buying choice - 2 to pick from - meade etx105 or nexstar 4se

[cmr (Chris)]

HI - in the throes of choosing a first telescope to use for fun and to introduce my daughter to astronomy - have found 2 good used scopes - a Meade ETX105PE - and a Celestron Nexstar 4se - the Meade asking price is a couple hundred more than the Celestron -- but I gather the meade is easier to use as a land based scope or camera lens if desired -- any advice? Both seem Ok and both have the 'GoTo' functions that'd be good to have.

[Allan_L (Allan)]

Hi Chris
Welcome to IIS

I think they are probably very similar.
I have a 4SE and it is very easy to use, celestial and terrestrial. It has a built in Flip switch, and is easy to use with a camera. It has a built in wedge so it can be used as an Equatorial mount as well. It has long focal length and is Maksutov design, with excellent optics.

I believe the Meade has all or most of these features too. i haven't looked through one, but I have seen them. Very similar tripod, I recall.

If they are similar age and condition, then maybe Price will be the decider.

Optically, I like the Celestron, but generally, I think the Meade may have a better Hand Controller menu system.

What prices have you seen?

One thing on both, the small aperture may limit you a bit.
General consensus here is that a bigger aperture Dobsonian is better Bang for your Buck. Although the GoTo and Auto tracking are cool features and make finding stuff easier.

[Gem (Grant)]

I can't comment on those two scopes directly... but over the years I have looked through many Meade and Celestron scopes of 8", 9.25" and 10" aperture. Both are fine. I tend to slightly prefer the optics of Celestron, but that is just my opinion.

[cmr (Chris)]

Thanks Allen and grant

I think a dobsonian may be less easy to transport and set up - our backyard has fairly restricted views - but there are great dark spots only a few
Minutes drive from home - thus the type of scope I've considered - hopefully easy to transport and fast to set up - though I'd love a c8 of c14 celestron (ever since viewing one as a teenager at the warrambungle national
Park)

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Hi Chris.
If ease of setup is important, then a dob is the easiest you can get. Plonk down the base, put on the OTA, take the cover off, insert eyepiece and you are observing.
With go to you have to align them which also means having a basic knowledge of the brighter stars in most cases, and you sacrifice aperture for the privilege.
An 8" dob will gather 4 times as much light as those little 4" jobs, and can be transported on the backseat of a small car and setup in seconds. Also doesn't need any batteries or power.

Malcolm

[Poita (Peter)]

I may be selling my old c8 cheap soon, an SCT is a great option for transportability, but you also then need to transport the mount. An 8" dob may be worth a look. Good light gathering and relatively easy to transport and quick to set up.

[cmr (Chris)]

Thanks Peter how cheap and how soon? Id love a c8 - I will keep looking at dobsonians too - but I think I really like a mount that can track and keep the object in view - also that gives some scope (excuse the pun) for photography in some measure. I understand some dobson have a device like a goto to help you locate objects , but can they move to track an object and keep it in view automatically?