Quote:
Originally Posted by g__day
I must say - I am tempted to go larger than a 130mm APO - but mostly likely that will be in 2 years when the kids have finally finished (private) high school; then I will be more finanical - hopefully. So my next telescope is really to ease me into the world of apos.
I have never looked through an APO - so I am a virgin in that respect - not sure what I expect to see versus my C9.25, which is in pretty tip-top condition. Its just that I've outgrown my MAK and think an APO is completely missing from my line up of astronomy tools!
I am unsure whether to go a really high-end smaller apo - then sell it and buy a bigger high-end apo once I'm in the black / or simply start with an mid range apo then upgrade once my mortgage is down a bit.
The next stage for me will be upgrade mount, cameras and OTAs - likely a major financial event; the moment this hobby is about learning and enjoying astronomy as a long term passion!
Poita - thanks for the link - yes it's all the gear I lust for!
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Hi Matthew,
I have been a recent convert to Apo's with the purchase of the Williams Optics FLT110 Flourite Triplet, which came with a bonus field flattener. I am amazed by the views and it has now become my most used telescope, despite the crappy alt/az mount I currently have to use (which will be upgraded soon to a EQ6 GT mount). Although I have an equatorial fork mounted 8" SCT in an observatory, I much prefer the FLT110 Apo. Although the image scale is smaller, for any given eyepiece focal length, the views through the FLT110 are very sharp in comparison, and contrast is considerably better.
When I first started to look at the idea of buying an APO, I had seen through some high end 130mm Apo's from AP and Tak. Awesome they are, however, price considerations dictated that I had to look at something mid range, as the price of the OTA 130/150mm Tak are around $9,000 and $13,000 respectively. And that is not taking into consideration that you would have to buy Tak accessories
I have an Orion 80mm achromat (currently mounted on top of my 8" SCT), which I still think is a great little telescope, and wanted something a little bigger and better, so after some research and cost analysis I decided on the FLT110 Apo, which I bought directly from WO.
I am extremely happy with it, and even though I would like something bigger, however, the price of a great 5/6" Apo's jumps considerably and my bank account simply says no.
Although the 130mm or 150mm Takahashi would be my ideal, however, their price are prohibitive, particularly when considering that you would also require a substantial mount for it. So, when considering the scope size, don't forget to think about the size of the mount you would need.
Had I already had a decent GEM mount, I would have maybe looked at a larger scope. However, having to add a further $5,000 (Losmandy G11 or EQ8) to $10,000 (MX) for a mount put it well out of range.
Hope this is of some help.
Cheers Peter