Choosing a small ED Refractor

Nab (Darren) · #1 01-09-2014, 12:28 PM

Having spent nearly 2 years with my 8" dob I've started to think about other options.. Not aperture fever though, in fact the reverse!

The seemingly very windy and cold nights, following a cloudy summer Victoria has had, and the recent purchase of the Cambridge Photographic Moon Atlas has lead me to think about more short or opportunistic observing sessions chasing some 'easier' targets.

Avoiding the Newtonian wait for cool-down, easy handling and quality views are all essential.

So,
I it looks like a refractor fits the bill..

Light and portable (grab and go), a scope you can take in and out quickly as the sucker holes, weather or opportunity dictate..
Sturdy Alt Az Mount
Lunar, wide field, doubles & a bit of planetary and white light solar (w/filter of course!).
Not interested serious astro photography (and If I ever am I'll invest at the right level then)
May connect a DSLR for terrestrial wildlife/moon/astro mucking about.

The easy route seems to be a SkyWatcher ED80.. Reading suggests something better than a SW AZ3 mount is advisable though.

I've also been looking at some vixen options: Either the ED80Sf or the ED81SII with a Porta II mount. I'm assuming a Vixen offering would represent better quality than the SW one?

I'd appreciate any collected wisdom or advice about which way I might go.

Thanks.
Darren.

Wavytone · #2 01-09-2014, 12:49 PM

Hi Darren, sounds like you've reached a stage familiar with many here, where a big lightbucket dob is too inconvenient for things a smaller scope can do perfectly well.

Typically you're looking at an ED refractor around f/7, perhaps 80-100 mm aperture, or a small SCT or maksutov, say 150mm aperture - thee give a brighter image.

As one who has both a 100mm f/7 refractor and 180mm f/15 Mak, I can say my refractor doesn't get much use - if I only have room for 1 scope (eg a weekend away) the Mak is the pick every time.

The other question is whether you want it to track or have goto capabilities, if yes then perhaps look at the smaller Meade lightswitch (15 cm f10) or a similar Celestron. These are fairly comparable to a good 100mm ED refractor with respect to what they can show, compact and easily portable.

dannat (Daniel) · #3 01-09-2014, 01:06 PM

the fist vixen you mention with the f suffix is a Chinese made prob similar in quality to the skywatcher -their better models do not have the f suffic & usually mean japan made, the az4 or bintel skyview mount will handle an ed80 fine

Renato1 (Renato) · #4 01-09-2014, 01:32 PM

Hi Darren,
I had much the same thought as you years ago. The problem is the mount.

At the time I settled for an 80mm refractor, then bought a Celstron Delux Slow Motion control and sat it and the telescope atop a Manfrotto tripod. Not the best arrangement, but easy to pick up with one hand and be outside viewing in a couple of minutes. It is still the telescope I used most over the years, particularly in grabbing those half hour cloud breaks we get down here.

Unfortunately, the Celestron unit isn't made anymore, and the equivalent the Orion Slow Motion Control they sell at Bintel just isn't anywhere near as good, as it vibrates a lot more.

Recently I bought an AZ3 mount here, thinking it would be better than my ancient Slow Motion Control/tripod arrangement. Yes, stability wise it was better, but I soon grew annoyed with it, in that one can't raise the telescope's height in a few seconds to make aiming the refractor easier. I was also having trouble tightening the main screw that holds it in position when I had my 100mm refractor attached, or when the screw was tightened, had trouble undoing it. I went back to the more convenient old arrangement.

I have the Bintel Alt-Az mount, which while better than the AZ3 still has the problem of not being able to raise the height quickly, though it's not that big an issue with the shorter tube 150mm MAK I have attached to it now (the AZ3 wouldn't hold that MAK in position).

Anyhow, those are just my experiences - might be useful for you in evaluating the light mounts that are around.
Regards,
Renato

Larryp (Laurie) · #5 01-09-2014, 02:05 PM

Have a look on Stellarvue's website. Under "sales", they have a package deal for their SV80ED with accessories and a Vixen Porta mount at a very attractive price.

Stardrifter_WA · #6 01-09-2014, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larryp

Have a look on Stellarvue's website. Under "sales", they have a package deal for their SV80ED with accessories and a Vixen Porta mount at a very attractive price.

Hi Laurie,

This is fortuitous Laurie, as I haven't been on IIS for awhile and just happen to look today to see this, I would have missed that otherwise.

I have been investigation a portable system for a work colleague and this is absolutely perfect for him, as it contains everything he would need, at a really good price.

Cheers Pete

Larryp (Laurie) · #7 01-09-2014, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stardrifter_WA

Hi Laurie,

This is fortuitous Laurie, as I haven't been on IIS for awhile and just happen to look today to see this, I would have missed that otherwise.

I have been investigation a portable system for a work colleague and this is absolutely perfect for him, as it contains everything he would need, at a really good price.

Cheers Pete

I would buy one myself, Pete, if I hadn't already spent my money!

Kal (Andrew) · #8 01-09-2014, 05:00 PM

I can't offer too much advice on the scope side of things, but for the mount I love using the vixen porta mount. I have the Vixen porta II mount and it easily handles my stellarvue 90mm apo. I can set up in about 2 minutes, and pack up just as fast. With a DSLR it's perfect for terrestrial/moon/sun photography.

I used this combo to travel to cairns and take pics of the solar eclipse in 2012, the scope as carry on, the mount stuck into a suitcase for checked in luggage

MattT · #9 01-09-2014, 05:22 PM

I use an ED 100 f9 on an EQ3 for exactly what you want to do. Personally I like EQ mounts and have added motors on both axis's as I only do rough polar alignment. The 100 with a 40mm 68 eyepiece gives 3º TFOV and the 100 is powerful enough to get reasonable planetary views.
My solution for FWIW.
Matt

SkyWatch (Dean) · #10 01-09-2014, 05:58 PM

Hi Darren,

I have done exactly what you are talking about, and have experimented with different types of alt-az mounts. I came up with a home-made version which does a great job, but is slightly bulky: but I have ended up with a Stellarvue M2 mount which I got 2nd hand from this site recently. The M2 (and my home-made version!) works very well for both my 4" and 3" scopes, and is smooth even at 200x.

I have a "spare" Stellarvue ED70 that I will eventually put up for sale; just haven't got around to it. This is a very nice scope for grab-and-go and wide-field stuff, and up to around 140x. Drop me a PM if you are interested...

All the best,

Dean