90mm Mak

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pakarinen United States of America
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90mm Mak

#1

Post by pakarinen »


I'm edging closer to pulling the trigger on a SW 90mm Mak for lunar since I came into a bit of unrestricted cash this past weekend. OTOH, I see the 102mm is only $45 more. Guess I could do a side-by-side on paper maybe. So many toys, so little time.

Indecision is a terrible thing...
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I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
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AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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Re: 90mm Mak

#2

Post by Richard »


I had many 90 and 100 Maks not much difference , both small and really good scopes for their size , like all China made scopes some are good and some not so if only for the moon then the 90 is ok, I used to have a 90 black diamond 90 Mak was great could do 180x on planets on a clear night , I still have a meade ETX 90 that I keep in Czech Rep which is equally as good
Reflectors GSO 200 Dobs
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Mak 150 Bosma on a EQ5
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Re: 90mm Mak

#3

Post by Bigzmey »


Up to 127mm Maks stay lightweight and manageable. Are you getting just OTA?
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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Makuser United States of America
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Re: 90mm Mak

#4

Post by Makuser »


Hi pakarinen. Here is the first telescope that I bought (a SkyWatcher 90 Mak) on my return to astronomy in 2009:
SkyWatcher2.JPG
This was a great lunar telescope for me. I later moved up to a 127 Mak and gave my son this scope when he lived in Orlando. I later sold the 127 and moved up to the 180 Mak. When my son moved to Michigan, he left me the old 90 Mak, which I intend to use now for wildlife photos, like the professionals do in the magazines. It is hard beat this telescope for it's size, weight, and cost for astronomy and wildlife use. I hope this helps pakarinen, and the best of regards.
Marshall
Sky-Watcher 90mm f/13.8 Maksutov-Cassegrain on motorized Multimount
Orion Astroview 120ST f/5 Refractor on EQ3 mount
Celestron Comet Catcher 140mm f/3.64 Schmidt-Newtonian on alt-az mount
Celestron Omni XLT150R f/5 Refractor on CG4 mount with dual axis drives.
Orion 180mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain on CG5-GT Goto mount.
Orion XT12i 12" f/4.9 Dobsonian Intelliscope.
Kamakura 7x35 Binoculars and Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars. ZWO ASI 120MC camera.
>)))))*>
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pakarinen United States of America
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Re: 90mm Mak

#5

Post by pakarinen »


Bigzmey wrote: Mon Mar 02, 2020 4:57 pm Up to 127mm Maks stay lightweight and manageable. Are you getting just OTA?
Yes, I'd just get an OTA. I'd put it on my Twilight 1.

Possibly upgrading the mount is a thought for another day...
=============================================================================
I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
=============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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Re: 90mm Mak

#6

Post by Bigzmey »


In this case if it is in your budget I would go with 100 or 127mm. Both would ride well on T1.
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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pakarinen United States of America
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Re: 90mm Mak

#7

Post by pakarinen »


Well, bazinga! Just ordered a 90mm SW Mak from Highpoint.

My apologies to everybody in the Midwest who will now be clouded out for at least two weeks.
=============================================================================
I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
=============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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Re: 90mm Mak

#8

Post by terrynak »


Congrats on your acquisition Pakarinen! Good to have a longer FL scope complement your two faster ones.

Admittedly, I've not used my 90mm (Celestron) Mak much, but I have used it to pick up tiny planetary nebula where high magnification was needed.

Also did a shootout once with the ST80 - from my urban skies on a clear night, the Mak was able to pick out M1 whereas the ST80 wasn't.
Scopes: Reflectors, refractors, and 1 catadioptric. Ranging in aperture from 50mm to 150mm.
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Re: 90mm Mak

#9

Post by pakarinen »


Interesting about the Crab. That's on my yet-to-be-seen list. Tried for the Blinking Planetary this morning with my 120 and got bupkis; sounds like I should try the Mak.
=============================================================================
I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
=============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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Re: 90mm Mak

#10

Post by astrowolf67 »


I love my SW 102 Mak. It rides very good on my TW1, or LXD75, and provides very sharp views on the moon and planets. It also works well for solar with the addition of a filter, and gave me some great images during the eclipse of 2017. You will need at least a dew shield, which cost me about 4 dollars to make from black craft foam at Hobby Lobby. I looked at both the 90, and 102, and decided on the 102 for the little cost difference.
David
Celestron 8" Starhopper Dob, Meade Starfinder EQ 8", Apertura 6" F/5, Meade 114NT, Edmund Astroscan, ES AR102, Sky Watcher 102mm Mak, ETX 80, ETX 60, Orion ST80, Sears Discoverer 4 6333a, Meade LXD75, ES Twilight 1, Star Adventurer 2i
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Re: 90mm Mak

#11

Post by Ylem »


A 90mm Mak is a fun scope :)

I sometimes use mine with a .63 focal reducer, it gets close to a 2° FOV :)
It's also a perfect travel scope, I bring mine to the coast, great for birding at checking out boats at sea :)

Enjoy :)
Clear Skies,
-Jeff :telescopewink:


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pakarinen United States of America
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Re: 90mm Mak

#12

Post by pakarinen »


astrowolf67 wrote: Sat Mar 07, 2020 11:14 pm You will need at least a dew shield, which cost me about 4 dollars to make from black craft foam at Hobby Lobby. I looked at both the 90, and 102, and decided on the 102 for the little cost difference.
That craft foam is great stuff. I’ve used it for several projects.

I was waffling between the 90 and 102, but decided to go with the 90 for extra portability and to dip my toe in the Mak world. I’m thinking there’s probably a decent demand for used Maks if I decide I don’t like it or want to ratchet up on aperture.
=============================================================================
I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
=============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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Re: 90mm Mak

#13

Post by Bigzmey »


pakarinen wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 11:35 am
astrowolf67 wrote: Sat Mar 07, 2020 11:14 pm You will need at least a dew shield, which cost me about 4 dollars to make from black craft foam at Hobby Lobby. I looked at both the 90, and 102, and decided on the 102 for the little cost difference.
That craft foam is great stuff. I’ve used it for several projects.

I was waffling between the 90 and 102, but decided to go with the 90 for extra portability and to dip my toe in the Mak world. I’m thinking there’s probably a decent demand for used Maks if I decide I don’t like it or want to ratchet up on aperture.
Maks are always traded on classifieds, keep the shipping box just in case. :)
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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Re: 90mm Mak

#14

Post by GCoyote »


Ylem wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 2:22 am A 90mm Mak is a fun scope :)

I sometimes use mine with a .63 focal reducer, it gets close to a 2° FOV :)
It's also a perfect travel scope, I bring mine to the coast, great for birding at checking out boats at sea :)

Enjoy :)
I picked up a 90 mm Mak OTA at a 2nd hand store for about $12.95. It was sitting with the hair dryers! I've used it a lot for wildlife and you are absolutely right about the travel, very compact.
Any metaphor will tear if stretched over too much reality.
Gary C

Celestron Astro Master 130mm f5 Newtonian GEM
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Bushnell 90mm f13.9 Catadioptric
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Re: 90mm Mak

#15

Post by pakarinen »


GCoyote wrote: Tue Mar 10, 2020 2:41 pm I picked up a 90 mm Mak OTA at a 2nd hand store for about $12.95. It was sitting with the hair dryers!
Dang! Wish I had luck like that.
=============================================================================
I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
=============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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Re: 90mm Mak

#16

Post by Richard »


The reason I got rid of the 90 and 102 macs was that a 127SCT C5 is about the same weight but much better but then it costs a lot more
Reflectors GSO 200 Dobs
Refractors None
SCT C5 on a SLT mount
Mak 150 Bosma on a EQ5
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Re: 90mm Mak

#17

Post by pakarinen »


God willing and the river don't rise:

Mak.png
Mak.png (6.03 KiB) Viewed 17401 times
=============================================================================
I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
=============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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Re: 90mm Mak

#18

Post by jrkirkham »


I've always liked my 90 mak. It is built like a tank and offers good views of the solar system. It makes a nice companion for my 80 refractor. It is my camping scope and with my solar filter my sunspot scope.
Rob
Telescopes: 50mm refractor, ED80 triplet, 90mm makcass, 10" dob, 8"SCT, 11"SCT
Mounts: Celestron CGX, Orion Sirius + several camera tripods
Cameras: Canon 6D, Canon 80D, ZWO-ASI120MC
Binoculars: 10x50, 12x60, 15x70, 25-125x80
Observatory: SkyShed POD XL3 + 8x12 warm room
AL Projects Completed: Lunar #645, Outreach #0280, Universe Sampler #93-T, Binocular Messier #871, Messier #2521, Messier Honorary #2521, Constellation Hunter Northern Skies #112, Planetary Transit Venus #1, Galileo #26, Outreach Stellar 0280, Meteor Regular #157, Solar System Telescopic #209-I, Observer Award #1
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Re: 90mm Mak

#19

Post by Lady Fraktor »


I kept a C90 in my Jeep for many years just to have a spotting/ astro telescope handy.
Enjoy it when it arrives :)
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II/ Argo Navis, Stellarvue M2C/ Argo Navis
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Takahashi prism, TAL, Vixen flip mirror
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Re: 90mm Mak

#20

Post by Baurice »


I have the SW 127 Mak and think it is just great. I have it on an EQ3 mount.
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