Opinions re: SV 85S APOPosted By Joplin Motisher-Chittenden |
Gregory,
I've got a Vixen FL80S (80mm F8 fluorite apo) that I am very happy with. I routinely use it with a 3.6mm eyepiece for 178x on the planets, moon, and double stars. I have watched Io transiting Jupiter (the moon, not the shadow) on at least one evening with near perfect seeing. These scopes still obey the laws of optics and physics though, anything more than 60x per inch of aperture is going to yield diminishing returns on the planets. My advice is to get the Vixen/ Orion 80mm fluorite listed in the classifieds if it is still available - great scope at a great price. You would get 94% of the aperture of a TV85 for half the price. Another good option that would save some $ is the Borg 76ED at less than $900 new. It doesn't have quite the color correction of the TV85 of Vixen fluorite but it is a featherweight scope that can be mounted to almost anything. The borg with a Nexstar 80 mount would be a very sweet combination.
Joplin
I've got a Vixen FL80S (80mm F8 fluorite apo) that I am very happy with. I routinely use it with a 3.6mm eyepiece for 178x on the planets, moon, and double stars. I have watched Io transiting Jupiter (the moon, not the shadow) on at least one evening with near perfect seeing. These scopes still obey the laws of optics and physics though, anything more than 60x per inch of aperture is going to yield diminishing returns on the planets. My advice is to get the Vixen/ Orion 80mm fluorite listed in the classifieds if it is still available - great scope at a great price. You would get 94% of the aperture of a TV85 for half the price. Another good option that would save some $ is the Borg 76ED at less than $900 new. It doesn't have quite the color correction of the TV85 of Vixen fluorite but it is a featherweight scope that can be mounted to almost anything. The borg with a Nexstar 80 mount would be a very sweet combination.
Joplin
