C9.25 S-GT vs. 10" Newtonian

I have a 6", 8", and a 10" Newtonians, which I like very much. I have debated whether on getting a 12" Newt, but I have decided that it is just to heavy and awkward for the viewing that I do, mostly in my back yard where I must move a scope around to different spots inorder to avoid trees.

I love the views from my Orion XT10i Dobsonian. A C11 would be a nice addition, but 92 lbs. is too much weight. The C9.25 S-GT seems like it would be the perfect scope for me; however, other than a smaller field of view, how spectacular would globulers and other DSOs look in the C9.25 S-GT as compared to my XT10i?

I like the idea of tracking, goto and short exposure astrophotography, but I want to look through this scope and see sharp resolution and bright objects. Furthermore, I don't want to break my back in the process.

Jon,
Globulars will be brighter in your 10" Newt likely, but having tracking will be a big bonus over nudging a dob, especially at higher powers. Not having to do this will allow you to study the objects more patiently and you'll likely see more detail. However, if you have to move a scope around in order to track down objects, than you basically should rule out a GOTO mount, unless you want to constantly be re-aligning it. Generally the best bet is to not move a large scope fully assembled anyways, both for the sake of your back as well as the fairly fragile mechanical components in the mount (e.g. nylon or brass gears that can be stripped, etc.).

In considering a scope's weight, basically you should think of it in terms of the weights of the individual components that you'll be moving; that being said, you don't want to have to dissassemble the whole thing to move it a few feet.

You could put a dob on a wheely platform or attach wheelbarrow handles in order to move it if needed. In that case though, I'd be tempted to go up to a 14-16" scope to really see a noticeable difference over your 10"... just my opinion.

Best of luck!
Tim Cross