Another worm.....

Okay,
I am trying to decide on a medium aperture scope for my new setup. I plan to do wide field astrophotography as well as viewing. I am waiting on a Burgess SD 101 f/5.5 ED for my wide field refractor and can't decide which way to go for my middle scope. I am looking into a 150mm MAk. I had a 90mm 4 years ago and it did all right. I guess my question is should I go with a 6" MAK, SCT, or SCNewt. I think the mak would give the best clarity and view but it would suffer from a high F/ratio for photography. I think it would be good for planetary and lunar... I need some help and advise though.


Thanks,,
<<>>

I'll try to comment since no one else has. I am not clear as to
your priorities. If small physical size and portability is not
important, you might consider something like a 6" Mak-Newt.
They are superb for planetary and at F6 would be OK for imaging.
(You should check on back-focus requirements for your camera
tough -- as with most Newts, the available back-focus is limited.)

Higher $ solutions would be 6" F7 or F8 APO refractor. They will
do everything well, but at a much higher price point.

I tend to think of the Mak-Cass and SCTs as firstly optimized for
small physical size, with all else having lower priority. My
own experience with a 6" Mak-Cass is that the planetary image detail
was similar to a 4" Fluorite refractor, so it might be not so
different from your Burgess SD 101. The large central obstruction
somewaht limits the planetary performance. On nebula it will gather
more light, so there difference will be more notable. So if
planetary and lunary are important, it might not be my first
choice (vs. your existing scope).

8" - 9" SCTs are cheap, and might be another option. They
sometimes have problems cooling down, so if you have large day-night
temp variations and planetary is important, I might look
elsewhere. I guess the optical quality can be variable, too.
I've generlaly been happy with the Celestron C9.25 optics-wise.

Plain-old 8" - 10" Newts are another option, though here
size and weight are possible considerations. Back-focus
again is something to check. Price of scope itself might be
comparable to 6" Mak, but it will need a stronger (more $)
mount, so overall cost is likely higher.

Just some quick thoughts, good luck!