2013-05-12T21:00:00
Rated 4 out of 5
Good for the price
Pros: good mirror for an f5 scope
Cons: heavy, weighs in at 23 lbs once equipped with Orion tube rings and finder; Requires almost perfect alignment to get best views; Must! add a fan to cool mirror; Stock focuser is poor- should have been equipped with a 2 stage focuser, as scope is difficult to find best focus with std focuser (this is the first thing I plan to upgrade)
Comments: This scope appears to be a compromise for both visual and photo uses. I can only comment on visual use. I already owned an Orion 8in f6 OTA, and wanted a shorter, lighter tube for my mount. Alas, the f5 OTA is almost the same weight, and the f5 optics are far more demanding of perfect alignment to get the best viewing. Even with long cool down from a fan, the f5 optics will never equal those of the f6 tube. I star tested the mirror, and it is pretty good. Tested on Saturn at 200X the views are very good, but not as good as my Meade and Orion 8in f6 newts. The best use of this OTA is on deep sky objects, especially the globular clusters, where scope performance rates a WOW. Brighter nebula are also very good. I did not detect coma at the 100X+ magnifications I normally view at.
MNSkyBum
