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If you had £200 to spend on a refractor...

Whippy

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russ

russ

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Depends if you are looking for an all round performer or just a lower power rich field scope.

For an all rounder I would go with a Tal 100RS or a secondhand Vixen 102M. Both will do anything you ask of them. And there's a Vixen on Ebay that will almost certainly fall within budget:

http://tinyurl.com/26mnlw

Or if you just want a quick look low power deep sky jobby then a Startravel 120 fits the bill nicely. With the Startravel you are better off not expecting anything from them in the lunar/planetary area. As their medium to high power performance ranges from flippin mega awful to okay....depending on how lucky you get.

I really want to recommend the ED80 as it's one of the greatest scopes in the history of amateur astronomy. But as you are looking for a pure visual (no imaging) scope and no mention of 'grab n go', then the limited aperture holds it back.

Russ

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Whippy

Whippy

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Cheers Rus, I spotted the Vixen on Ebay and it's on my watch list :wink: and the TAL is high up on my list. If I was looking at getting into imaging, then it'd be an ED80 of some kind but I'm not planning on going in that direction for a while yet. I'm getting it mainly for a bit of refractor goodness and all the advantages they bring over a reflector but also to try and learn the sky without the GOTO as I'm finding 'fracs are a lot easier to move about on a GEM mount than my C8R.

Tony..

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John

John

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I have an Orion ED80 which I use on an alt-az mount and I use it far more than I do my C8. Although the aperture is limited it is such a pleasure to use and so simple to get out, plonk it down and view with no collimation worries, no cool down time - and I am learning my way around the sky as well.

If portability and grab and go capability are not big factors for you then by all means go for something bigger but if you do go for an ED80 I gurantee that you will use it and like it - a lot !.

The only downside is they do give you a taste for apo refractor views which can become a very expensive taste when you want to move up in aperture.

John

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russ

russ

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I have an Orion ED80 which I use on an alt-az mount and I use it far more than I do my C8. Although the aperture is limited it is such a pleasure to use and so simple to get out, plonk it down and view with no collimation worries, no cool down time - and I am learning my way around the sky as well.

If portability and grab and go capability are not big factors for you then by all means go for something bigger but if you do go for an ED80 I gurantee that you will use it and like it - a lot !.

The only downside is they do give you a taste for apo refractor views which can become a very expensive taste when you want to move up in aperture.

Oh so wanted to recommend it. The second greatest scope i've owned, the ED100 off course being clearly the best of the best. At the moment I find i'm using the SLT102 far more than the Celestron C6. The SLT is only supposed to be the guidescope but i find it strangely more satisfying to use.

Russ

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Whippy

Whippy

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I didn't think of that, picking up an alt/az mount it would make life even easier for naviagtion and setting up then :wink:. Do you reckon an AZ3 would take a 100m tube such as the TAL? Saying that, if there was an ED80 floating about, I'd be tempted because if I wanted aperture I've got my C8 for that and then if the imaging bug grabbed me, there'd be no urge for another scope then.

EDIT: Anyone got an idea if these are any good? http://tinyurl.com/yuffve . Look interesting anyways..

Tony..

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John

John

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I didn't think of that, picking up an alt/az mount it would make life even easier for naviagtion and setting up then :wink:. Do you reckon an AZ3 would take a 100m tube such as the TAL?

The AZ-3 mount works fine with shorter tube scopes like the ED80 and I have used an ED100 and a TAL100 on it but it's not so steady with those due to the longer tube length so it's only really OK for magnifications of 100x or less IMHO. I read a report once of how someone used one of these mounts for a 120mm F8.4 refractor which he felt worked but personally I think that is pushing the mount too far :shock:

John

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The Warthog

The Warthog

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I have a Vixen 105 that I bought for $400 ( <£200 ) and just love to pieces. I use it on my EQ3-2 mount which also supports my C6N. The refractor is much lighter than the reflector, and works fine. I think the AZ3 is about the same weigh class, no?

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John

John

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I'm tempted by this....I've heard good things about these...

http://tinyurl.com/33qgfb

Tony..

I think Gordon (Copestake) has or had one of those. He's also owned an ED80 so it would be interesting to hear his views on how they compare. I know he was very enthusiastic about the build quality of the Nighthawk compared to it's Skywatcher equivilent I recall.

John

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Whippy

Whippy

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That wouldn't surprise me Gordon with it's ED glass and what have you. This probably deserves another thread but I know the difference between apo's and achro's, but I've seen semi apo's while trawling round then net. Anyone care to explain?

Tony..

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GordonCopestake

GordonCopestake

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Thats a can of worms to open! Basicly the word "Semi-APO" means whatever the seller wants it to mean. There is no definition. Basicly expect a 'scope that is better corrected than an Achro but not as good as an APO. Where inbetween it falls depends on the exact scope on sale (and I mean the EXACT scope!).

Some people push the boundry a little too far pehaps and technically even the ED80 is an Achro, however most people accept the APO label.

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russ

russ

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I had the Sentinel and was very impressed with it's performance. It's certainly not on a par with the ED80 but a clear step up from the Skywatcher Startravel range. Like the Nighthawk, it's build was superior to the Skywatcher. I imagine it's optical performance is perhaps not too far removed from the Nighthawk either.

But personally i think talk of the Nighthawk, Sentinel and Revelation is acedemic anyway as they are simply all blown away by the ED80 and a secondhand ED80 is only around the £200 mark. There's simply no point considering the others, even if it means saving £50. The ultimate goal is optical performance and the ED80 is pretty much perfect in that department. The others simply make a good job of using inferior optical elements, relying on coatings and baffling to overcome the deficiences. But ultimately they can't.

Regards

Russ

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SteelRat

SteelRat

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Well the S/H ED80 looks to have won the day. NEVER hear anything bad about them EVER 8)

They get snapped up REAL quick though mate. With the ratings they get here the next S/H one'll go WELL SHARPISH and will probably command the £200 mark - so when y'see one come up... don't be slow.

As a backup plan; fer an extra £95... NEW ONE?

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Whippy

Whippy

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I think I've ever only seen one. And that went in about 30 seconds! Yeah, the temptation to blow it and get a new one is hanging over me, but with all the extra bits like a dovetail and so on, I'd be looking at nearer £350.

Tony..

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russ

russ

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A sweeping statement, Russ - and one which I agree with completely.

opps I wish i wouldn't do that. I have a habit habit of sweeping statements and normally end up upsetting someone. :wink:

But i do love the ED80, can't help praising it. It only problem is the ED100. The ED80 is close to perfect for the money, the ED100 is perfect.

Oh no another sweeping statement :cool:

Russ

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