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William Optics Megrez 80 APO

Posted by Maqsood Ali   04/21/2005 07:00AM

William Optics Megrez 80 APO
Yes its true. This short tube 80mm refractor is the best investment I’ve made in this hobby.

I always wanted to own a premium apochromatic refractor. Why? The chromatic aberration was so intolerable in other short tube so-called semi-apo that I couldn't stand the pretty colors around it. But LOVED the pin point focused stars and the amazing wide field views of DSO …….not to mention the great contrast that I did not experienced with a SCT. So I wondered if there is a way that I can get color-free, contrasty, unobstructed, wide views, portable scope that will be versatile for viewing and imaging. And indeed, my research ended with this scope. I finally took the risk and placed the order. The order that seemed to be PERFECT. Here's what you get when you order:

1) A beautifully machined solid tube holding the 80mm fluorite lens. The dew shield is retractable
2) A ultra smooth rotate able crayford focuser
3) L-Bracket to mount the scope to a photo tripod
4) An airline carrying case
5) A 2" dielectric diagonal at reduced price.

The only thing that I wish it could've come with is a finder bracket that I had to buy separately.

First Light: I mounted the scope on top of my C8. The seeing for OK and aligned both scope to point at the same part of sky. That night was first quarter moon night and so I was excited to test the color correction. I used a 25mm EP on C8 that gave me typical SCT views using the 2" diagonal. The moon looked very sharp. Then I took a few seconds pause and looked at it again to register the view in my head. I took the same diagonal setup and plopped in this scope. The WO focuser was a joy to use compared to an SCT focuser. With unfocused image, I re-centered the moon in my view and took a deep breath before I nail the focus. The dreadful thoughts of seeing fringing were making me nervous. I tried to work the focuser and slowly focused the moon. Holy Cow, I am the happiest person on earth right now. Absolutely no color!!! I immediately switched my EP from 25mm to 4mm. Guess what. Still no color and the images were clean and SHARP, I MEAN SHARP. I think it’s time that I mention that the objective is an f/6 with 480mm FL. I even pushed the power to 300X using a 2.5X TV Barlow with 4mm EP. The image was slightly unstable and not as sharp but the magnification was amazing with NO-COLOR AGAIN!!

Second Light: Now that I know this scope did not show me any false color, I was wanted to test the photographic abilities and I am still going though a steep learning curve of astrophotography. The first 30 seconds showed a bit of star elongation at the edges and this is where I was a bit disappointed. I wish the edges were flat. Of course there is a workaround by using a flattener but I wanted to use least amount of glass between the heavens and ccd chip. Needless to say the scope excelled as giving me GREAT wide fields pictures of Messier objects M108, M13, M64

Third Light: I recently purchased a few university optics eyepieces and was really excited to test them out. The first EP was a 1.25" 20mm erfle looking at M81/82. WOW, this was the first time, I was able to identify those objects with MUCH ease that my C8. I couldn't even believe myself. The scope proved that the small aperture refractors are less affected by seeing. At this point, I was convinced that this is a keeper. This is the ultimate scope for me.

The time came for stress testing again on Jupiter and Saturn. I simply took out my 2.5X Barlow and 6mm UO and zoomed-in on Jupiter. Do I still need to say that the views were colorless and showed me more details than my C8?


Conclusion: At approx $1500 USD, this refractor gives Newtonian like color-free wide views. The buttery smooth crayford focuser and a portable airline carry case are great add-ons. This scope offered me more than what I expected. If you are looking for a second scope with the following reasons:

1) Need color free views
2) Need widefields views
4) Need for astrophotography (flattener recommended)
5) Need for a well-built solid tube
6) Did I ever mention, great technical support?

STOP and convince your CFO (Chief financial Officer) if you have one to approve this budget. You will not regret UNLESS the aperture bug infects you.

Maqsood