.  I have been a fan of SCT's ever since, having owned about every size over the years (C5, C6, M6, M8, C8, C9.25, M10, C11, M12 and C14) from both Meade and Celestron.  And I have owned a few "freaky sharp"  ones as well.  Long live the SCT!

 

Bill

[Echolight]

 Last year, after going back and forth between the C5 and the C6, I bought the C5 in spite of the small difference in price. There have been many times I have wondered if I should have gotten the C6 even though I love my C5. 

Well.... All are FUN!

 

When you have a 5, 6, and 8,

the 6 often gets overlooked.

 

The C5 is my most expensive telescope. And probably gets used the most.

 

But if only one, the 6 might be the best compromise. 

[Echolight]

It would crack into a million pieces at the first drop of dew sweat.

There. Fixed it for ya.

[NinePlanets]

I have 2 C5's and a small Mak. They are the only "store-bought" telescopes I own, other than spotting scopes (and I have qauite a few telescope telescopes).

 

The one gripe I have about them is that their stumpy little tubes are almost impossible to sight along and hit a target! Dang near impossible to use on a tripod shorter than 6 feet without breaking your neck.

 

And yeah, yeah, yeah, I have low power eyepieces and RACI's too, so don't even go there. You still have to point the stumpy little things at the target close enough for the finder to pick it up - and yes, I've been pointing scopes at the sky for over half a century.

 

But, if you add a laser sight to them then they ARE FUN!

 

No laser, no SCT for me.

 

 

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Edited by NinePlanets, 27 September 2024 - 03:45 PM.

[jgraham]

Indeed...

 

Classic C5 & C8...

 

 

...and Meade's first SCT, the 2080 LX...

 

 

The SCT has been a popular design for a long time for some very good reasons.

 

Fun stuff!

 

 

 

[quilty]

It would crack into a million pieces at the first drop of dew.

But it would be very special und high end, for the one with higher demands

[ABQJeff]

Ooh…CAT Pics!

 

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[bobhen]

After my 60mm refractor, the first "serious" telescope I bought was an SCT. Throughout most of my 46-years of observing, I've owned an SCT (two-8", one-10" and one-11").

 

These days I own 5 refractors. But the one mirror scope I own is not a Newtonian, it's an SCT. I know that the image quality will fall behind my apos and high-quality Newtonians. So why have an SCT? Because SCTs offer the advantage of having the most compact tube per-inch of aperture. And for many in the hobby, including me, that's a big enough advantage to own one.

 

Me aligning my old 1978 DX8 sometime in the mid-80's  Now I'm grayer than the telescope.

 

Bob

 

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[quilty]

time to paint it white?

[flyboyu777]

Let's see what I can find to show and tell:

 

How about my old C-14 from around 2010?  Mounted on a pier in the back field of a house I was renting for a few years, Texas Hill Country.

 

[Bomber Bob]

Lovin' all the CAT Eye Candy!

[Exnihilo]

My two SCTs, Edge 11 and C6.  I had a C8, but eventually let it go, it wasn't that great (possibly even a "mush dog").  But the C11 Edge, if it isn't, is pretty close to be being "Freakishly sharp."

Edited by Exnihilo, 28 September 2024 - 11:16 AM.

[lwbehney]

 Last year, after going back and forth between the C5 and the C6, I bought the C5 in spite of the small difference in price. There have been many times I have wondered if I should have gotten the C6 even though I love my C5. 

I have certainly seen a significant difference between six and five inch refractor aperture views. I think the C6 would have given you noticeable improvement on globular star cluster and galaxy targets.