- but don't expect it to be on par or even close to any of the big name brands which typically cost about 6 to 7 times as much for roughly the same sized refractor.
Have you actually looked through one or done a side by side comparison with a premium apo of similar aperture?
Yes - With one of the blue incarnations I mentioned. My impression was it was very good but the TV was better. The crunch is trying to quantify whether the 'degree' of better view is worth the 'big' price difference - some might think so - others may not - unfortunately that is something you will have to decide for yourself. I suppose the best question rather than typing here is to ask yourself whether you can actually afford and then want to spend that kind of money for a 130mm Tak/TV etc
Once you've owned a premium apo, you'll never be satisfied with a lesser one.
During my previous interest in astronomy, I owned at different times, a 5" and a 6" Starfire, a Televue Pronto and a Televue 102mm.
I now have a Stellarvue with which I am happy, but I tried some of the cheaper apos and while they were ok, I was not satisfied.
I think you hit the nail on the head here Laurie , as i said my 127mm NG was a great scope , are head and sholders above a similary priced 120mm ( 5-10 years ago ) achro , but once an almost perfect Takahashi , Telvue , AP or others shows up ,,, well mate you know what I am trying to say .
But as I said a few posts ago , there aint nothing wrong with these 127mm triplets , as far as 127mm 's go .
ps. I did not have to spend an extra $900 on a FT3035 focuser for my Takahahsi's , you get what you pay for I suppose ?
Imagine these being avaliable at this price 10 years ago ??? they are a 127mm version of what the ED80 was , of today . A bargian !
Brian.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larryp
Once you've owned a premium apo, you'll never be satisfied with a lesser one.
During my previous interest in astronomy, I owned at different times, a 5" and a 6" Starfire, a Televue Pronto and a Televue 102mm.
I now have a Stellarvue with which I am happy, but I tried some of the cheaper apos and while they were ok, I was not satisfied.
Last edited by brian nordstrom; 16-03-2013 at 11:12 PM.
Explore scientific ed 127mm 22 pounds which is 9.9 kgs
Celestron c8 sGT 12.5 pounds 5.7 kgs
Edit: bleagh the meade 127mm APO is weighed in at 17.7 pounds or 8 kilos, it's all over the place with google.
North group ed refractor only tube including focuser 8.1kg
Yes - Unfortunately - another problem is inconsistent spec's when looking at the budget brands - hence my earlier comment about the 'lucky dip' factor and part of what you are paying for with the top tier brands is consistency and reliability in what you get.
Jan - I don't know how much an 8" SCT tube weighs but I once lifted one of these 127's out of the case and I couldn't believe how heavy the tube was !
Mark, the 127ED is definitely more work to get on and off the mount than a C8+ST80. It's not just the mass. The length makes it more awkward. I don't try to take the 127ED+ST80 off as one unit - my back won't take it.
I took these two the other night through the ED127.
For Saturn I used a 4x powermate.
I'm sure the detail would be finer if I'd waiting for Saturn to get a bit higher in the sky.
My LT8 weighs in at 14kg without the tripod!
And it suffers from condensation on a cold night.
Will purchase the ED127 once I punk the LT8 off.
That 14kg includes the complete mount , right?
You are still going to need to put the refractor tube on a german equatorial mount. It would make more sense to change over to a system were all the components are light enough for you such as a separate 8" SCT tube, rather than going down in aperture. An 8" SCT tube is a few KG lighter than the ED 127- so putting either on say an HEQ5Pro..you will still be 2 kg lighter and 250% more light with the 8"....
You'll still need dew zapping equipment with a refractor.
I took these two the other night through the ED127.
For Saturn I used a 4x powermate.
I'm sure the detail would be finer if I'd waiting for Saturn to get a bit higher in the sky.
Wow that's awesome, is that a North Group type or Hioptic?
Happy for anyone to inform me otherwise but the NG, HiOptic, ES, Meade 5000 etc etc are all the same raw generic ED127 product which are thereafter repainted and rebadged under various secondary manufacturer labels.
I believe the A&T website from SA makes this point quite clear and they were selling these ED127 under the HiOptic label before VTI came along with their record breaking price
The LT8 is almost 14kg, just the OTA!
Not to mention air tube current, poor contrast due to secondary mirror and condensation.
As they say, your scope is only as good as the number of times that you take it out. Big aperture is good but the mass is a killer to your interest.
JJ photos has convinced me of the ED127 merit.
Wow that's awesome, is that a North Group type or Hioptic?
That's the HiOptic. But honestly, there is no difference at all between the two. Apart from the badges.
When you think about it, there is minimal change in aperture between an 8" CAT, RC or Newt and the 5" refractor. Once you take into consideration the light blocked by the secondaries.
This is incorrect. The LT8 tube plus attached fork mount is 14kg. If you want to detach the tube and put it on the scales you can correct me.
My point still stands that after you purchase a german equatorial to cart out to put the tube on you will still have a lighter carry load with an SCT tube at about 6kg . Tube currents and condensation are still a problem with refractors.
This boils down to a discussion of the relative merit of SCT vs refractor and has nothing to do with weight.
You now need to do your homework and find out how much an HEQ5 PRO equatorial head weighs with necessary counterwights for an 8kg tube !
I think you hit the nail on the head here Laurie , as i said my 127mm NG was a great scope , are head and sholders above a similary priced 120mm ( 5-10 years ago ) achro , but once an almost perfect Takahashi , Telvue , AP or others shows up ,,,
well mate you know what I am trying to say .
