Telescope Reviews: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9

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doctordub
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 01/11/06

Loc: New Rochelle, New York

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: doctordub]
#5471529 - 10/15/12 01:02 PM

Jim,
This bag is $199.00 but a few people with the AT 152 have used it.
http://www.opticsplanet.com/stellarvue-deluxe-heavy-duty-thickly-padded-telescope-case.html

CS
Jonathan

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Tank
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 07/27/09

Loc: Stoney Creek, Ontario, CANADA

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: jrbarnett]
#5471597 - 10/15/12 01:40 PM

Jim
I like to display the facts out on the table too for people looking into buying one of these larger short tube Achro.
CA you will see and a MV or a CC will help reduce CA but REDUCE is the KEY word!
Ive compared with a MAK and a Triplet APO spliting stars at around 150-200x and well the Archo does poor!
When compared side by side the Achro shows more CA than you think than if you were just viewing with the Achro without anything to compare to.
However there is a great side to these is the resolving power for WF views! Resolving M11 at 15x-30x is wonderful
Pleades is awesome and other views are just stunning!
Too me its the best scope for paning around the sky at low mag.
There really isnt one scope that can do it all!

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jrbarnett
Eyepiece Hooligan

Reged: 02/28/06

Loc: Petaluma, CA

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: doctordub]
#5471634 - 10/15/12 01:57 PM

Thanks Jonathan.

Looks interesting.

Regards,

Jim

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dakota
super member

Reged: 12/11/11

Loc: SD (God's Country)

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: jrbarnett]
#5471834 - 10/15/12 04:22 PM

Quote:

I don't think that the scarcity of bitchin' about quality in these scopes had anything to do with elitism any more than I think every owner of an affordable scope who cannot afford one of these brands has a chip on his shoulder or suffers from "sour grapes" syndrome or has a Napoleon complex.

folks who secretly covet what they can't have and adopt a sour-grapes attitude toward it as a result.

To me it's not a question of money. I could buy a much higher price scope. But I won't. I would find it hard to spend 4 to 8 thousand dollars on a scope that would show no CA and be perfect so to speak. The views I want I get from the scopes I have. I have nothing against those that do spend big bucks on scopes. To each his own. It's their money and they can do with it what they want. It's like that with other things besides telescopes.

I'm in this hobby for the enjoyment of looking into the heavens. I'm not one to pick fly$hit out of pepper for that last photon. As long as you are happy, great. As long as I'm happy, that's even better.

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jrbarnett
Eyepiece Hooligan

Reged: 02/28/06

Loc: Petaluma, CA

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: Tank]
#5471881 - 10/15/12 04:57 PM

I agree.

The combination of loads of context (i.e., lots of surrounding sky) and partial resolution of a bright globular courtesy at low magnification of the extra aperture, is really nice. Unless you happen to have a second magnitude or brighter star in the FOV, you likely won't notice the false color at low magnifications on DSOs.

That's the magic of a 6-inch scope with a 3-degree TFOV. I suspect folks with NP-127s experience a similar effect on such targets.

Regards,

Jim

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Bill Barlow
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/03/07

Loc: Overland Park KS

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: doctordub]
#5472025 - 10/15/12 06:11 PM

Quote:

Jim, Your star test sounds like you have some SA that I have not seen on mine. I mentioned in another thread you could clearly see the CA as a tight line on the Lunar limb and crater shadows in my photo without chromacor. I find that niether a 6" SCT nor an 8" SCT were a match for my AT 152. I hope the quality controll has not changed since the 1.5 years since I purchased mine.

Luna without chromacor.

Were you just comparing views of planets and the moon with your AT 152 against 6" and 8" SCT's? Or was that for several deep sky targets as well.

Bill

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Tank
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 07/27/09

Loc: Stoney Creek, Ontario, CANADA

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: jrbarnett]
#5472056 - 10/15/12 06:27 PM

Jim
Yup thats the magic of the 6" short tube the larger apeture resolving power in combination of the WF views.
Ive looked thru a 120 Achro and a 111 APO and they had no where near the resolving power punch of the 6" Achro.
The way to get rid of the CA on brighter star with higher mag. is to use a CC but they tend to $$$ so i usually sweep at around 27x 3 degree FOV in the 28mm WO UWAN which is really corrected at F5.

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doctordub
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 01/11/06

Loc: New Rochelle, New York

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: Bill Barlow]
#5472109 - 10/15/12 06:55 PM

When observing open clusters, globular clusters, and planets the AT 152 with Chromacor, Baader SA filter or no filter is a clear choice.
CS
Jonathan

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stevew
Now I've done it

Reged: 03/03/06

Loc: British Columbia Canada

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: jrbarnett]
#5472542 - 10/15/12 11:54 PM

Quote:

When I read folks claiming not to see it, with all due respect, I think there are three possibilities: (1) they don't know what false color looks like, (2) due to a physiological condition (color blindness, cataracts) the literally can't see it, or (3) they know their lady's butt is big, but for other reasons wholly external to the merits and drawback of a big butt, claim that it it not.

"I like big...er...achros, and I cannot lie."
Regards,

Jim

Jim, you certainly have a way with words.

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drollere
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 02/02/10

Loc: sebastopol, california

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: coopman]
#5472659 - 10/16/12 01:40 AM

Quote:

If you're going to use a f/4 newt., you'd better have a Paracorr available. Coma would be really bad without it.

actually ... for what it's worth ... my cheapo AT 10" yields extremely nice views with a 22mm LVW (1.25" barrel). that's a 5.5 exit pupil, just about right for me (my pupil stops at 5.9mm). i've tried it with a coma corrector and didn't see much difference.

like i said ... diff'rent strokes. all types make the world go 'round. et cetera.

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drollere
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 02/02/10

Loc: sebastopol, california

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: jrbarnett]
#5472666 - 10/16/12 01:51 AM

Quote:

"it also begs the question why one wouldn't use an 8" or 10" ƒ/4 newt for RFT pleasure"
...
That's an easy one, Bruce. The eyepiece would be at the wrong end of the OTA.

jim, you need a shorter mount ... or taller shoes.

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doctordub
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 01/11/06

Loc: New Rochelle, New York

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: Bill Barlow]
#5473129 - 10/16/12 11:30 AM

Quote:

Quote:

Jim, Your star test sounds like you have some SA that I have not seen on mine. I mentioned in another thread you could clearly see the CA as a tight line on the Lunar limb and crater shadows in my photo without chromacor. I find that niether a 6" SCT nor an 8" SCT were a match for my AT 152. I hope the quality controll has not changed since the 1.5 years since I purchased mine.

Luna without chromacor.

Were you just comparing views of planets and the moon with your AT 152 against 6" and 8" SCT's? Or was that for several deep sky targets as well.

Bill

Bill, the 8" SCT is a little brighter on DSO, but the view in the AT 152 was more pleasing. This is after the Cat is properly cooled. My scope has almost no SA which is why I waited for a Null corrected Chromacor, but the with the CC in place it snaps to focus.

CS
Jonathan

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Mary
sage

Reged: 01/29/08

Loc: Highlands Ranch, CO

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: stevew]
#5473372 - 10/16/12 02:14 PM

Quote:

Quote:

(3) they know their lady's butt is big, but for other reasons wholly external to the merits and drawback of a big butt, claim that it it not.

Oh my goodness!!!!!

Mary

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Eric Gage
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 12/13/05

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: dakota]
#5473494 - 10/16/12 03:54 PM

Quote:

So what do you say to the reviews by Warren Maguire on the CT152 and Larry Carlino on the AT152? Are you saying they are wrong? As usual with your review and the other 2 reviews they are merely self opinions which don't necessarily reflect the views of others.

What is any review but someone's opinion?

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Eric Gage
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 12/13/05

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: drollere]
#5473498 - 10/16/12 04:00 PM

Quote:

interesting review, jim, and certainly deterring. your recommendation to choose a 6" SCT instead invites the conclusion that any achromat below ƒ/6 (or higher?) is a bauble for "the glassaholic who has everything."

Jim works hard to fit that description.

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jrbarnett
Eyepiece Hooligan

Reged: 02/28/06

Loc: Petaluma, CA

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: Eric Gage]
#5473515 - 10/16/12 04:06 PM

Aww c'mon fellas! I been selling stuff! ~$5k worth of eyepieces thus far, and I'll get ready to do another tranche of 'em this weekend.

Just you wait 'til I get to the OTAs. You'll see.

My goal is to pick up Hubble cheap, given it's mounting maintenance costs and planned deactivation, and then use my X Prize competition entry to get up there and do a little cleaning and collimating and such.

- Jim

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Eric Gage
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 12/13/05

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 new

[Re: stevew]
#5473680 - 10/16/12 05:38 PM

What do you think of that focuser, Jim?

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dakota
super member

Reged: 12/11/11

Loc: SD (God's Country)

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 [Re: Eric Gage]
#5473719 - 10/16/12 06:01 PM

What is any review but someone's opinion?

No $hit! Well I guess us folks in South Dakota didn't know that.

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johnnyha
Postmaster

Reged: 11/12/06

Loc: Sherman Oaks, CA

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 [Re: dakota]
#5473855 - 10/16/12 07:19 PM

The funniest part is when you actually read Larry's review you can see he essentally agrees with Jim, saying things like "Jupiter, always a demanding target for any telescope, showed a bath of purple surrounding its disc" etc.

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jrbarnett
Eyepiece Hooligan

Reged: 02/28/06

Loc: Petaluma, CA

Re: Overdue First Light: Astrotelescopes 152 f/5.9 [Re: Eric Gage]
#5473865 - 10/16/12 07:22 PM

It's not a bad unit, Eric, but there is a little rocking/twisting on my unit during focus adjustment, which might not be so great for an imager. For visual, though, it works pretty well, even with decent sized eyepieces. The Long Pern on the AT scopes and others is a little bit smoother, but the SV might have a slight edge in load capacity. Pretty much a toss-up between the two.

I think the focuser is a good match for the scope and in fact has fit and finish a cut above the rest of the OTA. On the other hand, I think the $300+ Stellarvue is asking for these focusers standalone is ridiculous. For that money, a Moonlite or Feathertouch are a much better choice, but bundled in with a scope, it's a fine visual use focuser. I'm happy with it.

Regards,

Jim

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