I might as well jump into this discussion. If anyone is considering the 12"
over the 10" because of the price drop then proceed carefully.

I have the 12" and I love it! Visually, aperture rules! Our local astro club
holds mini star parties, and everyone lines up to look through my 12" LX200.
Sure, there are 10" dobs and 10" LX200s at the parties, but they always come
back to the 12 incher.

Is the 12" a good imaging platform? You bet. But only after tweaking. But
wait, even the 8" and 10" require tweaking. None of these scopes will give you
the kind of imaging out of the box. They almost all need either a weighted east
fork, or a JMI, or something. But the 12" can image beautifully. Take a look
at some of the stuff produced by Phil Perkins, Jon Brewster, Frank Lock, Dick
Aducci, and others. Wonderful! Even I managed to image some stuff with a
216XT, and I don't spend a lot of time learning the finer points of CCD
techniques, but I'm getting there!

If you have back problems, then the 12" is not for you unless you can come up
with some sort of dolly to transport to and fro.

Also, as someone else pointed out, the 12" OTA does not swing through the forks.

Like the 16", the 12" corrector is made from BK7 optical glass. This supposedly
gives better transmission into the ultraviolet.

My 12" LX200 is at its best when in the observatory; permanently mounted and
protected from the wind. But then again, I think any scope benefits from being
permanently mounted and shielded from wind.

In the field, the tripod is a thing of beauty. Massive, stable, and a great
imaging platform if you don't mind the set up time. But note, there is no
difference in set up time between the 10" and 12". Ever notice how much is
involved with cables in an LX200 and CCD set up? Ugh!

I hope this helps any prospective 12" buyer. Whether the 10" or 12", you will
be happy. And don't forget the true meaning of getting a telescope - have fun!

--
Michael J. Cook

Home Page - http://members.home.net/michaeljcook/
Observatory Plans - http://members.home.net/michaeljcook/obsnotes.html

ECU RESOURCES:
* Web ECU - http://members.home.net/michaeljcook/ecu/webecu.html
* User Object Files - http://members.home.net/michaeljcook/ecu/
* ECUsers Discussion Forum - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecusers
MEADE RESOURCES:
* Meade Advanced Product Users Group - http://www.mapug.com/
* AstroArchive - http://www.astroarchive.com/t/search.asp

Take a bite Out of Light Pollution: Support IDA - http://www.darksky.org

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