Orion 80ED OTA

[riogrande100]

This scope has been around for a while and has received very good reviews especially for it's cost. And that is why i purchased it as it has got good reviews.

Some here is my review.

The OTA sits on a CG5.

BUILD

Its looks a solid refractor with a very smooth Crayford focuser.

VIEWING

The views on this scope are nice and easy, as with refractors you just point and look no eyepiece on the side no strange angles, or views such as move scope to the left and the view goes to the left as well. A very natural way of viewing objects.

The views were very clear, but as I used it mainly for astrophotography and hardly used any eyepieces to view any objects for any given time.

I have taken images with a Astromaster 130, a Celestron 102 wide view achromat and found that the whilst the astromaster was CA free it was not as sharp as the celestron. But the celestron had serious CA.

The Orion on the other hand was CA free and was very sharp so was the best of both my previous scopes even with the smaller aperture. I guess long exposure photography can make up for some aperture by allowing much more light into the same image over time.

My main pictures I have taken have been on M42 and with the Orion 80 they have been some really nice pics and 30 second exposures. With 1 minute i get star trails so am awaiting my guiding equipment.

Conclusion

Of all my scopes i have this is my most versatile, and one of my favourites. It is very easy to use, gives decent magnifications but for imaging it excels.

[russ]

Nice review. They are great scopes and the Orion Gun Metal Grey looks better than the nasty Toy'r'us looking Skywatcher blue or extra nasty looking gold tube ED80's. Tube colours aside, they all have an absolutely cracking lens. Certainly one of the biggest landmark scopes. Should do you proud.