John, Here is my experience: 1. Ease of setup. I can set up my 12.5 inch dob in less than five minutes, and be observing. My 8" refractor takes about the same time if I use the pipe mount. My 10" takes about 20 minutes. My six inch is set up in less than one minute. I am capable of taking myself on a tour of the night sky, and yes, I can usually beat a GOTO scope. I have taught hundreds of people how to do the same. It takes less time than you have already spent investigating telescopes. 2. Image quality. I'll put my 12.5 inch and my 8" up against ANY commercial SCT, regardless of aperture. I get consistent comments that the images these scopes produce are the best images at a star party. The image on planets and double stars through the refractor is top notch. There are not many better. An 8" refractor objective is within the several thousand dollars you mention. You can put the rest of the scope together for a few hundred dollars. 3. Photography. This is a matter of getting the right mount. Unless you are going to use an image de-rotator, you'll need to have an equatorial mount. The standard Meade and Celestron are not adequate for photography if you want quality images. As I mentioned before, your best bet is to use SPOC. That facility is capable of near professional quality. I realize that you have probably made up your mind on your purchase. I also realize that what I am saying will not change your mind. In astronomy, you don't always get what you pay for. However, you will get out of the hobby only that which is in proportion to your effort. Good luck in your endeavors. Astronomy is one of the most fulfilling passtimes you can enjoy. I have not found anyoner to pay me to observe yet, and I don't want to. The past tense of fun is funded. I realize that this post is a bit on the rough side. It is not my intention to put you off here. I just think you should at least hear the experience of an observer who has been at it for almost 40 years. Pleaee excuse my bruskness. Brent
My priorities remain the same... #1 Ease of use...It needs to be compact, easy to set up and capable of taking me for a tour of the night sky... #2 Image quality. #3 Photography.
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com
http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/