Hi, not sure if this is correctly placed here (as opposed to beginners), but some contemporary wisdom would be appreciated on the Vixen Porta II.
- where in OZ or NZ did you buy it,
- is it available on its own (in which case, does it connect to 3/8" thread)
or with tripod only?
while some digging could possibly answer the above, the following is a little harder to establish:
- how good are the slo mo controls & what's the ergonomics like? Does it get tiring during extended observing & tracking?
- how well does it stand up to windy conditions?
- what is the heaviest & longest OTA (refractor) it could comfortably carry?
- will the longest OTA above still reach zenith?
- how long does it take to settle down (and with what scope) after being touched?
Looking for a potential replacement for my Manfrotto 410 Junior head for
astro use (the geared head is magnificent for just about everything else so will definitely be kept but the knobs are a bit stiff and I suspect the head might introduce some movement as not designed for astro).
I'd like to comfortably use powers up to 250x, and not be reduced to sub-100x when there is a bit of a breeze going.
Thanks very much