which travel size scope to get?

Hey guys,
I finally decided to get a small travel size scope to go with my Orion 4.5 dob. I was looking at the two new Min-EQ scopes at Orions website, the Apex90 and the Short tube80 both with the new miniEQ mount. Both cost 239.00 and I can't decide which to get. I'm kinda leaning towards the shortube80 because ive heard about the long cool-down time of the maks. How much better would the views be from the 90mm over the 80mm? Anybody have experience with these scopes? Any other small scopes you'd recommend for 200 dollars or less? Thanks in advance!!

Keith S.

One possibility would be one of the closeout Meade ETX-90 RA's (lots of em on astromart in the less than $175 range in great condition also). That would be better on the planets than the short tube scopes since it doesn't have the false color problem and it has a drive built in. If you are more interested in wide views, the one of the short tube scopes would be good. I would consider getting the ETX-90 RA and a decent pair of 10 x 50 or similar binoculars. The ETX-90 is reputed to have better optics than the Apex 90.

Joplin

I got one of the Apogee closeout 80mm f5 scopes and have to classify it as my best buy yet. During the daytime I carry it around with a lightweight tripod and like the views best at ~15x most of the time. You can't get that low a power with the Maks. The planet views may be better with other scopes, but this one can go up to ~100-120x with no problem. Anything higher than that and I would want a sturdier tripod than the EQ-1 I put it on for tracking. That miniEQ is the same as the EQ-1 except for the tripod. (I have thought several times about making a really short tripod for it, but haven't yet.) One thing you might need to consider with the price is which eyepieces you already have and what you would need to get depending on which focal length you chose.

Charlie