Orion VX OTA

[Mr Flibble]

Does anyone use a VX OTA?

I'm considering increasing aperture from my 6 inch celestron to a 10 inch newt to sit on my current CG5 mount (visual only). The VX10 is about double the price of the skywatcher 10 inch newt OTA and I'm wondering if the optics are worth the extra money. I also note the VX10 has a cooling fan; I assume this is at the base of the primary? Would really like to hear anyones views on the VX10.

[nightfisher]

I wonder if a 10" might be just a tad to big for the CG5, but i think if i were buying this i would opt for the skywatcher, regarding the cooling fan you can add one to the base of the ota for little money

[estwing]

skywatcher +1

[John]

I have an Orion Optics Europa Deluxe 10" F/4.8 which has the same optics as the base VX10 but the fittings are slightly different. Optically its good and the Hilux coatings are worth having I reckon but mechanically I don't feel it's any better than the Skywatcher equivalent. Orion may well have upped their game with the VX series though. I have owned a Skywatcher Skyliner 250PX as well so I know what those are like in broad comparison. I've not been able to compare them "back to back" though which is often what is needed to flush out the differences between similarly specced equipment.

I would agree that either is on the large side for the CG5 mount though, even for visual use. The Orion Optics optical tube is a bit lighter than the Skywatcher equivilent though which makes it a little more manageable.

[tich]

I have read that 8" Newts are about the limit for EQ5's or CG5 mounts & by what I've seen for the price of the Orion tube for a little bit more you could get a Skywatcher Skyliner 300P DOB here

Just a thought.

[Mr Flibble]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

To increase aperture I was originally looking at a 12 inch dob because I was under the impression that an 8 inch OTA was considered the max for the CG5 mount. But after seeing that celestron and orion sell a 10 inch OTA on a EQ/CG5 mount I wanted to explore that option, especially from an economical point of view of still being able to use my mount. And that's where my query of differences between the orion and skywatcher OTA's originated.

However, given the consensus of the CG5 not being up to it I really don't want to fork out for a bigger equatorial mount to accomodate a 10 inch OTA so it looks like I'll revert back to the dob option.

[neil phillips]

If planets for imaging are a consideration, the 10" f6.3 seems to do a fair bit better than the f4.8

Ive got good results on lunar and planets with the Orion on a vixen gp with wooden tripod.

though worked better when i modified it with meade tripod legs. wind is the problem under no wind i reckon it will work.

but the slightest breeze and its impossible to get good planetary results, but hey thats also true with my 10" on a neq6.

the Europa range can be modified with fan, and is a lot cheaper. though hilux, and 1/10th pv personally i would favour over either less spec on the orion, or the SW just because ive got a goodun. mass produced scopes seem to be getting better and better though, as is evident by the images they are producing, which are increasingly excellent. the Europa range may no longer exist im not sure, but hilux and 1/10th pv f6.3 in a basic tube, i reckon orion would build, a lot cheaper than the vx, if asked

[John]

... the Europa range may no longer exist im not sure

They dropped the Europa range when they re-vamped their product lines last year Neil. The VX10 is not much more expensive than the Europa Deluxe 10" was though. Still a big difference over the Skywatcher equivalent though and one that does need some careful consideration.

[neil phillips]

They dropped the Europa range when they re-vamped their product lines last year Neil. The VX10 is not much more expensive than the Europa Deluxe 10" was though. Still a big difference over the Skywatcher equivalent though and one that does need some careful consideration.

True John, i would like to try a SW, as mentioned it seems mass produced is catching up with cottage industry, The images are showing that.

But without going side by side, i have no real way of determining the subtle things like ultimate sharpness of planetary images, which is mostly the optics.

Luis 12" GSO is dynamite, though heavily modified with peltier cooler and fan. possibly other tweaks. From that experiance it does seem chinease optics are becoming good enough. Though one wonders about consistency between scopes, Again i can only guess, not really comment. But a important consideration none the less

[Mr Flibble]

The VX 10inch on a dob mount with no optic upgrade is £1060. The skyliner 10inch flex dob is £520.

A cottage industry product automatically implies a higher standard but it seems a shame that its a stab in the dark to buy unless user feedback from side by side reviews actually proves its quality and its justification of a higher price.

I mostly view DSOs, and given the fact that the eye is not particularly good at seeing these faint fuzzies, how much of a factor would optical quality make? Is it a case of once a certain quality is reached, any further increase would only make much smaller differences and, instead, maybe aperture would be the biggest consideration?

[John]

For deep sky objects aperture makes all the difference. The original concept of the dobsonian was a large aperture scope with average optics, with the aim of gathering as much light as possible. Thats why they were called "light buckets".

For what I call high resolution observing, ie: the planets, the moon and binary stars the quality of the optics is more significant particularly in giving the scope the ability to maintain image quality and contrast at high magnifications.

What you can do with Orion Optics though is to have a bespoke scope, to your specification and with some assurance of the quality of the optical components. This is bound to cost more than just taking another unit off the production line.

[Mr Flibble]

Thanks John. The Orion option is certainly tempting and as I'm in no rush to buy I could wait a little bit longer in order to save the extra funds.

I do have one major bugbear with dobs though which is the lack of tracking. When I added a drive to my CG5 it was one of the best upgrades I've done and I don't think I could go back to manual tracking. As far as I know the only tracking dobs on the market are the skyliners. Do you know of any other tracking dobs? Or maybe even a company that produces dob bases that track to which I could add the OTA of my choice?

[Moonshane]

I have three OOUK scopes (16" f4 1/8PV solid tube on home made dob base, 6" f11 1/6PV on the OOUK dob base and a 6" f5 1/8PV OTA only). I bought them all second hand as I cannot justify the new prices but do feel they are excellent in every respect.

In the vast majority of circumstances I suspect that the differences in optics makes little difference but you do have the comfort of knowing that you make the most of the seeing conditions every time. That said, I have never used a chinese brand, let alone compared them side by side.

One point on the 10" f6 in the OOUK dob base. I'd fear that the footprint is too small for such a tube and there is a serious risk of toppling.

My 6" f11 is extremely wobbly and insecure without the mods I performed (adding some weights to the feet to lower the centre of gravity and extend the footprint). I also made an equatorial platform to which the feet are bolted. An EQP might be a tracking option for you and you could buy a 10" (maybe even a 12") SW dob plus a commercially available EQP for the price of the OOUK dob, new at least. First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 300P FlexTube Dobsonian and equatorial-platforms-uk

[paul mc c]

For Sale Status: Active Advert Category: Telescope-Reflector Advert # 54660 Could be a nice scope on astrobuy&sell at the minute.

[Mr Flibble]

Thanks Moonshane, that's lots of useful info there. Interesting to hear the orion dob bases may be unable to support the larger dobs properly unless modded. Those EQP's look very useful, I like the fact that they only need to be reset once every hour which takes only a few secs. I assume the tracking is pretty good for a certain length of time? The reason I ask is because the video on their website only lasts for a minute or so. That broadens the options for OTAs and doesn't restrict me so much to the skyliner goto's. I'd be interested if you know of any dob base manufacturers that are recommended?

[cs1cjc]

I do not think OO UK dob bases are a problem. My 14" F4.6 is fine. The base for thinner tubes does look small relative to the height, but the centre of gravity is low. The 6" f11 is not a normal production model. However it is an example of how flexible OO UK can be. If you want a specific design, they can do it!

You also get a optics of assured quality with a test to prove it. The mirror coating is tough and the cell is superb.

[cs1cjc]

Or you could look at Astrobuysell for a second hand one...

[Moonshane]

Thanks Moonshane, that's lots of useful info there. Interesting to hear the orion dob bases may be unable to support the larger dobs properly unless modded. Those EQP's look very useful, I like the fact that they only need to be reset once every hour which takes only a few secs. I assume the tracking is pretty good for a certain length of time? The reason I ask is because the video on their website only lasts for a minute or so. That broadens the options for OTAs and doesn't restrict me so much to the skyliner goto's. I'd be interested if you know of any dob base manufacturers that are recommended?

Please don't misunderstand me, it's the smaller, longer OTAs on the OOUK dob bases that are I feel are an issue (e.g. the 6" f11, the 8" f8 and the 10" f6. Other than these scopes, the bases are superb and really good quality. I'd have no issues with a 10" f4.8 or a 12" f5.3 or larger. Certainly at 12" or more the bases are rock solid as the footprint is far larger and more stable. Here's my 6" f11 thread which shows what I did and also my home made EQP thread. If you are handy it's relatively easy to make one yourself.

http://stargazerslounge.com/diy-astronomer/115026-ongoing-mods-my-orion-optics-uk-6-f11-planetary-dobsonian.html

http://stargazerslounge.com/diy-astronomer/127311-equatorial-platform-dobsonian-telescopes.html

[Mr Flibble]

Ah right, I see. Thanks Moonshane and Chris. I prefer widefields so the orion dob bases should be fine then for the more standard OTA that I'll be going for. Plenty of food for thought now, especially deciding how big to go . I was pretty much limiting myself to 12 inches with the skyliner option due to the base for the 14 inch being too wide for my doorways, but now I can look into how the orion bases measure up.