What refractor to get

[Alan64]

80mm f/15 and f/16 achromats are rather scarce; scarcer than that even.

60mm f/15 achromats are a bit more plentiful, but at a dim 60mm.

[Alan64]

27 minutes ago, johninderby said:

And a fine grab’n’go setup indeed. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

How have you found its performance for splitting double-stars, and planets?

Edited September 7, 2020 by Alan64

[Neil H]

4 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

be warned tho, F15 will be a very long scope 😉 

I cant have it to long or i cant store it also would have to lay on the floor to look in the eyepiece lol 

[johninderby]

3 minutes ago, Alan64 said:

How have you found its performance for splitting double-stars. and planets?

Not used it for double stars yet but is excellent on lunar / planetary. 👍🏻

If the cloud ever goes will have to try splitting doubles. .

[DaveL59]

yeah am thinking I may get an extension tube for my EQ5, well one of them at least to make the frac's more stable

[johninderby]

13 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

be warned tho, F15 will be a very long scope 😉 

 

[DaveL59]

1 minute ago, johninderby said:

 

yep, a "proper" scope 😉 Looks lovely John, which one is that?

[johninderby]

7 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

yep, a "proper" scope 😉 Looks lovely John, which one is that?

That’s the ScopeTech 80 f/15. A proper made in Japan scope. Optics are made using the old Vixen production equipment but with modern coatings so performs better than the Vixens. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/scopetech-telescopes/scopetech-stl-80a-maxi-80mm-f15-classical-refractor.html

Edited September 7, 2020 by johninderby

[DaveL59]

doh, should've twigged from your previous post, my bad. Love how it sits so far up in the mount too, must make using it much easier

[Neil H]

What a lovely scope John it sits up fairly high in its mount so not as low as i thought it would be 

[johninderby]

At that angle does balance quite far back so makes it easier to observe. Having an adjustable height stool helps. 🙂

Weighs 3.6kg with diag and a 9x50 finder.

Edited September 7, 2020 by johninderby

[Neil H]

Nice set up but out of my price range . I can get away with spending 250 but not 400+  i have the VX8L as my main scope this is just a secondary  scope 

[johninderby]

The Bresser 102L f/9.8 is within budget and has a good focuser.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bresser-telescopes/bresser-messier-ar-102l-1000-refractor-ota.html

Edited September 7, 2020 by johninderby

[Neil H]

Looks really good are they any good all i know is they are German made i think 

[Alan64]

1 minute ago, Neil H said:

Looks really good are they any good all i know is they are German made i think 

Bresser is a German company, but most if not all of their offerings are made overseas.  I've got a Meade 90mm f/10...

They've gotten pretty good overseas at grinding and figuring the optics for that and other mass-produced telescopes.  I was floored by that one whilst observing the tight star-cluster and its environs, the "Trapezium", of Orion, one night at medium-power, albeit after I had blackened and flocked the refractor from fore to aft; a deep, inky-black background, and that illuminated wonderfully contrasted against same. 

The stars appeared as castaways on a ghostly island, the island dropping off into the jet-black sea.

[johninderby]

They are actually Chinese made but for a German company. Nice quality though and has been updated with a high quality CNC R&P focuser that is miles better than anything you will find on a Startravel or Evostar scope. Not keen on the finder  but that can be replaced with a 9x50 RACI easily enough if you change the finder shoe to a SW one.

The 1:10 dual speed knob is an option that can be added later.

Harrison seems to have it in stock.

https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/bresser-messier-ar-102-1000-hex-focus-optical-tube-assembly-4802100.html#SID=1683

Edited September 7, 2020 by johninderby

[wookie1965]

These are my two. That 102 Bresser looks ideal but you will need a extension it's worth it though seeing stars like balls planets the same and moon wow you can push the mag as well. 

[Neil H]

John do you mean finder scope need to be changed

[johninderby]

1 minute ago, Neil H said:

John do you mean finder scope need to be changed

Yes. Already edited my post to corret the “finder” error. 🙂

 

[Alan64]

The manufacturers provide a less-than-stellar finder with their telescopes; same goes for the rest of the accessories.  But you do get a good telescope, and where it really counts.  There are plenty of aftermarket finders: 8x50, 9x50, Telrad, and better-quality red-dots.

[johninderby]

One thing Bresser does is supply a decent 26mm plossl eyepiece instead of the usual rubbish suppied with most scopes. It is quite usable. The dagonal is the typical cheap plastic rubbish and needs replacing..

Edited September 7, 2020 by johninderby

[John]

The diagonal on the Bresser's is their weakest point IMHO. All plastic apart from the mirror. I would budget for a replacement from the off.

Meade used to supply the same diagonal with their AR5 and AR6 refractors

[Pixies]

[posted in haste]

Edited September 8, 2020 by Pixies

[wookie1965]

7 hours ago, John said:

The diagonal on the Bresser's is their weakest point IMHO. All plastic apart from the mirror. I would budget for a replacement from the off.

Meade used to supply the same diagonal with their AR5 and AR6 refractors

Don`t I know it and the focuser was terrible especially on mine, I sent the focuser a Skywatcher dual focuser to Mark at Moonraker, he rang me up and said did I get the focuser out of the Meade from a lucky bag he said it was awful and threw it in the bin.

[johninderby]

Focusers?

That’s the best part of the Bresser 102 / 1000 frac I linked to. A proper high quality CNC rack and pinion focuser with the option to add the dual speed knob. There is a lesson here for Skywatcher. Time to notice what the competition is doing and to put a good focuser on even a budget scope. 

Edited September 8, 2020 by johninderby