Secondhand Orion 80ed - should I do it?

[Dagoessem]

Hey guys. I currently own a Nexstar 4se, I'm not happy with aligning it, but I'll start another topic about that.

I currently however have an opportunity to purchase a secondhand Orion 80mm ed refractor. I have been reading alot about that scope, but it was not always clear how old the comment or review of that person was since these refractors have been around since 2003, their positive reviews might be way outdated. I would like to use it for some astrophotography (still shorter exposers with my 4SE mount), which with my current 4SE is not going so great.

Here is some info on the Orion I'm interested in:

ORION ED80 (OTA) 80mm f/7.5 Refractor

Objective Lens Diameter: 80mm

Telescope Focal Length: 600mm (f/7.5)

Dual-Fit 1.25”/2” Crawford/JMI Electric Focuser with controler

standard 1.25" prisma

6x30 orion achromatic finder

Tuberings and dovetail

Home build piggy pack mount

Solarscreen solar filters for OTA and finder

Wooden transport case

And a picture:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32948187/OTA/IMG_0007.JPG

I hope I can get some feedback from you guys!

Thx

[ronin]

The scope is generally fairly good, that does not however mean perfect at everything, just good at most things.

The lens is an ED doublet, so there could be a slight amount of CA present, very slight and most will not see it. A camera may however.

Is f/7.5 fast or slow? I would say not 100% for imaging but good at visual.

If imaging is the direction then it will likely need a reducer and a flattener.

If the idea is to put it on the 4SE mount then I would suggest not.

It will be heavier then the 4SE OTA and longer, the 4SE mount is Alt/Az and not good for imaging except planets with a webcam - you need an equitorial.

The ED 80 with reducer and equitorial is often used for imaging, but many use it to start imaging, meaning by implication that for more serious work an upgrade is required at some later time.

Edited March 16, 2014 by ronin

[Dagoessem]

Thanks Ronin, I am aware of the whole Alt-Az vs EQ matter and all I can say is that the budget won't allow it. I am saving up for a Celestron Advanced VX but then I still need something that is better for AP than my current f/13 telescope (the 4SE). So I figured, I have the opportunity to get the overall celebrated Orion 80ED and use my current mount (wedged) for now untill I can afford the AVX.

At that point I can use the 80mm for a while untill there is room for something even better, but the thing is voor a couple of 100 euros (new) there is nothing exceptionally good, and I won't pay 500 for something that is only 10% better then something i can get for 250 euro. Next telescope I get needs to be a good one, and will most likely take me towards 1000euro, and again, that's not in the budget anytime soon.