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The new Celestron 8-inch Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph
Celestron last year introduced a fast f/2.2 11" RASA Astrograph, and this year follows that up with the new 8" f/2.0 RASA, a high performance Astrograph for $1699. (They are also making the larger 36mm / 14" RASA available to the public after filling initial institutional orders.) The 8" RASA is an exciting product for astro-imagers - basically a hyperstar system with a 22mm flat field imaging circle, expanding to 32mm. This means it will work for mirrorless APS-C cameras (adapters are available for Canon EOS-M and Sony Mirrorless cameras) but is optimized for astronomical cameras. (Full-frame imagers will want to step...
Meade LX85 - Portable Astrophotography Telescopes
Meade has had a gap in their product lineup the past few years of a portable and affordable computerized german equatorial mount. I'm happy to see the new LX85 not only fills in that gap, but includes some telescope options that finally provide an all-in-one astrophotography package! Meade has positioned the LX85 as a direct competitor to the Celestron Advanced VX. The LX85 mount by itself retails for $799 - $100 less than the similar Celestron Advanced VX mount. Comparing the specs of the two, it's easy to see the similarities. The LX85, being $100 cheaper, does make a few...
Introducing the Meade LX65
Meade has been quiet on the new product front for entry level computerized telescopes, but turns out they've been working away on something new: The LX65 series. January 2019 Update: We are beginning to get limited inventory of some models. Come into the store to check out the mount for yourself! These new mounts are clearly targeted directly at the Celestron NexStar SE series, with similar price points. What sets the LX65 apart is the dual-saddle configuration of this mount. Not only can you get an 8" Advanced Coma Free scope on this mount for $1199 - you can mount a second...