Ed, I want to thank you. 25 years ago I had a small reflector and sold it when we moved to Fl. I am now 70yo and starting to get interested in sky watching again. I think I’ve watched all your videos and learned a lot. I just ordered an XT8, the base got here yesterday and the scope is supposed to get here Monday. I expect I will see a lot more with it than my old 4”. Once again I want to thank you and keep up the good work.
XT8 great scope :) I first got a scope in my 30s, a cheap 6in newt. Im in my 50s now and have really got back into the hobby again. Its facinating. Recent weather however has made me stay inside moaning at the skies :)
Ed, we need more videos! I know I’m sure you’re probably very busy. But I’m new to astronomy and you’ve quickly become my favorite youtuber. I followed your advice and got an 8” dobsonian (Celestron Starsense) and joined my local astronomical society (Los Angeles) and I’m loving it, I’m learning so much. But in between weekly meetings and on cloudy nights by the beach I need something to watch. In all seriousness, thanks for the great videos, wisdom and encouragement.
great choice for the scope.... dont forget to collimate it :) (Im not suggesting you have, but when I first got my first newt, which was my first scope..... I didnt even know it needed colimating, a year later I collimated it and was blown away) BTW I love eds viids too... i keeep replaying them all :)
If Celestron does make a C7 or C7.25 inch most likely it will be a F/10 and maybe EdgeHD ( also maybe fastar) and if Celestron does make it then I will run at the speed of light to get it
I'm right there with you on the C7.25, but make it a C7.25 EdgeHD with the filtered cooling fans and optical refinements. Meanwhile, I ended up with a C6 Evolution for go-to portability. I bought an ETX back in the day also. Now that sharp little 90mm mak is attached to a Skywatcher AZ GTi on a Gitzo tripod. It makes a super grab'n go-to rig for bright stuff. Love your videos!
I don't think you can call anything with a 19 year wait "entry level". By the time of your life you are capable of buying a ultra premium telescope you may not have a couple decades left to wait
Hi Ed. I would like to see rotating rings being supplied with or made for newtonian brands. I only have newts and the addition of rotating rings would just about perfect my observing experiences. There are a few premium sets available but just about cost as much as a OTA and above my price range. I think there is a massive opportunity for a manufacturer to jump in and produce these ar an affordable price. Cheers from Australia, Richard.
I modified my 8-inch Dob with oversized side rings cut from 3/4-inch plywood. I cut the radius using a circle guide arm supplied with a Bosch router guide. The rings ride on Teflon pads attached to a homebuilt plywood rocker box. Along with a Teflon and Formica bearing system I installed between the rocker box and ground board, the system has a vastly improved action in both alt and az directions.
Oh MAN do I ever agree that more effort should be put into 8" scopes - a nice 8" f/8 planetary Newtonian for example! Put some real effort into making precision cells that hold collimation like glue yet are easy to adjust. When building my 10" I spent almost all my effort on the cells, and the rest on blackening and contrast. The optics are easy - it's the mechanics that make the difference.
I would be second in line for a C7.25 . I own a 9.25 and yes it's a bit big and bit heavy for a smaller mount. I also own a C6 (And a C5, thank you Ed for making me buy one after the review, PS I love it, I swear it's my sharpest SCT though it's an older USA made one too, but talk about grab and go!)
I have a 925 edgehd (sharpest sct ive ever looked through) and an older meade 10in classic (just the ota, took it off the fork mount) the weight difference from a scope 3/4 of an inch wider... and 2 inches longer, is ridiculous :)
7" options for most telescope designs would be nice, with carry handles and dew-shields, and finger-tighten collimation screws for those that need them
A C7.25 would be very appealing to me. I already have a 6" f/4 newtonian astrograph (so it feels wasteful to pick up a longer focal length scope at the same aperture like the C6), but on an HEQ5 the 8" or 9.25" SCTs seem like a bit much for the mount. It would be great to have a 7.25" with a focal length better suited to planetary nebula, small galaxies and planets that wouldn't push the limits on my mount.
My 180mm mak cas over a 7.25 yes? Affordable 9" mak cas please. Don't need a large telescope except for very faint. These dream scopes exemplified this. Drawn from years of experience.
My list: an f/7 8" Newtonian with small secondary, let's say 20% in diameter, an 8" Mak-Newt with 20% central obstruction, and a 7" Mak-Cass with similar 20% central obstruction. Then a short f scope with 3" eyepieces for a really large field of view...😊
That C7.25 sounds awesome, and if they allow for 2" optics, just perfect (the C6 has a narrow baffle that makes using 2" accesories not that useful). Also: A Firstscope 76 with parabolic mirror for entry level users. (Edit: SkyWatcher has one, there is a comparative review by Astrobiscuit on telescopes under $100). Accessory: inexpensive(-ish) flip mirror finderscope for straight-through and 90 degree alternate use. A Newtonian with a rotatable secondary (which should have to be very precise, clearly) for dual instrumentation ports, similar to Cassegrain-Nasmyth designs.
6" folding corrected Dall-Kirkham like Horace Dall made, with a tiny Questar-like table mount that runs on AA batteries. It all folds up into a 6" frisbee thing. Elliptical primaries should be reasonably easy to make by now (don't we have AI to help us?). The secondary is trivial sphere, and the "spider" is a simple bar of metal. The corrector should also be trivial these days. The correction with relay lenses is a little weird, but obviously Dall did it so it must be possible to do. Probably can make it F7, definitely F10. Would be better than a Questar.
I would like to see the commercial grade Maksutovs getting the same treatment as SCTs. At Celestron, you have the Edge HD series with built-in coma correctors etc., while most Maksutovs from these companies are just that, Maksutovs. I think it would be really nice to see an Edge HD maksutov, and for the love of god, make them bigger! I know that seldom you can find "large" Maksutovs, but most commercial grade maks top out at 7", and I would really like to get a 9" model from Celestron or Skywatcher, so I wouldn't have to sell my kidneys on the black market to get one of those russian models.
@@Astro_Ape A 9" Mak, with integrated coma corrector and field-flattener, and a dual speed focuser maybe? And giving it a refractor like dewshield? God I would actually sell my kindeys on the black market to get a mount which can handle it!
@@arongyorffy3070 with the Edge HD or super ACF optics that all the cool SCT get... yeah, that'd be absolutely lovely!! Come to think of it, mounts have advanced sooo much in just the last 5-6 years that something that could handle it fairly well shouldn't be too hard to find. The thought of that scope alone makes me want to get good at planetary AP, just in case something similar ever hits the market I'll have the requisite skills to make the most of it, lol.
OneSky with a *decent focuser* , compact alt-az & tripod, with a carry bag/backpack, for a true packable scope. Ive searched for a shorty tripod and simple, compact alt-az mount and the options and their prices are absurd. There's simply no excuse for the focuser on these scopes. None. They could al least give the eyepiece holder specs so I could 3D print one that actually fits the housing, or something. I can feel the slack, so I know the eyepiece is tilting off-axis.
I'm basically a newbie interested in star and moon gazing. I think a double focal length Schmitt-Casrgrain, like the Celestion 14" HD would be nice, especially for moon gazing where less of a light bucket is needed. I guess the longer focal length also require less lens grinding, and a longer tube. Maybe a Dobsonian can also be made.
Ed, Somebody PLEASE make me a: 100mm 2-element air-spaced, fully-multicoated objective, Franhoffer old-fashioned f12 refractor...but give it an adjustable lens cell, a nice focuser, more than one screw to hold eyepieces, and offer it for $400 US. ADD a decent finder, (optical 40mm lens or red-dot, a vixen 180mm mounting rail attached to the bottom of the OTA for $500 US...Telescope Express markets an "almost" version ( front lens cell cannot be adjusted 😔). A NICE "4-inch refractor" at a nice price like this...well we could all make room for one of these!! Looking at planets is nice in this type of scope!!
As an economist, I think that there is an answer to the question. Why aren't there more telescope models available in the market, including good ideas that would fill holes in the offerings? And there is a straightforward answer. The answer is: market demand is not large enough to pay development, manufacturing, and marketing costs that go with new models and still turn a profit. I agree with several other writers in this post that the Meade ETX is a puzzle. But when you realize that budgets for scopes like the ETX are very limited, you can see that Meade is in a quandary with regard to better ETXs. It's these budgets that force cheaply made telescopes, it makes them cheaper. This situation is more dramatic when it comes to Dobsonians, where a 10$ price difference is a big deal to some buyers. The whole thing reminds me of dorm food. Everyone complains about it, but nobody wants to pay extra for better food.
I would really like to see a mount with good setting circles. The 8” dobsonian that you love so much would be a good place to start. On a 8” dobsonian it should not be that hard to do. I know they have to be big to be useful and on a dob they can be. On smaller mounts a digital read out for RA would be just the thing. One would not need any motors or big data base or togo capability so I don't think it should cost that much. Would also love to see some good quality small achromat refractors with stable mounts a one good eye piece. They seem to go from junk to the very high end Takahash and not much in between.
What about a smart telescope with an augmented reality device that would allow you to see multiple wavelengths of light in the sky without h aving to develop the pictures?. It could also superimpose the objects onto their position of the night sky in real time.
I'd like to see a longer F ratio SC design being offered, say around F12 to f15. The secondary would be smaller, and it would be an excellent telescope for planetary work. The other item I would like to see being offered again is machined rotating rings on Newtonians instead of clamping rings. Takahashi - hint, hint!
I bought an old used C6-N Newtonian and sent the mirrors to be re-aluminized to 96-97% reflectivity and since they offered a decent price and guarantee I had them refigure my primary to near perfect wave and focus. It was so good I had to put a dual speed Crayford focuser on it. For less than $800 I acquired a Takahashi quality scope. Guy in my club offered to install my JMI focuser if I let him use it for a couple of weeks to do some astrophotography. He took some nice photos of different DSOs. He also did Saturn and you could see Titan as a tiny ball instead of the point of light I see, I thought it's amazing what you can do with long exposures, the photos looked like they could've been done by Hubble. I'm just visual except a simple photo here and there. He offered me a $1000 for it and he didn't want to give it back.🤣 I just told him to do what I did. Six inch mirrors are fairly inexpensive to have redone, the 8" ones start to get expensive though.
I would probably love to see modernized dobsonians in the 8" to 10" range. There are a few goto dobs, but non that has a built-in removable battery ( which can be charged with USB C, kind of like a big power bank ), a fan on the back that connects to the same battery, maybe a built-in dim red light screen for selecting targets with proper descriptions of what you are looking at, although a wifi connection to a tablet or phone would do the job. Also, a redesigned base, lighter than these particle bases, with the option to easily re-balance based on what eyepiece you use. Even with these changes, these could still be cheaper than a solid mounted goto SCT and I think they would be really popular.
Here’s one: 90mm f/10 (900mm FL) FCD100/Lanthanum doublet APO refractor with high-quality 2-inch focuser and precisely machined (adjustable ) objective cell. This would be a visual observation purist’s delight. Off-axis performance of most eyepieces would be superb at f/10; lunar, planetary and double star performance excellent -and, also… an exquisite 3-degree TFOV at 5.5mm exit pupil would be obtained with a 55mm Plossl. I would buy this 😎
the 9.25 was between the 8 and 11, a reasonable gap over 1" between both. But the C7.25 would only be 0.75" from the 8." Make more sense for a straight C7.0, a full 1" gap. Like the C5 to C6.
I'd love to see a line of premium & portable "planet killer" Dobs!! Long FL, mid aperture scopes with premium optics in a closed truss tube design. Something like 8" f/8, 10" f/7, and 12" f/6.
Ed, I didn't really notice much difference between this video and others, but I will say that the quality was very good as all your videos seem to be. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
When I was looking at actually building a Dobsonian from scratch I looked at Edmund Scientific for a mirror and discovered that mirrors cost more than complete telescopes from established manufactures. i would think that this is because those mirrors are far superior to the production mirrors in production scopes. Does this mean that a superior mirror is not available in a production scope. That would be one I presume does not exist.
No. Mass production and economies of scale, especially from places like China, mean they can deliver a complete telescope at a fraction of the price of what you can do yourself. Edmund Scientific mirrors and telescopes have a terrible reputation. My favorite mirrors are the ones by Zambuto (don't look at the prices).
Hey Ed what’s your opinion on the BOSMA 80/500 Professional Deep Space Refracting Astronomical Telescope HD BAK4 Lens? I’m looking to get into astrophotography and was wondering if this is a good telescope to start with
Takahashi need to bring back the FC-125, and someone needs to create scope which is very close to the Astro Physics Traveller, but with no waiting list.
A premium 8 is a very hard profit margin, and collapsing isn't a huge draw. Teeter made 8s 10s and 12s in solid tubes, fully kitted. There's probably a market for something truly modern and premium like a hexapod 8" f5, but will be upwards of 4 grand in the case of obsession or teeter. With teeter done taking new orders, may be out of luck for a while
In the realm of likely reality, I’d like to see Celestron or Orion mass produce the “EAA scopes” that Vaonis is charging $2500-4000 for. Get them to $1499 and you’ve got a real gem.
I must agree to your comment about the 7.25. Actually, I've been wanting to get a Nexstar Evo 9.25 for a long time. In all honesty, I would like the 8," and feel the 6" might be a little small for my liking. I've chosen the 9.25 primarily because of the thicker, sturdier tripod, which where I live is important. I've chosen the Evo line because of the built-in rechargeable battery pack, as well as being able to shift it around manually. No need to carry a big box of batteries around just in case. And I do tend to be forgetful, so if I did forget to charge, I could just use it manually. And where I observe in my backyard is quite far from the house, at over 120 feet from the back porch. I really would enjoy a 7.25, as long as it has the larger tripod, as it would be more portable, yet not too small.
I made my own premium 8 inch Dob out of an Orion XT8 Classic. Refigured mirror, Moonlite focuser, Telrad, Baltic Birch Base with Ebony Star and virgin Teflon, flocked tube and upgraded hardware. Rob Teeter makes an excellent 8 inch Tube Dob too.
A telescope I'd love to see would be something that takes inspiration from Mel Bartels Zip Dobs. These are relatively big aperture, ultra short focal ratio, light-weight travel dobs. They are optimized around a Paracorr and 21 Ethos for maximum "etendue". A line of foldable, 12-14" F/2.6 dobs with super thin meniscus mirrors would make for scopes that are incredibly easy to pack into a car and take to a dark sky site.
+1 for a premium Dob PLUS a premium rocker box. Teeter made an 8 inch solid Dob, and I am tempted but those are rare. Of course, it CAN'T have Go-To but a clock drive would be wonderful so when I mag up I don't have to re-find the object with increasingly smaller FOVs, especially while sketching.
This is one I wish I had. I have a 12.5 f/5 Teeter Truss but would love the quick setup time of the 8 inch STS. I just have to decide what to sell from my collection to finance one and convince someone to sell their 8" STS!
Funny you mention, I cant believe the coincidence but just last night I imagined an 8" Takahashi dob, in Tak white with some kind of aluminum base and great mirrors. PLEASE TAKE MY MONEY!!
I'd pay real money for a revised and updated Astroscan... lame as I know it may sound... but I like simplicity, I always wanted one, and never got the chance! Astroscans in a few different colours and maybe even 6 inch... you would never stop selling them!
Today there are so many brands and various type of telescopes. Even for 8" there are dobs with dual speed 2" focuser, RACI finders and more. There are so many small APO telescopes 50 to 70 from many-many vendors... I don't know. Yes having truss-tube 8" can be cool. There 10" ES. I really want 8" that can fit in a backpack but I finally realised that I'd just prefer 8" SCT as unlike dob I can use one on a balcony... If somebody gets truss-tube and time it makes to build/collimate he will just take much bigger (12"-16") so it makes sense.
don't know about you but at least in concept i love the Hubble optics mirrors and yes they've been through a few hiccups but they've gotten much better and yup ... an 8" F5 dob would be on my list ... ok ok ... still drooling over the 24" .... but in reality an 8" dob sharp as it gets is always a winner! ETX made well would be prime grab n go scope ... meanwhile the Virtuoso GTi 150 takes that spot ... sans the premium feel but opens the EAA world with a small camera and a lappie ... awesome video ;)
A new trend is EAA (Electronic Assisted Astronomy) with Stellina, Vespera, eVScope, Equinox, Dwarf II, etc. Many say this is a game changer revolution. But they are all alt-az, with field rotation, short exposures and blurry stars. My wish will be an equatorial EAA telescope with software tools (that already exist) to guide you in polar alignment. My other wish is Chinese manufacturers (Synta, GSO, JOC, etc, through Celestron, Meade, Orion, Sky-Watcher, etc) jump in EAA.
Ed, help me plz i am living in a bortle 6 location and during summer I go to a bortle 3 location , what would be best (pure visual ) telescope and relatively transportable and yet good for dsos ? (Maybe a discovery 8inch premium dob )
I don't see any difference in video quality. Your background lighting is great. However, I think you should try a "flash frame" instead of a jump edit/cut. Just drop in about 4 frames of white whenever you make a jump cut when you are speaking. Try it and see if you like it. In the news business we use them all the time. It alerts the audience we have made an edit and are not trying to manipulate the interview. Other than that, its the info you provide that I am interested in. Not the video quality, which is also a lot of work. I appreciate your time to produce these videos and also what you write.
I really put some consideration into the ES 8" & 10" FirstLight Dobs whenever I was in the market. I really liked the base and alt bearings, that was probably my favorite part about the scope. But I didn't like the fact that the secondary holder was .5" bigger than the mirror for no known reason other than that's what they had to use, and I really didn't like the focuser at all. A 2.5" focuser is great, but not when it's a single speed HEX that needs an extension tube and +8" travel to come to focus using any EP. Plus I think it's a lil overkill for a Dob since few people are going to being doing prime focus AP with it, and as I understand it that's the primary role of the bigger focuser. It's pretty easy to tell that Explore Scientific cobbled this scope together from leftover parts from other lines, but in that respect I think they did a pretty damn good job. IMO the ES FirstLight Dob would be a better format for a 12" f/5. Keep about everything the same, change to a double speed focuser and you're in business!! BTW: I ended up buying an Apertura AD8 (now heavily modified) and I absolutely love it!! Best mass production Dob on the market IMHO, one of the best value-to-cost ratios in the hobby, plus with customer service that's a step above the Zhumell Z line. I know the 10" & 12" seem to be more popular, but I think the 8" is the sweet spot for alt/az bearing design.
could not agree more about the ETX and HQ 8" dob! I suspect Celestron and Meade feel they wouldn't get the volume, instead they make the low cost items which they can sell in volume. Maybe you could start an online list of people who would all be willing to put a $100 down if a mfg would agree to build one or the other one. Not sure about the 60mm AP, cute, but what are you going to look at with it? The AP 92mm Stowaway is really quite small, fits very easily in an airline overhead rack. Can't see going smaller and losing light gathering.
I’ve owned several Dobsonians over the years in a variety of sizes and always come back to an 8-inch. In fact, I use my current version (an Apertura AD8 with oversized homemade side rings on a plywood base) at least three times more often than any of my other scopes. But while I strongly agree that there is a need for a premium version with Obsession-like stiction and super-quality, interferometry-tested mirrors, I don’t see any advantage in a truss tube type in anything less than 12-inches. The standard 8-inch metal-tube design is reasonably portable in a small SUV or the back seat of a sedan, it takes up very little storage space, and they are so easy to set up (take the base out to the backyard, drop in the tube, and you’re doing astronomy). I’m sure if I had an 8-inch truss tube I’d want to leave it fully assembled, which would make it far more difficult to take it in and out of the house. Otherwise, another great review, Ed. Thanks.
I got my scope today Orion XT8. I’m not really fond of the red dot spotter, even on dim it’s so bright it’s hard to line it up. When I got it on the first star to come out I couldn’t get it in focus untill I took the eye piece out about 3/4 inch, then it was assume. What could I be doing wrong? An hour with it tonight I can’t wait till the moon comes up, but I have a medical procedure in the morning so I can’t stay up.
I'd like an F/9 FC-100. I've nearly bought the Vixen 100mm Fluorite with the F/9 Optron lens, and a Pentax 105SD (SD, not SDP or SDHF). The F/9 FC-100 DL was either announced or briefly available on order in Japan, but seems to have disappeared. C7.25 would be interesting to see if it really is the f/1.8 primary and/or 200mm or combination thereof that leads me to find these telescopes so disappointing in use. I liked my C11, like the C5 I picked up recently, but am now looking to sell my second C8 (this time a classic orange-tube), as I am as unimpressed as I recall being with my CF tube C8 which had better optics. I might keep the C8 long enough to do side-by-side to a VMC200L I have coming, my Mewlon 210 and maybe an 8" f/4 Newt.
I wish scopes could be made lighter and easier to carry. For instance, a Celestron 9.25 in fork-mount that allowed you to easily remove the OTA from the fork and carry each of them outside separately. Current fork-plus-OTA is over 50 pounds, too much for me.
For these types of videos, 60 fps looks better and is more important than the 3 camera choices. 24fps good for movies, but not info content. F2.8 looks good for this video (on a FF) . Not sure if you shot it at 2.8, but whatever it was, this looks good. Any more shallow depth and it becomes too distracting, for me (but 1.8 on a 1" sensor is fine too).
In this video Ed proves he's never owned a business. Failed products for decades have followed "if they built X I would buy it" then it falls flat in sales.
I'd really love a small Ritchey Chretien built to be ideally suited for amateur spectroscopy. I'm envisioning backpacking the thing around as if it were like some kind of crew served weapon or other piece of military equipment so the design should be biased towards portability and durability. I realize that might be like asking for a high performance sports car that excels at hauling kids and kit to the soccer game, but ehh one can dream.
Thanks Ed! I think if you're telling manufacturers to make a product they should listen! You know your stuff mate! I bought my dobs and eyepieces based on your reviews! Clear skies mate 👍
The one issue is build quality ! I've never seen a Takahashi or other high-end scope but as a machinist/modelmaker the big issue among the common brands is build quality. Poorly designed parts and poor machining/fabrication seem to be the rule. Plastic parts are also an issue since it is sometimes used on parts that aren't well suited to plastic. My first scope was a Newtonian OTA that came to me with collimation issues which I solved by disassembling the mirror cell only to fine one of the springs sitting sideways. Reassembling correctly solved the issue. When brought to the attention of the retailer I was told that wasn't possible. An 8" quality solid tube Dobsonian at a reasonable price would seem logical. It would have to have a quality mirror set as well as a good rack/pinion 2" low profile focuser. The tube should sit in rings/dovetail held by the mount and easily removable with a single screw. This allows the tube to be rotated for focuser positioning and balancing. Fit and finish need to be outstanding. I have built a 6" version which now works nicely.
The really nice thing about the explore scientific->altitude bearings. Mirror not so much. Obsession has the right combo of bearing size, materials. One finger push. I have a 15UC, wish you could get at 8” with same ergonomics
They're also sold under the Bresser brand name in Europe. I considered getting one but the larger than usual central obstruction (for an f/6) put me off. It wouldn't be easy to mod with a smaller secondary either because the primary to secondary distance is also shorter than usual. (Also the finder is pathetic and the focuser is an unknown R&P.)
I really put some consideration into the ES 8" & 10" FirstLight Dobs whenever I was in the market. I really liked the base and alt bearings, that was probably my favorite part about the scope. But I didn't like the fact that the secondary holder was .5" bigger than the mirror for no known reason other than that's what they had to use, and I really didn't like the focuser at all. A 2.5" focuser is great, but not when it's a single speed HEX that needs an extension tube and +8" travel to come to focus using any EP. Plus I think it's a lil overkill for a Dob since few people are going to being doing prime focus AP with it, and as I understand it that's the primary role of the bigger focuser. It's pretty easy to tell that Explore Scientific cobbled this scope together from leftover parts from other lines, but in that respect I think they did a pretty damn good job. IMO the ES FirstLight Dob would be a better format for a 12" f/5. Keep about everything the same, change to a double speed focuser and you're in business!! BTW: I ended up buying an Apertura AD8 (now heavily modified) and I absolutely love it!! Best mass production Dob on the market IMHO, one of the best value-to-cost ratios in the hobby, plus with customer service that's a step above the Zhumell Z line. I know the 10" & 12" seem to be more popular, but I think the 8" is the sweet spot for alt/az bearing design.
@@Astro_Ape Great choice. I'm looking at getting the same scope (branded Stellalyra in the UK as sold by FLO). RA finder, yay; 10:1 GSO Crayford not bad (had that before)... All it needs is a Telrad. You don't mind the roller AZ bearings? (I'm usually not keen on those, although easy enough to swap for a traditional dimpled laminate + teflon setup; the alt bearing would trickier to mod...) btw. You're right that the 8" Dob is a sweet spot. Had the older version of the GSO 8" (heavily modded) in Australia (also the 12" GSO for a while and the 10" Skywatcher/Synta, but the 8" was by far the most used): easy to transport and move around in the field... ideal for taking to parties, events, festivals, showing the night sky to non-astro folk.
Ed, I want to thank you. 25 years ago I had a small reflector and sold it when we moved to Fl. I am now 70yo and starting to get interested in sky watching again. I think I’ve watched all your videos and learned a lot. I just ordered an XT8, the base got here yesterday and the scope is supposed to get here Monday. I expect I will see a lot more with it than my old 4”. Once again I want to thank you and keep up the good work.
XT8 great scope :)
I first got a scope in my 30s, a cheap 6in newt. Im in my 50s now and have really got back into the hobby again.
Its facinating.
Recent weather however has made me stay inside moaning at the skies :)
Ed, we need more videos! I know I’m sure you’re probably very busy. But I’m new to astronomy and you’ve quickly become my favorite youtuber. I followed your advice and got an 8” dobsonian (Celestron Starsense) and joined my local astronomical society (Los Angeles) and I’m loving it, I’m learning so much. But in between weekly meetings and on cloudy nights by the beach I need something to watch. In all seriousness, thanks for the great videos, wisdom and encouragement.
great choice for the scope.... dont forget to collimate it :) (Im not suggesting you have, but when I first got my first newt, which was my first scope..... I didnt even know it needed colimating, a year later I collimated it and was blown away)
BTW I love eds viids too... i keeep replaying them all :)
If Celestron does make a C7 or C7.25 inch most likely it will be a F/10 and maybe EdgeHD ( also maybe fastar) and if Celestron does make it then I will run at the speed of light to get it
I'm right there with you on the C7.25, but make it a C7.25 EdgeHD with the filtered cooling fans and optical refinements. Meanwhile, I ended up with a C6 Evolution for go-to portability.
I bought an ETX back in the day also. Now that sharp little 90mm mak is attached to a Skywatcher AZ GTi on a Gitzo tripod. It makes a super grab'n go-to rig for bright stuff. Love your videos!
My favourite telescope that should exist is the 200 m reflector on the far side of the Moon. (Rendezvous with Rama / Arthur C Clarke)
I was starting to go through “ Ed Ting “ withdrawal. Thank you for another fantastic video!
Jerry
Same here!
I don't think you can call anything with a 19 year wait "entry level". By the time of your life you are capable of buying a ultra premium telescope you may not have a couple decades left to wait
An affordable stowaway. Say, AT90EDL
Hi Ed. I would like to see rotating rings being supplied with or made for newtonian brands. I only have newts and the addition of rotating rings would just about perfect my observing experiences. There are a few premium sets available but just about cost as much as a OTA and above my price range. I think there is a massive opportunity for a manufacturer to jump in and produce these ar an affordable price. Cheers from Australia, Richard.
I modified my 8-inch Dob with oversized side rings cut from 3/4-inch plywood. I cut the radius using a circle guide arm supplied with a Bosch router guide. The rings ride on Teflon pads attached to a homebuilt plywood rocker box. Along with a Teflon and Formica bearing system I installed between the rocker box and ground board, the system has a vastly improved action in both alt and az directions.
Nexstars without goto or whatever that electronic system is called
Thank you Ed for the great videos!
C7.25 would be great. Celestron, hear us out!
Oh MAN do I ever agree that more effort should be put into 8" scopes - a nice 8" f/8 planetary Newtonian for example! Put some real effort into making precision cells that hold collimation like glue yet are easy to adjust. When building my 10" I spent almost all my effort on the cells, and the rest on blackening and contrast. The optics are easy - it's the mechanics that make the difference.
I would be second in line for a C7.25 . I own a 9.25 and yes it's a bit big and bit heavy for a smaller mount. I also own a C6 (And a C5, thank you Ed for making me buy one after the review, PS I love it, I swear it's my sharpest SCT though it's an older USA made one too, but talk about grab and go!)
My C5 was absolute mush. I sold it quickly…
I have a 925 edgehd (sharpest sct ive ever looked through) and an older meade 10in classic (just the ota, took it off the fork mount)
the weight difference from a scope 3/4 of an inch wider... and 2 inches longer, is ridiculous :)
7" options for most telescope designs would be nice, with carry handles and dew-shields, and finger-tighten collimation screws for those that need them
Hi Ed. Well if we're dreaming, how about one that can see through clouds lol. Thanks Ed. As always very informative 👍
Celestron... "we'll consider the 7.25 cass ", while thinking (Ed's a nut. Get this pest outta here...) Me... "I think you're on to something, Ed!" 👍
I'd love an Intes Micro-style 7" Mak Newt.
A C7.25 would be very appealing to me. I already have a 6" f/4 newtonian astrograph (so it feels wasteful to pick up a longer focal length scope at the same aperture like the C6), but on an HEQ5 the 8" or 9.25" SCTs seem like a bit much for the mount. It would be great to have a 7.25" with a focal length better suited to planetary nebula, small galaxies and planets that wouldn't push the limits on my mount.
My 180mm mak cas over a 7.25 yes?
Affordable 9" mak cas please.
Don't need a large telescope except for very faint. These dream scopes exemplified this. Drawn from years of experience.
My list: an f/7 8" Newtonian with small secondary, let's say 20% in diameter, an 8" Mak-Newt with 20% central obstruction, and a 7" Mak-Cass with similar 20% central obstruction. Then a short f scope with 3" eyepieces for a really large field of view...😊
That C7.25 sounds awesome, and if they allow for 2" optics, just perfect (the C6 has a narrow baffle that makes using 2" accesories not that useful).
Also:
A Firstscope 76 with parabolic mirror for entry level users. (Edit: SkyWatcher has one, there is a comparative review by Astrobiscuit on telescopes under $100).
Accessory: inexpensive(-ish) flip mirror finderscope for straight-through and 90 degree alternate use.
A Newtonian with a rotatable secondary (which should have to be very precise, clearly) for dual instrumentation ports, similar to Cassegrain-Nasmyth designs.
6" folding corrected Dall-Kirkham like Horace Dall made, with a tiny Questar-like table mount that runs on AA batteries. It all folds up into a 6" frisbee thing. Elliptical primaries should be reasonably easy to make by now (don't we have AI to help us?). The secondary is trivial sphere, and the "spider" is a simple bar of metal. The corrector should also be trivial these days. The correction with relay lenses is a little weird, but obviously Dall did it so it must be possible to do. Probably can make it F7, definitely F10. Would be better than a Questar.
I would like to see the commercial grade Maksutovs getting the same treatment as SCTs. At Celestron, you have the Edge HD series with built-in coma correctors etc., while most Maksutovs from these companies are just that, Maksutovs. I think it would be really nice to see an Edge HD maksutov, and for the love of god, make them bigger! I know that seldom you can find "large" Maksutovs, but most commercial grade maks top out at 7", and I would really like to get a 9" model from Celestron or Skywatcher, so I wouldn't have to sell my kidneys on the black market to get one of those russian models.
Yeah, good point!
A tricked out 9" f/14 Mak would be pretty demanding on the mount, but boy would it be a light eating planet killer!!
@@Astro_Ape A 9" Mak, with integrated coma corrector and field-flattener, and a dual speed focuser maybe? And giving it a refractor like dewshield? God I would actually sell my kindeys on the black market to get a mount which can handle it!
@@arongyorffy3070 with the Edge HD or super ACF optics that all the cool SCT get... yeah, that'd be absolutely lovely!!
Come to think of it, mounts have advanced sooo much in just the last 5-6 years that something that could handle it fairly well shouldn't be too hard to find.
The thought of that scope alone makes me want to get good at planetary AP, just in case something similar ever hits the market I'll have the requisite skills to make the most of it, lol.
Definitely larger SCT in plastics not glass someday on a 50 lb mount in a 17 inch range. Fixed mirror with crayford focuser.
OneSky with a *decent focuser* , compact alt-az & tripod, with a carry bag/backpack, for a true packable scope. Ive searched for a shorty tripod and simple, compact alt-az mount and the options and their prices are absurd.
There's simply no excuse for the focuser on these scopes. None. They could al least give the eyepiece holder specs so I could 3D print one that actually fits the housing, or something. I can feel the slack, so I know the eyepiece is tilting off-axis.
I'm basically a newbie interested in star and moon gazing. I think a double focal length Schmitt-Casrgrain, like the Celestion 14" HD would be nice, especially for moon gazing where less of a light bucket is needed. I guess the longer focal length also require less lens grinding, and a longer tube. Maybe a Dobsonian can also be made.
Ed, Somebody PLEASE make me a: 100mm 2-element air-spaced, fully-multicoated objective, Franhoffer old-fashioned f12 refractor...but give it an adjustable lens cell, a nice focuser, more than one screw to hold eyepieces, and offer it for $400 US. ADD a decent finder, (optical 40mm lens or red-dot, a vixen 180mm mounting rail attached to the bottom of the OTA for $500 US...Telescope Express markets an "almost" version ( front lens cell cannot be adjusted 😔). A NICE "4-inch refractor" at a nice price like this...well we could all make room for one of these!! Looking at planets is nice in this type of scope!!
Celestron should bring back the C-10 but like the Tak TSC-225 @ f/12 OR get Tak to make a TSC-250
A 110-114mm Mak cassegrain scope. Have a 90mm, 102 seems to small an upgrade, a 127 too big...
Wasn't Takahashi originally a sand-casting company? We're breaking their hearts by telling them we don't want heavy cast iron telescopes! 😢
I'd vote for a Celestron 7. It's all in the marketing. "C7" looks great. "C7.25" .... no so much!!
Ed, hearing you talk about the AP60, have you seen and or used the Williams Optics Redcat 51, wide-angle astrograph?
7 inch Newtonian. Because it would be perfect on a Heq5 and other mounts with similar weight limits that can carry a 6" but not an 8".
The C 7.25 would be really great! Also, the video quality looks improved! Keep it up!!
As an economist, I think that there is an answer to the question. Why aren't there more telescope models available in the market, including good ideas that would fill holes in the offerings? And there is a straightforward answer. The answer is: market demand is not large enough to pay development, manufacturing, and marketing costs that go with new models and still turn a profit.
I agree with several other writers in this post that the Meade ETX is a puzzle. But when you realize that budgets for scopes like the ETX are very limited, you can see that Meade is in a quandary with regard to better ETXs. It's these budgets that force cheaply made telescopes, it makes them cheaper. This situation is more dramatic when it comes to Dobsonians, where a 10$ price difference is a big deal to some buyers. The whole thing reminds me of dorm food. Everyone complains about it, but nobody wants to pay extra for better food.
Hello which is the best telescope under 300$ for viewing planets and deep sky objects can you please suggest me as a kid it's my first telescope
I would really like to see a mount with good setting circles. The 8” dobsonian that you love so much would be a good place to start. On a 8” dobsonian it should not be that hard to do. I know they have to be big to be useful and on a dob they can be. On smaller mounts a digital read out for RA would be just the thing. One would not need any motors or big data base or togo capability so I don't think it should cost that much. Would also love to see some good quality small achromat refractors with stable mounts a one good eye piece. They seem to go from junk to the very high end Takahash and not much in between.
Have you encountered the Seestar S50? Is it any good? Asking for a friend…
What about a smart telescope with an augmented reality device that would allow you to see multiple wavelengths of light in the sky without h aving to develop the pictures?. It could also superimpose the objects onto their position of the night sky in real time.
I'd like to see a longer F ratio SC design being offered, say around F12 to f15. The secondary would be smaller, and it would be an excellent telescope for planetary work. The other item I would like to see being offered again is machined rotating rings on Newtonians instead of clamping rings. Takahashi - hint, hint!
C7.25 is too close to the C8. Not happening. Regards, Celestron
I bought an old used C6-N Newtonian and sent the mirrors to be re-aluminized to 96-97% reflectivity and since they offered a decent price and guarantee I had them refigure my primary to near perfect wave and focus. It was so good I had to put a dual speed Crayford focuser on it. For less than $800 I acquired a Takahashi quality scope. Guy in my club offered to install my JMI focuser if I let him use it for a couple of weeks to do some astrophotography. He took some nice photos of different DSOs. He also did Saturn and you could see Titan as a tiny ball instead of the point of light I see, I thought it's amazing what you can do with long exposures, the photos looked like they could've been done by Hubble. I'm just visual except a simple photo here and there. He offered me a $1000 for it and he didn't want to give it back.🤣 I just told him to do what I did. Six inch mirrors are fairly inexpensive to have redone, the 8" ones start to get expensive though.
I would probably love to see modernized dobsonians in the 8" to 10" range. There are a few goto dobs, but non that has a built-in removable battery ( which can be charged with USB C, kind of like a big power bank ), a fan on the back that connects to the same battery, maybe a built-in dim red light screen for selecting targets with proper descriptions of what you are looking at, although a wifi connection to a tablet or phone would do the job. Also, a redesigned base, lighter than these particle bases, with the option to easily re-balance based on what eyepiece you use. Even with these changes, these could still be cheaper than a solid mounted goto SCT and I think they would be really popular.
Here’s one: 90mm f/10 (900mm FL) FCD100/Lanthanum doublet APO refractor with high-quality 2-inch focuser and precisely machined (adjustable ) objective cell.
This would be a visual observation purist’s delight.
Off-axis performance of most eyepieces would be superb at f/10; lunar, planetary and double star performance excellent -and, also… an exquisite 3-degree TFOV at 5.5mm exit pupil would be obtained with a 55mm Plossl.
I would buy this 😎
I'd like that too. The issue is no one seems to want a long f/ratio refractor these days. They all want short ones!
Takahasi makes a 130 and a 180 newt. You can order it now online. I think there is a year wait on it though.
i would really like a series of widefield rcs like f4-6 widefield rcs are possible but no one really makes them
A manual c8 like the classics, instead of relying on a twilight 1 mount and an 8se ota
Also is that an Omni telescope in the background
*Regards you camera set up :* Can't say I noticed any difference to be honest, looks good as ever.
the 9.25 was between the 8 and 11, a reasonable gap over 1" between both. But the C7.25 would only be 0.75" from the 8." Make more sense for a straight C7.0, a full 1" gap. Like the C5 to C6.
I think you have something there.... it's all in the marketing. "C7" looks great. "C7.25" .... no so much!!
I'd love to see a line of premium & portable "planet killer" Dobs!!
Long FL, mid aperture scopes with premium optics in a closed truss tube design. Something like 8" f/8, 10" f/7, and 12" f/6.
Yes to longer focal length dobs! 8" F/10 ?
If Meade made a metal ETX, it would probably cost as much as a used Questar, so just get a used Questar.
haha, I would get in line for a C7.25 !
Ed, I didn't really notice much difference between this video and others, but I will say that the quality was very good as all your videos seem to be. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
I want a premium 114-120-130mm f4 newt.
When I was looking at actually building a Dobsonian from scratch I looked at Edmund Scientific for a mirror and discovered that mirrors cost more than complete telescopes from established manufactures. i would think that this is because those mirrors are far superior to the production mirrors in production scopes. Does this mean that a superior mirror is not available in a production scope. That would be one I presume does not exist.
No. Mass production and economies of scale, especially from places like China, mean they can deliver a complete telescope at a fraction of the price of what you can do yourself. Edmund Scientific mirrors and telescopes have a terrible reputation. My favorite mirrors are the ones by Zambuto (don't look at the prices).
I immediately noticed that the camera/lens was different as it seemed much softer. I think I prefer the old set up. Great video as always!
I once fancied myself getting a seven or ten-inch Teleport. Those looked about as premium as dobs ever got.
Tom Noe seemed like a real cool guy. I think those scopes had the perfect balance of size and portability.
What about a 30" f/2 Dobsonian hehe
Hey Ed what’s your opinion on the BOSMA 80/500 Professional Deep Space Refracting Astronomical Telescope HD BAK4 Lens? I’m looking to get into astrophotography and was wondering if this is a good telescope to start with
Eh....looks like borderline junk to me. The mount looks awful. Is there a reason you're not sticking to the standard recommendations?
@@edting yeah. I don’t know what I’m doing lol. And I am looking for something in the $1000 range. I just want to make sure I spend my money wisely
Meade had a 8 inch F6.3 cassegrain what else would you want ???
Those things had a really bad reputation.
I LOVE my ETX-125 EC.... I have an ETX-60 with the goto handset. They both use the same PC interface.
I can build you an all metal ETX-125......
A new version of the takahashi 50mm! and if you just put it on your desk! It looks cool many love it and it works.
Yeah, I'd like that too!
be nice to see more long focal length newts
Takahashi need to bring back the FC-125, and someone needs to create scope which is very close to the Astro Physics Traveller, but with no waiting list.
What do you think about Hubble optics telescopes? and what do you think about sandwich mirrors? have you ever reviewed them?
I get asked about this brand, but I've never seen one of their scopes. Maybe in the future...
@@edting I find their price extremely reasonable, but I do not know about that sandwich mirror technology.
“A good ETX” lol!!! Love it but totally agree.
I'm happy enough with my C90. :)
A premium 8 is a very hard profit margin, and collapsing isn't a huge draw. Teeter made 8s 10s and 12s in solid tubes, fully kitted. There's probably a market for something truly modern and premium like a hexapod 8" f5, but will be upwards of 4 grand in the case of obsession or teeter. With teeter done taking new orders, may be out of luck for a while
Very nice! Thx.
In the realm of likely reality, I’d like to see Celestron or Orion mass produce the “EAA scopes” that Vaonis is charging $2500-4000 for. Get them to $1499 and you’ve got a real gem.
I must agree to your comment about the 7.25. Actually, I've been wanting to get a Nexstar Evo 9.25 for a long time. In all honesty, I would like the 8," and feel the 6" might be a little small for my liking. I've chosen the 9.25 primarily because of the thicker, sturdier tripod, which where I live is important. I've chosen the Evo line because of the built-in rechargeable battery pack, as well as being able to shift it around manually. No need to carry a big box of batteries around just in case. And I do tend to be forgetful, so if I did forget to charge, I could just use it manually. And where I observe in my backyard is quite far from the house, at over 120 feet from the back porch. I really would enjoy a 7.25, as long as it has the larger tripod, as it would be more portable, yet not too small.
I would like an affordable commercially available small Coudé refractor, 80mm to 100mm, no awkward eyepiece positions
I made my own premium 8 inch Dob out of an Orion XT8 Classic. Refigured mirror, Moonlite focuser, Telrad, Baltic Birch Base with Ebony Star and virgin Teflon, flocked tube and upgraded hardware.
Rob Teeter makes an excellent 8 inch Tube Dob too.
A telescope I'd love to see would be something that takes inspiration from Mel Bartels Zip Dobs. These are relatively big aperture, ultra short focal ratio, light-weight travel dobs. They are optimized around a Paracorr and 21 Ethos for maximum "etendue". A line of foldable, 12-14" F/2.6 dobs with super thin meniscus mirrors would make for scopes that are incredibly easy to pack into a car and take to a dark sky site.
+1 for a premium Dob PLUS a premium rocker box. Teeter made an 8 inch solid Dob, and I am tempted but those are rare. Of course, it CAN'T have Go-To but a clock drive would be wonderful so when I mag up I don't have to re-find the object with increasingly smaller FOVs, especially while sketching.
This is one I wish I had. I have a 12.5 f/5 Teeter Truss but would love the quick setup time of the 8 inch STS. I just have to decide what to sell from my collection to finance one and convince someone to sell their 8" STS!
@@kellyohara806 How do you like the truss?
Funny you mention, I cant believe the coincidence but just last night I imagined an 8" Takahashi dob, in Tak white with some kind of aluminum base and great mirrors.
PLEASE TAKE MY MONEY!!
I'd pay real money for a revised and updated Astroscan... lame as I know it may sound... but I like simplicity, I always wanted one, and never got the chance! Astroscans in a few different colours and maybe even 6 inch... you would never stop selling them!
How about a scope that can punch through the clouds? COME ON MEADE AND CELESTRON!😜
Today there are so many brands and various type of telescopes. Even for 8" there are dobs with dual speed 2" focuser, RACI finders and more. There are so many small APO telescopes 50 to 70 from many-many vendors...
I don't know. Yes having truss-tube 8" can be cool. There 10" ES. I really want 8" that can fit in a backpack but I finally realised that I'd just prefer 8" SCT as unlike dob I can use one on a balcony... If somebody gets truss-tube and time it makes to build/collimate he will just take much bigger (12"-16") so it makes sense.
don't know about you but at least in concept i love the Hubble optics mirrors and yes they've been through a few hiccups but they've gotten much better and yup ... an 8" F5 dob would be on my list ... ok ok ... still drooling over the 24" .... but in reality an 8" dob sharp as it gets is always a winner!
ETX made well would be prime grab n go scope ... meanwhile the Virtuoso GTi 150 takes that spot ... sans the premium feel but opens the EAA world with a small camera and a lappie ...
awesome video ;)
A new trend is EAA (Electronic Assisted Astronomy) with Stellina, Vespera, eVScope, Equinox, Dwarf II, etc. Many say this is a game changer revolution. But they are all alt-az, with field rotation, short exposures and blurry stars. My wish will be an equatorial EAA telescope with software tools (that already exist) to guide you in polar alignment. My other wish is Chinese manufacturers (Synta, GSO, JOC, etc, through Celestron, Meade, Orion, Sky-Watcher, etc) jump in EAA.
Ed, help me plz i am living in a bortle 6 location and during summer I go to a bortle 3 location , what would be best (pure visual ) telescope and relatively transportable and yet good for dsos ? (Maybe a discovery 8inch premium dob )
I don't see any difference in video quality. Your background lighting is great. However, I think you should try a "flash frame" instead of a jump edit/cut. Just drop in about 4 frames of white whenever you make a jump cut when you are speaking. Try it and see if you like it. In the news business we use them all the time. It alerts the audience we have made an edit and are not trying to manipulate the interview.
Other than that, its the info you provide that I am interested in. Not the video quality, which is also a lot of work.
I appreciate your time to produce these videos and also what you write.
I really put some consideration into the ES 8" & 10" FirstLight Dobs whenever I was in the market. I really liked the base and alt bearings, that was probably my favorite part about the scope. But I didn't like the fact that the secondary holder was .5" bigger than the mirror for no known reason other than that's what they had to use, and I really didn't like the focuser at all. A 2.5" focuser is great, but not when it's a single speed HEX that needs an extension tube and +8" travel to come to focus using any EP. Plus I think it's a lil overkill for a Dob since few people are going to being doing prime focus AP with it, and as I understand it that's the primary role of the bigger focuser.
It's pretty easy to tell that Explore Scientific cobbled this scope together from leftover parts from other lines, but in that respect I think they did a pretty damn good job. IMO the ES FirstLight Dob would be a better format for a 12" f/5. Keep about everything the same, change to a double speed focuser and you're in business!!
BTW: I ended up buying an Apertura AD8 (now heavily modified) and I absolutely love it!! Best mass production Dob on the market IMHO, one of the best value-to-cost ratios in the hobby, plus with customer service that's a step above the Zhumell Z line. I know the 10" & 12" seem to be more popular, but I think the 8" is the sweet spot for alt/az bearing design.
could not agree more about the ETX and HQ 8" dob! I suspect Celestron and Meade feel they wouldn't get the volume, instead they make the low cost items which they can sell in volume. Maybe you could start an online list of people who would all be willing to put a $100 down if a mfg would agree to build one or the other one.
Not sure about the 60mm AP, cute, but what are you going to look at with it? The AP 92mm Stowaway is really quite small, fits very easily in an airline overhead rack. Can't see going smaller and losing light gathering.
I’ve owned several Dobsonians over the years in a variety of sizes and always come back to an 8-inch. In fact, I use my current version (an Apertura AD8 with oversized homemade side rings on a plywood base) at least three times more often than any of my other scopes. But while I strongly agree that there is a need for a premium version with Obsession-like stiction and super-quality, interferometry-tested mirrors, I don’t see any advantage in a truss tube type in anything less than 12-inches. The standard 8-inch metal-tube design is reasonably portable in a small SUV or the back seat of a sedan, it takes up very little storage space, and they are so easy to set up (take the base out to the backyard, drop in the tube, and you’re doing astronomy). I’m sure if I had an 8-inch truss tube I’d want to leave it fully assembled, which would make it far more difficult to take it in and out of the house.
Otherwise, another great review, Ed. Thanks.
I got my scope today Orion XT8. I’m not really fond of the red dot spotter, even on dim it’s so bright it’s hard to line it up. When I got it on the first star to come out I couldn’t get it in focus untill I took the eye piece out about 3/4 inch, then it was assume. What could I be doing wrong? An hour with it tonight I can’t wait till the moon comes up, but I have a medical procedure in the morning so I can’t stay up.
A return of a very good quality achromat like the GP-C102 and a Ranger-like Tele Vue 76 would interesting.
I'd like an F/9 FC-100. I've nearly bought the Vixen 100mm Fluorite with the F/9 Optron lens, and a Pentax 105SD (SD, not SDP or SDHF). The F/9 FC-100 DL was either announced or briefly available on order in Japan, but seems to have disappeared.
C7.25 would be interesting to see if it really is the f/1.8 primary and/or 200mm or combination thereof that leads me to find these telescopes so disappointing in use. I liked my C11, like the C5 I picked up recently, but am now looking to sell my second C8 (this time a classic orange-tube), as I am as unimpressed as I recall being with my CF tube C8 which had better optics. I might keep the C8 long enough to do side-by-side to a VMC200L I have coming, my Mewlon 210 and maybe an 8" f/4 Newt.
I wish scopes could be made lighter and easier to carry. For instance, a Celestron 9.25 in fork-mount that allowed you to easily remove the OTA from the fork and carry each of them outside separately. Current fork-plus-OTA is over 50 pounds, too much for me.
For these types of videos, 60 fps looks better and is more important than the 3 camera choices. 24fps good for movies, but not info content. F2.8 looks good for this video (on a FF) . Not sure if you shot it at 2.8, but whatever it was, this looks good. Any more shallow depth and it becomes too distracting, for me (but 1.8 on a 1" sensor is fine too).
In this video Ed proves he's never owned a business. Failed products for decades have followed "if they built X I would buy it" then it falls flat in sales.
I'd really love a small Ritchey Chretien built to be ideally suited for amateur spectroscopy. I'm envisioning backpacking the thing around as if it were like some kind of crew served weapon or other piece of military equipment so the design should be biased towards portability and durability. I realize that might be like asking for a high performance sports car that excels at hauling kids and kit to the soccer game, but ehh one can dream.
Thanks Ed! I think if you're telling manufacturers to make a product they should listen! You know your stuff mate!
I bought my dobs and eyepieces based on your reviews!
Clear skies mate 👍
The one issue is build quality ! I've never seen a Takahashi or other high-end scope but as a machinist/modelmaker the big issue among the common brands is build quality. Poorly designed parts and poor machining/fabrication seem to be the rule. Plastic parts are also an issue since it is sometimes used on parts that aren't well suited to plastic.
My first scope was a Newtonian OTA that came to me with collimation issues which I solved by disassembling the mirror cell only to fine one of the springs sitting sideways. Reassembling correctly solved the issue. When brought to the attention of the retailer I was told that wasn't possible.
An 8" quality solid tube Dobsonian at a reasonable price would seem logical. It would have to have a quality mirror set as well as a good rack/pinion 2" low profile focuser. The tube should sit in rings/dovetail held by the mount and easily removable with a single screw. This allows the tube to be rotated for focuser positioning and balancing. Fit and finish need to be outstanding. I have built a 6" version which now works nicely.
Mr. Ting, are you working on a new edition of "Astrophotography A Practical Guide"?
I looked through a 24 inch Starmaster with 2 inch Binoviewers and thought i was in M27 lol
Teeter had his STS 8 inch. But no longer makes it. New Moon Telescope has an 8 truss dob
I modified my ETX 125 to have a cantilever mirror mount to get rid of flop. Now I use it’s with the Wegat back and for solar H alpha
The really nice thing about the explore scientific->altitude bearings. Mirror not so much. Obsession has the right combo of bearing size, materials. One finger push. I have a 15UC, wish you could get at 8” with same ergonomics
They're also sold under the Bresser brand name in Europe. I considered getting one but the larger than usual central obstruction (for an f/6) put me off. It wouldn't be easy to mod with a smaller secondary either because the primary to secondary distance is also shorter than usual. (Also the finder is pathetic and the focuser is an unknown R&P.)
I really put some consideration into the ES 8" & 10" FirstLight Dobs whenever I was in the market. I really liked the base and alt bearings, that was probably my favorite part about the scope. But I didn't like the fact that the secondary holder was .5" bigger than the mirror for no known reason other than that's what they had to use, and I really didn't like the focuser at all. A 2.5" focuser is great, but not when it's a single speed HEX that needs an extension tube and +8" travel to come to focus using any EP. Plus I think it's a lil overkill for a Dob since few people are going to being doing prime focus AP with it, and as I understand it that's the primary role of the bigger focuser.
It's pretty easy to tell that Explore Scientific cobbled this scope together from leftover parts from other lines, but in that respect I think they did a pretty damn good job. IMO the ES FirstLight Dob would be a better format for a 12" f/5. Keep about everything the same, change to a double speed focuser and you're in business!!
BTW: I ended up buying an Apertura AD8 (now heavily modified) and I absolutely love it!! Best mass production Dob on the market IMHO, one of the best value-to-cost ratios in the hobby, plus with customer service that's a step above the Zhumell Z line. I know the 10" & 12" seem to be more popular, but I think the 8" is the sweet spot for alt/az bearing design.
@@Astro_Ape Great choice. I'm looking at getting the same scope (branded Stellalyra in the UK as sold by FLO). RA finder, yay; 10:1 GSO Crayford not bad (had that before)... All it needs is a Telrad. You don't mind the roller AZ bearings? (I'm usually not keen on those, although easy enough to swap for a traditional dimpled laminate + teflon setup; the alt bearing would trickier to mod...)
btw. You're right that the 8" Dob is a sweet spot. Had the older version of the GSO 8" (heavily modded) in Australia (also the 12" GSO for a while and the 10" Skywatcher/Synta, but the 8" was by far the most used): easy to transport and move around in the field... ideal for taking to parties, events, festivals, showing the night sky to non-astro folk.
Interesting, I have always wondered why they did not build a premium etx, it would have sold well