EdgeHD 8 vs C8: Is the Edge Worth It for Astrophotography?

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)