Orion ST80 or Celestron Astromaster 130 EQ

[orly_andico]

the DDG focuser is useful for repeatable focusing when imaging. but it's a nice to have, not necessary, and the bare focuser costs $250+ so it would add a lot of cost to a low-end scope. if you put it on a $2000++ scope then it's a no brainer.

[sTiCkY]

is the ST80 really that bad? was thinking of getting..

[Gary]

is the ST80 really that bad? was thinking of getting..

There is no perfect telescope. No telescope can be good or very good in every aspect. ST80 is good for what it is designed to do. If what it is designed to do also fits your requirement and expectation and budget, then it is good for you which is all that matters:

- Wide field, e.g. 4+ deg fov with affordable 32mm 1.25" plossl, i.e. light, cheap affordable finder/visual eyepiece.
- Ultraportable. Easier for one to follow the advice that the best scope is the scope you used most. Super travel friendly.
- Can be use as guide scope or finder scope in the future if one upgrades to a bigger telescope

For disadvantages, just look at the things it is not suppose to do: highly quality high magnification color free lunar planetary observing, fully resolving globular clusters, ....etc. Having said that, I have pushed a similar 80mm f/5 to 125x on Jupiter in Singapore skies. There's CA of course but still the view is decent to me considering this is not the scopes main strength. One can also use a binoviewer on it.

During my last trip up Johor, one of the most memorable views was framing NGC 6231 and the numerous surrounding stars in the same 4 degree view with my f/5 80mm + 24mm 68 afov EP at 16x magnification. In the darker skies there, the background sky is not as bright as in Singapore at low mag through the EP.

The C8 cost a few times more. C8 was superb to view globular clusters (m22, m4, m13, omega centauri) and messiers like m11 and m17. No way my 80mm can give this kind of views. But the 4 deg wide-field look of the 80mm can NEVER be achieve not matter how much one spend on C8 accessories and eyepieces to "widen" the fov, which again, is not what the C8 is designed to do.

Some of our members do have ST80s. Do take a look through them during star parties before making your decision.

[sTiCkY]

actually i'm more concerned about the focuser... dont like badly made focusers.. especially those that are loose and shaky.. or slides back when you change eyepiece of look near the zenith

ease of use is very important.. lol

[Gary]

actually i'm more concerned about the focuser... dont like badly made focusers.. especially those that are loose and shaky.. or slides back when you change eyepiece of look near the zenith ease of use is very important.. lol

Ease of use usually comes at a price.

What is your budget for a 80mm with a focuser that is of a higher quality than the ST80's? Chances are, if there is scope that is similarly priced as the ST80 and have a better focuser, then that scope should be more famous than ST80 by now.

If you have a higher budget, then do consider the higher end 66/72/80mm with dual speed focuser.

For my Celestron 80mm (which some say is of the same mechanical build as the ST80), I don't find focusing a problem. I can adjust the tension/lock screw to prevent it from slipping for visual use. IIRC, I adjusted it once or twice and have not adjusted it since. I have since swap a light plossl 6.4mm with a heavier baader 24mm without any issues. Not sure about EPs heavier than this baader. Able to focus stars to pin points.

[sTiCkY]

oooh.. i dont expect dual speed focusers or anything fancy.. just a simple rack and pinion focuser that works well.. lol..

wonder who has one.. or where can i see one

[orly_andico]

i have an orion 100ED. it came with a stock single-speed crayford (not rack and pinion) that i have lying around. it's... usable. not great, but usable.

frankly, for the price of an ST80 you can't complain. the two-speed crayford i put on my orion 100ED cost more than an entire ST80.

[cloud_cover]

The ST-80 is not a "bad" scope. As a design its a fast achromatic refractor and its target audience is meant to be people who want a cheap but decent quality 80mm refractor or those who want a guidescope (its marketed specifically as such under the Orion Awesome Autoguider Package).
Being a fast achromat, it will serve up nice wide field views (although in Singapore this is a bit watered down due to light pollution) but it will not do well on bright objects and planets due to chromatic abberation. How much that affects you, well, that is a personal choice. A short (fast) achromat is at its best looking at DSOs (because they are dimmer hence CA is less obvious; also DSOs tend to demand less power, again less CA noticable) but 80mm is not really an ideal DSO aperture.
Personally, I think if the ST-80 is all you can afford, by all means go for it; it will get you observing and the images are by no means "bad". But do look through one first to see if that's what you are expecting I use a 80/300 (that's f/3.75, even faster than the ST-80) sometimes for grab and go and I love the views from it, but I do limit the power to about 35x (definitely no planetary!)

[kaomoo]

I have a ST80.

you are welcome to come have a look through it.

as cloud said, I can't put it any better. The newer ST80 is suppose to be fully multi-coated, so the performance is suppose to have improved.

[kaomoo]

by the way, i have slapped on a GSO dual speed Crayford focuser on my ST80..... Scoepstuff sells them for 132USD....