John

54 minutes ago, Piero said:

 

The Vixen HR is a 5 element, 3 group design (ref: https://www.vixenoptics.co.uk/Pages/hr_eyepieces.htm).

Thanks for the fact check 

35 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

I have read the more glass the worse the view but I think that is wrong, I think it depends on the eyepieces and the Barlow you use....

I think that used to be valid but modern glass types and optical coatings have evened the balance up.

If you look at what are considered to be the very best planetary eyepieces there are low glass designs (eg: Zeiss ZAO ortho, TMB Supermonocentric) but the Pentax XO, which is right up there, has 5 elements, the Takahashi TOE 6 elements and the Vixen HR 7 or 8 elements.

Of these, only the Tak TOE are still in production I think.

9 minutes ago, badhex said:

The heaviest in the whole TeleVue range unless I'm mistaken? Just about 50g heavier than the Panoptic 41mm 😱

The Ethos 21mm is just a touch heavier I think.

I suppose it depends where the expense in the expensive scope goes. It it is towards aperture (more than you currently have) then there is a good chance that you will a) see improvements in  sharpness /detail / contrast in familiar targets and, b) see some things that you have not been able to see thus far.

If the expense goes towards better optical performance (but no increase in aperture, maybe even a reduction) you will hopefully get most of a) above but probably not much of b).

That seems to match my experiences to date anyway.

I'm sure others will have different experiences to mine though 

37 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

As a rule of thumb for myself, I am also inclined to lean towards the more comfort aspects you mentioned. However I don’t mind making the sacrifices when it comes to planetary viewing. I noticed that there’s a 10mm BCO in the buy & sell for £40. I’ll have a look at it or i may just buy a new one for £49

The 10mm BCO punches way, way above it's asking price in my opinion (and others).

Just now, Caesardangelo said:

Thanks everyone for help. I m much less worried now hahaha. It was the first time that i saw this type of sticker, i got a little worried, but now i actually see that not such big thing like i was thinking... hahha

If you peel the sticker off there is probably a small P65 warning notice printed on the reverse side relating to the ink and glue used on the sticker 

29 minutes ago, Alan White said:

.....But did it give you the most excitement, or was that from your budget first scope and alook at now familiar targets?

 

Now that is another  very interesting topic in it's own right

If you are OK with the FoV and ER, orthos provide excellent contrast and light scatter control for a reasonable price. If you would like a little more viewing comfort (20mm eye relief plus a significantly larger eye lens) I found the Vixen SLV's compared extremely well with high quality orthos. In fact I could see no differences at all when I compared the Baader Genuine Ortho 6mm with the Vixen SLV 6mm on a number of occasions when observing Saturn, Jupiter and Mars.

I seem to prefer a bit longer eye relief and a wider field of view these days

1 hour ago, Franklin said:

What's the advice on solar viewing with these front fluorite element scopes? Is there any need for concern? I use a Lunt wedge rather than a full aperture filter.

I've used my FC100-DL with a Lunt Wedge. It works very well.

13 minutes ago, Ian McCallum said:

On Jupiter, this evening.  The Wratten #8 made a difference to the CA, making some of the features on the Jovian disk easier to see. I think it made the North and South equatorial bands stand out more. 

Then the clouds rolled in and the neighbour's floodlight came on. 🤬

Oddly, the security light might actually help a bit when it comes to planetary observing, as long as it is not glaring right down the barrel of the scope.

4 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

That is one big eyepiece you have there! did it come with an extra counterweight?

It is a whopper - 2.2 lbs !

When I'm using it with my dobsonian I do need a heavier counterweight.

Just popped outside with nothing but my eyes and spotted Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. Quite a bit of cloud plus low temperatures rather off putting but at least we have no snow here, unlike more northerly parts of the UK.

5 minutes ago, LDW1 said:

 Maybe someone can lend you one, lol.

Or even, Stu could make one ?:

https://www.jodrellbank.net/make-your-own-planisphere/

This current thread in the eyepieces section enquires about suitable eyepieces for a 200mm F/4.5 newtonian which is going to be a little more demanding on eyepieces than your 130mm F/5 but some of the information will be relevant:

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/387007-eyepiece-recommendations-for-a-200900mm-newtonian-considering-the-baader-zoom-or-individual-eyepieces-around-the-same-price/#comment-4175578

From the recent post by Don Pensack in that thread it looks as if the APM Ultra Flat Field (UFF) 30mm, or one of it's clones, might be a reasonable option for you as well ?

1 minute ago, LDW1 said:

Over time I read so much about the overall quality and performance of the Televue NP101 that I searched high and low for one over a number of years, up here in Canada.  Finally I advertised for one and was offered a 2003 model in excellent shape so I drove 200 mi. south and picked it up personally.  My thoughts didn't let me down, its performance level is beyond question on those dark, clear nites. I wish everyone could experience it.  I guess when you are obsessed our obsessed, lol ?  PS:  Now I have to get rid of several of my refractors, I have too many (10), lol.

Great looking setup

That also demonstrates that quality lasts undiminished over the years. My 102 Vixen refractor is 20+ years old now and my 130mm 15+ years old and both perform just as well as when they were made I'm sure

Excellent and detailed review of what I think is the current Opticron Oregon 15x70's here:

http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2015/07/04/opticron-oregon-15x70-binoculars-review/

Are these basically the same as the Celestron Astromaster 15x70's ?

Great report !

Well done on NGC 604 - it always gives me a thrill to see that little blob of light thinking how immense and far off it is

Despite the cold blustery wind, the transparency was pretty good last night but the seeing was none too steady.

When I started this thread I did not intend it to be just about refractors of course. We hear more of the expensive brands of that design and that is where my personal experience lies but I'm aware that there are instruments of high excellence (and cost) available of many of the other scope designs as well.

My earliest experience of a really high quality scope was probably with an Intes (Moscow) 150mm F/5.9 Maksutov-Newtonian. The cost (pre-owned) was not that high but the scope, while looking a little drab externally, was mechanically and optically made to very high standards. That is one scope that I wish I still owned . I guess we all have a list of those though !

4 hours ago, Concordia000 said:

....It should be noted however that back then there was a big gap between premium optics and mass produced ones. The sharpness and contrast between Synta APOs and Taks (I looked through some at a star party) was quite obvious, not to mention the mechanical quality of the scopes. Now, the gap has narrowed significantly, and some of the Chinese scopes (like the StellaMira/TS 90, the Meade Quad, or the Esprits) are serious contenders for best optics in their aperture class. The difference in mechanical quality also decreased, but not as much as the optics imo. The catch, of course, is that the great Chinese made optics are more expensive than before, even if they might still be cheaper than some of the more prestigious brands (sometimes they can actually be more expensive).

That's an interesting comment. I agree with you regarding the mechanical build and finish differences between the Synta refractors and the Taks but, having owned a Skywatcher ED120 ED doublet for a decade now and a Tak FC100-DL fluorite doublet and a TMB/LZOS 130 F/9.2 triplet for nearly 6 years now, I have not noticed the ED120 being outclassed in terms of optical performance. I had expected that I would move the ED120 on after I acquired the much more expensive refractors but that has not been the case and I'm very pleased to still have it. Maybe my ED120 is an outlier in performance ?. It does have a Moonlite focuser on it now which addresses one of the most common criticisms on the mechanical side of things.

4 hours ago, wulfrun said:

For the first time ever, I've just managed to clock the ISS going over (well, OK, an hour ago!). Spotted it by chance, had time to grab the binos and follow it. Blimey it's bright! Faded to yellow then red then suddenly gone as it went past about 40 degrees up in the easterly direction. Might even get the next pass!

It was bright earlier wasn't it !

I've been popping in and out to the scope observing a few easy targets at low power. The gusty wind and cold temperatures dissuade me from spending long out there. Some nice low and wide views but the seeing and the wind did not support anything near high magnifications.

33 minutes ago, IB20 said:

Low weight is something that I have really been looking for in an OTA recently, especially to make a grab n go set-up. Sometimes it isn’t purely the optics that can aid a sale. 

Low weight and low complexity have long been high priorities for me. I need to be able to move the scope around my observing area quickly and relatively easily to make the most of the observing opportunities. I like to be able to setup and tear down quickly as well without the need for power supplies, alignment procedures etc.

I enjoy hunting down new and familiar targets so I don't need a GOTO or Push To system on my mount which saves cost, setup time and a little weight.

13 minutes ago, Geoff Barnes said:

It may be a bit off topic @John but as you have several top notch refractors and a quality 12 inch reflector I am keen to know your thoughts on the comparison of the quality of planetary/lunar views through both types. I only use my 12 inch Dob and have wonderful views through that, but have never looked through a quality ED refractor for comparison. May need a different thread for this?

I think that will need a different thread Geoff but its a good question

35 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

Came back to this entertaining thread a few times to read responses, bet you didn't expect 4 pages in under a day, great question.

I'm pleased if people have been interested in the thread, for whatever reason 

The responses have been diverse and thoughtful - but I would expect that here

50 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

Confession: I've always struggled with the word pride. I never use it and would not admit to it even if I felt it!

Well, there is one exception to 'never.'  I had a student once who overcame difficulties, not of their own making, and I feel an irrational pride in that student and always will.

I could empathize with 'Embarrassment of ownership' for sure, but certainly not with 'Pride of ownership.' The very idea makes me want to hide under the sink! 

Olly

I was hesitant over using the word as well. Probably a mistake to use it in my last post

Why do you feel that embarrassment is a more acceptable word though ?

3 minutes ago, ONIKKINEN said:

I don't think I've seen it at all. Suppose it would be visible from Bortle 6 through the VX8? Its a 20-30min drive away so not that difficult to do.

I would think so, with the help of a filter.

A UHC filter helps a lot with it. An O-III even more so