SkyMax 127 - visual only

[Ags]

I am weighing up the idea of getting a Mak again. I have had a few 102 mm Maks over the years and they have never disappointed, so I am thinking of going a bit bigger and getting a SkyMax 127. Do they still have only 118 mm true aperture? I read once this got fixed in a version with an updated visual back. In terms of targets, the mak would be hunting the Moon, planets and doubles, and the star clusters that can survive Bortle 8. I have disregarded the Bresser 127 as it won't fit the Double Cluster into a 1.25" eyepiece FOV. 

Aside from intense bouts of aperture fever, I think I am far happier with lighter and smaller setups. The goal is to perfect my visual setup. the goal is a dual mounted Mak 127 and Zenithstar 66. The aspiration one day is to replace that little ZS66 with a 76 mm Tak, but I think that aspiration will most likely remain a dream. 

How does the SkyMax 127 perform on the Moon, particularly at magnifications over 200? Is it capable of spotting the Rilles in Gassendi? My Celestron 102 mm performed quite well at about 220x, but a SkyMax 102 topped out at about 150x.

 

Edited Friday at 07:49 by Ags

[doublevodka]

Have you considered the Bresser one? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bresser-telescopes/bresser-messier-mc-127-1900-maksutov-cassegrain-ota.html from what I've read, full aperture and better build quality than the Skymax, so maybe worth a look. Plus Bresser do a proper dew shield for it which is a must with a mak - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bresser-telescopes/bresser-threaded-dew-shield-for-mcx127-mc127-maksutov.html

[Nik271]

Hi Ags,

I have the 127 Skymax bought it in 2019. As far as I see on FLO the current model is still the same one. I have measured its aperure with the flashlight test to be 120mm +/- 1mm. The visual back is 1.25'' and maximal field of view with my Baader Hyperion 24mm is just over 1 degree. The Double Cluster just about fits in, but the framing is too tight, personally I prefer it a bit wider. It is one of the reasons I bought my 102 ED refractor, to be able to frame DC in a 2 degree FoV.

On the Moon the Skymax is excellent. Rilles of Gassendi are easily seen (of course subject to seeing conditions). I can sometimes see the largest craterlet A in Plato. Personally I find about x120- x180 is the sweet spot, above x200 the view gets a bit soft. In my opinion the review by Roger Vine is spot on :

http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/SW127Mak.htm

Comparing it to my (low budget) Svbony 102 ED refractor on the Moon and planets I would say the Skymax is a bit sharper.

Overall for planets and Moon I highly recommend the Skymax. A top quality refractor of 100mm will beat it but the Skymax has an advantage for compact size and portability, and of course its price it hard to beat.

 

Nik

 

Edited Friday at 08:17 by Nik271

[Nik271]

PS: One more thing since you mention dual mounting: the Skymax has a fixed vixen dovetail. This saves weght but it has the possible disadvantage that it can only be mounted on one side of Alt Az mounts, on the other side the finder shoe  points downwards which makes the location of the finder very impractical.

This is the case with my AZ5, so for grab and go I just put on the refractor. 

[Ags]

1 hour ago, doublevodka said:

Have you considered the Bresser one?

Yes, its field of view is a bit narrow for me for some DSOs and also for general use on an alt-az mount.

1 hour ago, Nik271 said:

On the Moon the Skymax is excellent. Rilles of Gassendi are easily seen (of course subject to seeing conditions).

That's good to hear, my C6 (now rehomed) struggled with this. I'd like to go above 180x, but I suppose I have to get lucky with my sample of a Mak 127 when I get one.

As far as the Double Cluster goes, I don't mind it filling or even slightly overspilling the FOV, so 1.1 degrees will be fine.

Edited Friday at 09:25 by Ags

[Louis D]

In the US, Sky-Watcher is selling the 127 Mak with a 2" visual back, 2" diagonal, and 28mm 2" eyepiece:

I upgraded my 127 Mak similarly with the Mak to SCT step ring and 2" visual back.  I already had several 2" diagonals and many 2" eyepieces.  The used 127 Mak I bought for my daughter came as above.  It turns out SW didn't resize the visual back threads.  They just added the step ring to make it larger.

Of course the 27mm clear rear aperture limits the vignetting-free FOV.  Visually, though, it's hard to detect in peripheral vision.  Below is a comparison image I took through the adapted 127 Mak:

The light falloff results in an image 65% as bright in the outer region of a widest field 2" eyepiece.  It's pretty obvious in the above image, but not at all obvious to the human eye at night.

I can also use 2"-only eyepieces that don't vignette such as the 17mm ES-92 which has about a 28mm field stop as shown below:

[Ags]

@Louis D that dual setup does look similar to my plan! I have seen ES92 eyepieces come up occasionally on the 2nd hand market for reasonable prices, and I have been tempted!

[Geoff Lister]

I have 2 of the Skymax 127 Maks, one in the UK and one at a friend's house in SW France. I have not had to adjust the collimation on either OTA.

On 28/06/2024 at 09:39, Nik271 said:

PS: One more thing since you mention dual mounting: the Skymax has a fixed vixen dovetail. This saves weght but it has the possible disadvantage that it can only be mounted on one side of Alt Az mounts, on the other side the finder shoe  points downwards which makes the location of the finder very impractical.

With my UK Skymax 127, I araldited a second finder shoe at 180 degrees to the original, so that I could use it with my iOptron mount.

The RACI finder (UK one) makes alignment much easier than the original straight-through version (on my french one).

Geoff

[Ags]

15 hours ago, Geoff Lister said:

I have 2 of the Skymax 127 Maks

I guess you like them then?

[Geoff Lister]

7 hours ago, Ags said:

I guess you like them then?

Yes. Some years ago, I had a holiday home in France, and I wanted to have something that was easy to store and quick to get operating. I had ownred the Skymax 127 with Synscan Goto, here in the UK, so I bought a second one and took it with me in hand luggage (OTA) and hold luggage (the rest), by car, plane, train, tram and bus.

I used it mostly for visual but the modified webcam gave me some reasonable videos of Jupiter and Saturn. When we sold the house, a good friend had space to store it, so I use it when I visit.

Geoff