It seems for imaging that
important is
stable mount that can handle scope and accessories and
reliable tracking (doesn't have to be GoTo).
Have you considered the
Intes Micro MN (Maksutov-Newtonian) series. Many/most reviews say the
images are comparible to an APO of same diameter (but who is able/willing to spend on a 6/8" APO). And this scope has a great cooling down feature to speed cooling (Mak's (specifically Mak-Cass) are known to take longer to cool than sct's - up to twice as long from some posts I've read.
In Ed Ting's review he writes that the
Intes could handle higher mag than a Meade. He also noted the optics, which seems to do with alignment of spherical mirrors (Vs parabolic) is easier to attain and that the IntesMicro has a really small obstructrion (2nd mirror) so contrast is very high.
http://irwincur.tripod.com/intes_micro_mn56.htm
http://www.scopereviews.com/ - 3 reviews of diff sized IntesMicro MN
This is my preferred scope or an APO.
Craig
PS But never look at Celestron - you may like it
