Meade LX90 Owners

[kosh]

Hi all,

I am thinking of buying the LX90 8"GPS in the not too distant future.
I haven't found any reviews in this site about this model of Scope, but I am sure there are quite a few owners on this forum alone.

Can anyone out there let me know about their impressions of this scope (doesn't have to be just the 8") if it's not too much trouble?

Optics, features, drive tracking, controller, imaging, positives, negatives...

Pre-GPS owners thoughts most welcome little difference anyways I suppose.

I've read the specs but I just want to know how people get on with it.

Thanks all.

[casstony]

In a nutshell, great little scope, more apeture would be good for visual deep sky. Also very cheap on the used market.

[kosh]

Know of any other places apart from IIS that scopes are advertised?

[casstony]

Not really, but there are a lot of 8"LX90's around, they regularly come up for sale on IIS. If none is available you can post a wanted add and you'll probably get a response or two. I've thought of selling mine on and off but haven't gotten around to it. Look through the archives to get an idea of selling prices (around the $2000 mark, depending on age, accessories and condition).

I've not gotten into ccd work but I'm sure others will chime in on the pros and cons related to the LX90.

[kosh]

Ok thanks Tony. Yeah that's the feeling I got, around $2000.

Anyway, onto everyone's impressions...

[acropolite]

Great optics, accurate Go-to and tracking, nicely portable. Downside occasional buggy handbox software (easily fixed with sotware update) and not brilliant for Astrophotography (in common with all Alt Az mounts).

[citivolus]

What I remember from my LX90 (a few years ago now), which was my first non department store telescope:
-Prime focus solar and lunar work will fit the entire disk in with a f/6.3 reducer
-I personally wouldn't piggyback much on it, it isn't really designed for that from what I remember of having mine apart. I used to use a DSLR and long lens, and I think this was really pushing it. I needed several counterweights for this.
-quick setup, great portability, snappy goto.
-a great scope to break you in, as it has scaled down features of a lot of the larger scopes, without being too intimidating. There are plenty of mods out there for this scope too.

[Bassnut]

I mounted an ED80 guide scope on my LX90 (and a DSLR). Marginal, but usable for DSO imaging, a good starting rig. You need to get a wedge with it on day one though if you wish to image DSOs. The peterson dry clutch mod was a fairly essential extra too.

[acropolite]

It's worth a look at Pete's Astronomy pages (http://www.users.on.net/~pbl/index.html)to see what can be done, Pete has mounted a lightweight refractor on top for prime focus photography and come up with some decent images.:camera:

[kosh]

Wow, i think i've just been convinced NOT to buy one! :sadeyes:

I was under the impression that limiting exposure to less than a few minutes would reduce the need for a wedge right away but it seems that this is not the case.

I had hoped that it was sturdy enough to hold a DSLR in prime focus or piggybacked with a standard lens to start off with but it sounds like the motors don't cope very well and the weight is too much. I had hoped the fork mount would help keep those heavy counterweights away but no joy there either...

I really wanted to get an LX90 as a big step from a Dob for imaging, portability and ease of use (GOTO) but it seems as though i'll be looking for another upgrade in no time, and my marriage just wont last through that.

Well, my original choice may stand. A Celestron C8" OTA on a CG-5 mount for a fair bit less than the LX90, maybe have enough left over to buy an 80mm guidscope....

This is very depressing. Can anyone give me something positive about this scope package?

BTW, i'm never reading the Meade catalogue again!!!!

[acropolite]

If Astrophotography is your goal then the least you should aim for in a mount is an HEq5 or Eq6 mount, do a search on the CG5 within the forum as there are many posts on that mounts suitability(or lack of). If you're trying to avoid counterweights, then you're barking up the wrong tree, balance is one of the most important factors in successful photography, together with alignment and tracking. Many people do good Astrophotography with the LX90, with both piggybacked camera/lens combinations and prime focus. If the rig is correctly balanced there is very little strain on the mount.

[citivolus]

If you want to avoid counterweights, there are some very nice robotic mounts in the $30K plus price range.

Personally I just opt for the $130 weights :)

[kosh]

Phil,

So What you are saying is that the LX90 is good for imaging so long as I have a wedge, and good balance?

At $30k i would prefer to buy the 4WD to put the counterweights in!

[citivolus]

I did some perfectly acceptable prime focus DSO work on the LX90 without a wedge, using 30 second exposures and stacking. You could probably get away without counterweights and only have to throw out about half of the shots.

The LX90 will get you there, but it is really designed as a visual scope. Also, keep in mind that putting the counterweights on adds less than a minute to your setup time, and only about 10 seconds if you leave the dovetail on.

Eric

[kosh]

Thanks eric,

All I really want to do is get started with a good quality scope and mount package, with good go to that my wife can use for some visual fun while I explore the unit and its features and capabilities before I start to get really serious and add a wedge (not that expensive i suppose) then counterweights and guidescopes etc.

So long my family and I can have some fun with it, and i has the capability to grow with addons as I save the money while I just do some simple imaging and learn the ropes, that is the main thing.

Jumping right in and purchasing all the accessories, awsome camera et al might also take the fun away from it all. Not to mention the experience i would gain trying to get the best I can out of a simple setup.

So really, that's what I wanted to know from you guys more than anything. :)

[acropolite]

What I'm saying is that the LX90 can deliver quite acceptable images if configured and balanced correctly. The LX90 is a nice starting point visual tool that is capable of limited astrophotography, but most users find the wedge setup frustrating and not as sturdy as they would like and eventually gravitate to Equatorial mounts (I'm one of them). Unfortunately, on a budget of $2-3K it's not likely that you'll find a rig that will perform at a high standard both visually and photographically.

[kosh]

Ok thanks Acropolite, i'll keep that in mind. :thumbsup: