F15Rules

That's a cracking solution Iain!👍 They look great too😊.

For my low power set I'm using a humble pair of Meade 4000 made in China

32mm plossls..for reasons that are often discussed and debated, but perhaps hard to pin down, these cheaper long focal length plossls often seem to work better in pairs than as singles..

I've given up trying to analyse it all, and now just enjoy the views!😁

Dave

I think all the above comments have answered your questions..

I've owned a good few Halloween plossls over the years (odd name!) and found them actually pretty good optically..a longer focal length pair would make for  excellent binoviewing😊👍.

Dave

20 hours ago, radiofm74 said:

I am going dizzy with all the great Vixen scopes, mounts and eyepieces on display on this thread ;D

I've started out during COVID on a (much-loved) Celestron OMNI 150 kit (6" Newt on a CG-4), acquired a C6 for an airline-friendly tube, then being a lover of EQ mounts and an urban dweller in need of a lot of portability I got a Vixen Advanced Polaris. It was a real eye-opener. Super-portable, precise… an amazing piece of kit. When I decided I'd do imaging too, I fitted it with motors and a polar scope, and got a used SD81S. A second w<yw-opener: what a wonderful scope! With the spare parts of the Advanced Polaris I made a fully manual APZ. Both mounts are fantastic, both can hold my (recently acquired) C8 if well balanced, not to speak of my other tubes. The SD81S is my favorite imaging scope and to my utter surprise and confusion also my favorite visual scope, especially for doubles, lunar, and clusters, even though it competes with a pair of good SCTs with much more aperture.

I am now hopelessly hooked. I'd like a 4-5" apo and a nice motorised mount to sustain it, especially for doubles and planetary from my balcony, so my first choice are an old GP(D) and 4-5" Vixen ED doublet. I am so taken with my AP that I'd love to get a Sphinx to upgrade my HEQ5 Pro as my "static" imaging base. And if a R200SS passes by I won't let it go. I am even getting a bit of Vixen eyepiece fever. This thread ain't helping ;D

Hi, and welcome to SGL and this Vixen thread😊.

It's great to sense your enthusiasm for your new hobby, and in particular for Vixen Japan's excellent range of scopes, especially refractors.

You say that you aspire to own a Vixen 4-5" ED scope? There are two fine scopes within that size range..the SD103s (formerly the ED103s, they are virtually identical), and the SD115s (formerly ED115s, they too are virtually identical).

I've owned 2 ED103s models, and both were truly excellent: one of them is now owned by a good friend and he absolutely loves it.

Our resident UK Vixen guru, @Franklin, aka Tim, has recently become the proud owner of a beautiful new SD115s model.

Both these scopes perform superbly, and I only sold my second ED103s back in 2017 as I had the opportunity to acquire a mint Takahashi FS128, a full 5" Fluorite doublet..had a similar sized Vixen been available, I would happily have bought one.

I can heartily recommend a used Vixen ED103s in good optical condition as offering top drawer performance at a significantly lower cost than a similar sized Takahashi 4" scope..👍🙂.

Above: later model ED103s with dual speed focuser on Celestron CG4 equatorial mount..note the scope in this photo sits in a Takahashi Clamshell ring (originally supplied with a Takahashi  FS102 apo 4" refractor - both the FS102 and the Vixen SD/ED103s have an oversized 114mm tube diameter.

Below, same scope on Vixen Porta II Altaz mount, this time the tube sits in Vixen original white tube rings.

Dave

52 minutes ago, Franklin said:

It was a Vixen 4" refractor that started me off on my astro journey back in the mid 80's and since then I've always held these 4" F/9 ish achro's in high regard. I've had the Sensor102M, the SP102M, the Custom102M, the GP102M and more recently the A105M. All pretty much the same optical tube, only the mounts were different.

In more recent years, having acquired a few ED refractors, I decided to let my A105M go to a new home and it was taken on by a nice chap here on SGL. But the other week I happened to see another A105M up for auction in Japan and even though I had no intention of trying to buy it, that didn't prevent me from putting in a stupidly low bid and then preceded to forget all about it. A week later I was in shock when I received an email telling me that I had won the auction! But some things are meant to be, as they say, so considering the story behind how I ended up with this classic Vixen 4" refractor, I think I'm going to keep it. Apart from a couple of small cosmetic marks to the paint work it is in really excellent condition and the optics are just as good as I remember in the other examples I've owned.

 

 

Just lovely, Tim, thanks for sharing! 👍✨

Dave

On 09/07/2023 at 19:43, Alan White said:

Snapped a quick pic of the Vixen setup in White Light use and found a halo around the mount, clearly it’s Sainted…

Ok it’s a reflection on the lens, but I do like these mounts so much.

Alan, 

I thought you'd installed a fan to cool the motors..🤦‍♂️😂

Dave

I have less experience with BVs than many colleagues on here, but for what it's worth I have decided to  narrow down my pairs to just three, to save the time spent "faffing around" with too many configurations.

I use:

- 32mm Meade 4000s for lowest power (approximately 50-52 degree fov) for 32.5x low power views)

- 20mm W.O. 66 degree wide angle for 52x wider angle views

- Takahashi Abbe 12.5 mm Orthoscopics (approx 44 degree fov) giving 83x.

I use all the above natively in my FS128. I also have a  Baader 1.7x Glasspath Corrector and Baader Hyperion Zoom 2.25x Barlow for higher powers when needed. These deliver significantly higher views, although I don't yet have enough sessions with these as yet to enable me to estimate the actual magnifications delivered with these.

Whatever combination you go for, I definitely think that the excellent optics and ergonomics of the MBII's make it unnecessary to over complicate things with too many pairs.. just get them in your scope and marvel at the ease of use and great views!👍😊

Dave

15 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

My 12" SL is big and bulky, but, optically it kicks into touch any premium 6" apo on sharpness and detail by a significant margin at a fraction of the cost. Just add up the cost of a 6" apo and mount and you'll faint... 

🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱🤪😋

It's an interesting question, but as a relative oldie of 67 orbits, other factors come into play too, usually to do with getting older..

I am fortunate enough to own a lovely Tak FS128..for visual, arguably as good as it gets. However, not long after I acquired it 6+ years ago, my right (observing) eye began to deteriorate. I had to re-train my better left eye to become my cyclops observing eye..I now find for much of my viewing that binoviewers are more comfortable for me, especially on Lunar and planets.

I actually think that c10 years ago, I got as good, and sometimes better views through my then main scope, a 5" F 15 D&G achromat..because my eyes were better.

So, at least in my experience, I would take "Beautiful Imperfection" in a scope over "Frustrating Deterioration" in my Mark 1 eyeballs, any day!

Several posts have mentioned the older and relatively cheap 120mm - 127mm achromats positively..I'd heartily endorse that view.

I had an older Meade AR127L F9 I think it was called (John, I think you bought it from me?), and I got loads of great viewing through this scope, despite it's CA on bright objects and too short, stubby dewshield. And my eyes then were significantly better than they are now..

So no one will ever hear me belittling those scopes - Galileo would have given his right arm for one!😁

Dave

On 02/07/2023 at 10:00, Mr Spock said:

Probably have to use one of those smaller cube foam cases like this one:

 

Me want those LVWs...😍😂

Dave

I don't know if there's any formal research on this, but in practical terms if you just look with your eyes the evidence is obvious.

We have a log burner in our lounge. If it's burning in cold weather and I look through a scope over the chimney, the image dances about like crazy. 

This also can happen in daytime when just looking over a building or garage for example.

But local seeing conditions are also affected by topography and local weather: I live in a village almost surround by low hills, and I definitely get interference with seeing when colder or warmer air rolls down into our village, causing temperature inversions etc.

I find that this type of seeing interference can often lessen later in the night after the atmospheric turbulence has eased.

Dave

1 minute ago, The60mmKid said:

I'm half tempted to write up my own evaluation of this refractor, but I'm not sure whether it makes sense to assess a scope that's so uncommon and relatively long in the tooth 🤔 It feels like reviewing a 30-year-old arthouse film.

No....

Please DO post a review! The rarity and age of your scope only add to the interest, and I for one would love to read such a write up.

Dave

50 minutes ago, Froeng said:

This is what the 1980s finders look like:

I love Vixen gear..so much so that I started this thread over 5 years ago..😊.

However, while their 30mm finders were optically fairly good, I've always disliked the straight through design as I find it very uncomfortable to use for any length of time.

So on my mid 1980s Vixen 80mm F15 ota I've installed a nice Skywatcher right angled 6x30mm unit which fits the standard Vixen finder foot..much more practical IMHO👍😊.

Dave

If that Chat GPT question had been a real person, I'd have lost the will to live after 2 paragraphs and ignored it..🤪😝..

Dave

7 hours ago, Geoff Barnes said:

Phew!  Now I know what people who go cold turkey go through! 

It was like losing a major limb not being able to use SGL. 

How did we all cope? 

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃😇

Just fine 🥴🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ 

Dave

10 hours ago, John said:

It is always interesting to hear and see what gear others are using and how they are using it - thanks for posting this Dave 👍

I'm thinking of using my  Baader Zeiss T2 in 2 inch mode so it is useful to see how you approach that.

The Pentax 8-24 zoom is quite a lump isn't it 🙂 

Thanks John👍.

The Pentax is a good size but not too heavy..here are the dimensions from the Flo website (I bought my first one of these from them in 2016 and you can read my review on their site..):

Weight: 550g (1.2lb)
Length: 114mm (4.5")
Width: 69mm (2.7")

The setup for these bigger eyepieces isn't back focus critical when using them in cyclops mode (and they're too big to even contemplate using them in binoviewers).

However, when using the binoviewers with the FS128 and smaller eyepiece pairs, I can simply use the provided knurled ring on the Maxbright IIs body to thread the Zeiss BBHS prism straight onto the prism itself, so guaranteeing the shortest possible light path.

On my scope, I can get native focus of all my eyepiece pairs with no OCS or Barlow this way..although I understand that some scopes can't do this, depending on their tube length and focuser.

Having used a fair few binoviewers in the past, I can say that ergonomically and optically the MBIIs are a real step up and a joy to use by comparison.

Dave

That's very interesting, but I am very happy with the overall low power, wide angle views that my setup provides🙂.

Dave

Hi all,

I haven't done much observing lately for various reasons as well as short nights, cloudy spring etc etc..

But I have been doing a few bits of experimentation in my mancave to make my actual sessions more rewarding and dare I say, efficient?😁

My accessories setup ie eyepieces, diagonals, binoviewer etc have been stable for a little while now and consist of ;

Fixed focal length eyepieces for Cyclops viewing: Pentax XL 10.5mm, Pentax XL SMC 8-24mm zoom, Celestron Axiom LX23mm and 31mm..usually used in 2" mode. I can also Barlow the zoom and 10.5mm to achieve higher magnifications with no loss of eye relief.

For Binoviewing I have an excellent set of Maxbright IIs which I use with pairs of Tak Abbe Ortho 12.5mm, WO wide angle 20mm and Meade 4000 32mm. I also have a Baader 1.7x GPC, Baader Hyperion Zoom Barlow 2.25x and W.P 1.6x nosepiece for higher powers.

I have just two diagonals but they are good ones: Baader Zeiss BBHS T2 prism and Astro Tech 2" Dielectric mirror diagonal.

I do definitely tend to see the Baader BBHS prism as my preferred diagonal lately, as it's so versatile. The BBHS version has a 34mm clear aperture and, if I attach a 2" click lock to the prism eyepiece side (I use a Baader short 2" nosepiece threaded into a basic 2" click lock body, see photos below), I can use all the above cyclops eyepieces in 2" mode.. all of them have field stops under 34mm apart from the big 31mm Axiom, and even this one works great with the prism..if there is any vignetting, I can't see it..and the whole rig feels very solid.

I use the two Pentax eps, which are technically 1.25" eps,  with Revelation 2" to 1.25" self centering adapters. These add some weight to the eps, meaning that there is little, if any, re-balancing of the OTA needed, no matter which cyclops eyepieces I'm using.

For binoviewing, all 3 eyepiece pairs are quite small and light, so swapping in a session between cyclops and binoviewing mode is just a one or two minute job👍.

In case it might help someone else, or just be of interest, I thought I'd just share below a few photos of the configurations I use😊.

Thanks for reading.

Dave

Baader Zeiss prism with 2" nosepiece, left, and barebones 2" click lock, also with 2" nosepiece which threads onto the prisms' M48 male eyepiece side thread, see below.

Above setup with 2" uncloaked Axiom 23mm in the click lock.

Above with Pentax zoom and 2" self centering adapter. Below with Pentax stack ready for insertion into Tak's 2.7" focuser.

Here are a few shots of my 1980s Vixen made, SBS branded 80mm F15 achromat.

I believe this was originally sold in France (the ID plate is in French), and I think "SBS" was the trading name of the reseller.

The scope has clearly led an "active life", and has had a 2" dual speed Crayford focuser added to it. I've added a Skywatcher Raci 6x30 finder and found a nice replica vintage Vixen logo transfer online, which I think is period correct for that time.

A previous owner flocked the dewshield and lower tube forward of the focuser.

The scope is a fine double star splitter, although I haven't yet tried it on the Moon, I expect it to do well in the current waxing lunar cycle..😉

Shown here on vintage Vixen SP mount and SW steel tripod..

Dave

On 20/06/2023 at 22:02, John said:

Variations on the "scope X on a Vixen" theme.

The mount under the Tak is the Celestron branded version of the Vixen GP.

The mount under the TMB/LZOS 130 is the Vixen GP-DX.

 

The Lzos 130 looks great on the GPDX John..👍. How does the mount handle it? I've had my FS128 on one in the past, and it worked quite well: but the  8.1 Tak is only about 8.5kg including finder, diagonal etc, whereas I'd imagine the Lzos F9(Triplet?) is a fair bit heavier? The sturdy wooden tripod will help stability of course..is that one a Tal tripod?  Certainly looks like one😊.

I remember holding an Lzos of c106mm/F6 spec I think it was, when I visited someone to view a different scope some years ago, and I was amazed at how solid and heavy the Russian scope was.

Thanks for sharing.

Dave

8 hours ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

If you really want to go to 82 degrees at this length, I can recommend the Nagler 31T5, which is probably my most-used wide-field EP in my Celestron C8. It is also astounding in my Meade SN-6 6" F/5 Schmidt Newton. Very bulky, very heavy, but really good.

I would tend to agree..

It was favourable online comparisons with the "Terminagler" 31mm on the other site that convinced me to buy the Axiom LX 31mm. Although even heavier than the T31, the Axiom LX, when decloaked, loses about 1/3 of its weight.. (see photo below).

(Top L-R: Morpheus 9mm, Nagler T2.12mm, Axiom LX 23mm (decloaked) and Axiom LX 31mm (also decloaked). Notice how, when decloaked, the Axioms look much more in size like the Morph 9mm  and Nag 12mm).

I'm not claiming the Axiom 31mm is as good as the T31, as I've not used the Nagler. And I respect the opinions of SGLers such as Michael and John who have used them a lot..

However, a good used Nagler T31mm can cost £400-£500, and an Axiom LX 31mm can be had for £150 or less. So if if I can get 90%-95% of the performance of the Nagler from the Axiom LX at1/3 the price, I'm well happy.😊

Dave

I can't speak for the ES 30, but I have the Axiom LX 31mm which preceded the Luminos, and is a fabulous (and heavy) eyepiece.

My reading tells me that the Axiom LX range were much  better than the later Luminos, certainly  in longer focal lengths. 

The Axiom LX 31mm is shown on the far right..

HTH,

Dave

On 10/06/2023 at 17:08, Louis D said:

BTW, does anyone know why the current popularity of unboxing videos exists? 

I don't know the answer to that question..but I do know that it's never, ever taken me 8 minutes 45 seconds to unbox one and shove it in the focuser..

🙂🙃

Dave

On 08/06/2023 at 16:25, josefk said:

I would find this very difficult to justify to my better half if i get caught.

Nothing wrong with the stock focuser at all but i'm hoping if this is a 1:7 gear reduction its also 1/7 the amount of turning force required and therefore less transfer of finger wobble to the scope while approaching sharpest focus...

Great little microfocuser upgrade, Josef!

I have one on my FS128 and it's excellent, makes very fine focus adjustments at high power so much easier..

Dvae

Well done you, and such a generous gesture👍😊

Dave

Interesting review Niall, thanks for posting and I look forward to further updates as you use the BVs even more.

I have looked with interest at Linear binoviewers in the last 12 months, but my heart was really set on the new Maxbright IIs, which of course were just impossible to buy for much of the past couple of years.

Having recently managed to buy an MBII, the truly awful night time weather in Lincolnshire this year so far has not yet allowed me to properly evaluate the new Maxbrights: however, what I can say already is that Baader have listened to their customers regarding the ergonomic issues which IMHO held back the original Maxbrights' performance.

These include the fiddly 3 way eyepiece holders, which proved to be an exercise in frustration for me with the Mark 1s, the limited clear aperture which meant longer focal length eps could vignette and also limit the brightness of images as compared to single eye viewing.

I'm pleased to say that the new clicklock type eyepiece holders and the increased clear aperture of the new MBIIs, PLUS their superb new T2 connectivity , have fully addressed the failings of the old model.

It would be fascinating to see a head to head comparison of the Linear Design with the new Maxbrights..

Dave