Old APO refractor Vixen ED 102-S f/9

[Zirkel 2]

Hi,

Read the history of this APO old refractor... mine now ! 😀

Really a planet killer !

Here

Stéphane from France.

[Stu]

Lovely scopes! Will have to get a translator on the article, but I’m sure it gives you some fantastic views 👍

[Franklin]

Congrats @Zirkel 2 those Vixen FL/ED102s are legendary.

The one I had was actually from France under the Perl-Vixen name.

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Franklin

[mikeDnight]

That's an awesome scope!  It was 20 years ago when I bought a second-hand one of those for an old friend who'd acted as a mentor to me when I first started out in astronomy. He was to blame for my love affair with refractors.  Anyhow, one evening while sat in his garden on plastic garden chairs and with 6" of snow covering the ground, we waited patiently for the thick fast moving cloud to clear so we could get first light. After an hour or so, the cloud disappeared and a Crystal transparent sky gave us a truly awesome view of Saturn that looked more like the view through a spaceship window than through a telescope. The Moon was laser etched and the CA, well there was no CA. I honestly believe that ED will give any apo a run for its money.

Edited February 17, 2023 by mikeDnight

[Alan White]

Nothing quite like a Vixen refractor in my slightly biased view.
Those Vixens have something special and what a view they provide.

Love my ED103 Lazarus, who has after a mishap risen to see another day or many days and nights to come…..but that’s another story.

 

[mikeDnight]

24 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Nothing quite like a Vixen refractor in my slightly biased view.
Those Vixens have something special and what a view they provide.

Love my ED103 Lazarus, who has after a mishap risen to see another day or many days and nights to come…..but that’s another story.

 

I can't say I've ever noticed any bias towards Vixen in your comments Alan. 

 

[mikeDnight]

On 15/02/2023 at 09:46, Zirkel 2 said:

Hi,

Read the history of this APO old refractor... mine now ! 😀

Really a planet killer !

Here

Stéphane from France.

The more I look at your scope the more I want it. 

[Franklin]

The F/9 part is particularly appealing.

[Zirkel 2]

Clearly its my best refractor today, real APO.

Jupiter view : crisp and no chromatic aberration, magnifications X135 to X184 easy.

Complete setup with Takahashi prism diagonal and Baader T2 adaptator on this view :

Old Vixen identification sticker 😁

Edited February 18, 2023 by Zirkel 2

[AstroKeith]

On 16/02/2023 at 18:45, Franklin said:

Congrats @Zirkel 2 those Vixen FL/ED102s are legendary.

The one I had was actually from France under the Perl-Vixen name.

 

Be careful not to mix the FL and ED versions. The ED is very good, but not a Fluorite (like yours!)

[Franklin]

Just now, AstroKeith said:

The ED is very good, but not a Fluorite (like yours!)

I've tried most and they're all superb, currently using the new SD103s @ f/7.7 which is a fantastic telescope. The one I haven't had my hands on is Vixens flagship refractor, the AX103. Interestingly, in Vixens literature there is a side by side comparison between the old FL102 and the AX103 and Vixens claim is that the AX103 bests the FL102? Though having a quad design it must be heavier, have a longer cooldown time and be more susceptible to collimation issues. Tempting though😀.

[Zirkel 2]

FL its a legendary refractor but ED too... Fluorite or ED glass alone means nothing.

It is the pairing with the other glass that determines the final correction level (and not quality).

Exemple : FPL-53/BK-7 is less efficient than FPL-51/KZFS2.

You have to get back into the context of the time, Takahashi was already offering its Fluorite, to cope Vixen stopped the ED -S series to in turn offer Fluorite, which was more of a seller.
I was able to compare an FL 102 and an ED 102 together on Jupiter, hard to see any really difference. 

Sure, Vixen Fluorite its a legendary premium telescope.

Edited February 18, 2023 by Zirkel 2
Correction

[mikeDnight]

I can't remember Vixen dropping the EDS in favour of the fluorite. I seem to remember the fluorite FL102, 102ED F9 and 102ED F6.5, all being available at the same time. Even the F6.5 was a jaw-dropping performer on the planet's which I remember stunned me at the time. It was a happier time really, as no one ever worried about glass types or this is better than that like they do today,  even though no one can really tell the difference anyway. The Vixen's were all simply superb and something to be proud of owning!

Edited February 18, 2023 by mikeDnight

[Zirkel 2]

...

 

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by Zirkel 2
Delete

[Franklin]

3 hours ago, Zirkel 2 said:

I was able to compare an FL 102 and an ED 102 together on Jupiter, hard to see any really difference.

I had the FL102 out next to the SD103s and apart from the extra bit of focal length (f/8.8 v f/7.7) it was very close. I would say that the FL was better, but only in the sense that the image appeared a touch cleaner, in a vintage kind of way. I could see the same difference between an old Tak FS78 and my SD81s, maybe it's down to the more modern coatings? I also notice this when comparing the SLV with the NLV/LV range of eyepieces, the older ones have a slightly sepia tone, but all still very good.

[AstroKeith]

42 minutes ago, Zirkel 2 said:

Sold together just for a while, the ED series then disappeared in favor of the Fluorite version.

Old catalog ED-S with GP mount:

 

 

Are you sure? I understood the FL came first (1985), but in order to compete on price, they had to bring out the ED.

[Franklin]

32 minutes ago, AstroKeith said:

Are you sure? I understood the FL came first (1985), but in order to compete on price, they had to bring out the ED.

I think you are correct. The first Vixen FL scopes came out mid 80's and had a 900mm focal length giving f8.8, the newer FL's were 920mm at f/9. At the same time, early 90's the ED range appeared at f/9 though there was also the ED102ss at f/6.5 of which @John speaks very highly of.

[Zirkel 2]

3 hours ago, AstroKeith said:

Are you sure? I understood the FL came first (1985), but in order to compete on price, they had to bring out the ED.

 

2 hours ago, Franklin said:

The first Vixen FL scopes came out mid 80's and had a 900mm focal length giving f8.8, the newer FL's were 920mm at f/9. At the same time, early 90's the ED range appeared at f/9

Hi,

I just checked, i was wrong, i reversed the timeline 🙂
All my excuses.

Edited February 18, 2023 by Zirkel 2

[Franklin]

3 minutes ago, Zirkel 2 said:

I just checked, actually I'm in order.
All my excuses.

Yeah, I think the original f/9 ED scopes came out in the mid to late 90's as Vixen faded out the FL range. There would have been a year or two when they both were available though and then around 2003 when Vixen brought out the Sphinx mounts, that is when the faster f/7.7 ED's came about and more recently the SD range.