Explore Scientific ED152 CF with Feathertouch 2-inch focuser and Parallax Rings
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This here is a VERY clean, 2016 or 2017 (I forget the year) Explore Scientific ED152CF. This is complete to code with upgrades and comes with:
* 6-inch f/8 ED triplet ota with carbon fiber detachable dew shield and front dust cover
* Feather Touch 2-inch focuser with full rotation ability (expensive factory upgrade)
* 8x50 right angle illuminated finder scope with both dust caps and bracket system
* 2-inch dielectric 90 degree mirror diagonal with 1.25-inch adapter and both dust caps
* OTA hinged tube rings with mounting plate
Additionally, it comes with a much nicer upgrade that is above factory standard:
* (2) Parallax 6-inch refractor hinged tube rings
* (2) ADM Losmandy DUP-style mounting plates.
This above tube cradle system will EXCEED in strength and rigidity over the factory cradle rings, in which the factory rings, nice as they are, do not spread across enough of the length of the optical tube to balance-out the weight proportions. Furthermore, with the ADM plates, you can now mount this to your Losmandy, AP, Takahashi, Celestron CGEM-DX, or other large-class equatorial mount...Or if you are lucky, the DiscMount DM-6!
When it comes to the bigger refractors, I am much more of a Takahashi and Astro-Physics user first. Wouldn't think I would be wowed by a Chinese triplet, but, yeah, I am impressed! Phenomenal views to be witnessed in this refractor (f1216mm) on a wintertime, half-phase Moon with a set of (Nikon) Celestron Ultimas and Orion Ultrascopics, a Panoptic 35mm and a Nagler 20mm will bring tears of joy on M31, M42, the Double Cluster, M35 and NGC2158, and with a UHC filter from Lumicon, you can see some actual structure in IC405 in Auriga! Izar with a Takahashi barlowed 7.5mm LE is something to experience and it reminds me, in some ways, of the views my FCT-150 would conjure when speaking of resolution, not so much contrast.
The ED152 is a triplet system featuring a center Hoya FCD1 element.
FCD1 Hoya glass is the equivalent, quite literally, of FPL51. By comparison, FPL53 would be parred with CaF2. The 51 is definitely of high quality, but it will not equal a 53. And this is reflected in the price of the telescope. If this were a true 53 or CaF2 triplet, the price would be getting up to the 7-thousands or higher.
To further my statement above; image sharpness of resolution is matched to my Takahashi FS-152, which is a true CaF2 apochromat, yet a doublet. The Tak will produce a darker contrast, yet the sharpness in the 152ED will nearly completely match it. Both these refractors are F8.
False color detection on Jupiter and Saturn with very high quality oculars, like the 1990s Ultrascopics, Celestron Ultimas, Clave 2nd gens, and Pentax XOs is nonexistent to my eyes until the 230x range. My eyes detected intermittent hints of yellow-green (peridot, but not emerald) on the very highest albedo regions. With these oculars, I detected no false color inside the sphere.
By contrast, the purest images I ever saw of Jupiter in my life was not in my Tak FS-152, but, rather, in my now-gone Tak FCT-150. I had it up to 400x on Jupiter with the AP Baader binoviewer with paired LE oculars when Jupiter was high in the sky in the early 2000s. I was at 6400 feet elevation, versus 2046 feet in my backyard here.
The 152EDCF telescope in raw weight with the rings, diagonal, finder, and plate will be in the 24-27 pound range. The tube is 52-inches long with the dew shield all the way out and 41-inches when it is fully retracted. A G11 will make short order of it. It could easily find a home on the EQ6 (Orion Atlas). My old boy Losmandy GM-100, which is even better built than any G-11, will handle the ED152CF like a cheerleader with a glitter baton.
Much as I love this carbon fiber monster apochromat, I still want to keep my 2x heavier Takahashi FS-152sv more, so Jill says he's gotta go.
The refractor is in, overall, very excellent cosmetics. There are some contact marks up there by dew shield marrying area, but its not bad. The carbon fiber is very pretty and shiny. There's one shallow scratch near the tube rings on the left side; again, not very noticeable. The Feather Touch focuser and focuser housing area is beautiful. NO sunlight fading to see. It glides like butter. The tube rings are very excellent in looks also and work perfectly. Dew shield is glossy clean and attaches firmly without issues.
The triplet objective currently is at perfect collimation and the glass is in very excellent condition. Dust specks here and there that are harmless; nothing else. NO heavy internal dust. No haze or fungus. NO pitting problems. The glass has never been touched from what I can see.
Finder scope assembly is in very near mint cosmetics right down to the brackets and the base shoe. NO fading, scratches, dents, ect. That off-silver color IS NOT sunlight fading; it is the stock color Explore Scientific designed to go with this refractor. Optics in the finder are near perfect mint clean. IT will need a new battery for the illuminator, which I never needed to use. I've always used just dark, superimposed cross hairs (Hey, I told you I'm old-skool!).
The carbon-fiber dielectric mirror is original to this ota and is in very excellent cosmetics. The mirror is excellent clean and not yet due for a dusting. The mirror, however, seems to be ever so loose. I am not versed in toying with these newer mirror diagonals, which can be adjusted, so I'm leaving it be. Rest assured it cannot shift to the point it will chip its sides; its a VERY small degree of flexure. A set of small allen wrenches will be all you need to readjust it. Nothing big.
** If you do not want the diagonal, finder scope, Parallax Rings, or the dual DUP plates, I can reduce the price a little **
I have shipped a Takahashi EM-500, an FCT-150, an Astro-Physics AP-152 f/9 and even a terribly huge Unitron Model 150. I can ship this refractor in a custom box and it will survive the trip to you after I am done with my packing art skills. But it will be expensive because I spare no expense to the respect of the instrument within. So, before we venture down the shipping rates hiking trail, just know that I'm in the Spokane, WA area and am willing to travel up to 250 miles one way in any direction to meet you with this world-class apochromat. A fair transportation charge will be in mind, but will not be as heavy as the shipping for sure.
Key locations to meet would be the Tri Cities, Missoula, Northport, Libby, North Bend, Pendleton, White Bird Summit, Wenatchee, possibly The Dalles or Biggs Junction.
Other than that, yes; happy to ship to anyone anywhere.
* 6-inch f/8 ED triplet ota with carbon fiber detachable dew shield and front dust cover
* Feather Touch 2-inch focuser with full rotation ability (expensive factory upgrade)
* 8x50 right angle illuminated finder scope with both dust caps and bracket system
* 2-inch dielectric 90 degree mirror diagonal with 1.25-inch adapter and both dust caps
* OTA hinged tube rings with mounting plate
Additionally, it comes with a much nicer upgrade that is above factory standard:
* (2) Parallax 6-inch refractor hinged tube rings
* (2) ADM Losmandy DUP-style mounting plates.
This above tube cradle system will EXCEED in strength and rigidity over the factory cradle rings, in which the factory rings, nice as they are, do not spread across enough of the length of the optical tube to balance-out the weight proportions. Furthermore, with the ADM plates, you can now mount this to your Losmandy, AP, Takahashi, Celestron CGEM-DX, or other large-class equatorial mount...Or if you are lucky, the DiscMount DM-6!
When it comes to the bigger refractors, I am much more of a Takahashi and Astro-Physics user first. Wouldn't think I would be wowed by a Chinese triplet, but, yeah, I am impressed! Phenomenal views to be witnessed in this refractor (f1216mm) on a wintertime, half-phase Moon with a set of (Nikon) Celestron Ultimas and Orion Ultrascopics, a Panoptic 35mm and a Nagler 20mm will bring tears of joy on M31, M42, the Double Cluster, M35 and NGC2158, and with a UHC filter from Lumicon, you can see some actual structure in IC405 in Auriga! Izar with a Takahashi barlowed 7.5mm LE is something to experience and it reminds me, in some ways, of the views my FCT-150 would conjure when speaking of resolution, not so much contrast.
The ED152 is a triplet system featuring a center Hoya FCD1 element.
FCD1 Hoya glass is the equivalent, quite literally, of FPL51. By comparison, FPL53 would be parred with CaF2. The 51 is definitely of high quality, but it will not equal a 53. And this is reflected in the price of the telescope. If this were a true 53 or CaF2 triplet, the price would be getting up to the 7-thousands or higher.
To further my statement above; image sharpness of resolution is matched to my Takahashi FS-152, which is a true CaF2 apochromat, yet a doublet. The Tak will produce a darker contrast, yet the sharpness in the 152ED will nearly completely match it. Both these refractors are F8.
False color detection on Jupiter and Saturn with very high quality oculars, like the 1990s Ultrascopics, Celestron Ultimas, Clave 2nd gens, and Pentax XOs is nonexistent to my eyes until the 230x range. My eyes detected intermittent hints of yellow-green (peridot, but not emerald) on the very highest albedo regions. With these oculars, I detected no false color inside the sphere.
By contrast, the purest images I ever saw of Jupiter in my life was not in my Tak FS-152, but, rather, in my now-gone Tak FCT-150. I had it up to 400x on Jupiter with the AP Baader binoviewer with paired LE oculars when Jupiter was high in the sky in the early 2000s. I was at 6400 feet elevation, versus 2046 feet in my backyard here.
The 152EDCF telescope in raw weight with the rings, diagonal, finder, and plate will be in the 24-27 pound range. The tube is 52-inches long with the dew shield all the way out and 41-inches when it is fully retracted. A G11 will make short order of it. It could easily find a home on the EQ6 (Orion Atlas). My old boy Losmandy GM-100, which is even better built than any G-11, will handle the ED152CF like a cheerleader with a glitter baton.
Much as I love this carbon fiber monster apochromat, I still want to keep my 2x heavier Takahashi FS-152sv more, so Jill says he's gotta go.
The refractor is in, overall, very excellent cosmetics. There are some contact marks up there by dew shield marrying area, but its not bad. The carbon fiber is very pretty and shiny. There's one shallow scratch near the tube rings on the left side; again, not very noticeable. The Feather Touch focuser and focuser housing area is beautiful. NO sunlight fading to see. It glides like butter. The tube rings are very excellent in looks also and work perfectly. Dew shield is glossy clean and attaches firmly without issues.
The triplet objective currently is at perfect collimation and the glass is in very excellent condition. Dust specks here and there that are harmless; nothing else. NO heavy internal dust. No haze or fungus. NO pitting problems. The glass has never been touched from what I can see.
Finder scope assembly is in very near mint cosmetics right down to the brackets and the base shoe. NO fading, scratches, dents, ect. That off-silver color IS NOT sunlight fading; it is the stock color Explore Scientific designed to go with this refractor. Optics in the finder are near perfect mint clean. IT will need a new battery for the illuminator, which I never needed to use. I've always used just dark, superimposed cross hairs (Hey, I told you I'm old-skool!).
The carbon-fiber dielectric mirror is original to this ota and is in very excellent cosmetics. The mirror is excellent clean and not yet due for a dusting. The mirror, however, seems to be ever so loose. I am not versed in toying with these newer mirror diagonals, which can be adjusted, so I'm leaving it be. Rest assured it cannot shift to the point it will chip its sides; its a VERY small degree of flexure. A set of small allen wrenches will be all you need to readjust it. Nothing big.
** If you do not want the diagonal, finder scope, Parallax Rings, or the dual DUP plates, I can reduce the price a little **
I have shipped a Takahashi EM-500, an FCT-150, an Astro-Physics AP-152 f/9 and even a terribly huge Unitron Model 150. I can ship this refractor in a custom box and it will survive the trip to you after I am done with my packing art skills. But it will be expensive because I spare no expense to the respect of the instrument within. So, before we venture down the shipping rates hiking trail, just know that I'm in the Spokane, WA area and am willing to travel up to 250 miles one way in any direction to meet you with this world-class apochromat. A fair transportation charge will be in mind, but will not be as heavy as the shipping for sure.
Key locations to meet would be the Tri Cities, Missoula, Northport, Libby, North Bend, Pendleton, White Bird Summit, Wenatchee, possibly The Dalles or Biggs Junction.
Other than that, yes; happy to ship to anyone anywhere.
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