Posts Made By: Larry Thaxton

Hi Ricardo,

Is the 26mm the only eyepiece you have to use with the scope? I have an Edscorp 12mm ortho I am not using and will send it to you if you can use it.

Larry

Hi Brian,

I have an 8" F/12 D&G and think it is the best thing since sliced bread. Views of the Moon, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are stunning. I use it in town near Los Angeles so not a lot of deep sky but when conditions permit is is great on globular clusters and brighter DSO. You will need a heavy mount to quell the shakes a long tube is subject to but it is well worth it. Feel free to contact me for more info:

[email protected]

Larry

Hi Andre,

There have been several threads on the subject- one is to be found if you do a forum search under "D&G 6-inch f/15 Refractor". I have owned two D&Gs, currently an 8" F/12, and would be glad to share my impressions with you.

Larry

[email protected]

Hi Dave,

Maybe this will be a kind of answer by analogy: I owned a 6" D&G F/15 for a couple of years and found it to be an excellent performer. There was some color but nothing to write home about. Planetary images were sharp and filled with detail. Liked it so much, I bought the 8" D&G. In the mean time I ran across an Astro Physics 6" F/12 Superplanetary APO. While I do not have both 6" scopes to compare side-by-side, I can tell you that the images in the AP are essentially color-free in focus and better in terms of low contrast detail on Jupiter and the globe of Saturn than the 6" D&G. The difference on low contrast features is subtle but clearly something you would notice. And it is not that the AP is "sharper", rather all of the visible light is in the image and not around it so you can pick up more subtle shadings and features. Having said that, during the recent approach of Mars I had the 8" D&G and the 6" AP out on several nights and a lot of folks looked through each. The D&G was definitley a crowd pleaser and drew the most "wows!" from the viewers. The image of Mars was sharp and detailed in both. The extra light in the larger scope made thing easier to see but at it's peak brightness there was false color around Mars. Funny thing was that none of the folks who looked through the two scopes was bothered by it. I actually pointed out the "purple halo" and to a person they felt it was not an issue even when 10 feet away the AP was "color free."

On the Moon there is a bluish hue through the D&G while through the AP the lunar surface is almost white. Again, the difference is subtle but you would see it. The question really is one of personal taste and finances. An AP 6" is right at $7,000 if you could get one ( I am on the list too!) A 6" D&G is around $1700 last I looked and available YEARS sooner. Forgetting the wait, is the difference in performance worth the difference in cost (for a visual observer)? Only you can answer that one!

Hi Joseph,

Just out of curiousity, what height pier did you use and which mount? I have my 8" D&G F/12 on a Parallax HD 150 and a 60" tall 10" diameter pier. Wonderful scope!

Larry

Hi Davis,

I tried both and then sold the HDs as I prefered the "classic" style/volcano tops. In my comparisons the classics were equal or better in rendering planetary detail.

larry

About those mounting requirements for long focal length refractors....

(D&G 8" F/12, Parallax HD150 on a 60" tall pier)

I posted this somewhere in the forums, guess it belongs here. The scope is a D&G 8" F/12 on a Parallax HD 150 with 60" tall, 10" diameter pier, AP 2.7" focuser and Takahashi 11x70 finder. During Mars approach last August I would spend an hour or two at the eyepiece and then read portions of a first edition copy of Percival Lowell's "Mar's and It's Canals". Try that with your APO!

Hi Jason,

If you are interested in pulling out planetary detail go with a 5" or larger APO. After two truly excellent 4" APOs (Tak FC100 and 4" Showa) I found that the jump to a 5" was a vast improvement. I currently own a TEC 140 and it is a great performer. A Tak FC125 or FS128 would be excellent choices and less than the TAO130. A few years ago I owned a truly excellent Meade 127ED that would give most high end scopes a run for their money visually. Currently the two Taks mentioned, TMB 130 F/8 and the TEC 140 would be excellent choices.

Hi Paul,

I have owned several excellent 4" refractors and have found that the increase in detail- I am mostly a lunar and planetary observer- when you move up to a 5" is dramatic, even more so if you step up again to a 6". The 5" APO seems to be the best balance of reasonable size and performance. The Takahashi FC 100 I owned was a fabulous scope. Problem was, by the time I set it and the EM10 mount up, I could just as easily have hauled out the G-11 and TEC 140. The TEC's aperture and performance advantage has made it the scope of choice. My opinion, get at least a 5".