Worth It ?

[LDW1]

I have had a Lunt 40mm Solar Ha Telescope for about a year, a jump up from my PST which was an excellent scope (sold it) and it gives a great performance / views. It is mounted on a Skywatcher Solar Quest mount that performs perfectly.  As usual my mind never stops working so now I am thinking of the next step up, the Lunt 50mm Ha model, single pressure tuned  with the Crayford focuser.  Is there a noticeable advantage in performance, in the views for strictly visual use ?  I won't jump to the 60 at least not yet, lol ! As a great song once kinda said by a great singer  (JL) ' I'm just a DSO guy ' !  My main focus is nite time viewing with my NP101 and several other scopes, solar is just a daytime extension of the enjoyment. So I need more experienced advice before I do or don't move on up to a 'bigger piece of the pie' !  PS: I also do WL solar with my 90mm refractor.

[LDW1]

It will be 2-3 months before my dealer gets their new shipment of Lunt Solar scopes of all sizes.  Hopefully, lol !

[Highburymark]

Is it worth it…..?

The LS50 is a very nice scope. You’ll see a reasonable improvement in resolution, so will be able to increase the power without losing detail. Pressure tuning works well. And if you wish later on, you can double stack and significantly improve surface detail.

But - In fact the LS40 has a larger etalon than the internal LS50 etalon. In theory therefore the 40 should have less of a sweet spot - it’s difficult to get a 50 which shows consistent detail across the disc because of this reason. However, if you’re not imaging, this isn’t such a deal breaker, as you just manipulate the image to focus on the area you wish to view.  
So - it’s a yes from me. Only consideration is whether you might want to swallow hard and get an LS60 now - maybe secondhand - and forget the 50. Upgrading solar scopes is expensive - but it’s much cheaper to upgrade once rather than twice if you think you might be tempted by a 60 in the future.

[LDW1]

15 minutes ago, Highburymark said:

Is it worth it…..?

The LS50 is a very nice scope. You’ll see a reasonable improvement in resolution, so will be able to increase the power without losing detail. Pressure tuning works well. And if you wish later on, you can double stack and significantly improve surface detail.

But - In fact the LS40 has a larger etalon than the internal LS50 etalon. In theory therefore the 40 should have less of a sweet spot - it’s difficult to get a 50 which shows consistent detail across the disc because of this reason. However, if you’re not imaging, this isn’t such a deal breaker, as you just manipulate the image to focus on the area you wish to view.  
So - it’s a yes from me. Only consideration is whether you might want to swallow hard and get an LS60 now - maybe secondhand - and forget the 50. Upgrading solar scopes is expensive - but it’s much cheaper to upgrade once rather than twice if you think you might be tempted by a 60 in the future.

With that mount it is easy to move the scope very slightly to get any sweet spot, just a push of the switch, it is a fantastic mount / tripod for a light solar scope. I would consider a used 60 but there aren't any advertised here in north america, especially in Canada, right now. It sounds like I will have a few months to watch for one.

[Carbon Brush]

I use a solarquest with LS60. I would say it is on the limt for mount/tripod stability.
I have stuck with the solarquest because of quick setup and ease of use.

I can't comment on LS40 vs 50. My spend/jump was straight from PST to LS60 with B1200 etalon.
Both were bought used so not as expensive as they might have been.

HTH, David.

[LDW1]

I just bought an LS 50, will sell my LS40 in the spring once the cold / snow is gone because I don't do ha in those conditions. I am visual only. If I was more dedicated to solar and younger (75) I would likely get an 80mm.

[Peter Drew]

For future reference, for small incremental increases in aperture, the most noticeable improvement in performance is the quality (usually luck of the draw) of the critical components.  I have had 40mm PST's that outperformed some Lunt 60's.      🙂 

[LDW1]

1 hour ago, Peter Drew said:

For future reference, for small incremental increases in aperture, the most noticeable improvement in performance is the quality (usually luck of the draw) of the critical components.  I have had 40mm PST's that outperformed some Lunt 60's.      🙂 

I really enjoyed my PST but I wanted the extra features the Lunt 40 had, I combined it with the SW solar mount for excellent tracking and now I want what the LS50 has to offer. I have owned many scopes, have never had to contend with 'luck of the draw'.  Just luck of the draw lucky I quess !

[LDW1]

All set up and ready for the sun to show after about a month of cloudy, cold, windy weather. Whats new, lol !