StellaMira 80 or Evolux 82 ?

[johninderby]

For a smallish portable scope for visual use which would be best?

Now having had the StellaMira 80mm f/10 and being well impressed with it I am sure the f/6.25 would be excellent.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/stellamira-80mm-ed-f625-refractor-telescope.html

The Evolux 82 is a bit of an unknown as it doesn’t have a track record yet 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/sky-watcher-evolux-82ed-ota.html

[Ags]

I do like the aesthetics of the evolux. And it's 2 more mm!

[johninderby]

And they do a HANDLE for the Evolux.😁

[Ags]

I don't get this fashion for handles. It doesn't look traditional and with a small tube like the evo 82 I don't see the added value.

[JeremyS]

4 minutes ago, Ags said:

I don't get this fashion for handles. It doesn't look traditional and with a small tube like the evo 82 I don't see the added value.

More of a lifestyle choice than a fashion 😊

[Ags]

Back to the scopes, I have only seen superficial reviews so far, but the Evolux 82 is a scope I would like to own if the optics are in order. The optics are apparently designed by the same outfit that did the Esprit lenses.

As a side note, the square tube rings on the StellaMira are another fashion choice I will decline!

Edited May 27, 2022 by Ags

[IB20]

Neither. Get a Tak 76DC 😃.

[Adam J]

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

For a smallish portable scope for visual use which would be best?

Now having had the StellaMira 80mm f/10 and being well impressed with it I am sure the f/6.25 would be excellent.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/stellamira-80mm-ed-f625-refractor-telescope.html

The Evolux 82 is a bit of an unknown as it doesn’t have a track record yet 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/sky-watcher-evolux-82ed-ota.html

I would go with the Stellamira in this shootout you have no idea what glass is in the EVOLUX and I have seen blue bloat from it in images.

Adam

[Louis D]

I have the Astro-Tech 72ED which appears to be made by the same company as the StellaMira.  I really like the scope except for the focuser which slips under heavy loads.  It appears that the SM 80 fixed this with a R&P focuser.  I would go for the FPL-53 over the likely FPL-51 of the SW any day.  Even at 72mm, I can see plenty of violet/red flare on bright stars and planets at higher powers in my FPL-51 equipped scope.  Also note the nice long focuser travel.  The SW doesn't even show the focuser extended or mention how much it extends which makes me suspicious.

[Skyline]

1 hour ago, Adam J said:

I would go with the Stellamira in this shootout you have no idea what glass is in the EVOLUX and I have seen blue bloat from it in images.

Adam

I have a Evo62ED, i have seen no blue bloat in my raw images so far.

[Skyline]

9 hours ago, Ags said:

Back to the scopes, I have only seen superficial reviews so far, but the Evolux 82 is a scope I would like to own if the optics are in order. The optics are apparently designed by the same outfit that did the Esprit lenses.

As a side note, the square tube rings on the StellaMira are another fashion choice I will decline!

Yes by OL, it says on the side of my 62ED 'Exclusively Designed by OL' (Lichtenknecker Optics) Belgium.

Edited May 28, 2022 by Skyline

[johninderby]

I would like to like the Evolux 82 but a lot unanswered questions. The SM is a known quantity and no questions over optical quality.

Edited May 28, 2022 by johninderby

[Skyline]

I can remember the conversations people were having when the 72ED first came out. But look how now the scope has become quite popular. 

Edited May 28, 2022 by Skyline
spelling

[Adam J]

7 hours ago, Skyline said:

I have a Evo62ED, i have seen no blue bloat in my raw images so far.

It's easier to control with a smaller aperture at the same f-ratio so you can't conclude anything about the 82 by looking at the 62. 

Adam

[Skyline]

That's always the case with smaller apertures, the mating element(s) is easier to figure then larger apertures.

[badhex]

I would tend to agree that I fancy the idea of the EvoLux but it's a bit early in its life to find many reviews etc. The 80mm Evostar is however a great scope and this is supposed to sit between that series and the Esprit, so in theory it should be better. It's just a shame they don't advertise the glass which makes it a bit of an unknown. 

@AdamJ Do you know if the blue bloat was present for visual observation? I'm also interested in how these scopes perform, so if you have a link to the images it would be interesting to see them. 

@Ags ah the ever present handles discussion 😂 Actually, I ended up putting a handle on my 102 and it has genuinely made it much easier to take on and off the mount especially when I have the tripod legs extended more, but you might be right that it's overkill for an 80mm in visual configuration. 

 

[Louis D]

8 hours ago, badhex said:

Do you know if the blue bloat was present for visual observation?

I've never see blue bloat in my AT72ED equipped with FPL-51.  In fact, at large to middling exit pupils, there's no significant color to speak of.  At small to tiny exit pupils, there's plenty of obvious violet and red flaring around bright stars and planets.  I guess it depends on what you like to observe with an ~80mm ED refractor.

[badhex]

6 minutes ago, Louis D said:

I've never see blue bloat in my AT72ED equipped with FPL-51.  In fact, at large to middling exit pupils, there's no significant color to speak of.  At small to tiny exit pupils, there's plenty of obvious violet and red flaring around bright stars and planets.  I guess it depends on what you like to observe with an ~80mm ED refractor.

Cheers Louis. I can't say I've seen it either in my SW 80ED but I believe that has FPL53. 

I had been under the potentially mistaken belief that although SW don't divulge the glass types any more, the general assumption is that they are the Chinese equivalents of well known glass types like the Ohara and Schott etc. 

[johninderby]

A look at the Evolux82 ………. sort of.🤔

 

Edited May 28, 2022 by johninderby

[johninderby]

Little more thinking on the subject. According to SW “The Evolux line sits between our popular Esprit triplets and Evostar series.” Given that I want the scope for visual the Evolux should do just fine.

So maybe I’ll take a chance on the Evolux. 🤔

Back to a bit more waffling and changing of mind. 😁

[badhex]

58 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Little more thinking on the subject. According to SW “The Evolux line sits between our popular Esprit triplets and Evostar series.” Given that I want the scope for visual the Evolux should do just fine.

So maybe I’ll take a chance on the Evolux. 🤔

Back to a bit more waffling and changing of mind. 😁

That was my understanding too, so given the good performance of the Evostar for visual you'd expect the Evolux to be pretty good. 

Have you seen the Skywatcher webcast on the Evolux when they launched? It is Skywatcher so could be considered propaganda 🙂 but has a nice run down of all the features etc

 

Edited May 28, 2022 by badhex

[johninderby]

Thanks for the link. 👍🏻

Finger getting itchy. 😁

[Adam J]

4 hours ago, johninderby said:

A look at the Evolux82 ………. sort of.🤔

 

One of many issues I have with him is that he once made a video in which he listed a UV/IR cut filter as being a useless piece of kit. So who knows if he used one for that image. If not it would explain the apparently terrible correction though. 

 

[Adam J]

12 minutes ago, badhex said:

That was my understanding too, so given the good performance of the Evostar for visual you'd expect the Evolux to be pretty good. 

Have you seen the Skywatcher webcast on the Evolux when they launched? It is Skywatcher so could be considered propaganda 🙂 but has a nice run down of all the features etc

 

The evostar performs well because it used fpl-53 in a doublet at f7.5, it appears to me that the evolux is a faster f-ratio scope with glass that is likely not in the very top end of available ED glasses (or it would be quoted as being one of them). So I have to be honest and say I would not be at all surprised if the evolux did not perform as well in terms of CA as the evostar. It's a scope with a different balance, better mechanics and faster f-ratio for imaging. 

[Adam J]

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

Little more thinking on the subject. According to SW “The Evolux line sits between our popular Esprit triplets and Evostar series.” Given that I want the scope for visual the Evolux should do just fine.

So maybe I’ll take a chance on the Evolux. 🤔

Back to a bit more waffling and changing of mind. 😁

It will be fine for visual. I am less convinced for imaging.