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Posts Made By: David Colton

December 23, 2003 04:09 PM Forum: Refractors

Re: SV102DN or ORION ED80

Posted By David Colton
Is the $2000 for the scope and mount together or just the scope. If its for just the scope, buy a 4" premium APO and you'll never regret it. They are optically excellent, easily portable scopes. That last point is very important because a scope that is easy to set up will get used a lot.

I have a Televue Gibraltor mount and really like it for portability. The tradeoff is that it is not the most stable mount for really high powers.

An entirely different option would be to purchase an 8" or 10" Orion dob with the new digital setting circles. I understand that those scopes, particularly the 8" are fairly portable, are quite stable, plus they offer digital setting circles at half the cost of the Sky Tour system.

January 8, 2004 09:55 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Best scope for $10,000

Posted By David Colton
Bigger is not always better. How about a 152mm Takahashi on a Losmandy 11 goto? That would be a great match for you binoviewer and would make a good platform for astrophotography.

February 8, 2004 09:26 PM Forum: Eyepieces

UO Ortho vs. Orion Ultrascopics.

Posted By David Colton
Floyd - I've been considering buying a 5mm UO ortho for my high power eyepiece with my 4" Televue APO. Two questions. Do you think I could use with my Gibraltor mount or would I need a steadier platform? Also, I wear glasses but take them off to view. Is that an issue? Thanks.

March 22, 2004 06:04 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Tele-Vue

Posted By David Colton
Charles, based on the many discussions on this list, I'm planning on purchasing a UO 5mm Ortho in the next month or two. Other than having to place your eye very close to the lens, I've not really read anything negative about this eyepiece and a number of contributors to the list have indicated that it has held up well when compared to more costly eyepieces, such as the Televue radian and panoptic.

March 22, 2004 06:09 PM Forum: Digital SLR AstroPhotography

Digital Camera Question - Please

Posted By David Colton
I'm not aware of any digital's that use a release cable. I think most people use the self-timer so that they don't have to press the shutter release, which sets up vibrations.
The Olympus 2020, 3030, 4040, and 5050 series have remote (electronic) shutter releases; I imagine that there are other brands that have this feature as well, but you'll have to compare brands and look for it in the specifications.

March 24, 2004 05:37 PM Forum: Home Observatories

Re: plastic/ vinyl storage shed used as scope shel

Posted By David Colton
I store my scopes in my (attached) garage, which is vented to my furnace and air conditioner. Even so, I use a dehumidifer in the garage during the summer because I'm frequently opening the garage door. Once the temperature gets below 65, the cooling coils on the dehumidifer will begin to freeze up.

July 2, 2004 08:08 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

My Orion ST80 Review

Posted By David Colton
I sold my ST80 last year as I was purchasing a 4" APO, but there are still times I wish I had it as its was even more portable than the 4". I never used it with high power (over 60x or 70x) so its great to read that its a good performer at those magnifications as well. Personally, I think if more people started out with this scope, rather than the cheaper department store (i.e., bargain Meades) junk, they'd stay in the hobby. It a great scope for the money.

July 8, 2004 09:13 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

As I get closer to my 8" scope, I'm starting to re

Posted By David Colton
As mentioned, take your time and consider a lot of factors and make comparisons between scopes of the same and different size. Although I considered the weight of my LX90 when I bought it, I didn't realize that weight and bulk are related. When you pick up a SCT on its mount, all the weight and bulk are centered around the scope tube, which makes it very hefty and clumsy to move as one piece. If I were to do it again, I'd probably buy the Celestron GPS SCT, because among other things its about 10 pounds lighter than the LX90. So compare different brands on a number of factors, including weight as well as aperture.

August 23, 2004 07:02 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Meade product line

Posted By David Colton
In a way, both Meade and Celestron have come out with new product lines, such as the LXD55 and LXD75 series of EQ mounted scopes. These lines also offer GOTO, but there have been questions raised about the build quality of these mounts. Celestron has come out with their CGE series, with a much sturdier mount and also a much stiffer price tag.

If you're interested in a SCT with GOTO I would suggest the Celestron 8" GPS as it is lighter than the LX90 (which I have and which is a very good product). Also, the optical tube of the Celestron is made of carbon fiber rather than metal which apparently cools down a little bit quicker than the Meade SCT.

August 27, 2004 04:01 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Alright people tell me the difference between an S

Posted By David Colton
Sounds like you have two great scopes. Take the time to use the 4" and learn what it can do. One advantage you have with it is that it is more portable than the 10" so, as I'm sure you're finding out, you're using it more than the SCT.

As far as building an observatory - go for it if you have a site to accommodate it. Isn't that part of the hobby? Playing with equipment and enjoying the night sky.

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