Celestron CR150-HD

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Celestron CR150-HD
Hi, CR150HD owners.
I have a few questions to any one who owns this scope. I'm planning on
purchasing this scope but, I'm still kinda ify about it. Were should I buy the
scope from? Who should I buy it from? I hear that there are some that have
metal dew caps & some have plastic. How can I get a really good one with out
worrying about bad optics or quality defects? How is the quality on this scope?
How does the scope perform on astrphotography? Do you guys recommend any other
scope under $1500.00 thats good for photography and has an apature over 4" with
really good optics? I would really be greatfull for anyones comments. Thanks

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Celestron CR150-HD
I noticed this place sells it for $799.
I purchased my C102 HD from them and had no problems.
Good luck.http://www.buytelescopes.com/default.asp

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Celestron CR150-HD
This is a rating based on two days and a comparison to my G5.
The first thing you notice about this scope is IT'S BIG. I also own a compact G5, the 5" SC tube on a smaller EQ mount. I leave the G5 set up all the time. I can just walk up to it, tuck my shoulder under the head and carry it outside all set up, ready to roll in minutes, although in cold weather it needs an hour to cool down. But still, it stays set up, weighs about 25 lbs. and fits through a doorway. The 150 is BIG. It won't fit through the door. It's heavy, 50 to 60 lbs., cant' carry this scope outside all set up. In fact it's a three piece operation. First the tripod and head. Then carry out the 22 lbs. of counterweight and screw that in. Then cradle the scope in both arms and take it outside and lock it into the mount.

The next thing you'll notice about this scope is that one of your most important accessories is an ensolite pad. I spent two nights this past weekend looking at Gemini. Monoceros, Cancer and Leo. These are all pretty high overhead right now and you need to get down on the ground under this scope to seesee. Until I can do something to raise the scope a foot or two, the pad will have to do since the ground is pretty cold and hard. A few objects allowed for sitting on a low step stool. Nothing was viewed standing up or sitting on a bar stool. Also, until I can get some weight attached to the eye end, the tube mounts have the eye end pushed very far away from the head to balance. So it's nearly impossible to reach the dials while keeping your eye to the scope. Details, but all these are common comforts of operating a scope like the G5, which is a nice little compact world with some beautiful views to boot. The 150 has provided me with some views in it's first two nights that have been outstanding. M37 and M46 have never appeared as so many stars before. And 2903 in Leo jumped right out. 16Cnc AB at 0.9" split very nicely. Castor and Algeiba seemed wide with two distinct points. And for the first time I saw the F component of the Trapezium. So initial viewing rates right up there. I agree the tripod is very shaky. The legs are the same as those on the mount for my G5, a much smaller and lighter set-up. The tension on the focus dial was too tight. After the first night I loosened up the 4 small screws on the tension spring cover under the focus dial. Greatly improved, smoother and less effort the next night. The whole head assembly seems to operate pretty smoothly, and I'm not so adventurous as to take the whole head apart as I've seen on astronomyboy.com. But eventually I will need to do something about those legs. Beautiful views. Shaky legs. Big Scope. Makes you get down to the earth.

Overall Rating: 8
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Celestron CR150-HD
Well after receiving the CR150-HD the clouds finally cleared I got a chance to use the scope. First of all the tripod when fully extended is very flimsy and substandard it reeks of the word "cheap". The mount is ok but the OTA pushes it to the limit. This platform is not one to take photos with or look at anything with high power. All the noise about the tripod and mount being to light are true. Wooden legs would be a great improvment and add at least a foot to the height of the tripod. Ok now the optics being compared to a reflector there is colour and lots of it around bright objects. This I expected. It does not handle power very well either seems to crumble around 250x. If you want a big refractor for the purpose of having a big refractor its ok. If you want a good image Id recomend a good quality dob, sct or a newt on a german equitoral mount. You can buy a 10" dob or 10" EQ newtonian that would present a superior image and easly outclass the 6" for less money than the CR-150HD
costs.

Overall Rating: 2
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Celestron CR150-HD
To the above:
It seems you've got a Junk sample. I'm very happy with my sample, aprox. 1/6 undercorrection. I've seen 6 to 8 bands on Jupiter with the GRS very sharp, subtle colored, at 380X before the image breakdown, with Saturn, the bands easily colored, the rings sharp and crisp, with the cassini division always visible, even at crazy powers like 666X (3.6 plossl and 2X ultima barlow). The more pleasing magnification was around 300X. With Mars, I can't believe the details I see every night. 3 night ago, I saw the rock solid image at 480X under Santiago's steady seeing (near "Los Andes" montains), with Hellas,Iapygia, Syrtis Major, Aeria, Utopia and Elysium clear and sharp. The secret is in the Diagonal. I remplace the prism supplied with the BRANDON Quartz, 99% coating, 1/20 wave PTV. I use taller and heavier wooden legs rather than the aluminum supplied, the Dual Axis drive and like others, I'm waiting buy the Chromacor, for improve the color performance, but I never seen tons of color in my sample, I'm lucky!. It's strongly recomended to use 5 or 7.5 mm. Tak LE, 3 to 5 mm. Radians or 3.6 or 5.5 Easyview EPs for deluxe Diagonal complement. All the above plus the Chromacor and you're going to vote a solid 10.
J. Campos
CHILE

Overall Rating: 10
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Celestron CR150-HD
I now have had the new style Celestron CR150HD for about a month. First, I have owned the Skywatcher 150 earlier but this new 150 has the adjustable cell, well this does make a real difference IMO on being able to tweak the optical path. I replaced the stock diagonal with an Intes 2" one and wow! This was worth every penny, detail, contrast, no astigmatizims found just pure performance. We all know the mount is OK but throw away the stock tripod legs and go fer the wood or pier and your all set. Once you tweak the optics this scope performs extreamly well, detail on Jupiter and Saturn was just outstanding and on the first week out I had the rare chance to observe a lunar transit on Jupiter during twilight that was just unreal, you could easily see the moons disk above the planets surface and the shadow cast was a sharp dot on the surface with 6 to 7 bands seen. I have only seen that kind of detail before on a MN56 but I was able to get more power out of the 150 and resolve the detail more easilly at the higher powers. Yes it does have false color but its a blueish cast, the purple just is not there. On doubles it great, the pair in Gemini and in Bootes are split easilly. It likes being barlowed and on the moon one night just for kicks I placed a Tak 7.5LE and a 5X powermate in its way and it focused well at this insane power plus it was clear. I would not recomend this but it easily goes up around 450X when you have steady seeing. On deep sky its very good and easilly resoves globualer star clusters with nice detail. I really don't feel the need to add a cromacor to this scope because for an $800 scope that performs this well and once you stop it down to 112 mm with the lens cap, it has no color detected at all, really no need to spend $700 more at this time, I'd reather spend that $700 on a portable smaller refractor for easy traveling and have a little more versatility. I would recomend this scope in a hart beat, it cools down fast, tack sharp views, very slight false color for an achromat and excellent contrast . I give the ota a 10 but I don't want to rate the mount in this report.

Overall Rating: 10
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Celestron CR150-HD
A Challenge...

I and another MK-67 afficionado both recently split Zeta Cancri (separation .83 arc-seconds) at 300X with our Maksutov Cassegrains (under 8/10 stability conditions). If the CR-150 HD can accomplish this, then I (and probably many others) will begin to take this scope seriously. Until then, it's too easy for many of us who have not used the scope personally to believe that we are reading "new owner hype" here and elsewhere.

Keep in mind that I was not immune from new owner hype myself - until the 150MCT actually delivered by cleanly splitting this ultra-demanding double star...

- One who burns with optical fervour

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Celestron CR150-HD
In reference to my comments of 3/26/2001;

Notes from my star log
Sun Mar 25, 2001
For the first time I saw the F component of the trapezium.
(drew a sketch)
E came in constant view, F faded in and out.
7.5 Ultima=160x

Scoped Beehive to get a start point for 16 Cnc.
Powered up to 7.5x2 to try and split A-B.
Still close together, not fully split.
Leading stars are very close double, following is single.
Did not look for D 280" away.
7.5 Ultima with 2x Ultima barlow = 320x

Wed. Mar. 28, 2001
8:30 pm. clear and cold
16Cnc
At 7.5m 160x I could easily see AB-C probably 5-10",
but could not see AB split.
5m (Ultima) 240x AB elongated, but too small to see.
9.7x2 (SP4000) 247x AB is elongated like a figure eight.
7.5x2 320x I could see A-B but they touch.
9.7x3 371x (I put the barlow in front of the diagonal)
A-B splits with black space between them.
5mx2 480x I could see the split, A-B no longer touch.

Other object of note that night was 3384.
w/18m (SWA) @ 60'fov could get both M96 and M95 in same fov.
Moved further north to find M105 and was surprised to see two objects.
The other was north following, that means it was 3384.

Very nice views tonight all seated on ensolite pad.

This night was a 10.
Since I previously rated scope, comments only. edz.

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Celestron CR150-HD
The best buy for only $799. Thes best planetary images I've ever seen.

Overall Rating: 10
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Celestron CR150-HD
Have had this scope for about four weeks. While it is a great scope for the money, the aluminum tripod legs are simply just too light to provide a stable platform to make maximum use of the good optics. I have built a very utilitarian tripod from 1.25" x 1.25" x 4' pine and used a 1' x 1/8" x 3' sheet steel as a brace. It is relatively easy to construct and the total material cost less than $20.00. I'd recommend that you have access to a drill press as I used bolts to hold the legs together as I simply do not trust a handscrew to hold the legs together. I have found that while the new tripod legs make the scope much more stable, their is still considerable twist in the CG5 mount--it's simply too small for the 18 pound OTA. If anyone wants details on how to build, I'd be glad to provide them for you.

Have viewed Jupiter and Saturn as well as a number of double stars. Jupiter does display a purple-violet corona. It is greatly reduced with a # 8 yellow filter and eliminated with a #15 deep yellow (I prefer the # 8). I have observed great detail viewing Jupiter; have observed 7 bands with detail in the EQ belts. The moon shadows on the ball of the planet are sharp & dark & the contrast is very good. Saturn displays no false color and is a beautiful sight. Cassini's division is sharp and black and I have detected a darkened EQ belt. I would have to agree with other owners that images seem to breakdown at higher magnifications (excess of 200x), however the seeing in my area is seldom good enough to make use of higher magnifications. As a result, I cannot tell how well the scope can do at 200x + yet.

Summary: The CR-150-HD is not an APO, but like a Minnesota vacation "it's pretty darn nice"!

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Celestron CR150-HD
I already commented on the optics of the CR150HD but would like to add some extra advise. Resently I purshased a HD tripod from Universal Astronomics for the CG5, this is the single most improvement for this scope/mount combo you can make. You may also decide on a pier but my need went with the tripod, shake down test is a little over 1 second amd its like a rock, I have a total of 22lbs on this mount now and its very stable. The second is adding one of the better 2" diagonals, I opted to go with the Intes and this is again one of the more striking improvements in detail, contrast, and just a plain optical improvement over the stock diagonal. With both these improvements your back to the price of the scope when they first came out but its light years ahead as far as being a real decent scope for all around use. Plus the newer scopes with the adjustable lenses are really a total improvement optically, they star test better and produce excellent detail on all objects observed. I owned one of the earlier ones and I felt it was good but the new ones are better. Good Luck with whatever you deside. Refractor heaven forb around $1200 is not bad at all.

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Celestron CR150-HD
Just received mine. The dew sheild was bent a tiny bit in transit. Due to weather I havn't been able to check out the performance. I am curious as to what was meant by the statement in the last comment about adjustable lenses. Are you refering to having collimation screw access? Or am I missing out on something?
Dave

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Celestron CR150-HD
I am very pleased with this scope. I bought the optical tube assembly and put it on a Vixen GP mount. The optics are great except for some mild spherical abberation. The small amount of false colour is not worth worrying about. Great scope for double star observing - cleany split eta Hydrae and the components of nu Scorpii. Great views of the moon and planets. Would buy it again without hesitation.

Overall Rating: 8
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Celestron CR150-HD
I have owned this telescope for about 1-month now and have had a lot of fun with it. First of all, the optics are very good. There is some chromatic aberration around very bright stars but it is not that bad. The moon only has a hint of it. The telescope focuses stars down to pinpoints and it split the double double in Lyra at 125x with a nice diffraction ring around each star. A beautiful sight. Mars looked nice as well but the features were difficult to see due to current dust storm. I also saw 4-craterlets in Plato on the moon on a night of average seeing. Like I said previously, the optics on this scope are very good. Also, the focuser is solid and works well. The equatorial head is solid and works well with motor drives attached. The tripod is a bit flimsy for a scope of this size and vibration can be a problem, especially without the motor drives. You either need to use the motor drives with this scope or reinforce the tripod legs. I would have given this telescope a 10 but am rating it a 9 due to the lightweight tripod. This telescope is well worth the money for anyone looking for a large aperature refractor at a reasonable price.

Overall Rating: 9
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Celestron CR150-HD
What can i add ?
I have mounted the tube on a vixen GP that works very well with this tube.
The optic show purple on 1-2 magnitude stars. So we can t use it for
stars. Difraction rings are very concentrics.
Mars is too low to be able to have a definitive point of view but some
shaps are visible on it. On Jupiter you can show purple at X120 but it s OK.
At X150 jupiter is very nice with not too much chromatism problems.
On Saturn no chromatism problems and the view is so beautifull :))))
I think the real good point of the optic is on DSO. I have seen M31 or M57
more beautifull than in 8" scopes (newtonian or SC). M20 is wonderfull... you
can see stars in the nebula.
If the optic is better than SC or newtonian reflectors about the contrast. My
vixen 80ED apo refractor is far better than the 150 achromatic refractor but my little apo can t collect as much light than the 150 achromatic. So i will use
very often this big refractor for DSO.

Feel free to contact me : William.Guyot@univ-bpclermont.fr
Sorry for my english ;-)

Overall Rating: 8
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Celestron CR150-HD
G,day guys, you have all inspired me with your comments, apart from this site, I have got a lot a lot of good reviews, everywhere about the CR 150 HD, I used to own a 10" Meade in Australia, before I moved here and that was great.
But the thing is, due to me not being able to work here for 11 months, I couldnt afford to replace it with such a luxury, but after checking around and now working again, I found a product that could be upgraded for minimal cost , I looked at all the options and I hope that its as good as you all say it is, obviously there are downfalls with the tripod.

But I have a list of things to minimise this for serious use and apart from assembling my scope for the first time today, is to either insert hardwood inside the tripod aluminium legs or slide steel tubing and bond them and also to retrofit the 1/14 diagonal with a 2" diagonal and some decent 2" eyepieces.
With a scope of this size, that will make an outside world of difference.

As I havent used mine yet, would be interested in your comments, especially from people living in Michigan, where I know live.

The northern skies are new to me

Regards
Terry
Hancock

You can also email me at hurry1@chartermi.net

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Celestron CR150-HD
I bought the CR-150 version called skywatcher from OMCON. Impressive scope for the money, and I am using an EQ-3 mount with the aluminum legs that seem to be unstable with this scope. Anyway, the scope is great for all round use, and it is nice to be able to acquire a relatively inexpensive 6" refractor setup. The only annoyance with the OTA is the top heaviness of the scope. I have a suggestion to eliminate this problem. I attached a "Waste metal" zinc weight to the lower part of the dovetail plate. THe waste metal costs around 22 dollars from any marine shop. The weight I used was a 5 pounder and it move the OTA up 6 inches! The scope is now easily balance and easier to use. Also, the change in balance position of the OTA allows me to lower the height of the tripod creating a more stable image through the view finder. Proping up the scope on cinder blocks and lowering the tripod legs also seems to stabilize the images, particularly during astrophotography. The scope is a nice one for the money, but Sorry, I cannot do anything for purple halos.

Overall Rating: 8
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Celestron CR150-HD
This telescope is outstanding for the money. I bought this scope in july 2001 and have enjoyed brilliant images since then. The optics are top notch for an f8 achromat and the views of the moon,saturn and jupiter are, well lets say.....AMAZING!! The scope shows up deep sky objects really well to, the low power views of the double cluster are breathtaking. The only bad point about the scope is the mount, its fairly wobbly and a bit to small for a scope of its size.
But apart from that this scope is one of the best scopes around, and if you really want a scope that will keep you hooked on astronomy, my advice is GET THIS SCOPE!!!!!.

Overall Rating: 9
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Celestron CR150-HD
The celestron CR-150 HD is a very nice scope. The only negative is the tripod. For those on tight budgets, an economical tripod to use with this scope could be a surveyor's tripod. They are sturdy, stable, and the tripods can easily achieve heights of 63 inches or more. Worth looking into. The average price is 65.00. They are also attractive. Some surveyor tripods are made of aluminum, while yet others are made from fiberglass and wood. They weigh around 10 pounds. I bought one for my scope and there is very little damping and vibration on solid concrete surfaces. The hooks also allow the tripod to be mounted into the ground for extra stability. It takes some ingnituity to set the tripod up for your mount, but the CG-5 mounts slip easily into the transit hole as a perfect fit. Anyway, it's just a thought I'd share. The scope looks great on the tripod.

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Celestron CR150-HD
Well, when someone commented that viewing Jupiter they could see several AND and the red spot with this scope, I thought HA! With a 6" scope? Hmm! So, my curiousity got the better of me and I found a used CR-150 with with mount, clock motors and tripod for under $500. I wanted to see what a refractor could do for me and considering my initial cost, why not? I've just come in from my backyard after viewing the Great Nebula in Orion, Pleides, Saturn and Jupiter.
Here in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, I saw for the first time SEVERAL BANDS ON JUPITER and 4 of its moons. I've collimated my 8" SkyQuest and could not usually see more than 2 bands at any time using a Tak LE 5mm. I put the Tak on the CR-150 and I stopped breathing! So Bright and Clear. Yeah, so I got a Blue ring around Jupiter... Big Deal! I'll be picky when I can afford a $5000 APO but in the meantime GET ONE FOR YOURSELF! Very impressive! Inexpensive even priced as new. Very clear views and easily outperformed my 8" scope. Next, a nice wooden tripod for stability a 2" diagonal.

Overall Rating: 10
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