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That's a facinating overlay Bert.
As you say your 300mm is a fabulous performer.
I really like my TEC180. Its a massive scope.
I cleaned the lens the other day using
the Tak manual on how to do it. It came up beautifully.
These TEC180's to me are like what was available in the 90's when you could still buy an AP scope without massive wait.
Yuri already no longer makes Maksutov Cassegrains, the 200mm fluorite (which was never advertised in the first place) and 200mm ED versions.
The 180 production may not last forever. The scope makers seem very sensitive to glass supply and quality problems with the glasses they get.
Its their number 1 problem. Yuri also makes a 160 fluorite new for less than you would have to pay for an AP160 2nd hand (if you could; find one). They are most likely very comparable scopes. I have tested my TEC180 against my AP140 and they are very very similar after taking into account the image scale difference. Yuri is "cheap", APM scopes of the same size sell for the same and they aren't fluorite and they don't seem to have the enthusiastic followers like AP and TEC and Tak do. I am sure they are great scopes but I noticed that aspect about them.
The good thing about a scope like this and the camera and filters is that I can take my attention of my gear and just image. If it turns out a dud then its me or the conditions (the conditions of course!!) its not the equipment.
By the way I like these Astrodon Gen 11 filters, expensive but good. Baaders are good too but I often had trouble getting a proper LRGB combine with them and other times not. Not sure what the difference was. The Baaders also seem a bit too biased towards the red (good for nebulas though). So far reflections seem better controlled with the Astrodons but its a bit early to say for sure (the Baaders were good, the Astronomiks are better in that regard).
Greg.
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