Revelation/Sentinel/Orion Express - official upgrades

[russ]

Thought this might be interesting reading for those who own or are thinking of buying the Revelation 80, Sentinel 80 or Orion Express 80.

I was speaking to Ian King yesterday trying to get a William Optics finder dovetail for my Sentinel. Unfortunately he couldn't help on that front but he said he had a number of things coming in the future. Those being:

Focuser upgrade to the 1/10 dual speed micro focuser

New finder bracket/dovetail

New lens cell with the TMB 80mm Flourite Airspaced Doublet - as fitted to the WO 10th Anniversary Edition

The Apo lens will be offered at a very tempting price apparently.

Regards

Russ

[GazOC]

http://www.william-optics.com/wo_shop/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=145

[russ]

Thanks Gaz. I forgot to put the link in. :?

Now will they do a Meade/Telescope House conversion rate....ie $1 to the £

or will it be reasonable?

Russ

[GazOC]

There are more ways around getting WO gear into the country there are with Meade....

[FLO]

I hope TelescopeHouse do a Revelation version....

[GazOC]

I think the upgrade fits all models Steve.

[FLO]

I meant Revelation v-e-r-s-i-o-n

[GazOC]

I meant Revelation v-e-r-s-i-o-n

ahhhh....gotcha!!

[OXO]

I don't know your paying all this money out for these pretend Apo's then upgrading them seems silly to me?

James

[GazOC]

I don't know your paying all this money out for these pretend Apo's then upgrading them seems silly to me?

James

Ouch!! :whip2:

"Well Sir, that apo we sold you a while back? We've changed our minds, it isn't one. Would you like to upgrade?"

[FLO]

:laughing6:

[OXO]

[GazOC]

What I find worrying is that while most people who buy those scopes know what they are getting ie. a very well corrected archro with a superior focusser and great fit and finish, some people might not.

The Antares ED127 semi apo is a case in point, it has no extra glass whatsoever over a achro, it's a big con IMHO.

[OXO]

I think it's the Names and Numbers game with a lot of these scope's (Not all) call something sounding good and then insinuate there something there not.

End of the day there's no subsitute for a Real Apo.

Just IMHO...

James

[GazOC]

True James. It either 'tis or it 'aint an apo.

That Antares name is not just misleading, its a outright lie.

[FLO]

Lets be fair.

The Revelation 80, with its enhanced 2" diagonal, at its price, is quite simply fantastic

[OXO]

It is Steve if thats what you wanna Buy but if someone not knowing what there getting is expecting more there going to be disappointed i would say. Like Gaz has mentioned a few times what's a semi APO ? may as well call it a nearly APO but isn't and why is it Nearly an APO from what i can see the differences are still too far away for such claims..

James

[GazOC]

Lets be fair.

The Revelation 80, with its enhanced 2" diagonal, at its price, is quite simply fantastic

Now thats not really the issue is it? :laugh:

[orion f6.3]

I have a Revelation 80, great scope all i thought it would be and more, but APO its not! good on the moon not great, good on planets not great. wide field - fantastic! (and what i brought it for) like you say you could be disappointed if you brought this scope for a single purpose! (don't forget Ian King @ mid Kent astro club 10th march)

[russ]

Just gotta say:

firstly - those Antares scopes that Gaz talks of. They've had awful write ups. And as Gaz says, their semi-apo description is a flat out lie. They are bog standard achros.

secondly - Sentinel/Revelation etc. The Semi-Apo tag isn't right but it's performance is within a whisker of the ED80. And there's a huge gulf between them and the standard fair f5/f6 achros. But the bottom line is, as pointed out by Steve, they cost a pitance. So if someone is paying £197 and feeling short changed because they don't have true 'Apo' performance....well they are without doubt Dumber than dumb. Thicker than a bowl of hot porridge! And I really hope that the scope they get is a real stinker.

Russ

[FLO]

I have a Revelation 80, great scope all i thought it would be and more, but APO its not! good on the moon not great, good on planets not great. wide field - fantastic! (and what i brought it for)

My thoughts precisely

... well they are without doubt Dumber than dumb. Thicker than a bowl of hot porridge! And I really hope that the scope they get is a real stinker.

Such eloquence :mrgreen:

[OXO]

RALMAO i knew someone would Bite :laugh:

I can't agree with them being called Semi Apo's though i think thats just *******'s.

James :laugh:

[FLO]

Hhmmm,

OK James, what would you call a scope that has less false-colour than your average Skywatcher but is not quite apochromatic?

[OXO]

what would you call a scope that has less false-colour than your average Skywatcher

A meade?

not quite apochromatic

Either it is or it isnt..

James

[russ]

surely 'semi' perfectly describes something that is half way between. After all they are better than the majority of achro's, better than some f10 big brand achros.

Quote from: russ on Today at 07:13:02 PM

... well they are without doubt Dumber than dumb. Thicker than a bowl of hot porridge! And I really hope that the scope they get is a real stinker.

Such eloquence

I was going to apologise for that but on reflection I think it summed up how i feel perfectly