catadioptric

OK i'm 2 weeks into discovering this little scope.
i read and read for weeks and decided this was a great deal for a mak-cassegrain with autostar or "go to" feature. this is my first scope, so take that with a grain of salt. i live in the mountains in a new home, hence the eagerness to get a good scope. upon opening it i rushed to local photog store and picked up a barlow 2x and moon filter. another $65 total but suggest you get these at once.

first impressions:
good quality on scope. proud to keep in on display in the great room. guests notice it and can't wait for it to get dark!
finderscope is a bear to align, but with practice should be easier.
tripod is sturdy and no complaints thus far
autostar is NOT user friendly on first test drive...takes time to get comfortable i hope.
it does take 8 AA batteries. buy NiMH rechargeables.
the slow autostar display is enough to make me drink too much red wine waiting for it to finish! thank goodness i figured out the "enter" key or "mode" key lets me bypass the excrutiating slow scrolling text. (fyi mode functions as "back" or "escape")
figuring stuff out takes a lot of time...be patient.
now i am technically versed as i work for software company and this is giving me a bit of a challenge....why? poor autostar documentation.
if the user manual for autostar was more detailed with a quickstart tutorial, it would go quick. reality...i have the mind to call Meade and ask for their technical writer and scream obscenities at them :}

nonetheless, i plan on keeping the scope and am excited to learn more and get to know my way around the night sky. get the book Nightwatch - great for a newbie like myself

would like to post a final review once my neighbor gives me an autostar tutorial with his LX200...just waiting on clear skies in Utah! i do hope to give this scope a 5 star rating once i figure out autostar.

I've had the ETX 105 for over 3 weeks now. I've taken it out 4 times already (weather permitting) and viewed the moon once and Jupiter 3 times. This is my first scope and I think it is great.
I would only recommend it to newbies if they are not intimidated by the electronics. So far, I've just used the AutoStar controller to slew and manually track Jupiter. I haven't even
tried aligning it and using the GoTo functionality. In time, I will figure it out, but I'm keeping my outings as simple as possible. The 105 is definitely better built than the 90. But I'm still very careful with the 105, as it still has a plastic
base, and I'm not sure how durable the electronics/gears are.
Also, I keep the AutoStar plugged in all the time, so you have to
watch the cable and not get it caught on anything.
I think the ETX series will keep anyone happy for many years. Although it is relatively portable (compared to say the LX200GPS series), I still want more portability! My next scope will probably be a small 70-80mm refractor on a tripod. Total
simplicity and durability.

The ETX105EC is definitively much better built than the ETX90 although it is in the limits of portability because is fairly heavy. It is incredible silent while tracking objects and it obviously gathers more light than the ETX90. Want proof? The 105 shows one of Saturn's moons whereas the 90 doesn't (at least my friend's ETX90 didn't).
Another advantage over the ETX90 is the viewfinder. The 105's right angle viewfinder is great when looking for overhead objects.
I really liked the tripod (deluxe field tripod). Solid, not like the junk shipped with the ETX70 or the DS2114.
Finally, if you add Meade's eyepiece package ("a little bit more" for 7 super plossl eyepieces) and the Autostar, I think you get a terrific deal.