Meade LX200 12"


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Brand and Model:Meade LX200 12"
Price ($USD):$2995.00
Type:Schmidt-Cassegrain
Attributes: checked Go-To checked PEC
Aperture:305mm (12")
f Ratio:f/10
Focal Length:3048mm
Finder:8x50
Electric Power:8C/12V DC/120V AC
Mount:Fork Equatorial
Tripod:giant field tripod
Weight (lbs):120 lbs.
Dimensions (w/h/d):
Description:The large light-collecting aperture of the Meade 12" LX200GPS gathers 44% more light than Meade 10" models and 125% more light than 8" models. The result is a level of resolution and image brightness that satisfy the advanced requirements of the serious amateur, as well as those of many school or college research programs.

Specifications: 12" Model LX200GPS—Includes 12" Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube assembly (D = 305mm, F = 3048mm, 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); primary mirror lock; 4-speed Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser; heavy-duty fork mount, with 4"-diameter polar ball bearing, dual-axis 5.75" worm gears, and 7-port multi-function control panel, including two RS-232 serial interface ports; manual and electric slow-motion controls on both axes; setting circles in RA and Dec; Autostar II control system with 3.5-Megabyte flash memory, digital readout display, permanently-programmable Smart Drive and 185-speed drive controls on both axes, High-Precision Pointing, and 145,000-object onboard celestial software library; GPS alignment system with 16-channel GPS receiver, magnetic declination compensation, and true-level and North electronic sensors; 12v DC telescope power supplied from internal battery compartments accepting 8 (user-supplied) C-cells (optional 25 ft. cords are available for powering from auto cigarette lighter plug or from 115v AC); 8x50mm viewfinder; 2" diagonal mirror with 1.25" adapter; Series 4000 Super Plössl 26mm eyepiece; variable-height giant field tripod; operating instructions.


Meade's LX Series Page
Cloudy Night's Review

Vote Highlights Vote
Meade LX200 12"
Great versatile scope for the money. Large aperture, fine for both planetary and deepsky. Very stable GOTO mount with superb accuracy for CCD imaging and general astrophotographic use. Only drawback is weight. One person can handle it but he'd better work out regularly!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:9 Mount:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 15 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=80856


Meade LX200 12"
Great telescope for advanced atronomer.

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=128497


Meade LX200 12"
In my 12" star test are as good as a SCT can be. These aren't refractors, but the images are incredible and this thing gobbles up the light. Flawless performance in GOTO mode. I have not had a single mechanical problem with electronics or motors. Only drawback is that the mirror is very heavy and will eventually get a little sloppy (mirror shift) as it rides on a large spring. This is common in SCT's. However, there is a very simple fix for this that you can do yourself or buy a kit. After I made this modification it works better than new. Great scope. Buy one if you can and you won't be disappointed.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38125


Meade LX200 12"
You have got to use one to appreciate the greAT COMBANATION OF OPTICS AND MOUNT!!!!!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=120377


Meade LX200 12"
Great scope. Best mechanical SCT in this size range. Optics superb. BIG!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38123


Meade LX200 12"
Absolutely love my 12" Meade. Wouldn't trade accept for maybe a 16" Meade!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38122


Meade LX200 12"
I could expound on a lot of the above comments. My opinion is that this is best SCT in it's price range you can buy. Optics 10. Mechanics 10. Goto 10. Only downside is the fork arm design but it in no way hinders usage. Great scope. Buy one if you can.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38121


Meade LX200 12"
I love my 12" Meade and have had no problems. About the only bad thing is fork mount should have been designed better. Other than that it is a very good telescop.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38119


Meade LX200 12"
Awesome scope. Great value for money and none of the above mentioned problems have been experienced by me.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38118


Meade LX200 12"
I've been using a friend's 12" LX200 extensively for a month or so now and overall it's OK, nice but not superb. Once we collimated the scope (it was way off), the optics turned out to be pretty good with nice contrast. Although I will say that I've used smaller Newts and refractors where the stars "snap" into focus better. Double star performance is good but somewhat higher magnifications are needed to get a clean split than with my 8" Newt. Haven't had a chance to test it on planets, but based on its double star performance I don't think it'll be as sharp as my Newt in which I can clearly see the Cassini Division on Saturn at only 55x.

It's permanently mounted in an observatory so I'm not sure about cooldown time. The giant field tripod seems solid and very stable, although we get vibrations because it's sitting up on a platform in the observatory. Perhaps those vibration dampeners would help....

We were very disappointed with the keypad controller which has a major problem with excessive heat and behaves very strangely in hot ambient temperatures. If we keep a fan blowing on it then it's OK, but otherwise it can go berserk and lose polar alignment along with all GOTO capability! Also, the stock location for the finderscope causes it to rub against the forks which throws both the finderscope and GOTO off. Finally, the tube is too long to rotate completely between the forks. Poor design in these regards...

Also, the 8x50 finder is wholly inadequate with poor optics and short eye relief. We replaced it with a Takahashi 11x70: worlds apart. The included eyepieces are OK but should quickly be replaced with premium eyepieces to get the most out of this scope.

For $4000 you can't expect a world-class 12" scope. Overall, the design has some mass-production compromises that I wouldn't settle for. It's not bad though if you're willing to deal with a few relatively minor headaches. The good optics and stable tripod may be worth it to you. Personally, if I were going to spend serious cash anyway I'd save up 2-3 times as much for a Takahashi or similar exquisite quality scope.

Overall Rating: 6
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38116

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