[g__day (Matthew)]

Thank you all for your replies, the fever gets in your blood after a while, call it 'scope creep (pun intended).

For some reason the 10" - 12" scopes just appeal - maybe irrationally so. There seem to be lots of guides how to buy your first scope, or even second. But not third, fourth and fith if you catch my drift.

Yes it does make sense to ensure the scope can travel occassionally. I have 3 kids 7, 9, 11 - old enough to enjoy camping and a bit of star gazing...

Niel at Astro-optical wrote back to me today, saying:

"Hello Matthew

The decision of which telescope you purchase depends on the primary use.

If your primary use is for CCD imaging, pointing accuracy is preferable. Longer exposures would be required with a smaller aperture, however with digital technology such as stacking images, this is not a major issue.

If your primary use is for visual use, the larger aperture is preferable.

Best Regards

Neil"

So it takes a bit of figuring. A few more questions:

1. Are the Celestrons as good quality - optics / pointing as Meade (compare and contrast)

2. What is a good balanced spend for a CCD for a 10" - 12" telescope? Should I spend $300, $600, $1,200 or $3,000? What is a reasonable figure and why?

3. Beside scope / mount / wedge / PC - what else do I need (e.g. focal reducers, auto guides etc...)

4. What filers do folk recommend for light polluted skies (something that cuts Sodium based lights I guess) and how effective are these?

Finally does anyone have a strong feel for the 10", 11" or 12" configurations and if there is a clear winner and the why of it - else its more research for me.

Thanks everyone for all the help so far!