Celestron C8-CF (XLT) OTA

5.0 Great mid-sized SCT

Large aperture, good quality

Heavy in the back, needs better collimation screws

I have had this scope for about a year now, and have used it mainly for high-power lunar and planetary observing, as well as for astrophotography with an F6.3 focal reducer. The overall quality is good, and it is priced pretty well for a scope of this size.

They say carbon fiber has 1/4 of the thermal expansion of aluminum, so supposedly this helps to keep the scope close to focus during long exposures that take a few hours. Then again, you could get the aluminum tube version and just take shorter exposures and save some money. Or you could use something like RoboFocus hooked up to a computer so as to adjust focus automatically. Carbon fiber also seems like it would be a bit lighter than aluminum, but probably not by much.

It performs extremely well on the planets and moon. Just check the internet for webcam planetary photography using the little C8 and you will see some incredible shots.

Overall the quality is good, but you HAVE to buy a set of Bob's Knobs to replace the collimation screws on the secondary housing. A set of Bob's Knobs makes collimation a breeze. This is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED! Collimation is fairly easy to find, and has not really been a problem for me. If you transport the scope often, then check collimation often. Also, the mirror does shift a bit when changing focusing direction or moving the scope around. This could be a problem for cameras with small imaging chips, but it you have a camera with a large chip then it is not a worry.

Deep space photography is great with the focal reducer, but not recommended without it as the field of view would be very narrow with the scope at its native F10. Check the internet for many good sites that show how put an SCT to good use. These are great all-around scopes that provide great high-power planetary detail and great aperture for deep space viewing as well. SCTs really are good all-around scopes....if you can afford only 1 scope, an 8-inch SCT is a very good option to consider.