Anyone recently bought an Orion Optics VX10

[Mangifigeek]

@Nigella BryantI have a lot to learn. Thanks for your positive response. 

About to order a Chesihre collimator and must find the power lead for the fan!

[John]

Interesting thread this, as the owner for the past 6 years or so of an Orion Optics SPX 12 F/5.3 which I use as a dobsonian for visual use. The optical tube was originally purchased for imaging (not by me) and I've seen photos of it on a huge observatory based equatorial mounting. Tube flex has not been an issue for my visual use of the scope but I can see that it might affect an imager with a heavy rig hanging out the side of the scope. 

The original owner of my scope who did image successfully with it (deep sky and planetary) used a number of additional tube rings along the tube presumably to increase rigidity.

As a visual scope on a dobsonian mount, it has been superb I have to say

 

 

[Nigella Bryant]

1 hour ago, Northernlight said:

Nigella - just for clarity  have you done any DSO / galaxy / Nebula imaging with the scope yet or have your been primarily been imaging Sun, moon, planets etc ?

Yeah, did a little so far. Got some image's , I'll look them up .

[Nigella Bryant]

1 hour ago, Northernlight said:

Nigella - just for clarity  have you done any DSO / galaxy / Nebula imaging with the scope yet or have your been primarily been imaging Sun, moon, planets etc ?

These attached are my very first attempts last year before I moved. Still a lot to learn, so different from imaging planet's and sun. Also started spectral analysis with the OO12 last year, attached spectra and spectra chart.

[Northernlight]

Nigella looking at your images i can see what looks to be the same Flex issues as paul has been having 

[Nigella Bryant]

13 minutes ago, Northernlight said:

Nigella looking at your images i can see what looks to be the same Flex issues as paul has been having 

I think I didn't line up the two images properly in Photoshop hence the double image. That's what happened. Just not redone it as I've been busy moving ,etc. Single frames are fine.

Edited June 19, 2020 by Nigella Bryant

[Mangifigeek]

Fan working 🙂

 

Edited June 19, 2020 by Mangifigeek

[Northernlight]

Paul - i'm going to duck out of this thread now - wish you the best of luck which ever way you choose to go.

[Mangifigeek]

Thanks for your input

[Mangifigeek]

I have been experimenting with a Cheshire Collimator and a Cap this week. The Laser Collimator is useful, but I believe that it had led to an incorrect collimation when used on it's own (my secondary was angled incorrectly).

This guide was especially helpful to me:

http://www.astro-baby.com/astrobaby/help/collimation-guide-newtonian-reflector/

I am hopeful that the issue was purely down to me not collimating correctly, but I need to test again when the nights get longer.

Thanks for your assistance.

[Ricochet]

1 hour ago, Mangifigeek said:

I have been experimenting with a Cheshire Collimator and a Cap this week. The Laser Collimator is useful, but I believe that it had led to an incorrect collimation when used on it's own (my secondary was angled incorrectly).

This guide was especially helpful to me:

http://www.astro-baby.com/astrobaby/help/collimation-guide-newtonian-reflector/

I am hopeful that the issue was purely down to me not collimating correctly, but I need to test again when the nights get longer.

Thanks for your assistance.

Good news if it was just the collimation that was the problem. Lasers are notorious for producing incorrect collimation. Any error in setting the secondary produces double the error in the primary collimation. Unless you have a Howie Glatter laser (maybe!) I think it is best to only use a laser for primary collimation using the barlowed laser technique.

[Mangifigeek]

*** removed pending further tests! ***

🙂

 

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by Mangifigeek

[rl]

Quote

I have seen posts of people spending over £1,000 trying to turn even their Orion Optics CT carbon tube version into workable imaging scopes 

I bought a CT8 new and a CT12 secondhand. They are f/4.5,  f/4 and have been excellent imaging scopes without modification. That's using a skywatcher aplanatic 4 element coma corrector and a cooled OSC camera APS-C format, with an OAG and filters. There have been no issues on either with tubes bending and the newer focusers are great..a big improvement on the OO design of 10 years ago. If you really want to get heavy with the accessories then the AG range are  specifically designed for AP and built like tanks, and the tubes can be reinforced with extra tube rings. 

Edited July 5, 2020 by rl
spelling

[Mangifigeek]

Looks like it was all down to me not collimating correctly - the stars are looking much sharper (I used my DSLR - which I left attached for a few hours before using it). 

I set the telescope up last night as the night promised to be clear, however, the clouds proved rather stubborn. I managed to get less than 10 minutes imaging of M31 in (and have only done a very quick process of it) to test the telescope, but seems like it is all OK. I then nipped off to look at the wonderful Comet Neowise (which was hidden by a tree from the VX10).

I will do a more thorough process of the images another time.

Thanks everyone for your help

 

Paul

[Timebandit]

 

 

Nice scopes the OO VX range. I am slightly bias though, as I own two of these wonderful scope. But I do like well made items with high quality mirrors. The OO VX is the type of equipment that will last a life time.

 

 

 

[Ricochet]

36 minutes ago, Mangifigeek said:

Looks like it was all down to me not collimating correctly - the stars are looking much sharper

Great news. It's always better when something is user error than when there is a fault with the telescope.

[Starflyer]

Having owned two VX10s and now a CT10 I've not had a problem with tube flex around the focuser, maybe I'm not fussy enough about my collimation. IMO I've produced reasonable images from all of them, with over ten being published over the years.  The aluminium tubes are plenty stiff enough unless you're hanging a very heavy imaging setup off them.

Most of the 'close up' images on my Flickr page were taken with a VX10, and more recently the CT10.  The only reason for the move to the carbon tube was to reduce the amount of refocusing I was doing in a night.  I've gone from focusing every 1.5 degrees temperature change to 5 degrees and get more imaging time per night now.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/57929372@N06/

[Northernlight]

Glad to hear people are having success with this scope. I guess it must come down to the weight of your imaging train as i was going to buy a VX10 but was put off by read lots of posts in regards to the whole system flexing. Maybe they have improved the design in recent years, but i just didn't want to risk it.

In the end I ordered a ONTC which sadly has a 12 week build time and i've got another 4 weeks before it gets delivered, but i know it will be fine as it's built like a tank as the carbon tube walls are 7mm thick - so no chance of any tube flex or flex around the focuser.`

[Mangifigeek]

19 hours ago, Starflyer said:

Having owned two VX10s and now a CT10 I've not had a problem with tube flex around the focuser, maybe I'm not fussy enough about my collimation. IMO I've produced reasonable images from all of them, with over ten being published over the years.  The aluminium tubes are plenty stiff enough unless you're hanging a very heavy imaging setup off them.

Most of the 'close up' images on my Flickr page were taken with a VX10, and more recently the CT10.  The only reason for the move to the carbon tube was to reduce the amount of refocusing I was doing in a night.  I've gone from focusing every 1.5 degrees temperature change to 5 degrees and get more imaging time per night now.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/57929372@N06/

I will take a look! Thanks

 

[Mangifigeek]

2 minutes ago, Mangifigeek said:

I will take a look! Thanks

 

Some sma

 

19 hours ago, Starflyer said:

Having owned two VX10s and now a CT10 I've not had a problem with tube flex around the focuser, maybe I'm not fussy enough about my collimation. IMO I've produced reasonable images from all of them, with over ten being published over the years.  The aluminium tubes are plenty stiff enough unless you're hanging a very heavy imaging setup off them.

Most of the 'close up' images on my Flickr page were taken with a VX10, and more recently the CT10.  The only reason for the move to the carbon tube was to reduce the amount of refocusing I was doing in a night.  I've gone from focusing every 1.5 degrees temperature change to 5 degrees and get more imaging time per night now.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/57929372@N06/

Some cracking photos there - I aspire to doing some like that! Thanks for the tip about refocussing with temperature changes, that had never crossed my mind.

[Northernlight]

Just be mindful that a lot of those images are taken on different scopes - some on a VX10, some on a CT10 and come on a 85mm Baby Tak and a lot don't have a descriptions of the kit used.

Of the ones that are VX10 - they do look very promising.

The only bit i am confused about is why he is images from a VX10 when he appears to have a CT10 ?? doesn't make much sense. Maybe worth emailing the guy to get his feedback on the VX10.

 

Edited July 13, 2020 by Northernlight
update

[Mangifigeek]

Just in case anyone else looks into this thread...

 

Also working well with its first test using an ASI 294 MC PRO. I am enjoying the longer nights 🙂

[Nigella Bryant]

Lovely image, great it's going well.

[Northernlight]

Hi  Mangifigeek,

Great image  - Can i ask if you were using a coma corrector as i noticed a lot of coma in the corners of the image  ?  Also were you using an OAG to guide or a seperate guide scope as i also noticed some elongated stars in the middle of the image so wasn't sure if this was differential flex, guiding issues or just flex in the tube itself.

The reason i ask is because i'm still keeping the idea of a VX10 on the back burner in case my new lacerta scope gets delayed past the end of the year, so want to find out as much about the vx10 direct from  people using the scope.

Cheers,

Rich.

[Mangifigeek]

Hi Rich,

It was my first time guiding in a few months and I was simply using a cheap t7C in my finderscope, so likely to be my guiding issue  (and the USB lead got caught on the counterweight too!) - generally I had a few guiding issues as I am getting upto speed with it again after the summer.

I have not yet bought a coma corrector which will hopefully address the corner issues when I get around to it.

I have recently bought an OAG but have not yet used it in anger.

I achieved everything I wanted to that evening so I was happy (including having downloaded more detail for my plate solving app, which now works using my main imaging camera).

You are a more patient person than I waiting for the scope to be delivered!

Good luck.