Celestron C150-HD

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Celestron C150-HD
This is a great scope, I find myself using it more than my 8-inch f10 SCT. Super wide and sharp images to the edge of field with my meade 26mm eyepice. Very nice tripod and mount. Two small items that Celestron could improve, the eyepiece holder in the focus mount is junk, it looks like they pulled spare parts of from another scope and made it fit, second the eyepiece that comes with the scope (20mm)is ok but others that you may have (higher quality) will bring out the best in this small scope. I really like the size, engineering and overall image quality of this scope and I would recommend it to anyone--nice jobe Celestron.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40114

Celestron C150-HD
I have used my C150-HD now for several months and for
money think that it is a great starting scope. I use
the standard 20mm plossl it came with very little. I
have found that my Meade 6.7 UWA works extremely well in
this scope. At 149x and the added wide field, the views
are stunning. One nite I coupled my Celestron Ultima
Barlow with it on Orion. Not only did I see the 4 main
stars in the trapezium but also the other minor 2. I
just purschase a 4mm Radian and am waiting for a dark,
clear nite to try it. Overall I am satisfied with this
telescope but am looking forward to possibly purchasing
the CR150-HD Refractor as I cannot afford the 6" Astro
Physics and even if I could, I don't think I could wait
thru the time period to get it. The CG-4 Mount is fine
and works okay with this scope. Some minor problems,
which are probably just me being critical, but for the
most part a fairly decent setup overall. I don't have
any friends who own this scope so all I can do is give
my opinion on how it works for me. If anyone out there
owns this telescope and would care to share ideas and
comments etc., please e-mail me at oquinn@aini.net
Regards, Terry

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40115 

>I have used my C150-HD now for several months and for
>money think that it is a great starting scope.  I use
>the standard 20mm plossl it came with very little. I 
>have found that my Meade 6.7 UWA works extremely well in
>this scope.  At 149x and the added wide field, the views
>are stunning.  One nite I coupled my Celestron Ultima
>Barlow with it on Orion. Not only did I see the 4 main
>stars in the trapezium but also the other minor 2.  I 
>just purschase a 4mm Radian and am waiting for a dark,
>clear nite to try it.  Overall I am satisfied with this
>telescope but am looking forward to possibly purchasing
>the CR150-HD Refractor as I cannot afford the 6" Astro
>Physics and even if I could, I don't think I could wait
>thru the time period to get it.  The CG-4 Mount is fine
>and works okay with this scope.  Some minor problems, 
>which are probably just me being critical, but for the
>most part a fairly decent setup overall.  I don't have 
>any friends who own this scope so all I can do is give
>my opinion on how it works for me.  If anyone out there
>owns this telescope and would care to share ideas and
>comments etc., please e-mail me at oquinn@aini.net
>Regards,  Terry
>
hi terry is judy and phil here, happy birthday. Did a google search for hurryitup1@ and found this hit.
Celestron C150-HD
Good optics. The internal corrector lens works well. There are few areas where this scope works ugly. First, the too light mount, vivrations introdes at 200x, very hard slow montion control in dec, is very difficult to take planetary photos for this bad stability. Second, the giant spider and the fat secundary holder degrades the images, so on the average seeing, there's image breakdown about 200x, bad for planetary use. Third, you can't take prime focus photography, because you can't adjust the primary like the Meade Starfinders, so with the barlow the expousures are too long, with more corrections and worst results. It's a good beginner scope, but you should buy something bigger if you want to grow in this art.
CLEAR SKIES AND GOOD SEEING¡¡¡
J. Campos.

Overall Rating: 7
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40116

Celestron C150-HD
Post Script: I was some critic yesterday, I understand that this scope is a great value for the money, but here in Chile, Celestron's dealer sells it for about US$ 1200, so you are going to expect better performance for the money. Nevertheless, the secondary obtruction is too big.
Happy hunting¡¡

J. Campos
CHILE

Overall Rating: No Vote
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Celestron C150-HD
Hi People:
if you got a c150-hd don't worry only change the lens for apo or florite lenses
and your you will have a scope to compete with -takahashi-astrophysics-televue-
etz....Look for help of those that manufacture the lens and all of ED-apo or those of florite-apo.The first one that has been please of publish in the internet for help to the other ones..I plan to buy a c150-hd or skywatcher of 6" if i achieve first i guarantee that i go to publish in the internet..so that all have the benefit of their scope...thank a lot
att.
Manuel Vargas
manuev@nuestravoz.net

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: <none>
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40119

Celestron C150-HD
Hi People:
if you got a c150-hd don't worry only change the lens for apo or florite lenses
and your you will have a scope to compete with -takahashi-astrophysics-televue-
etz....Look for help of those that manufacture the lens and all of ED-apo or those of florite-apo.The first one that has been please of publish in the internet for help to the other ones..I plan to buy a c150-hd or skywatcher of 6" if i achieve first i guarantee that i go to publish in the internet..so that all have the benefit of their scope...thank a lot
att.
Manuel Vargas
manuev@nuestravoz.net

Overall Rating: No Vote
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40120

Celestron C150-HD
I'm not an expert on telescopes, but I am very happy with
this one. The scope works well - mount is stable, but easy
enough to transport. I can resolve the trapezium in Orion,
I have seen the belts of Jupiter, and the rings of Saturn
are just a delight.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40121

Celestron C150-HD
Excelente telescopio para comenzar en las atrofotografia, no presenta problemas opticos significativos, pero los movimientos de declinación no son lo suficientemente suaves.

Excelent scope for start in astrophotografy, non present import optics problems, but declinations motions aren't to soft.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40124

Celestron C150-HD
This scope is a great beginners scope. It is very transportable and the optics are fairly good. A Ronchi test showed slight spherical abberation. Mine arrived just slightly out of collimation. The secondary mirror is not intended to be collimated, only the primary (I found this out after talking to Celestron service rep). Therefore it makes collimation much simpler. Once properly collimated the images at low to medium magnification are just a delight. In defense of Celestron, the scope was barely out of collimation when it arrived. It wasn't bad enough that collimation was a neccessity.

The tripod is a little light ... I notice vibration at higher powers (>200X). The supplied eyepiece is certainly acceptable but you'll want invest in a wider set. Be aware that the instruction manual is slightly better than the paper it is written on ... furthermore, many of the pieces of the scope were preassembled (contrary to what the instruction lend you to believe)! I got the scope for $399. It has since increased in price to $449. I have seen this scope cost as much as $599. If you can get this scope in the $400 - $450 price range, buy it. You won't be disappointed.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40125

Celestron C150-HD
Nice all around scope but it does fall short in some areas.

1. The clamps on the tripod legs are made of plastic and are easy to break. I broke one the third time I used the scope. If you purchase this scope take it easy on the clamps.

2. Poor performance under high magnification (over 100 - 200x). The user documentation states that you can push it up to 360x but in reality you can only go up to 150x max. Can not see divisions in Saturn's rings. I never did see the red spot on Jupiter. If you get this scope I would recommend that you get a 3x or 2x barlow lens.

3. Poor documentation on collimation and the Tech Support at Celestron was rather annoying. I had to request the instructions at least three times. They did not want to send me the documentation to collimate the secondary mirror and did not send it until I insisted on it. They left many of my questions unanswered.

4. The mount does not work well in cold weather (-10 c or below) and tends to get very stiff. The mount is okay but a bit shaky.

5. Other than that I am pleased with the scopes performance. Works well on globular clusters, Orion Nebula, Ring Nebula, Moon etc. The tube is nice and short which is a big plus on a equatorial mount. The 30mm finder is too small to see deep sky objects, I ended up purchasing the Star Pointer from Celestron. They do not make a 50mm finder for this scope.

6. The corrector lens mounted just before the secondary mirror tends to get fogged up, this was a bit of a surprise to me because it is a Newtonian Telescope ("The C150-HD and G8-N use a state-of-the-art optical design incorporating an auxiliary correction lens to reduce aberrations, flatten the field and allow the tube length to be shortened -- and it is superior to most fast parabolas"). Celesteron never did say where this lens was mounted in their advertising. It is a lens that is about 2" in diameter mounted about 3" in front of the secondary mirror. Perhaps a dew cap wold help. When it gets warmer I will try one out.

If this scope just had better performance under high magnification I would really recommend it to anyone. Perhaps I just got one made on a Friday? perhaps I was expecting too much? Celestron states that this scope is superior to other fast Newtonians... but never say why it is. The 1000mm focal length gives better magnification but as I said previously it does not really work that well under high magnification.

Oh yes do not confuse this scope with the 6" Refractor C150-HD form Celestron. For all of you people who voted on this scope as a 6" Refractor, please read the comments before voting, read the part where is states "Telescope Type: Newtonian".

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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40126

Celestron C150-HD
Nice all around scope but it does fall short in some areas.

1. The clamps on the tripod legs are made of plastic and are easy to break. I broke one the third time I used the scope. If you purchase this scope take it easy on the clamps.

2. Poor performance under high magnification (over 100 - 200x). The user documentation states that you can push it up to 360x but in reality you can only go up to 150x max. Can not see divisions in Saturn's rings. I never did see the red spot on Jupiter. If you get this scope I would recommend that you get a 3x or 2x barlow lens.

3. Poor documentation on collimation and the Tech Support at Celestron was rather annoying. I had to request the instructions at least three times. They did not want to send me the documentation to collimate the secondary mirror and did not send it until I insisted on it. They left many of my questions unanswered.

4. The mount does not work well in cold weather (-10 c or below) and tends to get very stiff. The mount is okay but a bit shaky.

5. Other than that I am pleased with the scopes performance. Works well on globular clusters, Orion Nebula, Ring Nebula, Moon etc. The tube is nice and short which is a big plus on a equatorial mount. The 30mm finder is too small to see deep sky objects, I ended up purchasing the Star Pointer from Celestron. They do not make a 50mm finder for this scope.

6. The corrector lens mounted just before the secondary mirror tends to get fogged up, this was a bit of a surprise to me because it is a Newtonian Telescope ("The C150-HD and G8-N use a state-of-the-art optical design incorporating an auxiliary correction lens to reduce aberrations, flatten the field and allow the tube length to be shortened -- and it is superior to most fast parabolas"). Celesteron never did say where this lens was mounted in their advertising. It is a lens that is about 2" in diameter mounted about 3" in front of the secondary mirror. Perhaps a dew cap wold help. When it gets warmer I will try one out.

If this scope just had better performance under high magnification I would really recommend it to anyone. Perhaps I just got one made on a Friday? perhaps I was expecting too much? Celestron states that this scope is superior to other fast Newtonians... but never say why it is. The 1000mm focal length gives better magnification but as I stated previously it does not really work that well under high magnification anyway.

Oh yes do not cofuse this scope with the 6" Refractor C150-HD form Celestron.

Overall Rating: 7
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40127

Celestron C150-HD
Well after receiving the C150-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 C-150HD costs.

Overall Rating: 2
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40128

Celestron C150-HD
disregard last entry should be posted under the CR150HD

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Celestron C150-HD
Good beginner scope if you want a Newt. Although I sometimes think I should have gone with the Orion 8" Dob. Scope is easy to move and track objects. Havent used in winter. Last week around 6am saw best view of Saturn ever @ 300x...(dallas TX) saw cassini div and cloud bands using televue 2xbar and mead 4000 6.4mm. A few times I have pushed lunar to 450x w in/out stable view. Usually this scope is only good for 150x. As for vibration problems, I just purchased the celestron vibration pads off ebay and they are worth every penny!!!!!!!! This scope should be sold with the pads. You will need a 30 or 32mm EP to view globular clusters (m6 or m7)or veil nebula. OIII filter on Orion Nebula is day/night difference. Other comments... viewing from zenith is a pain. In general I prefer alt/az mount over eq mount. The focuser on this scope is cheap. The finder scope is ok. I would opt for the vertical mount telrad. Scope balances well with most EP. Ive tried every Nagler/pentax combo w barlows (1 1/4" ep only). The nagler 7 and radian 4 are best options for planetary. I paid $600 for mine but got some intro instruction from a store. My email is scott.mcmanus@worldnet.att.net if anyone wants to share ideas or has ques.

Overall Rating: 6
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40130

Celestron C150-HD
Well I have only just taken delivery of my CR 150 HD today and am looking forward to some clear skies, not only because I am from Australia, I havent seen the northern hemispere skies for many years, but as I couldnt work for 11 months, my 10" Meade had to go, but am exited with the C150, from all the reviews and especially the price.
I really dont care about the mount, they are simple modifications, by adding either steel rods or hardwood and that is the major critisume
I have heard that the optics are great and am looking forward to a new hemisphere when the skies are clear, Interested in any feedback, especially if in of you cobbers live in Michigan.
You can contact me on hurryitup1@chartermi.net
Regards
Terry
PS. Clear Skies

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Celestron C150-HD
Well I have only just taken delivery of my CR 150 HD today and am looking forward to some clear skies, not only because I am from Australia, I havent seen the northern hemispere skies for many years, but as I couldnt work for 11 months, my 10" Meade had to go, but am exited with the C150, from all the reviews and especially the price.
I really dont care about the mount, they are simple modifications, by adding either steel rods or hardwood and that is the major critisume
I have heard that the optics are great and am looking forward to a new hemisphere when the skies are clear, Interested in any feedback, especially if in of you cobbers live in Michigan.
You can contact me on hurryitup1@chartermi.net
Regards
Terry
PS. Clear Skies

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40132

Celestron C150-HD
This is the first serious (read non-department store) scope I owned. It is a short tube newtonian with a doublet lens for increasing the effective focal legnth and flattening the field. It comes on the CG-4 mount (which is adequate)and aluminum tripod legs (NOT adequate). The legs make steady viewing at >200X very difficult. I got mine with the motor drive and hand controller which both work very well. It also comes with an excellent 6X30 finder and a 'silver top' 20mm plossel eye piece.

The light gathering ability is very good (at least as good as any other 6" reflector I've seen). It's resolution is very good as well and smooth in any part of the FOV. The corrector lens appears to be multi-coated (it is located between the primary and secondary mirrors close to the secondary). The wide field views are great with excellent flatness and sharp resolution. Planetary/Lunar views are good for a reflector with a large central obstruction. Very sharp but lacking a little in the contrast dept.

The mount is very smooth and works great with this lightweight tube. Tracks very well with only a rough polar alignment. The dec axis had a slight amount of slop in it but I probably wouldn't have noticed except that the RA axis is so 'slop free' in comparison.

The tripod looks to be the same one Orion ships with the newer EQ-2 mounts (same mount as the CG-3) and really has no business being on a mount of this size. The result is jiggling when trying to focus at high power or in almost any wind at high power.

OTA = 10
EQ Mount = 9
Tripod = 5

Because the scope's weakest area is the tripod (which is also the cheapest to replace) I have weighted my score accordingly. Great deal for the $500 I paid and even better at the current street price of $399-$449. Recommended

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40133

Celestron C150-HD
This scope's mount and construction were good - ultra-compact, lightweight, good focuser and finder. Unfortunately, its optical performance was very disappointing.

I decided to try this scope out as a more compact, longer focal length, coma-free alternative to my 6" f/5. Deep sky views were pleasant - contrasty and sharp to the edge of the field with the corrector lens - but couldn't come close to those achieved by my older 6" scope in a side-by-side comparison. Images were noticably dimmer, stars were not sharp pinpoints, open clusters showed fewer stars and globular clusters were mottled fuzzballs without any resolution.

These shortcomings would be tolerable if you don't want to look at the planets, but most of us do. While its planetary images were nice at 125-150x, they became seriously degraded at any magnification above this. Cloud bands vanished, Cassini's division in Saturn's rings became a shadow and Mars blurred into a bland orange ball. The corrector lens also introduced a great deal of chromatic aberation and caused pronounced halos around bright objects. Whether because of the large central obstruction and vanes, the corrector lens or a poor optical design, this scope just wasn't up to the challenge. I actually achieved sharper, higher resolution planetary images from an old 4.5" Newtonian.

I should also mention that Celestron's customer service in addressing my problems with the scope was pitiful. Shipping the scope back to them for inspection was an expensive and frustrating process that yielded no results because the scope's poor optics were "within specifications." As a result, it is unlikely that I will purchase Celestron products in the future.

If you want a good, all-purpose 6" scope, steer clear of this one in favor of one of the many 6" f/5 or f/8 scopes offered by Orion, Discovery, Meade, Skywatcher and others.

Overall Rating: 4
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40134

Celestron C150-HD
I found the orion XT8" dob a much more practicle telescope for this price range. The celestron C150's optical design makes this a telescope for only low power viewing. Even after proper collimation I found this telescope offered poor views of the planets and details of the moon. Transporting this telescope is about as difficult as the orion dobsonian. There are better value out there.

Overall Rating: 5
Optics:5 Mount:8 Ease of Use:5 Value:4
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=66706

Celestron C150-HD
Great general purpose scope for the price

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:7 Mount:9 Ease of Use:8 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=107425

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