"Graham Shepherd" wrote in message
...
Opinions invited,

Those of you who have been able to compare, given the choice between a
little Meade ( ETX variety ) and a Celestron Nextar 5" , who thinks
which is the best buy, and why.

Replies very welcome
For a review of the original units when they first appeared, have a look at:
http://www.weasner.com/etx/etx-nexstar-2.html
Most of the faults mentioned have been fixed (motors on the latter Celestron
models are a lot quieter). The latter '5i' model was a vast improvement, and
the tracking on this beats the Meade (it is smooth, quiet, and very
accurate). The early Meades proved to be very weak, and latter units now
have the tube pivot rebuilt in aluminium, improving the accuracy, and
ruggedness of the assembly.
The Celestron 'feels' more solid.
Assuming then, that you compare the 5i, with the ETX125 (the smaller units,
will not match the performance of either of these).
There is a significant difference in the nature of the optics. Both are
good. The Meade is based on a Maksutov design, giving it a slightly smaller
central obstruction, and longer focal length. This helps it's performance on
planetary objects, but the resulting FOV, is a little smaller than on the
Celestron. The Celestron is more like a 'baby' version of a normal SCT.
Both are fabulous 'grab and go' scopes.
The built in 'flip mirror' on the ETX, is potentially a useful way of using
the scope for photography, but unfortunately, the fork mount is so small,
that very little of the sky can then be used. On the Celestron, you have to
attach the camera as on a normal SCT, and this does allow the clearance to
operate over more of the sky, but leaves you with the problem of how to aim
the unit.
The tripods on both original units, were crap. The tubular tripod with the
5i, is a much better unit. The Meade 'deluxe field tripod', is the
equivalent.
The Meade handcontroller, is easier to use, and the software in this is
updateable from the web.
The Celestron has a guide port, without needing any other components.
Realistically, there is not much in it. The Celestron, has a fraction more
space, when attaching accessories, and will give slightly wider views on
deep sky objects. The Meade is slightly better for planetary objects. The
5i, probably just has the edge in terms of tracking accuracy. Given you
compare a complete 'package', with the heavier tripod, and scope, you really
might as well chose the cheaper....

Best Wishes