BRESSER MESSIER MCX-127 GOTO TELESCOPE AZ/EQ

[Beardy30]

Has anyone any experience with the BRESSER MESSIER MCX-127 GOTO TELESCOPE AZ/EQ - available form Harrison’s telescopes ? 

[jonathan]

I haven't used this particular offering but from what I've seen and heard of Bresser they're a reputable brand, and this looks like a decent setup for the money - solid dual-arm mount, nice looking red dot finder, polar wedge, probably very similar OTA construction to 127 Maks by Celestron and Skywatcher (possibly exactly the same, in fact).  I have looked through a smaller Celestron Mak and it was a very decent scope for the size.

Note that to get the most out of it you'll need to also arrange a 12v power supply - either a mains fed step-down transformer or (my preference) a 12v leisure battery, I have one similar to this Halfords Leisure Battery but there are smaller and more compact battery solutions available for telescopes these days (using somewhat more exotic battery technologies), you 'd also need a suitable battery charger to keep it in good condition, and a power cable / adapter arrangement specific for your chosen battery and the scope - and probably a couple of extra eyepieces for different magnifications too.  I'd also think about a dew shield and possibly a dew heater tape for the front element as a future purchase.

As it has a relatively long focal length it will be a 'slow' scope, so cheap and cheerful budget eyepieces such as Plossls should work well in it, or those in the BST Starguider range, 12 or 15mm might be a good one to go for initially.  Dim objects will likely appear larger but a bit fuzzy at high magnification compared to a faster scope (such as a refractor or reflector), this is the trade-off for the compact design of the Mak.  It may also be more sensitive to less than ideal seeing conditions (some objects will look dim and fuzzy if there's thin cloud or high winds etc).

Edited February 13, 2021 by jonathan