Comments on: Celestron CGEM Review- Part 2

By: De Lorme

De Lorme — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 03:59:58 +0000

Has anybody tried the CGEM with Celestrons 6″ refractor?
Thanks De Lorme

By: Jon

Jon — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:34:16 +0000

How does the Celestron CGEM mount compare to:

Losmandy G-8 (probably

Losmandy G-11

By: Ahmed

Ahmed — Tue, 11 May 2010 01:31:46 +0000

Hi, Thanks for your useful review.
we own a meade LX200R 12″, but its not that impressing in visual observing, which is my job all the time. So I want to upgrade. how would it be if I mount the Tak 150 TOA on CGEM?
I was searching for a comparison between Celestron C14 and Takahashi new TOA 150, since I’m in a semi light polluted City, my purpose is to search for the most amazing observing Scope, most of my work will be transferring Image live to TV, and visual observing.

which one of them could give more “WOW” “Eh” words from your point of view.
I’ll be most likely observing Saturn, Jupiter,Lunar, and most famous bright Clusters and Galaxies to show our customers.

By: Jeff Turner

Jeff Turner — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:38:04 +0000

Bruce,

Report back on the 9.25″ and ParSac I have great interest in both! I am curious for some feedback on them. IF the 9.25″ had been available earlier that was my first choice for OTA!

Regards,

Jeff Turner
http://www.daltonskygazer.com

By: Ray Shore

Ray Shore — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:35:08 +0000

Hello Bruce,

Quite a nice array of gear! Congrats on getting the CGEM and EdgeHD. One thing you’ll find with the CGEM mount is that you can switch the pin on the mount so that two legs face the north.

Let us know how that Orion Parsec 8300C works out.

Thanks,
Ray Shore

By: Bruce Jastrow

Bruce Jastrow — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:19:11 +0000

I like your review, my CGEM and 9.25 EdgeHD are on order through OPT and should arrive the end of this month (with luck), I also order the Orion Parsec 8300C Astronomical Imaging CCD Camera and that should arrive as well. I own an Orion Atlas and it is a very sound mount. My reasons for ordering the CGEM were the new features and having multiple mounts for 3 refractors and 2 SCT’s. As far as comparison: the tripod on the Atlas has the mount attach to face north (two legs south) and the tripod on the CGEM has the mount face south (one leg face north). Something to consider for star parties. The Atlas has the Vixen style mount (though an adapter can be purchased) and the CGEM has a Losmandy style mount (or I could have this reversed), anyway it is a consideration if you have other OTA’s.

By: Ray Shore

Ray Shore — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:41:38 +0000

Hi Frank,

Congrats on ordering a CGEM! I am very pleased with mine so far. Are you planning to do some Fastar imaging? Would be interested in seeing the results. Interesting observatory dome. I’d like to see how that turns out.

Thanks,
Ray Shore

By: Frank Skeen

Frank Skeen — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:52:07 +0000

I have the CGEM on the way from a dealer in California. This will be my first eg mount, as I have had several Celestron fork mount scopes the biggest being a Nexstar11.Your review helped me settle an issue I had on the money side of my dream scope.
Although I would have loved a C14, along with that scope you need at least a CGE mount or better,big money for me.So I recalled the C11 I had sold a while back(I miss IT) and I decided on a Nexstar C11 carbon fiber with fastar on the Cgem mount. From what you have posted and other reviews,unless I will be dealing with stiff winds or a multitude of heavy attachments to this scope mount setup, the system as purchased should do just fine. I have to remind myself of just what I was capable of doing after I sold my C11, now working with an old Celestar-8 with a Pentax DSLR. I have dozens of photos I was real proud to show around that were quite good,some better than good, with a shaky system that only settles out when you not only keep you hands off it but stand back a few feet using a remote shutter release. Those result should be dupilacted with ease with this new setup and expanded upon, I cant wait.
I have started a homemade observatory in my yard to house this unit, the dome being an 11 foot fiberglass satelite dish that was given to me. Its big a fairly deep, may work we’ll see.
Thanks Ray
Frank fs.gilbert@yahoo.com

By: Ray Shore

Ray Shore — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:13:42 +0000

Robert,

No experience with Fastar here, but the numbers turn out good. With a Canon 450D, it would give you 2.2 arc seconds/pixel which is an ideal sampling rate. Also, you will have a wide arc minute field of 162 x 108 which will frame most of the Messier Objects. So the numbers sound good but I’m not sure how the central obstruction (DSLR) will affect imaging. I saw some photos somewhere using the Fastar with the EdgeHD and they looked good.

Ray

By: Spliney

Spliney — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:51:11 +0000

Thanks for your reply Ray. These new Edge HD’s have Fastar capability. Any ideas how that will perform with a DSLR?
TIA, Robert