RE: Off Topic: Celestron vs Meade
| Subject: | RE: Off Topic: Celestron vs Meade |
| From: | Kocinski,Patricia M |
| Date: | Fri May 03 05:10:29 1996 |
Heres my 2 cents worth:
I have heard that both Meade and Celestron get the SCT optics from the
same vendor. If that is so then for all practical purposes there
should be no difference in optical quality. That being equal you are
down to design differences and what do you want to do with the telescope.
The LX 50 does not come with a tripod; it is available but for another
$295 or so. I do not know if the tripod is included with the
Celestron. I do know the Meade tripod for the LX50 is very sturdy and
is adjustable in heighth. If you are tall this is something to
consider or youll end up bent over all the time you are viewing.
The LX 50 does have both axis motorized. Dont know if this is true
for the Celestron. It is nice to be able to adjust the DEC without
looking up from the eyepiece.
As far as the C5 goes it is a nice portable telescope BUT for the cost
you only have a 5 inch aperature. For a few dollars more ( hey that
would make a good movie title ! ha ha) you could have an 8 inch
aperature which is a considerable jump in what you "could see" in
theory. The main thing I do not like about the C5 is that it has only
1 arm not the 2 arms the 8 inch SCTs have. To me this seems like less
stability.
As for the LX200 vs the LX50 issue you have to wiegh the cost for what
you get. The LX200 is automated and the people who own them ( many on
this list ) are quite happy with them. The biggest difference is for
another $1000 (or so) you get computer control.
My best advice is to look through as many telescopes as you can.
Contact a local astro club near you and pick their brains and ask to
look at their equipment. I went through this all last year. My
questions were very similar to yours. I looked through C8s and Meades
( fortunately my local club members have both ) and home made Dobs and
reflectors and refractors. I thought the two C8s I looked through
were better than the 10" Meade but came to the conclusion the Meade
was not stabilized when I looked through it and the eyepiece was not
comparable to the eyepieces on the C8s. I asked people if I could
help them carry their stuff to and from their car so I could get a
feel for weight. Not many refused my offer to help carry their stuff !
No one made me feel stupid for asking questions and most were very
gracious and went out of their way to be helpful. In the end I bought
an 8" LX50 and if it ever clears up I can find out if I made a mistake
( just kidding - I love it). Yes there have been a few "rough moments"
when things didnt work perfectly but with a little patience and calm
words its running great right now and I cant wait to get out viewing
some more. Remember these instruments are a bit complex because of
being motorized and with that comes a few bumps in the road.
Ultimately it comes down to your choice. As silly as this seems it may
help to make a chart for each telescope you are considering and list
the pros and cons and also make a chart for what you want to do with
the telescope. Soon is should be clear what to do. By then we will be
having 6 months of clouds and you will be wondering why you even want
to buy a telescope (ha ha). Seriously it is a big investment and dont
forget to consider all the other items you may want ( need?) to buy
like dew shields, additional eyepieces, filters, batteries ( 9V, AA,
gel cells, etc) so that you really know what your total outlay will be.
Good luck and clear skies.
Patty
Rochester, NY USA
Patricia Kocinski@wb.xerox.com
PS Since I bought my 8" LX50 another club member bought the 12" LX200
so hopefully this summer we can compare the 3 side by side. Oh boy an
8", a 10" and a 12" Meade SCT side by side. I do not envy the guy
dragging around the 12" though ! Oh my aching back!
----------
From: owner-mapug@shore.net
To: mapug@shore.net
Cc: mapug@shore.net
Subject: Off Topic: Celestron vs Meade
Date: Thursday, May 02, 1996 7:21AM
Hi, Im a new reader as well as a rank beginner
in Astronomy. I wanted to hear what you all had to
say about Celestron (Celestar 8) vs Meade (LX 50). Im
looking at an 8" SCT, dont think I can afford the LX200, so
Im looking at either the Meade Lx50 or Celestar 8(?).
I was leaning towards the Celestron only because it
was the first one that I saw and the dealer (Scope City)
had a sale on the item (I think it was a C8+). But I could be
convinced. Ive been reading more and more. Read the telescope faq.
Browsed through the MAPUG archives for words about Celestron, bought
some magazines so that I could see what one looked like;
browsed the web for various telescope reviews but still cant
seem to make an intelligent choice. Luckily, I dont have
enough money saved up yet to buy one. Well, as long as Im on
the line, I might as well ask a couple more questions.
1. The C8+ had a telescoping/adjustable tripod. The celestar 8
had a solid, non-adjustable tripod. Which is better? I kind of
thought the adjustable one was more versatile and useful for my
purposes.
2. I assume the main advantage of the lx200 is that it is computerized
and slews you right to the stars. Is it that difficult to manually
slew the telescope to the proper RA and DEC, assuming I have a laptop
with an astronomy program, and/or a good star atlas?
3. And you know that celestron c5. I know its small and portable (which
in my case is sometimes an advantage, because I travel here and there)
but would any of you buy one because of that advantage of portability?
I keep thinking that I might be unhappy with the performance of the C5
in the long run.
Thank you. Ill leave it at that. Ive got a 100 other questions, but
I dont want to flood the net, being a newbie and all.
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E-mail: Perry T. Tuey <perry_tuey@corp.cubic.com>
Date: 05/02/96 Time: 07:21:25
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