Altair 150EDF Refractor 150/1200

[Fozzie]

This looks new...   a 150ED doublet in the offering from Altair..  I liked the look of the 125EDF , but I like the look of this a tad better...  has some interesting specs too..

From the Blurb..

The focal ratio of F8 and the FPL53 ED Glass element allows excellent colour correction for high resolution imaging, and visual use.

Colour aberration is almost non-existent and the doublet lens acclimatises quicker to ambient temperatures, reaching optimum performance faster.

Not only are the optics top quality - so is the CNC machined optical tube, 2.5" Rack and Pinion focuser, tube rings and sliding dewshield with super-durable powdercoated finish.

Each Altair 150EDF refractor comes with an interferometer test report showing a Strehl ratio of 0.92 or more in green light. The test report is logged against the lens serial number, and as usual, always the pick of the best optics when assembling any lens.

Weight is 8kg and length is about 1.2m assembled, allowing another 40cm for the dewshield extended. We recommend the iOptron CEM120 or SkyWatcher EQ8 for imaging and/or visual use, however the EQ6 mount will handle the scope for visual use, and/or solar system imaging. 

 

https://www.altairastro.com/Altair-150EDF-Refractor.html

Thoughts!?

Ta

Fozzie

Link Attached!

Edited September 19, 2019 by Fozzie

[Alan White]

Looks very interesting indeed.
It says 8Kg but then says recommend the SW EQ8 Mount?
I take it that its due to the length.

So are you hankering for Aperture?

Edited September 19, 2019 by Alan White
typos of course

[Fozzie]

9 minutes ago, Alan White said:

So are you hankering for Aperture?

might have a bit of a temperature yeah... Would just like to go a bit deeper than I can with the 100mm, I have been tempted to go for the star travel 150 or 152mm F6.9's (but there's always another Bill to pay..) and for some reason the thought of a newt or Dob isn't doing it for me.. although you could get a lot of mirror for the price of a 150ED

the 8kg is interesting, the EDF125 is listed as 7.8kg.. not a lot of difference..

Edited September 19, 2019 by Fozzie

[Alan White]

I too have the same Fever going on, but already have a C8 SCT and a 10" OOUK Dob, but....
Well I do fancy a larger Refractor myself as somehow the Refractor 'does it' for me a lot of the time.
The 152 f6.9 has a siren call for me, I thinks it is the red paint job.
I know why you like your F11 4" if for no other reason, it looks the part.
 

At present having a Daughter at Uni and just replaced her car that is needed (Paramedic Science),
so this limits my hankering to just that at present.

Edited September 19, 2019 by Alan White

[John]

Interesting that they are using FPL-53 element on this one and at around the price (or a touch less) that APM use FPL-51.

Having owned and used a few 6 inch refractors over the years I'm happy to stick at 120mm and 130mm as my largest refractors now. I'll go for other scope designs for apertures greater than that. £2.5K gives an interesting range of other options.

 

[Fozzie]

1 hour ago, Alan White said:

I too have the same Fever going on, but already have a C8 SCT and a 10" OOUK Dob, but....
Well I do fancy a larger Refractor myself as somehow the Refractor 'does it' for me a lot of the time.
The 152 f6.9 has a siren call for me, I thinks it is the red paint job.
I know why you like your F11 4" if for no other reason, it looks the part.
 

At present having a Daughter at Uni and just replaced her car that is needed (Paramedic Science),
so this limits my hankering to just that at present.

Exactly the same, I do keep considering a SCT, but I feel im a refractor man..  My F11 has never disappointed me.. the seeing and transparency and good old weather, continue however to be an abject disappointment!

Fair play on the Paramedic Science, a Worthy and Nobel undertaking.. wishing her all the best!

 

1 hour ago, John said:

Interesting that they are using FPL-53 element on this one and at around the price (or a touch less) that APM use FPL-51.

Having owned and used a few 6 inch refractors over the years I'm happy to stick at 120mm and 130mm as my largest refractors now.

 

Both fine scopes John, the 130 (triplet?) must be similar in weight. to the 8kg?  Is this for handleing or size or just pleasure of use?

[John]

4 hours ago, Fozzie said:

Both fine scopes John, the 130 (triplet?) must be similar in weight. to the 8kg?  Is this for handleing or size or just pleasure of use?

The 130mm F/9.2 is a triplet (LZOS objective) and it is not far off the weight and length of a 6 inch F/8 frac to be honest. To get a 6 inch with comparable performance would cost me much more than I can afford just for the OTA and then I'd need to spend another £1K or so on a mount hat could really do it justice.

The Altair 150 EDF is a very interesting entry into this niche though, no doubt about it.

[Trikeflyer]

Looks like a really nice scope and the price is fairly accessible.  

Must admit my interest is peaked.  I have an Altair 80mm Ed  frac for travel and it’s really nice so the 150 ought to be amazing. I’ve been half looking for a 6 inch Ed frac but I’d have to make it my lifetime scope and sell a few things to get the funds together. I have a 120mm equinox with feathertouch focuser and that’d have to go. It’ll take me some time to mentally reconcile the thought of parting with the equinox though as it’s such a great scope and I’m really wedded to it . I think I’m already talking myself out of parting with it and even if I did, the next hurdle is of course the finance manager to convince. 

Aspirational new kit Is another great dimension of this fabulous hobby isn’t it..

Thanks for bringing this to our attention @Fozzie

if anybody gets one of these I’m keen to hear how it performs. If I get one, I’ll be sure to let you all know.

Steve 

[cotterless45]

You'll need a bigger mount for this baby. It's not do much the weight , but the length of the ota. You'll be needing an extension , unless you like observing on your knees . Which you might do after emptying the wallet.

Very interesting looking scope , at least unlike SW , they've detailed the glass. 

Nick.

[Peter Drew]

One could buy the Skywatcher 150ED and have around 1K to put towards a suitable mount by comparison.     😀

[Trikeflyer]

19 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

One could buy the Skywatcher 150ED and have around 1K to put towards a suitable mount by comparison.     😀

Could do but I’ve not heard great things about the skywatcher 150 ED. Might just have been the early ones? 

Steve

[Rusted]

I could never understand why anyone would quote "CNC machined" as a sales point.
What would they use instead of CNC these days? A hide mallet and an anvil? Grubby apron optional?

I have owned a 6" f/8 achromat for years. It was nose heavy from birth.
So I machined an iron doughnut to go inside the tail piece to balance it more [or less] "cosmetically."
It was okay lifting it above head height onto my old MkIV on its massive welded pier.
Getting it back down afterwards, when it was coated in ice, was quite another matter!
In the end I mounted it permanently so I never had to lift it off again.

Now what was the question? 

[JamesF]

3 minutes ago, Rusted said:

I could never understand why anyone would quote "CNC machined" as a sales point.
What would they use instead of CNC these days? A hide mallet and an anvil? Grubby apron optional?

There does seem to be some effort made to suggest that the actual tube is CNC machined.  I can't help wondering if that's not a piece of marketing sleight-of-hand to suggest that the tube has been cut from a solid bar rather than rolled and welded or something like that?

James

[Trikeflyer]

28 minutes ago, cotterless45 said:

You'll need a bigger mount for this baby. It's not do much the weight , but the length of the ota. You'll be needing an extension , unless you like observing on your knees . Which you might do after emptying the wallet.

Very interesting looking scope , at least unlike SW , they've detailed the glass. 

Nick.

Nick that’s True. I do have an extension on the ioptron az pro, needed it even for the equinox. The only debate about that though is, is it long enough to allow the Altair scope to miss the tripod when it’s aligning? Could be a non starter and I’m not prepared to risk it just yet without seeing the scope in action.  For now I’m going to keep with the 120 equinox - with the feather touch and the quality optics it’s a beast of a scope and if I’m honest, parting with it (even the thought of that fills me with some sense of sadness, so I doubt I could really do it unless I was extremely sure I’d found my dream scope) will be very hard. Plus then as you mention, the wallet will be pretty empty. In five years, there will be a few used Altair’s around and the norm will be 170mm fracs I suspect. Maybe then will be the time to move on 🤔

Steve 

[John]

17 minutes ago, Trikeflyer said:

Could do but I’ve not heard great things about the skywatcher 150 ED. Might just have been the early ones? 

Steve

I think Synta / Skywatcher have addressed the issues of packing and made some small modifications to the objective cell design now. The more recent reports of these scopes that I have read have been much more positive.

I'd like to try another at some point - despite the issues that I encountered with the early ones that I tried, I think the scope has a lot of potential.

 

 

[Trikeflyer]

21 minutes ago, John said:

I think Synta / Skywatcher have addressed the issues of packing and made some small modifications to the objective cell design now. The more recent reports of these scopes that I have read have been much more positive.

I'd like to try another at some point - despite the issues that I encountered with the early ones that I tried, I think the scope has a lot of potential.

 

 

Thanks John. I will await (and bow to) your valued judgement on the skywatcher 150ED. I’m in no rush and the equinox is really a keeper in all honesty. At some point I’d like to look through something higher end like your LZOS or a tak or other high end frac triplet like TEC as well to see if there is enough difference to consider upgrading. 

As ever I’m sure the law of diminishing returns applies and it’s the ever (with a frac) tricky balance of light grasp vs contrast and optical quality and weight/ size for efficient mounting I guess.

Looking forward to your feedback on the ED 150 when it happens.

Steve 

[GTom]

Any first hand experience with this scope and the recommended planostar reducer?