Meade LX-90 8"


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Brand and Model:Meade LX-90 8"
Price ($USD):$1695.00
Type:Schmidt-Cassegrain
Attributes: checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:203mm (8")
f Ratio:f/10
Focal Length:2000mm
Finder:8X50
Electric Power:8C/12V DC/115V AC
Mount:Fork/Alt-Az
Tripod:Variable Height
Weight (lbs):50 lbs.
Dimensions (w/h/d):
Description:The Meade 8" LX90 is the first full-capability, computer-controlled 8" Schmidt- Cassegrain ever offered in its price range. The LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain is not only a high-resolution visual observing instrument but also is fully qualified for the more advanced areas of astronomy, including long-exposure CCD-imaging and astrophotography.

Specifications: 8" Model LX90 — Each complete telescope includes 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube assembly (D = 203mm, F = 2000mm f/10) with MgF2 coatings on the correcting lens and standard aluminum coatings on the primary and secondary mirrors (Ultra-High Transmission Coatings, available optionally); double-tine fork mount with ball bearings on both axes and with dual-axis 4.9" worm gears; electronic control panel; electric slow-motion controls on both axes; setting circles in RA and Dec.; Autostar hand controller with digital readout display, 9-speed drive controls on both axes, and GO TO controller; 30,223-object onboard celestial software library; internal battery port accepts 8 (user-supplied) C-cells (optional 25 ft. cords permit powering from either 12v DC auto cigarette lighter plug or from 115vAC home outlet); 8 x 50mm viewfinder; 1.25" diagonal prism; Series 4000 Super Plössl 26mm eyepiece; variable-height standard field tripod; operating instructions.


Meade's LX-90 Page
Cloudy Night's Review

Vote Highlights Vote
Meade LX-90 8"
I'm no expert. Prior to 2001 all I had was a Celestron 80mm rich field refractor that I used to view bright solar system objects and a few deep sky objects. Frustrated, I purchased an ETX-125 to-go scope that changed my view on astronomy. I know there are pros & cons to this and I refuse to argue the point, but will say this, it kept my intrest up. I went where no man (me) has gone before. Sorry ladies, I'm not politically correct. I did have trouble with the 125 so when it came time to boost aperture I was skeptical of the LX-90. I have never owned anything that I didn't expect some kind of trouble with, so I made the plunge. Yes I had trouble, twice in fact with the hand control. Meade sent me the part until it was corrected. The brains of the scope are located in the hand control not in the scope like my 10" GPS. This is good and bad. Don't drop it! On the other hand you can purchase a spare and keep it on hand.
1st light was may 2001, I picked Saturn and all we could say was WOW. None of us had ever looked through anything this large of an aperture. After the end of the evening (IMHO) it felt like a new door had opened to the night sky. I wont dazzle anybody with star tests because I don't know how to do them! I'm still a rookie. But we did a side by side with the LX vs the ETX and the little Mak won out on tight even doubles, sharpness, and the background was blacker. But doubles with dim partners, globulars, planets and especilly nebulae received the WOW effect. I sold the ETX which, with all the extras I bought for it, had ended up costing about the same as the LX-90. Something to think about when looking at any telescope purchase. I think this scope is a great scope for anybody looking for a mid-range aperture. Here are my pros & cons in order of most important to least (remember I only have a few years under my belt)
1. A large enough aperture to keep your interest up.
2. Good optics-not great but very good.
3. Light weight OTA for the size.
4. Great price for a fairly complete setup.
5. super steady tripod.
6. Fairly accurate pointing (better than my buddies nextstar).
7. Nice to-go features with PEC, high precision and search features.
8. Large enough to piggyback a small high end refractor.
9. Fairly quiet motors.
10. Internal battery holder and 12vdc external capability.

On the down side:
1. Stiff focus with a bit of backlash and image shift.
2. Difficult to land on tripod.
3. Declination knob is not near as sturdy as old LX-200s.
4. Plastic dust front dust cover.
5. Poorly designed control panel. (needs an adaptor from Meade for CCD work).
6. Needs an adaptor plate to polar mount scope.(pain in the).
7. Junk RA setting circle.
8. No place for the hand control (possibly resolved by now).
9. No place to use a field level on (I want a level scope. get one of those tripod plates from peterson).
10. Poor diagonal O-WELL what do you expect!
All in all I think that this is a GREAT scope for someone on a budget and who dosen't plan to purchase another SCT for long term astrophotography or CCD imaging. I did use it with a STV during the 2001 year on a regular basis with no problems at all. The only items I added were a 90* spotter, dew shield, counter weights and a dovetail plate to run a ETX-90 OTA piggyback. I also changed the focuser(on all my SCTs) with a kit from peterson corp. Like I said I have little experence with High end scopes but I own a Meade 7" Mak and a 10" GPS. If I had it to do all over I would probabaly skip out on the LX-90 only because 7" is so close with better optics and I use the 10" 90% of the time because of the aperture. The 7 & 10 are both heavy but I do not have trouble with them. To be honest, the LX-90 stays in a backpack ready for excursions where the 7 & 10 are not applicable. Still, I think this is a great scope for the price alone. The last thing I want to discuss is the GPS thing. If your looking for strictly visual scope, dont get hung up on GPS. I can get my LX-90 up just as fast as the GPS scope. All you need if a handheld unit for the data and a level. I wont give an overall vote because it really depends on the individual requirements dosen't it?

Overall Rating: No Vote
Optics:7 Mount:8 Ease of Use:6 Value:9
Weight: 12 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=178041


Meade LX-90 8"
Owned my LX-90 for several months now and am extremely happy with its performance. I agree with the positive comments of previous posts. After collimation optics are excellent-sharpness of image better than dobs I've seen at star parties. Much better that Nexstar series scopes I have compared with, especially Autostar and electronics. I had problems with an ETX-70 and ETX-125 I owned previously, but the LX-90 is far superior in every way to these, especially in quality control ans stability. A friend has an Ultima 2000 that does not track as well as my LX-90 and is not as good at locating objects with the Nexstar system. Just be sure you take the time to align the scope properly and train it if needed.

This scope has greatly enhanced my enjoyment of astronomy in ways I never thought possible. Just the fact that most of my time is now spent observing and not hunting and wondering what it is I've found makes this scope worth the price. I predict the whole field of amateur astronomy will grow in leaps and bounds because of instruments like the LX-90.

Don't hesitate-buy it!

Dirk
dlrph@juno.com

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Mount:9 Ease of Use:9 Value:9
Weight: 11 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=53856


Meade LX-90 8"
Optics are really good not great, the goto is almost perfect! the mount is rock solid, the tracking is flawless. highly recommended!

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Mount:10 Ease of Use:9 Value:9
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=109133


Meade LX-90 8"
I love this scope! Set up ease of use could be improved with more descriptive
manual. But after 1.5 hours in the dark it operates like a charm. GOTO places objects in field of view
every time. Optics extremely clear. Tracking is perfect and the motor is barely audible. The mount is very stable with
few to any jitters seen. Spending much more time viewing!

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Mount:9 Ease of Use:8 Value:9
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=73473


Meade LX-90 8"
Very happy with value. I know I will spend as much on EP's etc, so saving on a great OTA is a perfect first step to this extraordinary scope. Best thing I like is portability. I am USING this scope anywhere, anytime. It is light enough to load and hand port to the yard, offsite, or any location - BY MYSELF! I can put it away fast and easy from goobery hands, and the burden for doing that does not take away from the fun of getting it out again. Fast setup and solid pod make this a #10 keeper. Better scopes out there? Sure. I have kids to feed and a marriage to keep. My wife is OK with a couple grand. It really is a value when you consider that if one is not happy with an "all-around" scope, he/she will have to take that purchase in the shorts, or loss for resale and start all over. I'm done. That goes for looking/shopping, and this review.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=65369


Meade LX-90 8"
Easy to use and setup. Great quality and optics. Gave the mount an 8 because the aux. power plug rotates with the mount-a pain. Would buy this scope again in a heart beat. This is my third scope, the first was an ETX-125. The 8" SCT provides additional brightnes and resolution over the ETX-125 (which is also a fine scope).

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:8 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=303442


Meade LX-90 8"
I've had my LX-90 for two months. I also have an Orion 102 Mak(which is a good little scope). I got the LX during the current sale for $1495 and am very happy with it. Budget was a big consideration and I have to say this is a great scope, especislly at that price. The mount is very good. Totally stable on my stone patio. The GO TO has been very good. I am a novice, but as I have learned how to use it, training myself and the scope, it has become very accurate and all it claims to be. Precise leveling really helps as well as accurate time input. At first it seemed disappointing, not even getting the star in the field of view. However as I read up on the reviews in S & T and on the web I learned to be more careful. Since then every request has been dead on and the tracking is great. The longest so far about 45 mins. I recently replaced the 1.25 in. diagonal with a 2inch mirror type from Parks(not the best but very good and less$$). That made a dramatic improvement and is the only basic upgrade I would recommend. I would not hesitate to recommend this scope especially at the sale price. I compared for a long time to the Celestron equivalent and finally decided that the features of the Meade made up for any optical edge the Celestron might have. I spend my time viewing not searching now. Good job Meade!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:9 Mount:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=136292


Meade LX-90 8"
We love our LX90. Seen things we never thought possible with a scope this size and in a light polluted area no less. Just the right size to transport around.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=130808


Meade LX-90 8"
Much more stable mount, and far better tracking then the NexStar 8. I've owned both!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:9 Mount:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=100921


Meade LX-90 8"
The lx90 i have is great, optics are superb , the mount is solid and the goto is really accurate. I highly reccommend this scope.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:10 Ease of Use:9 Value:10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=68172

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