[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

I have noticed that GSO/Bintel have these new f4 Newts that they are selling as imaging scopes. I am thinking about an imaging setup and have a thought that these may be an option, so I am trying to put together a set of pros and cons to help with planning. So far I have

PROS
1. Fast (or fastish!)
2. Similar to existing newts in dobs, so already know how to collimate
3. Could easily have a dob mount made for tem so they can do double duty, in dob mode is going to be a shorter OTA so easier to use, lighter.
4. Includes 3" focuser
5. Price 12" is $1000
6. Lots of aperture for the $$$

Cons
1. Long tube compared to a GSO RC, could be hard to handle on a mount, as I understand shorter tubes enable you to get closer to the theoretical weight capacity of a mount. Long tube may also cause issues if mounted on a tripod.
2. OTA is heavy at 18.5 kgs without tube rings, which is nearly the carrying capacity of an NEQ6 and two thirds of the capacity of a G11
3. Would need a Parracor or MPCC
4. Contrast would be not as good as with a good refractor, but may be better than an RC as secondary is smaller?
5. Not a lot of people using newts for imaging.

Any thoughts?

Malcolm