A Classic Refractor - The Vixen SPl102 F10 achromat

[F15Rules]

I found the attached old (2003) review of this wonderful old achromat while browsing online this evening, and just after putting my own example outside to cool down.

It's a beautifully written review by an Italian observer and I hope it's of interest😊.

https://www.binomania.it/rifrattore-acromatico-vixen-gp-102m/

Dave

[Zeta Reticulan]

Looks interesting.

Pity I can't convince it to translate into English.

[Alan White]

Thanks for the link Dave,

Had a quick scan through read, will return to it when less worn out, it’s been a long day today.

A Vixen, what’s not to like 😉

[F15Rules]

1 hour ago, Zeta Reticulan said:

Looks interesting.

Pity I can't convince it to translate into English.

That's odd..it should just open up in English..🤔

If you look at the bottom left of the screen when you've clicked on the link it should say Italian or English..perhaps you inadvertently hit Italian by mistake?

Dave

[DaveL59]

14 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

That's odd..it should just open up in English..🤔

If you look at the bottom left of the screen when you've clicked on the link it should say Italian or English..perhaps you inadvertently hit Italian by mistake?

Dave

came up in italian for me too Dave but was offered the translate option in edge/google that worked fine. I know a few words and can sometimes figure out the gist but in truth, me non parlo italiano, at least nothing I can repeat in here 🙂 

Edited August 25, 2022 by DaveL59

[F15Rules]

A lovely session tonight with the old girl and binoviewers..Saturn and Jupiter well seen and Mars just rising below the Pleiades as I came inside.

Good to be out under the stars again!

Dave

[Zeta Reticulan]

3 hours ago, F15Rules said:

That's odd..it should just open up in English..🤔

If you look at the bottom left of the screen when you've clicked on the link it should say Italian or English..perhaps you inadvertently hit Italian by mistake?

Dave

More likely it's an Ubuntu thing. 

[Carl Au]

I have to say the one I had life threatening CA, I mean really bad. It was a lovely thing to look, just awful to actually look through. I sold a TAL 100 R to pay for it too, what a mistake that was.

[F15Rules]

38 minutes ago, Carl Au said:

I have to say the one I had life threatening CA, I mean really bad. It was a lovely thing to look, just awful to actually look through. I sold a TAL 100 R to pay for it too, what a mistake that was.

I think you were very unlucky..was it bought new?

I ask because Vixen QC is normally excellent, but if it was bought used it may have been interfered with in some way. The most common fault seems to be that people disassemble the lens doublet for cleaning, and then re-assemble it backwards (ie flip the lenses), so it won't work properly..or, if the two elements are not properly aligned with the marks on each element, you may not get good focus, or might see excess CA.

I've experienced this myself, and the only remedy is to have the lenses cleaned and re-assembled by an optical expert.

Last night, on Jupiter with binoviewers at c.x125, I could barely see the faintest tinge of CA at all..and as my main scope is a Tak FS128 apo, I am quite sensitive to false colour..

Dave

[Gonariu]

I had already read this review, but I gladly read it again. I bought the Vixen 102M optics used last summer, I had tried it on Jupiter and on the Moon, having a good impression. On the latter in a calm evening I used 333X (barlow 2X achromatic and a 6 mm Possl, both Celestron in a mini case): simply beautiful! I want to try it on Mars as soon as I get the chance for the December opposition.

[Carl Au]

Perhaps I don’t know, if anything had been done to it but I bought from a well known supplier second hand. I really, really wanted that scope, I felt sick after I used it.