ETX125 quick report

[vineyard]

Hello,

I decided to test out on the moon last night some old kit that has been lying unused for quite a while - ETX125 & various EPs.  Didn't have much time so this was not systematic (just wanted to see if stuff still worked).

The motor on the fork mount was reporting problems - slewed for a bit but then did nothing  & the DEC motor also didn't seem to be doing anything.  Will have to open them up to see.  Probably not fixable w my skills.

But, just undid the clutches manually & pointed it at the moon.  & tbh I was really surprised w the optics (this is an old one w Made in USA optics).  Looked v sharp and ofc not a hint of colour.  Tested out a range of old EPs (small kit clear-out coming up, so had to make sure they all worked).  The one that surprised me the most was an old Circle T Erfle 20mm (exactly the one pictured here) - the combination was really stunning for its clarity & sharpness.

I'm now going to have to defork the ETX and put it side-by-side w an old CZ Telementor 2 w CZJ orthos to compare.

Will also do a side by side of the ETX w a Vixen 102M to compare.

Going purely from memory of previous sessions, I suspect the ETX should outperform the 102M, but I really can't call the TM2 v ETX125 in advance.  ETX ought to have the advantage of resolution, but CZ TM2 optics were pretty d*%n good.  Will report back, but any guesses in advance?

Cheers,

Vin

Edited April 8, 2022 by vineyard