MC90 or a ST102?

[kingkong]

hi, i'm back with some more lame newbie question.
which of the two would you recommend for a beginner?
afa i know:
st102
====
bigger aperture
gather more light
better for dso
achromatic - bright object give chromatic aberration (i dunno how bad, never used a achrom telephoto/zoom lens for camera also)
bigger than mc90
comes packaged with az mount
mc90
====
less light gathering
smaller size - more portable
comes packaged with eq1 mount
no aberation problem
better for moon and planets
less suited for dso

both have similar fov.

i was seriously considering the st102 but someone apparently has mc90 in stock in sg....

[weixing]

Hi,
If you mainly use for observing wide field and DSO, go for the ST102. If you mainly use for observing planets & moon, go for the MC90.

Have a nice day.

[kayheem]

hi, i'm back with some more lame newbie question.
which of the two would you recommend for a beginner?

The difference in light-gathering ability is not that great. IMHO, I would go for the MC90 for its portability and lack of chromatic aberration. If you need wide views, pop in a wide-angle eyepiece.

Assuming a a FL of 1350mm. A 25mm eyepiece will give you a magnification of about 54X, which is quite respectable for DSOs. If you need any wider, get a pair of binocs.

OTOH, the achro (especially a short tube achro) will find it tough to go up to high power for planetary and lunar observation.

Bottomline: Do not be in a hurry to get a scope. Try out both first.

Kay Heem

[Airconvent]

yeah man...if you are interested in wide views, i.e. open clusters, the 102mm would be better. I think blue fringing would be a problem for brigher objects unless you don't mind it (An MV-1 filter would solve this anyway).

The MC90 would be a very compact scope to own and you will definitely take it out more often since it would fit into a videocamcorder bag with space for accessories. The central obstruction for this baby is much bigger than that for the ETX90, so you get lesser light here, i.e. dimmer objects compared with the ETX. The other issue is mating this to an EQ mount is an overkill in my opinion. Makes the setup more bulky and heavier to carry around. I would prefer the Manfrotto 410 head +190Tripod combination instead.

For the ST102, you can always link up with Gary Goh who owns the Skywatcher 102mm. This scope is rumoured to be the oem version of the ST102. Plus his scope has an MV1 coating already included...the only one of its kind in Singapore!

rich