The ETX is optically good. I feel that it gives nice contrasty images. The computer control from Autostar is outstanding - I have the software to control it from a laptop, but it proved poinless because Autostar is so good. The mount is the weakest link so forget photography other than with a webcam and all Meades are a tad noisy. Oh, and it's 1.25 inch eyepieces only.
No problems for size and portability and I always viewed sitting down so it is comfortable to use. It's best used in alt-az mode, as are all fork mounts at these lattitudes, but comes with a tripod capable of equatorial too.
I've used a few scopes around this size and not found any better as an all-round packgage. I did notice that when i dovetailed the OTA to an HEQ5 mount that I got substantially better high magnification images, but this was down to that mount again!
So I need a home for an ETX, and you need a home for some Naglers ...
