Celestron C8-SGT vs Meade LDX75 8" SCT?

I have narrowed down my choices for a new telescope to the Celestron C8-SGT XLT and the Meade LDX75 8" SCT ACF.

Anyone care to chime in with advice as to which to choose?

I like the Meade as the tube has the ACF corrector and a polar scope built in.

I like the Celestron, well, because its Celestron and I think the company may be more secure (Synta).

In addition to concerns/interest regarding the tube, the mount is of equal importance...any votes/comments?

I am also considering the Orion SkyView Pro 8 XLT (but its about $450 more for some reason) and the Sky-Watcher EQ-5 Pro 8" SCT (cheaper by about $200, comes with two eyepieces, has polar scope, you currently get a free PowerStation, but not sure if the tube has the XLT coating and I hate the metalflake finish of the tube).

I live in the California Gold Country at about 2100' elevation, lots of clear skys (except to the South because of light pollution from Auburn, about 15 miles away), the Milky Way a constant companion. I am interested in the GEM mount style (vs fork) as portability (take it down to smaller pieces) and the ability to mount different tubes as I find them are paramount. I have little interest in imaging (maybe playing with a webcam, no more), just viewing.

Thanks in advance for any and all input.

Tom Duncan/newbie

If I were going to buy an SCT, I'd buy it from Company Seven, because they really do check out each scope before they sell it. I've purchased two or three SCT's from them, and each was very good optically and had no noticeable image shift.

Bill

I've owned an LXD-75 SCT for a couple of years now. During that time, I've had the mount sent to be "hypertuned" to a service company(cleaned of manufacturing grit, new seals, new calibration), and sent to Meade to solve a severe backlash problem. The central bolt that holds the legs open and attaches the speader has the funky little c-pin that broke early on, which actually makes it work better now. The polar align scope is in a pretty loose housing and I seldom use it....I line up the alignment marks molded on the mount on both axis, then polar align using the main scope...works great. I replaced the guidescope with a televue 60mm, and put a telrad on the SCT. Also added a 2-inch eyepiece holder and diagonal.

The views are pretty good (Florida), and the Autostar works great (now that two service companies have scared the crap out of it with their overhauls). I run it off of AC from a nearby power source, or from a large 12 volt. The battery pack that came with it was a joke.

In spite of the initial problems, or maybe because of them, I really like this scope. The autostar works well, it tracks well and it didn't break the budget.

I have little interest in imaging (maybe playing with a webcam, no more), just viewing.

Thanks in advance for any and all input.

Tom Duncan/newbie




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