A bit of background. I have had a big interest in astronomy for many years, mainly theoretical. I have being using a set of 10 50 binos for eight years. Over the past two years I have been quite sick and last year lost my right leg, forcing me into an early retirement at 55.
I want to get a telescope and have being researching for some time and would like to jump in with a Celestron CPC 800 with some filters, Barlow and a battery pack. I figure that I can afford it, I can lift it, it will give me stunning views and in the future with a wedge etc I can upgrade for some astro photography.
I live in Perth and hopefully will get my MDL back next week. So is the Celestron CPC 800 a reasonable telescope for my situation?
A CPC 800 is about $3300, for that I personally would get a C8 or C9.25 on a CGEM or EQ6 mount rather than the forks and wedge. I've owned both and an Equatorial Mount I found a much better thing to have longer term.
A couple of years ago I was also on the market for a SCT. I ended up buying a Meade 8" LX90. I was tempted to get a larger scope but the salesman showed me how the 8" could be comfortably carried (over small distances) while assembled. This was the deciding factor for me.
BTW, the 8" LX 90 is a bit lighter than the 8" CPC (24 kg vs 31 kg) but this may not be critical given that you have other factors to consider such as suitability for astrophotography.
I have had one for a number of years. Optics are very good, and go-to works really well. It moans and groans a bit, but then, I do too!
It is quite heavy to set up, but much more solid and robust than (say) the Meade LX90. (And dare I say it, the optics are better than most LX90's I have looked through). Because of the lugs on the tripod it very easily drops into place; it is just a bit heavy to get there!
I use it mainly for visual and for public viewing, and it is great for both: especially for kids as the eyepiece height is good, and it doesn't mind getting knocked a bit.
Personally I prefer the fork to an equatorial mount as the eyepiece is more easily accessible in pretty much any direction, and it doesn't have to do any flipping over past the zenith. With the wedge it is fine for photography.
If you get one, you may wish to upgrade the diagonal: I got the 2" GSO quartz one, and it made a big difference.
All the best,
Dean
I have had mine for about a year, and love it. Easy to set up, control and use.
Never had any luck with EQ mounts .... nightmare stuff and frustration for me.
