Which scope to buy

[chris1964 (Chris)]

I have enough money to buy either a CPC 800 Deluxe HD or CPC 1100 XLT. The question is do I sacrifice 3 inches of aperture for a better quality optical system?
I will be using the scope mainly for observation but also some solar system imaging.
Any advice would be appreciated

[casstony]

The biggest differences between your two choices are:

- much brighter views of deep space objects in the 11"

- 65 pounds fork/ota weight of the 11" vs 42 pounds for the 8"

- smaller OTA size and vents in the 8" allow better cooling and stability for high power views of planets (can add tempest cooling fans).

The outer part of the field of view is much better in the 8" due to the built in field flattener but that's a less important issue than the first three I think.

Another option would be to buy the C11 from the classifieds and put it on an equatorial mount - then you could use more than one OTA. Buying second hand means you don't lose a fortune at resale if you change your mind.

[dannat (Daniel)]

are you moving it around much?, C11 starts to get into the heavy territory whereas a C8 is easily manageable in comparison
permanent -c11
portable C8

i agree with tony the C11 in the classifieds is a steal

[chris1964 (Chris)]

Thanks for the advice. I'll take a look at the C11 in classifieds

[serimral (Paul Scowen)]

Hi Chris,

I just purchased a Meade LX90-ACF 10 Inch f/10 with UHTC to replace my 12 inch dob. This was under advice as I had intended to purchase a 16 inch goto dob.
I also want to look at the sun and was told the Meade was a better option for flexibility in terms of what I wanted to do: planets, astrophotography, look at sun.
It is now in transit and I am nervous that I have made the wrong choice.
I would have loved to see what would have been visible through a 16 inch dob but I deferred to people in the know.

[chris1964 (Chris)]

I think you'll be happy with your choice. It's a nice scope and will give you the option for dso imaging with a wedge if you decide to go that way. Get yourself a webcam for planetary imaging and a dslr for deep space at prime focus.