FenlandPaul

Very interesting report, Chris. That's too bad that Bresser have compromised quality (though not on optics by the sound of it) to get this into a certain price bracket. The AR127L restored my faith in companies' willingness to produce a genuinely well-built and desireable product on a budget, and like you I'd assumed that USP would exist throughout the range. Plastic on a clamshell? Come on Bresser that's a poor show. i think your decision to send it back is the right one. And your knowledgeable and specific feedback should be very valuable to them. It's disappointing but the alternative is to constantly wonder when those plastic bits will perish! On the plus side, it does look like a lovely scope in those pictures! I can see why you'd need two Little Tikes cars to carry it around! Paul

Thanks John - I'm studying all the different ERs now. I don't normally wear my glasses when observing with my other eyepieces but just find I have to with the 32mm because my eye is so far away from the eyepiece!! I am hopeful that the shorter ERs of the ethos range will mean I can discard the specs and enjoy the immersion. Paul

What a great thread. I've got a 32mm as well, and while it's my default low power eyepiece I have to work hard to position my eye and usually wear my glasses, which means stray light can easily get in. Interesting that the eye relief is too much for a lot of people; I find that too and was worried whether I'd cope with upgrading to Ethos etc.

I saw that note come in yesterday. It's a shame - I shall miss Kieran's amusing (if sporadic!) blogs. Paul

I've been following this thread silently for a long time and have been so impressed with your resolve and patience to create something really special. I am so, so pleased that you now have that precious glass. It's been epic, and it's just the start of the wonderful time you and your scope are going to have together. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!

Well I'm really quite jealous of some of the aspects people have got here! I'd hoped mine this evening would be fairly good at the allotments (about 180 degree uninterrupted view centred on south and slightly raised up) but it's far too windy for that tonight. So here I am set up and ready to go in the back garden.

Absolutely stunning, John - many congratulations. I assume this is a stop-gap to take you through the 20-month lead time for the real prize: http://apm-telescopes-englisch.shopgate.com/item/383633

Nice. But if you have a problem with stray light I think I know why!!!

1881 is the date on this lovely book ("Half Hours with te Stars"), salvaged from my great aunt's house, although not sure where she got it from:

Not seen this before, but now I know its interesting components it's definitely worth a look. Maybe even tomorrow evening, which is set to be clear and moonless here..... hooray!!

That finder really sets off the Skylight, Derek. @Chris Lock will be proud!! Beautiful.

Sill available nowadays on BBC Radio 4 Extra!! Always makes me chuckle.

I've also used the aluminium-legged AZ4 with an ST120 (same scope as Chris) and it was a great match. I also had an ST150 on it, which was challenging in all but the best conditions, and a SkyMax 127 Maksutov, which was also a great match. You'll have no problem at all with the ST-102. Paul

The AR127L is beautiful. I'm taking it with me to a talk this evening to the local cub scouts. I think they'll recognise it as a "proper" scope!

Hope it works out well, Chris - looks good with the binoviewers!

That's a thing of beauty, Helen!

Wow - she's one impressive bit of kit! What an amazing setup!Paul

As of yesterday I was the very happy owner of this: Was hoping to take a shot with it next to my "stealth" ST150 but I need to get the right bolts for the dovetail plate before I can fit it. The 127L is a beast - it seems as though it's beautifully made. Really stirs the soul to look at it! Thank you to Chris for the trade. But not for the days of overcast weather that have come with it.... Paul

Carbon fibre effect looks rather nice too. I have one BigSumorian to thank for that.

A bit slow off the mark on this one - sorry. Here's my recently acquired ST150 on my AZ4 with 18" extension pier. I am new to fracs, unless you count bins and finders. But from the few sessions I've had so far, including a lovely dark-sky session a couple of weeks ago, it's a very enjoyable scope with nice contrasty views. The jury is still out on whether the mount can really cope; it worked a treat for the wide field deep sky stuff I did a couple of weeks ago, but last night ramping up the power (modestly) on the moon it was a bit too shaky for my liking, especially when focussing. I also have an ST120, which I'm running alongside this for a while until I determine which is the one I use most. Both scopes acquired from jolly kind gentlemen from this forum. Paul

I've been excited about joining this thread for weeks! This evening, on my lovely son's 7th birthday and on the day he broke up from school, I had first light with my StarTravel 120. Quick session on the moon and Saturn (so not what it's intended for) but still stunning! And then I have a ST150 arriving later this week, to drive them side by side for 6 months or so and then decide which to keep. Thanks to the previous owner of this (Baggywrinkle) and the ST150 (BigSumorian) for passing on these lovely instruments!!

Great topic and some seriously lovely looking bins on this forum! Here are my incredibly-good-value Revelation 20x80s, set up half an hour ago for a quiet gaze at the moon while my wife was out. These bins were all I had for 4 or 5 months after I sold my old 8" newt, and it was a really special time of observing and getting to know the night sky in a different way.

I'm not an imager so I rarely dabble in these parts of the forum. But I am so glad I just did. That is absolutely sensational - many many congratulations, chaps. That's just stunning. I am just about to deck out a new study. I most definitely want a print of this on my wall. Amazing. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Wow. Can't believe I've not seen this before. Incredible - well done and thank you for sharing. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hi Steve I used to very dismissive of bins when I had my 8" newt as I just didn't see the point of using lower aperture. A few months ago I sold the scope in order to pave the way for upgrading to a larger dob at some point (I don't know why, but just felt I had to sell my existing scope first). To fill the gap I bought some 20x80 Revelation bins, which I think are identical to your Celestrons. I have to say I haven't regretted it for a second. I see things in a completely different light - not necessarily better, but different. It's interesting to me comparing the descriptions of my views of messier objects in my scope with what I now see in my bins. I had some 50mm bins beforehand, and these are miles better. So what I'm saying is "don't be disheartened". In terms of tripod, yes you obviously need one. I can't manage more than a few seconds without one. The one thjat came with mine as part of a package isn't terribly heavy duty (I think it's called the Astro 185 from Telescope House), so I don't think you need to spend a whole lot of cash to get something adequate. It's rubbish for the zenith, but goot up to about 70 degrees altitutde. Good luck Paul Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk