For my 50th I managed to convince my family that I needed to get an ED80 to upgrade my wide/travel scope ST80. I had to hack my AZ3 mount (several online articles have the details, but I used a wood extension) with a counter-weight to get it to balance above about 30 degrees. The view compared to the ST80 is very noticeably improved. I was expecting this of course, but was surprised at how much more pleasurable the viewing experience is.
I also notice that my TV 5 and 10mm Radian's were very high contrast (black sky) compared to when I used them on the ST80 (obviously overkill, they were bought for my Meade 8''). They seem more impressive on the ED80 than the Meade, but have not done side by side comparisons.
I also wanted the scope as a terrestrial zoom for my camera - I got some good results with the ST80, but ultimately the colour fringes on the kookaburras made the picture quality less than I am used to.
15 years ago it was an orion ST80 that I bought for my father for his 50th birthday. Great little scope, good for travelling, but no match against the ED80
If your images have improved immeasurably there must have been something wrong with your reflector. The stars will be a little tighter, and slightly better contrast, but that's about it. The 6" will show a lot more detail for the same exposure time, and has better resolution.
raymo
I have SW ST80 as my first ever scope and i want to buy new one now, i didn't even complete one full year yet with it, but for imaging i think i have to replace my ST80 sooner or later, and i hope i will get something good.
