( 3 reviews )
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jun 18 2009
Although I didn't purchase my CPC 1100 through Amazon.com, I wanted to add my two cents about this great scope. Like the first reviewer, I'm a visual observer only; don't have the time or inclination to mess about with cameras and laptops. I've also owned a few other SCTs over the years and really enjoy this type of telescope. First, it is a heavy telescope. The tube and fork assembly weighs 65 lbs. Make sure you can lift and maneuver something that heavy before ordering one! Although, the ergonomics of the carrying handles make lifting and handling the scope much easier than they would be otherwise. One feature I enjoy with this scope, and another computerized Celestron I used to own, is that unlike their main competitor--Meade--you don't have to do an initial motor calibration. With the Meade SCTs you have to "train the drive" before using the scope for the first time. That's a tedious procedure that must be done outside during daylight, in order to calibrate the motors and hand control. There's no such procedure with the CPC. The first time you set it up at night you're good to go! Now, I live in light-polluted Central Florida. This scope actually can show me some of the brighter deep-sky objects fairly well. Because it has a long focal ratio (f/10), with any given eyepiece you get a nice "close-up" view. This is especially nice when viewing the planets. My favorite objects to view with my CPC, however, are the magnificent globular clusters! Wait until you view M13 or M5 with a 24 or 26mm eyepiece! These objects alone make the telescope well worth it! I find the NexStar hand control menu very easy to navigate, once you practice with it. (And you'll be a "pro" at it your first couple of nights!) There are many nice features here as well: You can control the brightness of the red backlit keypad and display window. The scrolling display can be speeded up or slowed down. You can choose a particular constellation and let the scope show you a number of different objects located there. The "sky tour" feature is a fun way to sample various objects visible overhead. And there are other nifty features. Since I know most of the bright star names, I don't use the "Sky Align" three-star alignment set up. I use the "Auto Two-Star" alignment, which I find easy and quick. Also, you can set up the scope before full darkness and get it aligned if the Moon or bright planet is visible by using the "Solar System Align" method. Very easy! If you're looking for a large aperture scope that performs extremely well on all types of astronomical objects (and are fit enough to handle the 65 lbs!), the CPC 1100 is just what you need!
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Posted: Mar 13 2008
Scope was easy to set up and operate. Quality of scope was excellent. Works as avertised.
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( 14 of 14 found this review helpful ) Posted: Feb 8 2007
I bought this telescope primarily for visual use. I almost decided to get a smaller aperture. However, after seeing the telescope size and comments on it's handling, I decided it would be light enough for me to setup alone. The telescope tube and fork are pretty heavy. However, the ergonomics are very good such that lifting the tube isn't too bad (carried close to your body). I was seriously tempted by the Meade LX200R 10" and 12" scopes. In the end I decided the ergonomics on the Celestron were better and it was quite a bit cheaper (Celestron 11" was cheaper than Meade 10"). The fork mount is perfect for visual use since it can be setup very quickly. I suspect the Meades would be better for serious imaging if mounted on an equatorial mount. I was concerned about getting a telescope shipped to my home, but in the end it wasn't damaged in transport. I love the goto features of the scope. Using the handheld controller you can quickly find objects in the sky. I find the built in database quite good for visual objects. I quickly started using the Constellation view mode (view objects in a constellation) to reduce the amount of slewing across the sky. I find the auto-sky-align feature to work pretty well. This alignment mode is great since you don't need to know star names; just pick 3 bright stars. However, it is prone to occasionally fail alignment and 3 stars take more time than 2 stars. To eliminate the alignment failure and decrease the alignment time (2 stars only), I now primarily use auto-2-star align despite the fact you need to know the star names. The 10x50 finder scope is not terribly good but does the job. My focus knob is not as smooth in turning as some telescopes in the store. I notice this more as the scope is near the horizon. There is quite a bit of mirror shift when focusing but this is a Schmidt-Cassegrain characteristic. It took me some practice to obtain fine focus. I plan to order a feathertouch focuser to get finer control over the focus. My telescope was shipped with the GPS turned off. To turn it on you must go deep into the menus. I also discovered that you must set your scope to the proper daylight savings time setting or some stars will be out of range. The cord wrap feature sometimes annoys me. This feature tries to prevent wrapping the power cord. However, I usually watch for this problem anyhow and the cordwrap feature sometimes forces longer than necessary telescope slews. Cord wrap gets turned on automatically after every alignment. The tripod seems pretty heavy duty and comes with a nice heavy eyepiece tray. My tripod did not come with a leveling bubble. Placing the telescope fork on the tripod is pretty easy. Once you manage to grab the center guide pin with the fork, you simply need to rotate the base until the scope falls into the retention screw cutouts. Sometimes finding the center guide pin can take about 30 seconds but you get better with time. Optically the scope seems pretty good so far. You can see the Cassini division of Saturn and banding on Saturn and Jupiter. It took me a while to figure out collimation. I ordered a set of Bob's knobs and played with the collimation for a while to get the hang of it. I have tried to perform a star test and didn't get a perfect diffraction pattern on either side of focus. I believe there is possibly a slight downturned edge in the mirror from looking at the diffraction patterns. However, so far objects in the telescope look great and I am not an optical expert anyway. I have used the Neximage web cam for Lunar and planet images. The images turn out great. I have also tried some limited piggyback photography. All of my viewing and imaging so far has been from my backyard in a suburban light polluted area. I am able to see quite a few galaxies and nebula from my backyard. Celestron technical support is a bit slow in responding to inquiries through their web site. Overall, this is a great scope for visual use.
