Ordered a Nexstar 8SE

[Crusader]

After giving up hope and patience that the Skywatcher Auto-Tracking Dobs will get the Go-to sorted I've broken down and ordered a Nexstar 8SE. It's hellishly expensive here (as in Aus) but I'm hoping it's worth it. Since it ate my astro budget for the next 10 years it better well be! :P

[andrew2008]

:thumbsup:

Congrats on purchase. Was looking at these myself and if i wasn't interested in getting into astrophotography i would be getting one myself. You get great optics, portability, go-to, tracking, abliitly to change OTA's with mount. You really shouldn't be disappointed.

[Moon]

Good luck with your purchase :thumbsup: - it's a top scope for visual use. Very portable, reliable and easy to use.

I just sold mine :sad:
Just packed it up and I'm about to take it to the post office and send it off to a new home.
It was my first scope, and I'll miss it.

[Moon]

Forgot to say there is an active yahoo group called 'nexstar' and a dedicated sub-forum over on CN you should keep and eye on as well.

[Crusader]

Already on the CN sub-forum. Will look into the Nexstar Yahoo group.

I think my main problem is getting over the price. Being a Dob guy I constantly think about the aperture the same amount would have bought. That being said I did get the SCT for the compact design, and I'll still have my 10" Dob to fall back on.

It was a very difficult decision to make. The fact that the OTA could easily be placed on another mount and should work decently for photography if I ever decide to go that route was the deciding factor, that and the fact that on occasion I have to stand in for a Astronomy Tour Group to show people planets and the like. For personal use a Dob is fine, not so much if you have a group of waiting eyes.

It's also a childhood wish fulfillment for me. When I was still at school the 8SE was THE scope I always wanted to own. Guess I can scratch that one off of my list now. :D

If I may ask, who did you sell your 8SE?

[Moon]

It was a new IceInSpace forum member who made contact through IceTrade.

[stephenb]

Congrats Crusader, A great telescope. You'll be happy with it, I'm sure.

There is a big following for the NexStar series, especially in the US on Cloudy Nights.

Also, check out http://www.nexstarsite.com/

I may buy an 8SE in the near future.

The only negitive as a visual scope is that you cannot disengaged the drive and move the OTA by freehand. i.e. no power, no manual observing. But not a big deal.

[mickqueensland]

Hi guys,

I am looking at ordering a 8SE or a C8 SGT. Does anyone have an idea which is better? Easier to use, lighter to carry, better mount, power use etc etc?

Sorry, I dont mean to hijack the thread so congrats on ordering you 8SE Crusader. I am going to take the plunge I think, the financial controller has given tentative approval for a splurge on a scope and I have pushed and pushed the budget as far as I can ;)

I ask this question here since I am so close to an 8SE but the C8 is $400 cheaper....

Cheers
Mick

[Crusader]

Sorry, I meant "Why did you sell your 8SE?" Don't know why I type "who" - must have been a long day. :lol:



No problem Mick. I think it comes down to what you want to do with the scope. The 8SE should be much easier to setup and use for visual viewing since it's Alt-Az you won't need to worry about polar alignment and such.

For photography I think the edge will go to the C8 SGT since it has an EQ mount.

[mickqueensland]

Thanks Crusader,

just the type of answer I was looking for. I am thinking ease of setup and weight are going to be my main issues. I will probably no be doing photos, but will probably end up with a CCD cam for the laptop.

and again, congrats on the scope.
Cheers
Mick

[Moon]

Ok that makes more sense :D
I'm doing more imaging these days and it wasn't getting much use. The funds will go to some imaging gear of some description. I just need to figure out what I'm going to do with my Mak-newt first...

[Crusader]

Yup, quite weird asking strangers who they sold stuff to.