#21  
Old 12-12-2008, 02:51 PM
Wavytone
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Originally Posted by NCRAW View Post
So great for Lunar and planets?
The Orion ED102 f/7 is certainly better than I expected on moon and planets at high power. I used to think good refractors had to be f/12 - f/15 to perform properly and that is clearly no longer the case, thanks to much better glass types.

Originally I bought it for low power wide field casual observing (Vixen NLVW 30mm eyepiece) but I found to my pleasant surprise that with an 8mm its still tack sharp and with a 5mm the diffraction rings are barely discernable.

First quarter moon - you could spend hours exploring crater floors.

It will take 200X (3.5 mm) with no problems, and is better on Jupiter than my 180mm Maksutov (though I think that Mak has problems). Through this scope I'd swear the Jovian moons are distinctly non-stellar, though I know that is impossible with a 102mm aperture. The background sky is velvety black - no issue with scattered light, and the Airy disks are exactly what i expect of a well-corrected refractor. No spherical aberration, which means it was designed for imaging or use with a diagonal mirror - not a prism star diagonal.

If you want to get to 200X or more the real issue will be the quality of your eyepieces and keeping them clean; it means using a 3.5mm or less.

This scope deserves a couple of really good, sharp eyepieces with low scattered light, the contrast it gives is stunning.
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  #22  
Old 12-12-2008, 03:25 PM
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I've looked at the moon through my 102 F/7 with a 30mm UWA, to a 10mm in a 2.5x powermate. Views were fantastic. I've also put jupiter in the scope with the 10mm and 2.5 powermate, again, fantastic..
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  #23  
Old 16-12-2008, 08:23 PM
KISA (Markus)
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Hi,

I'm also looking for an ED80 type scope for astro imaging. I have found reading this and other forums to be very beneficial and from what I've read the Megrez 90 APO comes pretty highly regarded, though it's interesting to hear about the requirement for colour correction; being very new to refractors I was unaware of this.

Alex mentioned previously that the Megrez 90 and Meade 5000 were pretty much on par and I was wondering if the Meade needs colour correction also as it is a triplet as opposed to the 90 being a doublet?

I also noticed the Meade only has a single speed focuser compared the double speed of the 90, is this something I should also take into consideration?

Thanks,

Markus
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  #24  
Old 16-12-2008, 08:53 PM
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Color correction is not something that you can do. Refractors can show false color if they are not properly corrected by design. Generally, Triplets show better correction than doublets.. The Megrez 90 that I had (My dad has since taken it off my hands as I let him borrow it for a while, and he subsequently fell in love with it..) showed very very good correction.

The two speed focuser of the Megrez is nice, and I would think (assumption) that it would be better than the single speed on the meade unit for photography. However in both cases, the best option would be to budget for a moonlite or better, a feathertouch focuser for either of these scopes. I've got moonlite motorized focusers on both my C11 and my Megrez 102. For imaging, these are VERY accurate and easy to use.

Focusers should bear on your decision somewhat, but in the end, The focuser is replacable, the lenses are not. Pick the refractor with the best optics, worry about the ancillaries later.

Alex.
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  #25  
Old 17-12-2008, 12:19 PM
NCRAW
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Back again guys. I pretty much settled on the Stellarvue 102ED. Like someone asked before, but taking into consideration this is my first scope ever, is it worth paying 300US dollars extra to get the Feather Touch focuser? as a beginner, will i notice the difference?

For the diagonal, I think i'll go with the WO carbon fibre one (forgot the model no) and then try to get myself some EPs. The SV102 comes with red dot finder so is it worth paying a bit extra and getting a finder scope from SV? and if so then what size?

Many thanks

PS. Still kicking myself for not getting a Tak TSA102 when I was in japan last yr or telling my parents to pick one up when they were there 5 months ago and 1 Aussie was 98 Yen!!
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  #26  
Old 17-12-2008, 07:24 PM
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Will you be using the scope for imaging? If so, Do not hesitate to pay $300 for the feathertouch... (I'd get it anyway myself, but for imaging it will make life MUCH easier)

I find my red dot finder is fine, some like finder scopes, some like dot finders.. I think you'll be happy with the red dot finder, if not, you can always get a finder later...

The WO carbon fiber diagonal is very good by all reports..
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  #27  
Old 18-12-2008, 12:12 AM
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Stellarvue

DJDD

I have a Stellarvue ED80 Night Hawk Next Generation and I love it. I am fortunate to have received a hand picked lens from Vic Maris himself. The build quality is awsome and the optical quality is also right up there. Each scope is personally checked before despatch, no need to worry about having a lemon land on the door step. There's nothing better than a hand made feel and a production number to match.
It will be difficult for you to find the real glass type for SV scopes as SV plays their cards close to their chest for competition reasons, but I can tell you, it's the best around,.....and respecting SV's practises, I am not prepared to devulge that info here. This info is out there somewhere on the www.
With my scope there is no discernable CA on bright objects, I use it for visual and photographic purposes. The NHNG is a doublet, imagine how a triplet would perform??? The Oz distributor for SV is Peter Read from SDM Telescopes. Give him a call, very helpful and informative. I will never part with my SV......
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  #28  
Old 18-12-2008, 08:48 AM
NCRAW
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Thank you guys for the responses. I'm definitely going with the SV. I believe the one I saw is personally checked by Vic so thats a good thing.
I think I will stick to the standard focuser for now and see how it pans out and might keep the feather touch for the next scope. Praying for our dollar to get better then it will be a Takahashi TSA102. I will spend the equivalent of US300 on better EPs.

Not interested in imaging at this stage. This might change later though.

I already spoke to Pete from SDM and i wish i could buy from him but the price localy is so much more than what I can get overseas (damn dollar!!).

I bought the HEQ5Pro mount from Lloydscope and awaiting its arrival and then it gets all exciting getting the scope then selecting the correct EPs. I suppose 3 EPs for start plus a barlow would do the job? Also what mm should I get in order to have good wide viewing and zoom into planets and moon? if only i had 3?
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  #29  
Old 18-12-2008, 04:45 PM
DJDD
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Thanks, StarLane.
It sounds like the StellarVue telescopes are quite good, especially with the feather touch focuser. I will pass this recommenfdation on.

cheers,
DJDD
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  #30  
Old 18-12-2008, 06:23 PM
gbeal
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While the thrust of the heading indicates "refractor", let me toss this into the mix, as others have discussed SCT's and Newts.
The humble Newt is hard to beat all round.
Another is the Mak/Cass, or Mak/Newt. Both are exceptional value for money, but if a robust mount is out of the question then the Mak/Cass is the preferred option, as the Mak/Newt is quite large and heavy for its aperture.
Something like a 5" Mak/Cass would be where I was headed, similar views to a 4" apo, but at a fraction of the apo's cost.
Gary
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  #31  
Old 18-12-2008, 07:28 PM
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I find reflectors to give better views dollar for dollar than refractors, simply because unless you're spending big dollars on refractors, you're going to get false color... yes, tight stars in an APO are nice, but stars in a well collimated 10" newtonian are nice too, with NO false color, good contrast, and 10" of light gathering power that a 4" APO can not match...

I love looking through my 4" APO, but I've never seen as much detail in the 4" apo as my old 8" newt... and nothing compared to the 11" SCT..
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