[DavidLJ (David)]

rjbokleman


If I can add my two pennies worth. I bought a R130sf a year ago and yes the focusser is still plastic and if you are VERY determined you can finger push it from side to side just a bit. But the two supplied plossl eyepieces are so light they don't seem to affect the focusser's axial alignment no matter which way the OTA is oriented. Maybe the plastic has been upgraded? Maybe I just got lucky? Or maybe I'm not so demanding but with these two eyepieces I have not noticed any image shift at all. And because my aging eyes + spectacles need all of the eye relief they can get I sometimes use the Baader 8-24 Hyperion zoom eyepiece for comfortable viewing. This is quite a heavy eyepiece. But again I can't say that I've noticed image shift and of course once focus is set changing the zoom level has no adverse affect. In any event this 'scope's strength is the wide fovs that it delivers – 2 degrees using the 20mm plossl - and any image shift at that level could only be very small and would easily be corrected by slightly tweaking the mount's controls. In short, I'm not planning to change away from the supplied focuser any time soon.


The primary mirror arrived already centre spotted. The OTA holds collimation very well which is important for a highly portable 'scope. But occasional checking with my laser collimator is easy. The OTA has a back plate that is apparently designed to keep out stray light. You have to remove it to access the primary's collimation screws. Not a big deal but if that bugs you I doubt that permanently leaving it off will have much, if any, affect on performance.


As already reported, optically the 'scope punches well above its weight – certainly in terms of price. And for non-eyepiece use it marries very well with my GStar video camera. AstroShop has an article about that – http://www.myastroshop.com.au/guides/vixen-r130sf.asp. I reckon that the camera's frame accumulation and gain adjustment features deliver an enhanced on-screen view that is equivalent to near doubling the 'scope's aperture for visual use. And because the maximum exposure time is only 5 seconds you don't need to guide the 'scope or even have a tracking mount – simply nudge the mount's RA control frome time to time as needed to keep the target more-or-less centred in view.


One complaint. The non-adjustable 6x30 finder that I received was of poor quality. Since no one else has mentioned a problem with the finder I assume that I got a Friday afternoon job. But replacing it with a decent Orion right-angle illuminated reticle 50mm finder was not too expensive and makes locating objects a pleasure. It adds a little weight but nothing that my SW EQ3 mount can't handle.


Hope this helps, David