Honest analysis

Two questions for you guys 8)

Hey folks, got a couple questions, my dob is straining my back and I have an itch for an SCT....

1) What is a reasonable price of an 8 inch SCT OTA? (used in good shape)

2) How much brightness difference is there between 8 and 10? ( I noticed brightness going from 6 to 10, but not as much as I thought I would. Globs are much better in a 10 over a six, so I'm thinking going down from 10 to 8 might not hurt THAT bad?)

Thanks!
Ron

Hi Ron:

First: An honest question of my own:

Which 10 inch DOB is killing your back? Some are considerably lighter than others. The 10 inch F6 PDHQ Discovery is a beast in comparison to the Asian 10 inch F5 scopes.

>>>1) What is a reasonable price of an 8 inch SCT OTA? (used in good shape)

$500???


>>>>>2) How much brightness difference is there between 8 and 10? ( I noticed brightness going from 6 to 10, but not as much as I thought I would. Globs are much better in a 10 over a six, so I'm thinking going down from 10 to 8 might not hurt THAT bad?)
------

This is something only you can determine. I suggest first going to a club outing or star party and taking a look at and through some 8 inch SCTs, you might find you love em....

If your back is "killing you" with the 10 inch, you might consider a dolly to move the scope with, it can make it considerably easier.

As far as the difference between an 8 inch and a 10 incher, I find that in the presence of a 10 incher than I can handle easily (Asian 10 inch F5), that an 8 incher just sits.

That's my Honest Analysis...

Jon

Are you implying that most analyses posted on the Equipment Forum are not hone?
Bill Meyers

Hey Ron,

Why don't you convince your wife to let you keep the 10" and then you can buy the new Orion 6" Mak? If the 6" is too much $$, the 5" is great, IMO.

Heck, you'll use the Mak. 90% of the time and you can save the 10" for super good nights or when you go to a dark site.

As you know, that's what I do with 5" Mak. and 16" dob. But, I'm not married so I only had to justify my purchases to my three dogs.

I know exactly what you mean, though. My Meade 10" cat just sits in closet because it is such a pain to move. I'd trade it for an 8" in a munute!!

See you my friend.

Tom B.

Ron,
Two more things to consider:
The secondary in an SCT is much larger percentage-wise to the aperture, so you'll lose some contrast plus the additional loss in effective aperture if you go from 10" dob to 8" SCT, and the SCT typically has a much longer focal length (f10 typical for SCT vs f5-f6 for a Dob).

Jim