Virtus

The 17.5 Morpheus is a great choice! Word of warning though - you will quickly want more Morphei ha! They also Barlow really well so if you picked up the 12.5 and a 2x Barlow down the road it would essentially give you the 9 and 6.5. That is what I did until I found a really good deal on the 9 and 6.5 used. Definitely don't be afraid of buying used; I've found it a great way to test equipment out and most stuff is easy to move again if you don't like it or just want to try something different. In regards to zooms - my first EP purchase was a Baader Mk IV 8-24. I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to fuss with fixed focal lengths when "good" zooms were available; I quickly learned that I much prefer the wider FOVs of the Morpheus and APM UFF. The Baader zoom isn't a bad EP, and it was a huge step up over the MA EPs that came with my first scope, but I find I hardly use it now. It's great for a quick grab and go session or showing stuff to friends and family though so I will be keeping it. I find that the range from 20-24 is useless, it provides almost the same TFOV just at lower magnifications. The range from ~13-20 is better but still not great and then from 8-12 it finally starts to open up and becomes really enjoyable. With all that being said I'm a bit torn - I was going to recommend getting a budget zoom like the Celestron or Svbony just to try it out as some people absolutely love the zooms but with those the FOV is even narrower across the range... Switching out fixed focal length EPs as you observe isn't the burden I thought it was going to be.

I have and would recommend the APM 24 UFF. It's available under several other brands - the Orion version can be used as both 1.25" and 2".

It's physically possible but reducer + 2" accessories equals significant vignetting.

I can't answer your specific question but unless you're worried about customs delays I wouldn't hesitate to order from Australia. I'm in the US and recently ordered a Nexus II and encoder kit from Astro Devices and shipping was very quick.

Received some awesome Glatter collimating tools yesterday - 1.25" laser, TuBlug, and Parallizer. APM UFF 30 should be here later this week.

Can't answer your specific questions but I use a Celestron reducer on my C6 with no issues. There is no vignetting with an APM UFF 24 or 32mm Plossl.

Thanks. Agena is always one of my go tos but they don't have any in stock except for the ES model you mentioned which is insane at almost $300. I'm a bit confused by the Apertura being labeled as 10x50. It looks identical to the Stellarvue 9x50.

Can anyone recommend a RACI for the FirstLight? I'm eyeing this Apertura. I've already got a Telrad but haven't mounted it yet.

I feel like a kid on Christmas morning! This thing is clean. There's not a scratch or scuff anywhere; wasn't even any dust on it.

Here's my word of warning to anyone who is "just going to try one"! 😆

I picked the scope up today and it appears to be in mint condition! He bought it a couple of years ago and only used it a few times; it’s been stored in climate controlled self-storage locker since. I’ll post some pictures later.

I’ll be using Morphei 6.5, 9, 12.5, 17.5, and an APM 24 UFF.

I did, I picked up Turn Left at Orion and NightWatch.

You could move somewhere with worse seeing that would limit your magnification! I say that in jealousy as I consider myself lucky if I can go higher than ~150x most nights. Your Barlow plan seems reasonable. Did you get rid of the C9.25? I'm in the process of buying a 10" dob myself; I plan to use an APM 24 UFF and Morphei 17.5, 12.5, 9, and 6.5. I've got a 2x Barlow if the jet stream decides to take the night off.

Thanks for the additional information Steve! The dual speed focuser upgrade will probably be the first thing I do. I'm meeting up with him on Saturday morning to get the scope; I'm going to test it first but at this point I'm committed to buying it unless there are any major issues. I've already ordered some collimation tools and I'm also picking up my new Morphei EPs (6.5 and 9) on Saturday so should be good to go for testing. Well, other than the approaching full moon....

Is this the finder shoe you were referring to? https://agenaastro.com/baader-standard-dovetail-finder-base-2457000a.html

Great info, thank you! A couple questions for you: Is the knob on the middle of the altitude bearing in the center of rotation? I’m curious if encoders could be installed to run a Nexus DSC. Without the extension could binoviewers be brought to focus? Did you make your base or buy it? I’ve looked at offerings from Astrogoods and DobStuff. Would probably go that route eventually. Thanks again!

Thanks both! It’s actually a fellow club member. He says he bought it a few years ago and has literally never used it as he’s in his 70s and it’s just too heavy for him. He’s offered to let me try it out a couple nights to see if I like it before I commit. Going to go pick it up this weekend. Almost too good to be true in this market. I would love any additional information or thoughts on the scope though; and what to look for when testing it although doesn’t sound like I have anything to worry about on that front.

I’m looking to get a dob to complement my C6 for DSOs. I’ve got an opportunity to buy an ES Firstlight 10” for $400 and curious if that’s a good deal? They seem to get good reviews and looks the same scope is offered under the Bresser brand as well. Wondering if anyone has hands on experience. I will have the ability to test the scope for a couple of nights before I decide.

I was initially very excited about this zoom. If the 75 degree constant AFOV is true it will have a wider TFOV at 15.4mm than the Baader Mk IV at 24mm. I was going to get on the pre-order list but read a little more about it and it appears to be designed for daytime use with a lot of angular magnification distortion (AMD) present in the early prototypes. Not going to totally write it off but will definitely be waiting to read reviews once they're out before I will consider it.

I'll second the Artcise. I've got the AS90C version.

I'm searching for a good all-round pair of binos for bird and small wildlife watching in my backyard and quick astro sessions if conditions don't warrant pulling out my G&G setup or to supplement my SCT for wide-field views. Most important features: - lightweight and easy to use (my wife, and eventually kids, will use these often in the backyard) - close focus ability - durable (waterproof would be ideal) Initially was looking for 10x42s but after further thinking 8x42s would probably be a better idea as these will be hand held most of the time. Open to opinions here. Main two I'm currently considering based off of reviews and other discussions here: 1. Oberwerk Sport ED 2. Vortex Diamondback HD I'll consider the $320 price for the Oberwerk's to be the max I want to spend right now but less is always good ; anyone feel strongly that they're worth the $100 difference over the Vortexes? Any other thoughts/opinions/recommendations? Thanks!

Since I've just agreed to buy Morphei 6.5 and 9 from someone local I'm going to have to rework this... I plan to do a DIY Trekpak divider system to give me more space.

Well I just agreed to buy a 6.5 and 9 Morphei off someone semi-local to me so will soon own 4 (6.5, 9, 12.5, and 17.5). That escalated quick for someone that was just going to buy 1 a few weeks ago ha....

Here's my setup in a Nanuk 920.