What a coincidence. The narrow view of the Mak is that getting the first star in can be difficult. In fact, Company/product listings on this page DO NOT imply endorsement by the site operator. Edited by Joe1950, 04 October 2016 - 06:38 PM. Do the best you can, however. Like you stated, in the new ETX you can remove the OTA, if that is the case you can get a ST80 OTA for $110 new. If I was near you i'd let you try my 6.3 reducer...maybe someone in your club has one you can try? The ETX 80 - maybe easier to use, less cool down in NY winters, wider FOV, use as a spotter. Been a Meade user for over 20 years. New Features The ETX … You guys are great to help me through this. If you were to stay with the 90, you would need a scope to replace the 80 because the 90 is, when all is said and done, a telescope with a 1250 mm focal length and a small rear port, it will never provide even moderately wide fields of view. Let them do what they do best. I have an Orion ST80 @ f5.0 and an Orion StarMax 90 Mak @ f13.9. I got the more expensive scope as a replacement. The Included red dot finder works very well. The … T he Meade ETX 90 Observer is the latest in a long line for this model – Meade has been producing the ETX 90 for well over two decades. I have a friend who is looking at a scope. You can use it as a tabletop too. Easy to use and quicker to focus. Several functions may not work. Meade Instruments: A world leader in the manufacturing of Telescopes, Solar Telescopes, Microscopes, Optics, Binoculars, for amateur astronomers and hobbyists Maksutov-Cassegrain - Telescopes … ETX-90...Here's why! Because this is a short focal length scope it provides very wide views which is one of the reasons I purchased it. Meade offered to replace it with a new one, under warranty, which is also the newer model   basically same OTA but updated mount and hand controller. The all-new ETX Observer model introduced earlier this year continues that legacy. The ETX 80 is a short FL (400) refractor and the new one comes in a backpack and includes an typical 90 degree astronomy angle and a correct image 45 degree angle so you can use it as a spotting scope. The magnetic compass has a bit of a fuss so be sure to know true north independently to ensure a good alignment. This site is a free online resource that strives to offer helpful content and comparison features to its visitors. I was looking for everyone's input without really saying why I was asking as I did not want the situation to bias your answers. The tripod legs are as solid as the SE mount, but for the little 90mm Scope, it will be even more solid. Originally produced in 1996, Meade ETX 90 is the first telescope to be designed for both beginners and professionals alike. I think I could even put it on the ETX 90 mount. Meade's 90 mm ETX and Celestron's new C90 - are they giant killers, or pretenders? This is a great starter scope and very portable and easy to set up. This is a great scope. ­ All Rights Reserved. The Mak is narrow field and F13. The ETX-80/90/125 Observer Series manual is available online from meade.com. And everybody is entitled to my opinion. Would love a REALLY portable go to to keep in the camper for trips to the beach and mountains. At the higher end of the product-line, the Meade LX90 Telescope is popular and … With the ETX 80 & 90… I had one about 15 years ago and really liked it. You can make your own easy and It should fit most any Telescope. A pair of binoculars would be a fair substitute for the 80 with the higher magnifications reserved for the 90. The 90 can be EQ aligned the 80 can't. I see Meade is coming out with a new one, and the ETX 125 Also. If I can get the drives calibrated and trained today I might be able to get an daytime test with the RI2. You may try researching adapters to allow you to use SCT accessories on your ETX Mak? For what this scope is designed for, namely the moon and planets, it excels. I know the ETX90 to be a great scope. Edited by tony_spina, 04 October 2016 - 06:20 PM. Great feedback from an experienced owner. A pair of binoculars nicely complements the ETX 90, Edit: forgot to add that a dew shield is a must to keep stray light away and to prevent dew. This scope is nice for the price and very portable. Optically, anything the 90 does better than the 80, your XT-8 does much better than the 90. It said ETX 90. But mine never worked correctly. Same focal and it takes standard SCT accessories. Thanks - the 80 is pretty cool, especially with the included backpack, but I think the 90 is … Thanks. The new ETX 80 and 90 are different from the old in that the OTA is now ring mounted so you can easily remove the OTA to put it on another mount or as a piggy back on another scope. Works well. Those are limits on the field of view. Meade said it would not work, but it works great! Don't keep the 90 just because it's a great deal. Never view a gifted equine in the oral cavity. Or, for just a few thousand more you can get a Tak FSQ-85ED, a full set of Delos eyepieces on a AZ-EQ5.... Edited by Joe1950, 05 October 2016 - 10:34 AM. Optically, the 90mm MAK should be better than the ETX 80, hands down. Rich field lower mag. If you won't let me weasel out, my experience with an old ETX-70 was worse than my experience with an old ETX-90. Take a look at the Meade "backpack 80", which is a highly portable ETX-80 suited to wide-field views. This is for the photo port. I have a chance to pick up an ETX 80 for a reasonable sum. Can't talk about go-to or anything concerning today's scopes. the ETX 90 is a long FL Mak (1250)  that comes with a hard carry case. At the time, this telescope was also the first affordable alternative … Worth mentioning that ED Ting,s reviews between the Questar, ETX90 (original version and the latest Celestron C90 Mak, sold as a spotting scope put it ahead of the Meade but just behind the Questar,TD. And the F5 of the ETX 80 is more in line with what I am doing with the Revolution Imager R2. No need to point me to other scopes, they are not in play. I checked the box to confirm. Great for the planets, moon, and bright DSOs. Heres what I have-http://www.meade.com...-flattener.html, *I have the Celestron one, but it looks like the same thing. XT8i - Large aperture, computer assist, longer FL for higher mag. When life gives you an opportunity for choice it is great, but then you have to make the choice. The previous version of the ETX90 (I think it was advertised as an observatory in a box) wasn,t as good optics wise as the original, however I can,t comment on the latest version. Better optics. If you plan to use it as a tabletop scope, without the tripod, it will work well. I put it on the Pleiades and even with the 26 mm plossl I could not get the cluster in the eyepiece. Just my opinion ED. The field of view in the ETX90 … Plusses and minuses. Today this is my grab and go scope and the one I take on vacations. I didn't realize it at first because the 80 and 90 are both redone models. And if the alignment fails that you start over again. The ETX-125 Observer telescope includes a DVD to install the AutoStar Suite application (for Microsoft Windows only). In addition, the 80mm and 90mm models feature a removable optical tube - which brings versatility and customization to the ETX. Please be advised that the operator of this site accepts advertising compensation from certain companies that appear on the site, and such compensation impacts the location and order in which the companies (and/or their products) are presented, and in some cases may also impact the scoring that is assigned to them. Yea. The tripod was different and the scope was different. Then I had the idea to try the .5 focal reducer that came with the Revolution Imager R2 kit I purchased. RI2 video systems - Mount on ETX 80 for tracking and fast optics. The AutoStar audio dialog was extremely annoying, had to turn it off in the controller. But, it sounds like you're going to miss the 80. This 80mm aperture and 400mm (f/5) focal length marry the portability of the ETX with Meade’s premium optics. All LX400/RCX Models All LS/ETX-LS Models Note: the #505 cable and #507 cable are RS232 serial cables and do not allow connectivity to USB ports. If it was for me, I'd go with the 90. I could get more of the Pleiades into the eyepiece so I proved that it would come to focus and it would reduce FL and mag and increase FOV. Look at the rear port of the ETX 90, how large is it? But out of all of them, the third one had good optics, but motors were lousy. I cherish both, but if I had to chose, I would keep the Mak 90. ETX 60 vs. ETX 80 - posted in Meade Computerized Telescopes: I have an ETX 60 and love it for what it is. BTW, I bought a used 884 tripod that I did get for the ETX 80. A 40 mm Plossl will have a field of about 27 mm, same as a 32 mm Plossl. If the physical connectivity with the vixen dovetail is something that is going to work I'm sure you can easily find an 80mm f/5 -f/6 in great condition for less than a Franklin. To connect via USB the additional # 07507 Meade USB to RS232 Serial Adapter and usb driver is required. ETX 90 is a Schmidt-Cassegrain with a 127mm aperture held by a 1900mm focal length and this results in a focal ratio of … Wasn't sure how solid the tripod would be as it is a backpack set-up which would imply a light weight tripod.. This 80mm aperture and 400mm (f/5) focal length marry the portability of the ETX with Meade… All DS Models All LX65 Models All DS2000 Models All LXD75 Models All ETX … The fields of view in the ETX70 and and your 6" reflector will be very similar because they have the same focal ratio but a 70mm scope will give significantly lower resolution. The 90 is the same way. I have to say the focuser on the new ETX 90 is much nicer than the one that was on the ETX 80. But the background is darker so the stars stand out more. That's what I would do for my friend who is myself. A real concern is that the the tripod is too light weight for the scope. Had to replace the whole thing. Due to its specification, the ETX-80 is a solid choice for planetary viewing. Beats the Monkey Wards (refractor) I got as a kid in the early 70's. In my thinking, 80 mm f/5 s don't need goto, 90 mm maks benefit. Meade ETX 90 vs NexStar 4SE- How they compare. I assume from your post above that you didn't get a chance to try the R2 with The ETX-90. iPiece Nikon P900 or Canon on a Meade ETX 60 AutoStar Tracking on the Cheep. If someone put the two of them in front of you which would you choose? The Friend is me. The tripod is very lightweight, and not totally in a good way. Optics and Design. Likes my ETX 80, a short tube refractor  F5, Price is not a concern so I was wondering if I would be well advised to steer him toward the ETX 90, a Mak, F 13.5. Having said that, I've (personally) been burned by Meade enough to go with a Celestron or an Orion. So I took it out tonight to try it. I wish your friend the best and you both, clear skies! I may add an ETX90 to my collection. The Friend is me. A go to mount would be perfect for the Mak, but overkill for the EXT 80. This large 90mm aperture and 1250mm (f/13.9) focal length marry the portability of the ETX with Meade’s premium optics. The included correct image 45 degree angle works well to turn this into a spotting scope. Creating The Perfect "GO TO" ETX or LX 90 Important Info for newer ETX models (05/04/08) Part 1 - Mechanical Considerations and Adjustments ... Finder/guider for ETX-80(02/20/12) Meade ETX 125 PE … Keep it because you're looking forward to using it. The ETX 90 is the better scope but the ETX-80 is a better fit for you. Reason being it is easy to use and not getting anything in the field of view is difficult as long as the initial setup is level and North. Good starter scope that quickly becomes aggravating. Meade Instruments ETX80 (205002) Observer Achromatic Refractor Telescope, Meade Instruments ETX90 (205004) Observer Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope, 1.25” Super Plössl Eyepieces: 26mm (15x magnification) & 9.7mm (41x magnification), Backpack included, Computerized, GoTo Dual-Fork Mount with DC Servo Motors, Computerized, GoTo Dual-Fork Mount with DC Servo Motors, Removable OTA - Added Versatility & Customization Options, Hard Carry Case and Tripood Bag included, 1.25” Super Plössl Eyepieces: 26mm (15x magnification) & 9.7mm (41x magnification), What customers say about "Mount Information", Meade Instruments ETX125 (205005) Observer Telescope with Tripod, Celestron SkyProdigy 130 26x345 Telescope, ORION SpaceProbe 130ST (09007) Equatorial Reflector Telescope, ORION SpaceProbe 130 EQ (9851) Reflector Telescope, ORION SkyQuest XT8 (8945) Classic Dobsonian Telescope, ORION SkyQuest XT8 PLUS (8974) Dobsonian Reflector Telescope Kit, Celestron 21049 PowerSeeker 127EQ Telescope - Manual German Equatorial Mount, Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ (31045) Reflector Telescope, Celestron Travel Scope 50 (21038) Telescope (Black), Celestron Travel Scope 70 (21035) Travel Scope, Celestron NexStar 127SLT Mak Computerized Telescope (Black), Celestron NexStar Evolution 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope w/ WIFI,Black 12091, Celestron Inspire 100AZ (22403) Refractor Smartphone Adapter Built-in Refracting Telescope, Blue, Meade Instruments ETX80 (205002) vs Meade Instruments ETX90 (205004). The scoring that appears on this site is determined by the site operator in its sole discretion, and should NOT be relied upon for accuracy purposes. The return of the extremely popular ETX takes mobile astronomy to the next level. In the case of the “Fixed-height” Meade #887, in spite of Meade’s … If you were to stay with the 90, you … Click HERE for Instructional Video on How To Setup & Align Your ETX Observer Telescope.. Or you can get a used ST80 for much less. Light polluted area. The replacement arrived today and I guess they were out of the 80s so they sent me one of the new ETX 90s. A C-5 has a 25.4 mm rear port, has the same 1250 mm focal length and a focal reducer with a 38 mm clear aperture struggles to reach 2 degrees. You can release the clutches, leave the computer off and use it manually. If I had to pick it would be the ETX 90. Take the time to learn how to use this scope and it’s well worth the money. I had all three scopes at my place for a couple of months in early 2011 and wanted to find out. Alignment is also very difficult. Optics: ETX telescope optics produce superlative, optical performance and resolution. The tripod seems super sturdy and it has a built in wedge so I can set up EQ if I want. Compare Meade ETX125 vs Meade ETX90 vs Meade ETX80 | B&H Press ‎ ↵ Enter ‎ for Accessibility for blind people who use screen readers Press ‎ ↵ Enter ‎ for Keyboard Navigation This object was filmed while I was setting up two cameras to record daylight objects. If your friend really likes your ETX-80 then they may not be happy with something that's radically different. At 90X and 70 deg field on my F/10 and no reducer I can get the Double Cluster in the FOV completely (just a reference point). The Mak has a much narrower FOV and I bought the ETX 80 because of the wide field.