Quote:
Originally Posted by Tropo-Bob
I am just musing about what may be a larger aperture refractor worth buying. I see that Vixen's largest refractor is the 140 NA SS, which replaces the 140 NA SSf. I cannot tell from the literature what the difference is. Can anybody throw some light on this?
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Hi Bob
Col's correct it is a great widefield refractor - however it is not without limitations. It is important to keep in mind that it is not an APO but uses a petzval design with good quality achro glass. I have had two - the very original design which were entirely hand made in Japan (in green) and thereafter the remake which was made in China but QC'd in Japan. The current versions are now assembled in Japan and QC'd there as well as a 4 element design is a tricky affair to get right.
In terms of bang for your buck to get a widefield refractor and thus plenty of refractor glass there is no question they are a great buy. Therefore, the question is why did I buy and sell it twice. There are lots and lots of pro's and con's but in a nutshell a good second hand Televue NP101 could do everything that the NA140 could and more (especially with planetary observing) and was half the size.
Having said all of this - the NA140 is very unique telescope (4 element achro) and it is really a telescope you need to try out yourself to decide whether it is to your taste or not. It is really something of an enigma that I know quite a few people who have had one and everyone tends to agree that it is a very nice telescope. Having said this however - no one seems to hold on to them.
