Jump to content

Starwave 102mm F11 - First (White) Light


DRT

Recommended Posts

I bought this recently from an SGL member and have had limited opportunity to use it until this weekend.

The scope has a lovely solid feel to it and the simple design is extremely pleasing on the eye.

The stock dual-speed focuser is excellent considering the price of this scope (currently £385 new) and has a very smooth action with not discernible slop and a very usable range of focus travel in both directions. I am particularly impressed with how it copes with the extra light path of the Baader Wedge compared with a normal diagonal. My ED100 and Helios 150 can't reach focus with about half the EPs in my case with the Baader Wedge installed. The Starwave has plenty of travel to spare with every eyepiece I own :smile:

The sliding dew shield and screw-on metal dust cap are very nice design touches and allow the scope to be retracted down to a nice compact size for storage, are very easy to use in operation and the quality of their fit is very re-assuring. Removal of the dew shield reveals four double sets of hex bolts holding the primary in its very solid looking cell. I do not know whether or not these allow collimation or are simply there to hold the thing together but no doubt someone can advise on that - not that I am planning to mess around with them!

The supplied CNC tube rings are a joy to use compared to the Skywatcher rings that I am used to as the large aluminium tension knobs make it extremely easy to move the scope around to achieve balance.

The scope sits extremely comfortably on my TeleOptic Ercole alongside my Lunt 50Ha for a very good solar set-up.

The view of the sun through this scope with the Baader Wedge is as good as I have seen. The disk is crisply defined against a very dark sky and there is certainly more surface detail/graining visible through this than my ED100 and the spots are extremely sharp, well defined and detailed. It is particularly enjoyable for me to be able to use any of my eyepieces with this scope as that is a definite bug bear with the ED100.

Overall I am delighted to own this scope and look forward to using it for Lunar/Planetary observing as soon as the skies allow. From the way it has performed in white light my expectations are very high!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 35
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Not that I'm in anyway biased, but great news on a positive first light for Ol' No 30 (if it's the scope I think it is).

Interesting the quick comparison with the ED100 too..

Heck I love my f11 to bits, glad you do too!

Enjoy

Fozzie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not that I'm in anyway biased, but great news on a positive first light for Ol' No 30 (if it's the scope I think it is).

That's the one, Steve :wink:

I'm interested to compare it to the ED100 at night as I don't think I need both scopes. At this point the ED100 is looking nervous on the shelf :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd be interested in that comparison, the ED 100 are a great value package second hand and although I've not had the pleasure of an obs session with one, I think its universally accepted that they are exceptionally good optics, hence why you first impressions are very encouraging!

I have however tried my 72mm ED recently on WL and I thought, from memory, it was a great lens and showed me similar views id had with the F11..

Must mount them both up and really give it a comparison sometime soon..

Ta

Fozzie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice looking scope Derek :smiley:

My money would be on the ED100 optically for night time use but build-wise the Kunming made 102mm F/11's are nicer. If you can get eyepieces to focus with it with your Baader wedge attached then so much the better :smiley:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My money would be on the ED100 optically for night time use but build-wise the Kunming made 102mm F/11's are nicer. If you can get eyepieces to focus with it with your Baader wedge attached then so much the better :smiley:

If your prediction is correct, John, that will put me in a quandary. The ED100 would be difficult to let go if it proves to be optically better and the Starwave F11 is one of those objects that you are tempted to hold onto simply because it is beautiful.

Perhaps if I classify my scopes as "daytime" or "nighttime" it would solve the problem :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After the views through the 72mm recently, a horrible little voice in my head said "bet those 100mm EDs are great" and I bet they are... but I'm not planning on looking through one anytime soon, won't be so fool hardy with my No 33

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If your prediction is correct, John, that will put me in a quandary. The ED100 would be difficult to let go if it proves to be optically better and the Starwave F11 is one of those objects that you are tempted to hold onto simply because it is beautiful.

Perhaps if I classify my scopes as "daytime" or "nighttime" it would solve the problem :lol:

One of our experienced members felt the ED100 was close to his Tak FS 102 in performance. IMHO the objectives on Synta's ED doublet series are really good but the overall build is more on the ordinary side.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After the views through the 72mm recently, a horrible little voice in my head said "bet those 100mm EDs are great" and I bet they are... but I'm not planning on looking through one anytime soon, won't be so fool hardy with my No 33

Don't let it keep you awake at night knowing that mine is only 35 minutes from your door :wink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really nice write up Derek :)  it's certainly an aesphetically pleasing scope that's for sure, and likely has the optics to match!? It would be good to see how it performs against your ED100 at night, and also check intra-extra focus rings to see how well corrected the lens is?

On a digressing side note, if my Skylight had medioca optics I still wouldn't sell it. There is something that makes me happy just owning and using a beautiful well put together scope. I came close to buying a MoonRaker for this reason, I still go on the MoonRaker site and gork almost weekly.      

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've owned 25+ plus scopes over the years. Some were lovely to look at but offered less than I expected when I looked through them. They have gone now.

My current scopes are not the best looking ones around but they really perform well and, for me, thats far more important.

Ideally I'd like both a great looking scope and a great performer but I'll take the latter over the former every time. They are not a beauty pagent but instruments to  pursue the hobby ! :smiley:

Mind you it is a hobby so go for what ever you like of course :smiley:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I like to think I enjoy astro equipment on many levels John ;)

I've not done any actual science with a telescope for nearly 15 years, but yes indeed, all I cared about then was the data. 

Each to their own, like you say :)

Scrap the second sentence, John edited his post so it's no longer relevent. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Scrap the second sentence, John edited his post so it's no longer relevent. 

I did - I looked at it again then woke up to the reality that I'm not doing science either - I'm just a sky tourist really  :smiley: 

You point was a fair one though Chris :smiley:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice looking scope but its not a Tal ;)

Trust the tal brigade to drop in on this lovely starwaves toes... :rolleyes:

Isn't there a purple lens RS on the bay at the moment? I'd of thought you Tal-ites would be feverously watching the auction? :evil:  :tongue:

Ta

Fozzie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My money would be on the ED100 optically for night time use but build-wise the Kunming made 102mm F/11's are nicer. If you can get eyepieces to focus with it with your Baader wedge attached then so much the better :smiley:

Two updates:

1. This week I bought a Moonlight focuser for the ED100 - it is not only beautiful, it has also shortened the light path by 10mm so I can now use all of my EPs with the Baader Wedge in this scope :grin:

2. I spent an hour or so doing a side-by-side comparison of the Starwave and ED100 on the Moon. Both were fitted with 2" TV Everbright diagonals and Baader Semi-APO filters. I could not identify any difference in the sharpness or contrast of the detail I was viewing on the Moon's disk or terminator. Both scopes gave fabulous views and allowed the same magnification (x150) before the seeing started to make them struggle. The only perceptible difference I could see was a very thin greenish/yellow band of CA around the edge of the Moon through the Starwave. Based on that alone, the ED100 won tonight's head to head by a whisker.

The Moon was too bright and casting a milky glow across too much of the sky to make it worthwhile pointing them at anything else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice update Derek

Sounds like that ED100 will be a great package now with a moonlite, not that it wasn't before..

I used a semi apo with my No 33 for a while, then a neodymium.. now I prefer without and the ca doesn't bother me that much..

Might try it again tonight and run a side by side with the 72mm

Did you use same mags with the different focal length or just the same ep's?

Ta

Fozzie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you use same mags with the different focal length or just the same ep's?

Steve,

When I posted the update last night I had it in my head that the F11 had a f/l of 1200 so the 8mm Ethos would have given 150x in the Starwave and the 6mm 150x in the ED100. As you know the F11 actually has a f/l of 1120, the the mag with the 8mm was actually 140x.

What I did to give approximately the same mag in each scope was pair up the 41mm Pan & 31mm Nag, 21mm Ethos and 17mm Ethos and 8mm Ethos and 6mm Ethos for the Starwave and ED100 respectively. Not precise, but close enough for me :wink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.