Imaging scope question

[libraryman]

Is my Vixen 102fl 920mm f/9 useable as a deep sky imaging scope, i have a RFL-4087 0.8x reducer / flatterner

i suspect i'ts better suited to planets but i would like to think i could use it for deep sky

Ray

[nightfisher]

Hi Ray, it might not be best suited, but maybe give it a try, have a go at some thing like M13, see how it handles it, these vixens are full of suprises

[Earl]

It going to be a touch slow, but it will work. What camera are you going to be using with it?

[libraryman]

I thought it would be slow, but would i be right in thinking the 0.8x reducer brings it down to about 7.3 fl i am using a 350D at the moment.

what sort of targets might suit it other than m13

Ray

[ollypenrice]

You've had remarkably luke warm replies here, Ray! I'm going to take a different view. This is the legendary fluorite Vixen 102 and you'll be using it at F7.2. That's perfectly bearable. I regularly image with our TEC140 at F7 and, while faster would be nicer, it is perfectly viable. I would expect the colour correction with a slowish fluorite lens to be excellent. If the scope is well collimated and the flattener works well I'd expect it to be a bit of a killer. Be sure to get your chip distance correct, flattener to chip.

The Vixen 102 came in three grades, the achromat, the ED and the very rare fluorite. All I can say is that I'm most envious! I imaged with a Mk1 'Pearl RIver' TeleVue Genesis fluorite at F5 and even then the blue bloat was not too bad. At F7.2 I'd expect it to be minimal.

A slower scope will always work btter with CCD than DSLR because cooling allows long exposure but F7.2 is just about OK.

Olly

http://ollypenrice.s...44788&k=r8HTK72

[libraryman]

Thank you all for the replies, and i'm very pleased that you consider it a potentially good scope Olly, i was lucky that the vixen came up for sale locally but it took some time to find the reducer!

Ray

[nightfisher]

Ray, sounds like you have a good scope, if olly says it should work well then it will

[Luke]

For me F7.2 and focal length of 720mm sounds like a good choice to start (and continue) imaging with, so personally I would be really itching to use it! Targets-wise, maybe M101, the Pinwheel galaxy?