Posts Made By: Hugh Bartlett

Hi Joe,

I'm surprised by the lack of response. There are 20 reviews over on excelsis. Most rate the optics very highly, but were dissatisfied with the mount. Meade has improved it somewhat, but it probably is still undermounted. Many did not like the plastic focuser, and had the typical quality control issues for which Meade is infamous.

With a 26 Nagler, you'd get over a two degree FOV and not need the go-to. I'd get the OTA and put it on an Atlas mount for visual, or a Losmandy G-11 for photographic use.

My $0.02... OMMV...

Hugh Bartlett
Oakland, CA

Hi Joe,

Drop Dave Bush a line. He had one of these for a brief time for his 12.5" PDHQ, and would probably love to hear from you. I've got a Type IV, and it works fine, but is a back breaker to lug around. There is a Type VI in the works also for smaller (6"-10") Dobs.

Hugh

Just to make it unanimous, get the 2". I have a 2" EZ Collimator with the 45 degree window, and am very satisfied with it. I had the 1.25" and exchanged it due to focuser slop.

I have heard some complaints about the guy charging credit cards before shipping, which may have been rectified by now. To be safe, if you are getting one, go through a dealer like Anacortes (they stock them).

Hugh Bartlett
Oakland, CA

Good solution! I've heard of folks stringing together metal band clamps as well (the kind used to secure radiator hoses). From the photo, it's hard to tell if you put a thin layer of felt inside the stainless steel ring to protect the tube, or is that just a shadow?

Hugh Bartlett
Oakland, CA

My 12.5 f/4.8 also had edge problems with my low power eyepiece until I got a Paracorr. It reduces the field a little, because it acts like a 1.15 Barlow, but makes longer focal length eyepieces very noticeably sharper toward the edge.

I use a 40MK70 eyepiece to get the maximum field of view in my scope. The Paracorr converts my scope to a 5.5 f-ratio, so that gets my exit pupil on that eyepiece down to about 7 mm. My FOV shrinks a bit (from 1.86 to 1.62 degrees), but I'd still prefer that for star hopping and observing large open clusters/nebulae versus a shorter focal length Panoptic.

My $0.02... OMMV....

Hugh Bartlett
Oakland, CA

Have you tried sending a private message via Astromart?

Hugh

I've got a 12.5 f/4.8, and use the 24 Panoptic all the time. It's a wonderful eyepiece that you can use in any scope to get the maximum field of view in a 1.25" eyepiece at a good magnification, and is very sharp to the edge. There is one on sale now for $250.

I also have a 40MK70 to get the largest field of view period, but use it only occasionally.

Hugh Bartlett
Oakland, CA

Have you considered the 60ED Mini-Borg? It weighs about a pound, and comes as just an OTA for $600. I got one for a finder scope and love it. The thing it has above the Zenithstar is 1) shorter focal length (350mm), and 2) a drawtube that can accomodate 2" accessories. It comes with a 1/4-20 mount block, and can fit into any 50mm finder holder. It does need a Borg adapter ($25 +/-) to use either 1.25" or 2" diagonals (also not supplied).

Hugh Bartlett
Oakland, CA

You might try to message Astromart user Michael Swartz. He recently got an 18" Plettstone, and is pretty pleased with it.

Hugh Bartlett

I cannot argue with those, but here are some more:

1. M35, a large, bright open cluster in Gemini with a companion target NGC 2158, a challenging object with any degree of light pollution, a similar open cluster but barely visibile because it is 6 times farther away.

2. Eskimo Nebula, NGC 2392, in Gemini. High power, a large aperture, and steady skies are needed to make the view start to match the photographs, but it shows up in any scope with enough magnification.

3. h3945, aka 145 CMa, the Winter Albireo above the hind leg of the Big Dog.

4. M41, a large, bright open cluster below Sirius.

5. NGC 2264, Christmas Tree Cluster in Monoceros.

6. M46 in Puppis with Planetary Nebula NGC 2438 in the foreground - a challenging object is urban skies, but a superb pairing in darker locations.

7. M1, the Crab Nebula, another dark sky target. Sort of like the Helix, i.e., the closest to nothing I've ever seen, but intellectually rewarding knowing that it is a remnant of a massive star that exploded as a supernova in 1054.

8. M45, the Pleiades, a crowd pleaser in wide field instruments.

9. M81/M82 Pairing of bright galaxies in Ursa Major that can both be seen in one eyepiece. Very different shapes.

10. Algol, eclipsing binary in Perseus. Timing is everything, but if you catch it in minimum, it is worth noticing how much dimmer than normal it is.

Hugh Bartlett