Greets,
I purchased a Meade ETX-90EC at Frys. It was an older model without Autostar. As those of you who have shopped Fry's know, by the time you get something there, chances are it's been opened, bought, ravaged and returned by the time you get to actually buy it. I got this for a good price, but today is the last day to return.
I finally got a chance to check it out. It's easily comparable to my 114mm Meade Newt in what it can see and the images are slightly better on planets. I'm quite inclined to keep it and get rid of the 114. Problem is that the straight through finder is impossible to use in most positions. I only have the table tripod, so it's awkward to use.
I like that it gives nice views and can be used in equatorial or alt/az mode. I like the portability, but that may be moot as my 10" dob that I'm building will also be reasonably portable.
Right now, the cards are stacked against keeping it even though it's a nice scope. If I do keep, I'll need to get a right angle finder, carry case/bag, tripod and possibly the 497 Autostar, because even though I can get a right angle finder, it's still a very small 8x25 view.
Either the 114 (plain jane motorized Newt) or the ETX has to go.
Any thoughts highly appreciated!
Matt
I purchased a Meade ETX-90EC at Frys. It was an older model without Autostar. As those of you who have shopped Fry's know, by the time you get something there, chances are it's been opened, bought, ravaged and returned by the time you get to actually buy it. I got this for a good price, but today is the last day to return.
I finally got a chance to check it out. It's easily comparable to my 114mm Meade Newt in what it can see and the images are slightly better on planets. I'm quite inclined to keep it and get rid of the 114. Problem is that the straight through finder is impossible to use in most positions. I only have the table tripod, so it's awkward to use.
I like that it gives nice views and can be used in equatorial or alt/az mode. I like the portability, but that may be moot as my 10" dob that I'm building will also be reasonably portable.
Right now, the cards are stacked against keeping it even though it's a nice scope. If I do keep, I'll need to get a right angle finder, carry case/bag, tripod and possibly the 497 Autostar, because even though I can get a right angle finder, it's still a very small 8x25 view.
Either the 114 (plain jane motorized Newt) or the ETX has to go.
Any thoughts highly appreciated!
Matt
