Best smallish Maksutov ?

[micko]

I'm a newish observer and looking to upgrade from my 114mm newtonian starter scope. Have up to $1200 to spend which has to include mount. Don't want goto or anything fancy, and it seems to me that space and portabilitywise and for the type of observing I like - a mak of mid-aperture looks like the best decision.

I would be keen to hear comments re Vixen VMC110 vs Skywatcher 127 Mak vs Black Diamond 127 vs Saxon 130mm mak. All look around the price level and I have to have an easily portable setup.

[rustem]

have a look at this mick, might just suit what your looking for and maybe your pirice range, hagle hagle :)

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=41534

and check this out too

https://www.bintelshop.com.au/welcome.htm

cant sat its exactly the same but you can always ask

[micko]

Thx Rustem,

i must say I thought an ETX would be a bit pricey but a secondhand one might come down to near my price !:thumbsup:

[Wavytone]

I have had numerous cat scopes over the years. A better choice IMHO would be a 100mm f/7 ED refractor on an altaz mount. Much brighter image (at f/7) yet capable of enough magnification to show the moon and planets well, dead simple and easy to use.

Basically the focal ratios available in the small catadioptric scopes range from f/10 to f/15. I had a Meade 4" f/10 SCT for a long time as a grab&go, it was ideal for solar eclipses - I used it on a sturdy camera tripod with a pan head.

Having been out of it for almost 20 years I recently bought a 180mm BlackDiamond Mak (f/15), thinking it would be good for lunar and planetary. However IMHO its focal ratio is too slow and I think the optimum is definitely in the f/10-f/12 range, especially as modern eyepieces are vastly superior to what was around 20 years ago.

I've looked through a 5" ETX several times (they are f/15) and compared to my old 4" Meade I thought it was pathetic. I also found it was very hungry on power, irritatingly noisy, and without mains power it was basically unusable.

For such a small scope, shelling out for an equatorial mount is really stupid when you may as well hand guide it anyway, the focal length is not really all that long.

But if you are still set on a Mak, your budget you could probably stretch to a 150mm Back Diamond Mak, and put that on an altaz mount, forget about equatorial for the time being.

[Maverick]

Hi
Check Andrews Communications
http://www.andrewscom.com.au/images/products/telescopes/catadioptric/mak127eq3.jpg
MAK127 127mm x 1540mm with EQ3 equatorial mount/tripod

Now $849.00 AUD
(Sold out - next shipment soon)

MAK127 with dual axis motor drives and hand controller
included...$999.00 AUD
(Sold out - next shipment soon)
Cheers

[pgc hunter]

Intes have a very good reputation when it comes to MAKs. They are pretty hard to come by though, infact I don't think any Aussie retailer stocks them, so you'll have to import and they are quite expensive. Occasionally second-hand examples can be found for sale.

A few days ago there was an Intes M500 Mak for sale in Icetrade, although some lucky bugger snapped it up :P :whistle: :whistle:

[chris lewis]

A good 114 mm with a parabolic mirror does give reasonably bright images.
Personally I think you need to a go to a 150mm / 6in. size scope to see any significant increase in light grasp from your 114 mm. The other option besides the smaller Mak's. is a 6 in. G.S.O. or S.W. classic Newt. The GSO F/5 150mm parabolic version comes on a solid Skyview / EQ3 mount. It also now has a 2x speed Crayford focuser as standard.
They make good planatary and DSO scopes and remain reasonably portable. They are easy to collimate. They cool off reasonably quickly. They are well made. They are about $600.
With the money left over you could get a RA drive and some decent Plossls.
Just some thoughts.

Chris

[micko]

Thanks for the extra thoughts. I must say the idea of getting dimmer images from a similarly sized aperture is not enticing. I had thought about a fast refractor, but the size is a definite issue and the maks are 'supposed' to be good for lunar, planetary and some DSOs according to their writeups.

The Vixen 110 has f=9.3. Would this be fast enough to at least give a similar level of brightness compared to my current scope?

I am definitely keen to get rid of my cheap EQ mount which is annoying to align for a spatially challenged spaz like me ! I think it's an EQ1. AltAz is the way to go, and I guess space-wise the only other scope I could easily fit would be a shorter tube refractor...

(sorry for the late reply to y'all but I've been away for the last week and a bit )

Mick

[Terry B]

From a visual point of view the "speed" of a scope is not terrible important. You change the eyepieces to vary the magnification. The most important factor is the light gathering ability ie the aperture of the scope. Stars cope with high magnification as they are point sources. Deep sky needs aperture to turn very dim fuzzies into less dim fuzzies.
I don't agree with the advice to get a refractor. They are heavy and much harder to use than a mak of the same aperture. Not much of a grab and go scope.
Having said that I currently have a 120mm x 600mm achromat that is quite light. This would compare with the 125mm maks but with a much shorter focal length. The mak is nicer for planets as you don't have to use very short focal length eyepieces for the same image size. (same appled for most galaxies or PNs realising that they will be dim fuzzies). On widefield, the little refractor is probably better.
Good luck

[dannat]

As for an intes dealer you'll find that AEC electronics - the local Takahashi dealer also sells the intes range of maks - from memory the 5" OTA is $1000 & the 6" is $1400 or somewhere close to it. You would ned a mount on top of that though..look at their website they sell some good gear

I prefer the maks/even short newts over the refractors like ed80 because they are better visually when you want a quick look. They are usually lighter for the aperture size also, meaning you can get away with a smaller mount - or not starin the mount of same size

[xnomad]

Hi,

I have the "Black Diamond" Skywatcher 127mm Maksutov with an EQ3 GEM. I'm a complete beginner so I can't compare it with others but I can tell you a little about it.

I reckon you are better off with a GEM mount rather than an Alt/Az. When you have the planets focused in at high magnifications you want to keep the fiddling and wobbling to a minimum. With a GEM if it's polar aligned you only need to gently turn the RA slow motion control. Also you can step away and go get another eyepiece change it and then just dial back the RA to get the planet back in your view. With an Alt/Az that probably won't be as painless.

Also, although many people don't use them as they aren't super accurate, I find the setting circles on the GEM useful to help me find objects or to take a note of where I am in the sky. Also they are useful in heavily light polluted areas where there are less guide stars to help you find your position.

The BD 127mm Mak only comes with a 2" 28mm "long eye relief" eyepiece so you will need to get a few short ones for the planets and even a longer one for bigger objects. The 28mm (0.928 degrees) is nice but it doesn't fit many objects in, eg. the Southern Pleidades and other Carina goodies. I've got a 10mm, 12mm, 15mm and a 1.25" 2x Barlow . This gives me 99x, 123x, 148x (the 2" 28mm gives me 54x) and when Barlowed 198x, 246x, 296x.

I've had Saturn on 246x quite often and it was a crisp view (It's a shame the rings are 'side on' at the moment). The stated maximum useful magnification is 250x but I've used the 10mm Barlowed, for fun, and it was acceptable. At very high magnifications there is noticeable image shift when focusing, a common SCT/MCT problem which is annoying and tempting me to get a Crayford style focuser at some point.

From what I've read in other reviews the 127mm Mak is a very popular all rounder and has been compared favourably with similar sized refractors (although I'm certain the image isn't as bright as a refractor) on the "Cloudy Nights" forum quite a few people regretted getting rid of their 5" Maks or said it was one of their favuorites in their collection.

So far I've only looked at Saturn, Jupiter (both look great) and a few well knowns, Eta Carinae, Jewel Box, Omega Centauri, a few other doubles etc.

We've just moved and I haven't figured out how to switch off the security light (long story) in the garden so I'm stuck to the south and the eastern horizon. The light pollution is quite bad low so I'm stuck to the high south for the time being. Omega Centauri was a bit disappointing, it's very dull and isn't much better in brightness than my 10x50's binos. With averted vision and the 15mm Plossl I can make out some stars but it's more like a grey cloudy blob. I'm not sure what to expect from a 5" aperture in the light polluted suburbs.

I got this scope to pull out on those nice nights when you feel like having a bit of a look, and when you go camping. Instead I'm out every night there is a gap in the clouds this hobby is taking up a lot of my free time!

As I said before, I can't compare with other scopes and I'm very new to this but feel free to ask me any questions and I'll see if I can answer them.

[micko]

Thanks again guys

I will definitely look up the intes ones. Nice to know they don't have to be individually imported.

I guess it really comes down to getting a light, short, easy to use scope for planets, moon and stars. DSOs are probably gonna have to wait until I can get the room for a light bucket !

@xnomad thx heaps for your thoughts, I think it says a lot that you bought a quick look setup and are now using it all the time. That's exactly what I am hoping will happen !

cheers:D