Meade 127 APO Triplet

[Coco]

Am looking to going long this summer, where is the best place to buy a Meade 127 APO? Is it a better scope than the 120 Equinox?

Your thoughts please..

Guy..

[dweller25]

Visual performance is the same in both scopes.

127 is very front heavy.

I would go for the 120 as it needs a smaller mount.

[philj]

Best thing I ever did getting the Meade 127, got rid of my C11 because the views from this scope were superb, top notch for imaging as well. I think tehres a couple of other 127ED owners out there have done the same thing. Great visual and great imaging scope.

[Andrew*]

Telescope House would seem like a good place to go. Just wait for a bank holiday and get an extra 10% off .

You can save quite a bit going for an Astronomica branded 127, but it's said their quality control is not Meade's standard.

When I was in the market for an ED120/127, I went for the ED120 second hand, because of:

- greater availability used

- smaller and lighter

- cheaper

- less likely to get a "lemon" due to being a doublet

Buying new, you will have the dealer behind you, which means if you do get a lemon at least you're not on your own, although it will still mean hassle.

I am more than delighted with my ED120. It has no noticable false colour, and a slightly vignetted field with an APS chip, but that can be sorted with flats. Brilliant scope

Andrew

[robbieince]

Hi

I too have the Meade triplet and can only rave about how good it is. I too sold my c11 coz the process of astrophotography is just so much easier with refractor even though there is considerably less light grasp.

As for comparison with the doublet ed120 I don't have one to compare nut would expect the colour correction to not be as good and the field not to be as flat.

I would heartily reccomend the Meade 127 from telescope house.

[GazOC]

On most side-bys-side reviews I've seen the ED120 edges out the 127 triplet on colour correction but it doesn't sound like theres much in it.

[ollypenrice]

' ...even though there is considerably less light grasp. '

In imaging terms light grasp is really about f ratio and a focally reduced SCT (which never really is f6.3 but is slower) is very similar to the refractors, I'd have thought. I would say that our Meade 127 would eat our 10" SCT for breakfast in imaging terms. As others have said it is easier and I found the image to be sharper.

My thinking is that the QC on the Meade is good. I haven't heard of complaints. I bought ours from Ian King, which is always a pleasure. He is dead honest and efficient.

I have replaced ours with a TEC 140 and as I've said before the visual improvement is visible but serioulsy slight at five times the price! In imaging terms your main target does not improve much in the TEC but the stars are much tighter without the blue haloes. The Meade is good and a bargain. Trouble is, so is the SW120!!

BTW I ran the 120 on an EQ6 without difficulty.

Olly

[Coco]

' ...even though there is considerably less light grasp. '

In imaging terms light grasp is really about f ratio and a focally reduced SCT (which never really is f6.3 but is slower) is very similar to the refractors, I'd have thought. I would say that our Meade 127 would eat our 10" SCT for breakfast in imaging terms. As others have said it is easier and I found the image to be sharper.

My thinking is that the QC on the Meade is good. I haven't heard of complaints. I bought ours from Ian King, which is always a pleasure. He is dead honest and efficient.

I have replaced ours with a TEC 140 and as I've said before the visual improvement is visible but serioulsy slight at five times the price! In imaging terms your main target does not improve much in the TEC but the stars are much tighter without the blue haloes. The Meade is good and a bargain. Trouble is, so is the SW120!!

BTW I ran the 120 on an EQ6 without difficulty.

Olly

Olly and everyone thanks for the feedback, will a HEQ5 pro strugle with a Meade 127? perhaps the Sw120 is better in this respect?

Regards

Guy

[NickH]

HEQ5 will take the 127...reason I know is that the review units of the Meade triplets the dovetails didn't fit on the EQ6...so had to scag an HEQ5 to do the review..

HEQ5 has the F15 skylight on it at the weekend, no problem at all

[ollypenrice]

Someone on another forum does run a 127 on an HEQ5. As Nick says, the standard dovetail won't fit but if you take out a coarse file...

I find it incredible that we are now spoiled for choice on 5 inch apos at a tad over grand. Incredible.

Olly

[philj]

I regularly run a 127 on an HEQ5 with homemade brick khazi type tripod (better than the flimsy/short steel tube standard) and it copes for visual but forget imaging as its just on the mounts limit. Not weight wise that is but the 127 is quite a long tube and presents quite alot of bending moments on the mount.

Phil

[Coco]

Nadeem has mentioned an interesting scope , the SW 120ED I completely overlooked this, it has the same optics as the Equinox series so they claim...

One thing that's holding me back is that if I have to use a focal reducer I'm back to nearly 600mm where I'm trying to get away from.. any thoughts?

Guy..

[adamsp123]

Nadeem has mentioned an interesting scope , the SW 120ED I completely overlooked this, it has the same optics as the Equinox series so they claim...

One thing that's holding me back is that if I have to use a focal reducer I'm back to nearly 600mm where I'm trying to get away from.. any thoughts?

Guy..

The dedicated SW 120ED flattener/reducer gives a focal length of 765mm and it works very well for imaging.

Pete

[Coco]

The dedicated SW 120ED flattener/reducer gives a focal length of 765mm and it works very well for imaging.

Pete

Thanks Pete... my maths are terrible, must use a calculator..

765 is a long way from 600

Does the 127 Meade need a flattener?

Guy

[robbieince]

Nope -I use my Meade 127 at it's native focal length of 950mm with my eos 350d and my atik 4000 and see no appreciable distortion across the field. Check out my recent kielder shots if you like.

[Coco]

Nope -I use my Meade 127 at it's native focal length of 950mm with my eos 350d and my atik 4000 and see no appreciable distortion across the field. Check out my recent kielder shots if you like.

Great news... just placed my order

cant wait...

Guy

[ollypenrice]

Ah, well done that man! I was just about to confirm Rob's observations on field flatness. Absolutely fine on the Atik4000 and only just going beyond the limit on the very edge of DSLR on the one I used. Call it fine there too.

This scope will knock you out, believe me. Just practise getting your star haloes down in Ps; it is cheaper than buying a TOA 130!!

Olly

[buddyarrows]

Hi, I have just bought Meade 127 APO in the last two days, but have had limited night time views due to the weather. For my 2p, also having a SW 120ED DS I would pay the difference and go for the Meade any day, Better build Quality IMHO and as good as if not better optics, seems to have a tad more contrast than the SW but to be honest I have not had a lot of viewing through the 127 as of yet.

While I'm here any one know the screw size for the dove tail to tube ring? Want to fix the tub rings onto a losmandy dovetail but the hex screws are too short. There not metric but "A" or "AF" of some sort.

Cheers

Dave

[Coco]

Well I bought it

1 question, there was no instructions with it, what are the 2 big knurled screws for? when I loosen them it make no difference, I thought they were obviously there to rotate the focuser but it doesnt infact the focuser doesnt rotate which I find odd!

Guy

[robbieince]

They are to support the finder scope - optional extra. One screw is to attach the finder to the circular bracket and the other is to fix the finder at whatever angular position is needed.

[Coco]

yes brought the scope inside from the dark... dooh!

1 more. I take it the rear focuser doesn't rotate? not a problem because I suppose its lessens flexure?

[robbieince]

Nope the focusser does not rotate. You can always loosen the setscrew and rotate the diagonal and retighten.

[Coco]

Nope the focusser does not rotate. You can always loosen the setscrew and rotate the diagonal and retighten.

Thanks mate... it came from Telescope house without instrutions, but the again why would it, its designed for pro's not a noob like me

Guy..

[ollypenrice]

Course it should have instructions! What, no eight page supplement telling you not to look at the sun, saying that the telescope might cause injury if it fell on your toe, indigestion if you tried to eat it or deafness if you rammed it down your ear? Sue 'em!!

Olly

[Gizmo]

I have both the 127mm and the 90mm triplets. For anyone intrested in buying either I got mine at Telescopes.com You have to buy something small to start then they send you 10% off coupons. It adds up fast as I got my 127 for 1799.10 with free shipping . Then I got the 12"Lightbridge and several different items for another 10% off, it adds up quick as nobody else I've found will even give you a 10 dollar discount , I believe prices are fixed. If I figure the added up discounts on all the items I would have purchased there by default over the last few months, I got the 127 for free. I love the 127 and it's hard to get over the WOW!! factor, every time you use it's WOW!!! it's the best money I've ever spent and nothing compares in it's price range. It's heavy and needs a stable mount, I use the Celestron CGE Pro which again can't be beat in it's price range, I also use the Atlas EQ-G but nothing lighter weight, unless you are just viewing.

Russ