I Compared an EdgeHD 8 to a C8… Then Found the REAL Problem in Star Shapes

In this video I compare the Celestron EdgeHD 8 to a classic C8 for astrophotography — and I’m starting with the conclusion:

If you shoot APS-C (like the ASI2600), the EdgeHD starts earning its price.

If you shoot smaller sensors (like a 533 or the newer 585), the classic C8 can look amazing because you’re mostly living in the center sweet spot.

And if you’re budget-minded, I test a value path: classic C8 + f/6.3 reducer + crop to match framing.

But the real twist? I planned one night of testing… and ended up doing two nights because I found a star artifact that showed up on BOTH scopes. The culprit wasn’t the telescope — it was part of my imaging train.

Chapters

00:00 Conclusion first: EdgeHD vs C8 (who should buy what)
02:23 The test plan (targets + method + definitions)
06:15 Why two nights (artifact hunt) + what changed night 2
08:51 The real culprit + the fix (adapter issue)
12:10 Results: M34 + small-sensor overlays (533/585 vs APS-C)
13:40 Value test: C8 + reducer + crop vs EdgeHD
18:28 Planetary & visual (does Edge matter?)
19:47 Final verdict + buying guide
21:05 Outro + support

Gear / Links

✅ Better SCT → M48 Adapter (Affiliate Link) (the one I recommend vs the two solutions shown in the video):
https://amzn.to/4pjwAvy

☕ Support the channel (helps me spend clear nights doing tests like this):
https://buymeacoffee.com/deepskylab

⭐ Join Deep SkyLab YouTube Memberships for extra behind-the-scenes, updates, and to directly support future comparison tests:
(Click Join next to the Subscribe button)

Test details (for the nerds)

Targets: M34 + M76
Method: 30×60s, rejected the worst 2 frames by FWHM, stacked the remaining 28
Night 1: Edge f/10 → C8 f/10 (no reducer)
Night 2: C8 + f/6.3 reducer → Edge f/10 (plus artifact troubleshooting)