Noobie needs help Nexstar 114gt

I'm thinking about purchasing a Nexstar 114gt, they have a really good deal at costco coming up where you can buy one for $160. I'm thinking about getting the Celestron accessories kit from amazon for $99 if more become availible.

I know the general rule is that buying telescopes from retailers is bad but, is this an exception to that rule?

Is it a good scope?

Would I be able to use the scope for Astrophotography?

It seems like a good price compared to others and I have about $300 dollars to spend on acessories and a Scope.

Also, i have read that it might be possible to upgrade the scope if I'm not satisfied with it's performance?
If I can upgrade the scope would I be able to use the accessory kit with a different Scope?

I understanding it is not a 2k scope but, I'm interested in the things that I would be able to do with this scope.
any comments, opinons, info etc...
Would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Bruce

Bruce - at this price point, the Celestron Nexstar 114GT is a good performer with some limitations. From the short tube length, I am guessing that the 114mm f/9 (1000mm) focal length is accomplished with an integrated Barlow lens. This isn't necessarily bad, but must be manufactured and collimated well.

I don't understand why we can't get better quality 114mm Newtonians; they are brighter than 90mm Maks or short tube achro refractors. Even with spherical mirrors, they can give decent views of brighter objects. The 114GT will easily show Mars' polar cap.

So to answer your question directly, if I could go to Costco and buy one for $160 I would certainly do it. I have even seen an AP130 on the 114GT mount for Nextstar goto.

Yes, you will be able to use the accessory kit on other scopes (Plossls, Barlow, and filters).

Bruce,

I saw a similar question to yours on the "Talking Telescopes" Yahoo! group. Perhaps you could join and see the thread of discussion about the 114GT. I don't think they are highly regarded since you're paying for the electronics and the optics suffer. Please think twice before purchasing.

If you do decide to buy the scope, I think you could do digital "snapshots" of the Moon with it. IIRC it is an altazimuth scope, so long-exposure astrophotography won't work due to field rotation.

There are probably much finer scopes available for your $300, say, a 6-inch Dob from Orion or somesuch. Perhaps others can make suggestions.

Whatever you decide, good luck and clear skies,
Lou

Bruce, I've had this scope for 2+years and think it was well worth the $399 I paid. The GoTo works great and by letting the computer point me to the object and then studying where that object fit with respect to other stars, I have learned a tremendous amount. The quality of the scope is OK, it keeps collimation very well and the 2 EPs are OK. I also have a 4 inch APO and use upgraded EPs with the Nexstar. I think that just the mount is worth the $199 but I also wouldn't count on using this for photography. The tracking works great for visual but is not accurate enough for long exposure. Good luck and enjoy.

Ken