Hi, I used an Orion 80f/5 on some local nesting eagles at 100 yards this afternoon and was not really that impressed with the view/resolution at 40x. (I'll try a star diagonal next time out.) In your experience would a 100mm Orion f/6, Celestron 102f/5, Orion 120 f/5 or other scope offer a much more impressive view for spotting? The low end 80mm ED's would be somewhat affordable for me but I don't know that it would be better than the 100's for spotting. I use a dob for stars and planets. Thank you for all who can respond, John
Orion 80f/5 vs. Orion 100f/6 vs. Cel. 102f/5
Started by nils, 01/21/2005 05:39AM
Posted 01/21/2005 05:39AM
| Edited 01/21/2005 06:05AM
Opening Post
Posted 01/21/2005 09:27AM
#1
Hi John,
I've used all three scopes you mention, and they all work fairly well till around 15X, when the chromatism becomes too objectionable. Actually, stopping them down will help a lot, but the purple color will still accumulate on an exposure. I'm using the Orion 80ED now, and it's just superb. For the price, it can't be beat. And, it's an excellent scope for astronomy too. It holds up really well even at over 200X. With the exception of the Orion 80ED, I haven't found any of the "ED's" to be much better than a simple achromat. The 80ED is a true apochromat. If you can make the jump, you'll really appreciate an apochromat both for photography and astronomy.
I used the little 80 f/5 for years, and it was fun as long as you stay under 15X, which is usually not a problem for photography through the telescope. You can do a lot worse for the modest price they cost. -Kurt Horsley
I've used all three scopes you mention, and they all work fairly well till around 15X, when the chromatism becomes too objectionable. Actually, stopping them down will help a lot, but the purple color will still accumulate on an exposure. I'm using the Orion 80ED now, and it's just superb. For the price, it can't be beat. And, it's an excellent scope for astronomy too. It holds up really well even at over 200X. With the exception of the Orion 80ED, I haven't found any of the "ED's" to be much better than a simple achromat. The 80ED is a true apochromat. If you can make the jump, you'll really appreciate an apochromat both for photography and astronomy.
I used the little 80 f/5 for years, and it was fun as long as you stay under 15X, which is usually not a problem for photography through the telescope. You can do a lot worse for the modest price they cost. -Kurt Horsley
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