Hi Paul and
to IIS
I don't think I can add any new information for you. I can only share my experience at the risk of sounding like a stuck record
I have an 8" Dob. It took me along time to decide on the best scope for me. In the end I decided to go with the biggest aperature I could afford and got the dob. I am very pleased I did as the views are great. Nothing beats a bit of aperature
I use it in the backyard all the time. It has all the usual light pollution issues but It seems to handle it quite well. It is fairly easy to transport around and easy to set up and start observing. It is also easy to find a comfortable viewing positon compared to other mounts.
It's the sort of scope I don't think I would sell in a hurry. I'm very happy with it, but I would also be happy with a 12"
If you are going to use it mainly in the back yard I would get the biggest apperature I could even if it means it is difficult to transport. My reason for that is if you use it 95% In the back yard you only have 5% headache time transporting it as opposed to 95% time wishing you had a bigger scope in the back yard.
Hope it's helpful
Cheers
Gary
