Altair 102 or 110 ED refractor

[Steve Clay]

Hi,

I'm considering going to 1 scope only. I only do visual and like just picking the kit up plonking it outside and view. I use a manual Alt Az.

Does anybody own an Altair Starwave 110ED-R V2 Refractor Telescope that can comment on how it handles chromatic aberation. They don't state what glass is used. Also would I be better off with  AltairAltair Starwave 102 ED Doublet Refractor that states FPL53. I know getting hung up on glass is foolish. However,  I don't want to spend nearly a grand and be dissatisfied. Currently have a SW ED80 which handles colour really well, along with a 150pds and 127 mak all of which would go.

Both Altair scopes are in budget.

Thanks Steve

[John]

If it does not stipulate otherwise I would assume that the 110ED uses FPL-51 as the ED element. If FPL-53 is used they invariably tell you all about it !

I've not used one so I cant comment on how it handles CA.

 

[Steve Clay]

2 minutes ago, John said:

If it does not stipulate otherwise I would assume that the 110ED uses FPL-51 as the ED element. If FPL-53 is used they invariably tell you all about it !

I've not used one so I cant comment on how it handles CA.

 

Thanks John. I came to a similar conclusion. They state 53 with the 102.

Steve

[Kev M]

Altair  state that the 110ED is FPL-51

However don't know if this is the V2 version or not .

[F15Rules]

If you aren't stuck on brand new, you could advertise for a used Vixen ED 103s F 7.7 Apo doublet. A better brand and of known excellent optical quality. 

I've owned 2 of these and if I hadn't been lucky enough to get a 5" Tak I would still have one.

An ED114s (the bigger brother of the above) went recently within your budget.

A fair price for a used ED103s in vgc is £600-750, with rings and 50mm finder - a bargain when you consider that the new price now is around £1700. They really are very close to Tak quality, whatever glass is used.

Good luck with your search 👍

Dave

[Timebandit]

 

 

 

If your going for one scope only and have your mind set on a refractor , and want to use on an AZ . Then have you thought about a SW120ED. These do come up second hand at very sensible money. Great quality build an great optics , superb on Luna ,planetary, doubles stars and aperture for some DSO. I use my SW120Ed on an AZ4 without any weight or size issues. Could certainly be worth consideration for a one scope only set up 

 

 

 

[mikeDnight]

I think going for one good refractor as your only scope can be quite liberating, and even increase your time at the eyepiece. If you don't mind a trip to the Practical Astronomy Show at Kettering on March 21st, you could get to grips with many different refractors, ask questions and get answers. You could also pick up a bargain in the process. Last year it was refractor heaven!

 

[Steve Clay]

17 hours ago, Timebandit said:

 

 

 

If your going for one scope only and have your mind set on a refractor , and want to use on an AZ . Then have you thought about a SW120ED. These do come up second hand at very sensible money. Great quality build an great optics , superb on Luna ,planetary, doubles stars and aperture for some DSO. I use my SW120Ed on an AZ4 without any weight or size issues. Could certainly be worth consideration for a one scope only set up 

 

 

 

Well Timebandit. Thats thrown the cat amongs the pigeons. I hadn't considered going that large but no reason not to.

Both my mounts would cope with it (skytee and stellarvue mc2)

Do you have it, how does it handle CA and how close to the ground is the ep at zenith? Cheers Steve 

[paulastro]

I would certainly agree with Timebandit's comments re the SW 120ED.  I use it myself and in my view it makes an excellent all round scope.  I also have a SW 80ED and in if you're happy with the way your 80ED handles CA then you'll be more than happy with the 120ED.  It certainly meets your requirements for a 'picking up and plonking outside' setup!  I use my SW 120ED on an AZ4 if I'm out and about or not using the observatory, or on an Ercole mount inside the observatory.

Of course, how high the eyepiece is off the ground when pointed up at the zenith depends on how high the tripod is you're using, or if you have a low seat to sit on in which case you can use a shorter tripod.  This has never been a problem for me.  I have a an old Pentax surveyors tripod, of superb quality, I bought at Kelling last October for only £10.

I bought my SW 120ED used for £610 including it's metal case, finder, eyepiece and 2 inch dielectric diagonal.  When they do come up they usually are for around £650 up to around £850.  Even at the higher end it is still an absolute bargain in my view, and I would be willing to pay this much it if I didn't already have one. New from FLO they are currently £1,155.  Well worth this price to if you can't find a used one, but they do come up used, a bit like buses, none for a while and then two or three at the same time!

 

 

[Timebandit]

1 hour ago, Steve Clay said:

Well Timebandit. Thats thrown the cat amongs the pigeons. I hadn't considered going that large but no reason not to.

Both my mounts would cope with it (skytee and stellarvue mc2)

Do you have it, how does it handle CA and how close to the ground is the ep at zenith? Cheers Steve 

 

I do aim to please 😀

Your skytee would probably be better than my AZ4 mount.  My  AZ is sat on 2" adjustable stainless legs then eyepiece height is adjustable depending how you like to observe. Standing or sitting. Personally with the frac I do mostly Luna , planets, and some doubles, so I prefer sitting.

The CA seems to handle this very well. Its an ED lens with high quality scott/ ohara  glass and personally it handles Luna observing very well. 

One other thing to mention. I have found this scope great for binoviewing also ,a real benefit from just Cyclops, especially true on long Luna session, very relaxing with two eyes and such a great view, people say more of a 3D type of experience. Hope this helps

 

 

[John]

I have a Skywatcher ED120 as well and can heartily recommend it. Mine is one of the older gold tube ones but optically it is really good.

When I got my Takahashi FC-100DL and TMB/LZOS 130mm triplet I did wonder if the ED120 would be redundant but not a bit of it - it stands up very well to the much more expensive and exotic competition.

Synta put a lot of care into the design and manufacture of the 120mm ED doublet objective and it shows in its performance in my view.

 

[Paz]

The Altair 110mm is FPL51, and the 102mm is FPL53.

Something to consider is how easy you need the set up to be. I was originally looking for a grab and go ED refractor and had my mind set on 120mm. On checking these out at a show I immediately realised that 120mm f7+ isn't quite grab and go (at least for me) and dropped my sights to a 102mm in the end.

I'm sure any of the scopes mentioned would be great for visual. I've got a 102mm ed-r but I would also be happy with a 110mm or with a sky watcher ed120 if practicality were less of an issue.

[Steve Clay]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Definitely going for the 120ED

I'd almost made a decision, but as always there are a couple of things to consider before hitting add to basket:

1, £1155 for full kit.

2, RVO will split and give me OTA rings and case £1049

3, 365 astronomy have a 120 equinox for £1490. OTA, rings and case only.

Is the equinox worth the extra £441 from option 2?

If not would I be taking option 1 and selling off the bits I don't need.

Why is this so difficult 🤔

Edited February 17, 2020 by Steve Clay

[paulastro]

Re the two  new ED options, you'll be lucky to get more for the bits you don't want than £100.  The items are fairly common used and hence don't fetch too much.

Re the Equinox, it has a sliding dew shield and hence has a shorter case, and the scope has a better finish.  The focusedr rotates, but not very well in my view.  Others may tell you different, but opically they are the same to me.  I've had a few of both incarnations and they have all been the same as far as I can tell.  I haven't had one of each at the same time though so have never compared them side by side in the same seeing conditions which is the only way to tell.  The ED is lighter than the Equinox. Some may think the Equinox focuser is better, I haven't found this and its easy to get either focuser to work great anyway by adjusting them.  This shouldn't be an issue if you're buying new unless you're unlucky.

Having said all this, I think you'll be delighted with either of them.

Personally, I wouldn't pay that much extra for the Equinox, others might..

Edited February 17, 2020 by paulastro

[AdeKing]

I have the older gold version of the standard ED120, which I was fortunate to pick up used and is an absolute peach to use.

I agree with Paul, optically they are identical, but the Equinox does have a nicer finish, nicer, heavier tube and the sliding dewshield makes the OTA shorter (if that is important to you).

I'm not sure that I'd pay an additional £441 for a new one, though I might be persuaded to pay a bit extra for one used when the differential would be somewhat less.

With that £441 you could buy yourself a new 3-6 Nagler Zoom or a Pentax XL Zoom or invest in a Single TV Nagler or Delos or Panoptic and still have change 🤔.

If I had the money to consider the Equinox new, I think I'd personally opt for Option 2 and put the £441 towards a nice premium eyepiece to accompany the new OTA.

If you do opt to invest in a TV eyepiece, be warned that you might develop Black & Green Fever, which others on here tell me can be quite contagious, not to mention expensive 😉.

However, as with everything astro, its a personal choice.  Choose whatever will make you happiest and whatever will get the most use.

[Timebandit]

 

Hi . I think you are going for the correct choice in a 120 ED for a one scope choice

 

120ED standard or Equinox ?

Depends on how much money you have to spend and if you like a bit of bling in your scope. I don't think you will be disappointed with either. I do have the Equinox version. My understanding is that it has an extendable dew shield, a better focuser and a bling black and silver paint job. My scope was second hand and at a sensible price and that is why I went for the Equinox version. But the lens glass used are the same as I understand it. As mine was second hand then I did not mind having the added extras ,as it is one very good refractor at very sensible money. If you can find a nice used one either standard or Equinox from a member on SGL, then don't be afraid of buying a used one. You could make a great saving buying second hand and put the money towards some Pentax XW and a TV nagler 20mm like it did😉. But standard or Equinox 120ED version you will get a lot of refractor scope build quality and optics for your money. Hope this helps

 

 

 

[Steve Clay]

12 minutes ago, Timebandit said:

 

Hi . I think you are going for the correct choice in a 120 ED for a one scope choice

 

120ED standard or Equinox ?

Depends on how much money you have to spend and if you like a bit of bling in your scope. I don't think you will be disappointed with either. I do have the Equinox version. My understanding is that it has an extendable dew shield, a better focuser and a bling black and silver paint job. My scope was second hand and at a sensible price and that is why I went for the Equinox version. But the lens glass used are the same as I understand it. As mine was second hand then I did not mind having the added extras ,as it is one very good refractor at very sensible money. If you can find a nice used one either standard or Equinox from a member on SGL, then don't be afraid of buying a used one. You could make a great saving buying second hand and put the money towards some Pentax XW and a TV nagler 20mm like it did😉. But standard or Equinox 120ED version you will get a lot of refractor scope build quality and optics for your money. Hope this helps

 

 

 

Thanks Timebandit and it's all your fault.

No seriously thanks for coming at me from left field and suggesting something I hadn't considered. 

Now to get selling. That said I think I will keep the ED80 for taking away in the motorhome and for the grandkids to view through.

Steve

Edited February 17, 2020 by Steve Clay

[Timebandit]

1 hour ago, Steve Clay said:

Thanks Timebandit and it's all your fault.

No seriously thanks for coming at me from left field and suggesting something I hadn't considered. 

Now to get selling. That said I think I will keep the ED80 for taking away in the motorhome and for the grandkids to view through.

Steve

 

 

Thanks Steve 

 

That's what makes SGL and its members such a great place to be. You can sometimes see an angle that members may not of thought of and may be helpful to them. And learning and hearing of other peoples views and experiences can really tip the balance into an scope or eyepiece et that would possibly be more suitable for their individual needs. Happy to be of help 👍

 

 

 

[paulastro]

Steve, that's a second great decision you've made - not to sell the 80ED.  Mine coexists very well with my 120ED 😃.

[Steve Clay]

On 17/02/2020 at 15:01, Steve Clay said:

Thanks for the suggestions.

Definitely going for the 120ED

I'd almost made a decision, but as always there are a couple of things to consider before hitting add to basket:

1, £1155 for full kit.

2, RVO will split and give me OTA rings and case £1049

3, 365 astronomy have a 120 equinox for £1490. OTA, rings and case only.

Is the equinox worth the extra £441 from option 2?

If not would I be taking option 1 and selling off the bits I don't need.

Why is this so difficult 🤔

Trigger pulled on option 2 👍😃

[paulastro]

I can't wait for you to buy it Steve, and hopefully let us all know how you're getting on with it.

[Steve Clay]

35 minutes ago, paulastro said:

I can't wait for you to buy it Steve, and hopefully let us all know how you're getting on with it.

I'll do a good report on it.