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Pages: 1 | 2 | (show all) PhotonJohn professor emeritus Reged: 12/11/07 Loc: Rockledge Fl Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm       #5627176 - 01/16/13 10:40 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Does anyone know of any issues with the Coronado SolarMax II 60mm scopes in BF10 or BF15? By issues I mean quality of product or objective rust issues like the older PST had? Also would like to hear from owners of this scope. Edited by PhotonJohn (01/16/13 10:58 PM) Post Extras:       dajebriza member Reged: 01/15/12 Loc: Germany Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: PhotonJohn]       #5627392 - 01/17/13 03:09 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   My advice.. Get a Lunt. Much better build and quality control. I've sampled several Lunts and Coronados - both external filters and solar scopes. I would buy Lunt exclusively after my experiences. Post Extras:       Zamboni professor emeritus Reged: 01/03/05 Loc: Colorado Springs Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: dajebriza]       #5628390 - 01/17/13 04:09 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I've played around with both. Both provide very good views, but the pressure tuning on the lunt gives it an edge. I also hate the helical focuser on the Coronado. Post Extras:       dbowlin super member Reged: 09/03/09 Loc: Littleton, Colorado Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: Zamboni]       #5628913 - 01/17/13 09:25 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I enjoy mine, not the helical focuser so much. I wish I had more time and clear skies. Dale Post Extras:       Gary BEAL Pooh-Bah Reged: 05/10/03 Loc: New Zealand Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: dbowlin]       #5628926 - 01/17/13 09:33 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I guess each to their own views. I have a loaner SolarMax 60, the older pre-Meade version, and by golly it is THE best thing since sliced bread. BUT........... I haven't tried a Lunt 60 either. I do have the SM90 etalon and BF15 waiting for an adaptor to fit to a Lunt ED102, so in that respect I'll have both perhaps? Gary Post Extras:       Aquarist sage Reged: 08/27/12 Loc: Illinois Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: Gary BEAL]       #5628983 - 01/17/13 10:10 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   While I opted for Lunt as a manufacturer (100mm double stack), I would suggest viewing Stephen Ramsden's reviews at http://solarastronomy.org/pages/reviews.html for detailed evaluations. Post Extras:       frolinmod Pooh-Bah Reged: 08/06/10 Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: Aquarist]       #5629329 - 01/18/13 04:05 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Aquarist, are you using the Lunt LS100FHa to double stack your Lunt LS100THa? Or did you go the Luntanado route? Post Extras:       mbucky Post Laureate Reged: 10/21/07 Loc: San Diego Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: frolinmod]       #5629516 - 01/18/13 09:07 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   get a lunt, much better build quality, and repair service Post Extras:       Aquarist sage Reged: 08/27/12 Loc: Illinois Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: frolinmod]       #5629565 - 01/18/13 09:45 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: Aquarist, are you using the Lunt LS100FHa to double stack your Lunt LS100THa? Or did you go the Luntanado route? No, I did not go the Luntanado route although some of the highly respected folks like Jim Lafferty did with superb results. Lunt was willing to customize adjustment since they were ordered together so that was my preference. Post Extras:       Aquarist sage Reged: 08/27/12 Loc: Illinois Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: Aquarist]       #5629568 - 01/18/13 09:47 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Oh, and customer service with Lunt is well respected although I cannot say with regard to Coronado. Post Extras:       la200o Pooh-Bah Reged: 09/09/08 Loc: SE Michigan, USA Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: Aquarist]       #5629685 - 01/18/13 10:55 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Haven't seen the new SolarMax II version, but the build quality on my older SM 90 is superb. Helical focuser is OK, works fine, but probably a nice rack and pinion or crayford would be preferable. Bill Post Extras:       Bill Cowles MacGyver Reged: 04/16/06 Loc: Utah Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: Aquarist]       #5629778 - 01/18/13 11:40 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Lunt customer service is hard to beat and like others I much prefer my FT focuser and PT. Bill Post Extras:       PhotonJohn professor emeritus Reged: 12/11/07 Loc: Rockledge Fl Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: Bill Cowles]       #5630367 - 01/18/13 06:27 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks guys, I like my PST. Also know Coronado/Meade is not known for great customer service (sad but true). Also like the image in my PST being red orange and even being the low end scope price wise it is worth it. It definetly has a sweet spot and it does have good resolution using a CeMax 18mm. I just wanted a bigger image visually and maybe try some imaging. Post Extras:       johnww member Reged: 01/16/11 Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: PhotonJohn]       #5630434 - 01/18/13 07:18 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I have a Solarmax II 60 mm scope, and have just got a double stack for it. Have had no troubles. But would recommend BF10 for visual and photos, also single stack is better for taking photos thru. See review on the "Ice in space" website under equipment reviews (Part 1 and 2). Cheers. Post Extras:       PhotonJohn professor emeritus Reged: 12/11/07 Loc: Rockledge Fl Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: johnww]       #5630445 - 01/18/13 07:21 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks John. Post Extras:       Zamboni professor emeritus Reged: 01/03/05 Loc: Colorado Springs Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: PhotonJohn]       #5630948 - 01/19/13 01:24 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Also one thing to bear in mind; right now Meade's financial future is more uncertain than it ever has been, which could have significant consequences if you need to have a Coronado scope serviced under warranty. While this shouldn't be THE defining factor in a purchase, it should be kept in mind. Post Extras:       Andy Devey Carpal Tunnel Reged: 05/06/11 Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: Zamboni]       #5631077 - 01/19/13 05:56 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Guys I have SM90's and a TOA130 with double speed focuser, honestly I prefer the helical focuser but that is just my opinion. Regards Andy The solar explorer Post Extras:       MG877 member Reged: 08/11/12 Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: Andy Devey]       #5631439 - 01/19/13 12:02 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I have the SM 60 DS with BF 10. The first thing I did was to complain about the focuser , Mine never should have passed quality control . It was assembled with 2 stripped screws in the focuser coller and there was close to 1/8" of end play in the focuser tube . My Authorized Meade dealer dis assembled the scope and sent pics of the issues to Meade . Meade would not send a new focuser and wanted me to send them the scope so they could send it to Mexico for repair . I decided against this and installed a Moonlight motor focuser . I am now happy with my Coronado but if I had to do it again I would purchase a Lunt Post Extras:       PhotonJohn professor emeritus Reged: 12/11/07 Loc: Rockledge Fl Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: MG877]       #5632432 - 01/19/13 11:28 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks Andy. Post Extras:       PhotonJohn professor emeritus Reged: 12/11/07 Loc: Rockledge Fl Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: PhotonJohn]       #5632433 - 01/19/13 11:29 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks MG. Post Extras:       drksky Carpal Tunnel Reged: 09/01/09 Loc: Bloomington, IL Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: PhotonJohn]       #5632690 - 01/20/13 07:15 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Someone my club bought an SMII 90DS and while it is a fine scope, there are a few things that bug me about it. - I hate the helical focuser. It's stiff and difficult to get a precise focus with. - The extension tubes are sloppy. -Terrible "sweet-spotting". Unless proms are almost directly in the center of the FOV, they're either very dim or gone completely, and this is through the BF15. I just received an LS80 single stack, but haven't had a chance to use it, yet. I'm curious to see the comparison. Post Extras:       bill1234 professor emeritus Reged: 04/21/11 Loc: NJ, USA Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: drksky]       #5633607 - 01/20/13 05:26 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Well Tony,...looking forward to your review Post Extras:       PhotonJohn professor emeritus Reged: 12/11/07 Loc: Rockledge Fl Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: bill1234]       #5633820 - 01/20/13 07:33 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Looks like I'm leanin' toward a Lunt. Post Extras:       drksky Carpal Tunnel Reged: 09/01/09 Loc: Bloomington, IL Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: PhotonJohn]       #5634243 - 01/21/13 12:53 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I did get about an hour or so of clear skies this morning to try out my new LS80THa PT (single stack), with a B1800. My initial impressions are very positive with regards to build quality, with probably the stock Crayford focuser being the weakest part. It took quite a bit of tightening to get it so it would support itself and the Lunt zoom eyepiece. But once adjusted, it performed fairly well and I think was easier to operate that the SMII's helical. At 560mm, the solar disk takes up about 1/2 or so of the field of view with the eyepiece on the longest FL setting. The full disk almost fits on the chip of my e2v Flea 3 (1/1.8"). There's plenty of room horizontally, but just not quite enough vertically, so at natvie focal length, I'll need to do a 2-panel mosaic for a full disk. Details were good all around the disk with the surface detail not as defined as with the SMII, but not unexpected with a SS vs. DS. There does seem to be what I would term as "backscatter", but I honestly can't remember whether the SMII exhibited the same thing. No reflections or kidney beaning with viewing on axis, but you could see the etalon's center spot when you moved your eye off axis. Again, not unexpected and I've seen similar issues with the SMII. The tuning of the LS80 is more subtle than with the SMII. Where with the SMII's internal etalon, you can make fairly large moves with both the internal and external etalons, the pressure tuner takes more turning to affect the on-band tuning. I haven't decided if this is a good or a bad thing, or just a different thing. I'm looking forward to spending more time with the scope and still debating about the purchase of the DSII double stack module. I've been reading mixed reviews of performance of the stacked PT modules vs an external etalon. Also, just a small kudos to the Mini-Tower mount that I borrowed from my club. I'm continually impressed by the simplicity and yet accuracy of this mount. Not wanting to deal with the cold and wind today, I set up in the hours next to an open window. Even without a positive GPS lock (just used the previous sessions's settings) and not quite exact leveling, the mount managed to place the sun almost dead center in the FOV and keep it there. For grab and go goto, this thing can't be beat. Edited by drksky (01/21/13 08:06 PM) Post Extras:       PhotonJohn professor emeritus Reged: 12/11/07 Loc: Rockledge Fl Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: drksky]       #5634254 - 01/21/13 01:05 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Is the visual image in the Lunt orange/red? Post Extras:       drksky Carpal Tunnel Reged: 09/01/09 Loc: Bloomington, IL Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: PhotonJohn]       #5634261 - 01/21/13 01:14 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Orangish. But, I don't see any discernible difference in the color between the two scopes. Post Extras:       PhotonJohn professor emeritus Reged: 12/11/07 Loc: Rockledge Fl Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: drksky]       #5635086 - 01/21/13 02:25 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks Doc. Post Extras:       frolinmod Pooh-Bah Reged: 08/06/10 Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: PhotonJohn]       #5635316 - 01/21/13 04:42 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Funny how color perception works. The Sun looks quite red in both my LS80 and my LS100. The DSII for the LS80 is very much worth purchasing so long as you don't mind a little "enhanced sky glow" in the background. Post Extras:       la200o Pooh-Bah Reged: 09/09/08 Loc: SE Michigan, USA Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: drksky]       #5635458 - 01/21/13 06:02 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: Someone my club bought an SMII 90DS and while it is a fine scope, there are a few things that bug me about it. - I hate the helical focuser. It's stiff and difficult to get a precise focus with. - The extension tubes are sloppy. -Terrible "sweet-spotting". Unless proms are almost directly in the center of the FOV, they're either very dim or gone completely, and this is through the BF15. I just received an LS80 single stack, but haven't had a chance to use it, yet. I'm curious to see the comparison. I'll be curious to hear your comparison. My pre-SMII SM90 is a very satisfactory instrument: Yes, a sweet spot, but not as bad as you describe by far, and the image is certainly not dim. (Mine is not DS, tho', so I guess that's the difference). The helical focuser is not so bad. My biggest objection to the scope itself is its humungus size and weight (beautiful to look at, however). The Lunt appeals to me because of the smaller size and because people seem so much happier with the way Lunt treats customers. Clear skies, Bill Post Extras:       PhotonJohn professor emeritus Reged: 12/11/07 Loc: Rockledge Fl Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: frolinmod]       #5635459 - 01/21/13 06:03 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks Fro. Post Extras:       drksky Carpal Tunnel Reged: 09/01/09 Loc: Bloomington, IL Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: frolinmod]       #5635614 - 01/21/13 07:47 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I guess is all depends on your description of "orange" or "red". I call orange, well the color of an orange and red the color of a fire truck (except for those freaky lime green ones). I put the color at the eyepiece of both scopes somewhere in the middle of those two, but again, not a discernible difference between the two. Post Extras:       drksky Carpal Tunnel Reged: 09/01/09 Loc: Bloomington, IL Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: la200o]       #5635641 - 01/21/13 08:11 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I did post some comparison notes a few posts up. I agree with you about the weight of the SMII. It is pretty to look at, but man is it a beast compared to the LS80. I can't say much about Lunt's CS as I haven't had to deal with it. I did send them a request asking what the lead time on the LS80 was and never received a response. I just happened to get lucky an caught when OPT had one in stock. I'll give the guy at OPT a tip 'o the hat. Since I ordered on the web, he saw that I had placed mt order before a local had called wanting to buy it. He called me so that we could complete the sale before it got jerked out from under me. Guess I should also apologize to whomever in California wanted to buy the scope and didn't get it. Sorry. Post Extras:       bunyon Carpal Tunnel Reged: 10/23/10 Loc: Winston-Salem, NC Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: drksky]       #5635770 - 01/21/13 09:35 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I think focuser debates are interesting. Some people really get passionate about them. Others don't really seem to notice or care about the focuser (as long as it works a little bit). I confess to being in the latter group. Why someone would pay an extra few hundred bucks for a focuser change is beyond me. But, if you're a focuser guy, you need to learn that you are and scratch the itch. Basically, know what is important to you and what isn't. Spend accordingly. Post Extras:       George9 super member Reged: 12/11/04 Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: bunyon]       #5635847 - 01/21/13 10:27 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   On focusers, it depends a lot on what you are putting in them. If a single Plossl eyepiece, then save your money. If a heavy binoviewer with two heavy eyepieces pointed to a sun high in the sky, then you probably want something that works relatively smoothly and then holds still. That doesn't mean that any of the stock focusers is not good enough. But a heavy payload is where you would think about it. George Post Extras:       drksky Carpal Tunnel Reged: 09/01/09 Loc: Bloomington, IL Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: George9]       #5636298 - 01/22/13 06:44 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I have to admit that I love LOVE the Feather Touch on my TMB130, but couldn't justify the expense on the solar scope. I'll be doing mostly photography with a 38 gram camera, so the stock crayford should be fine. It took some adjustment so that it would support itself, but it's just find now. It's not the best crayford I've used, but it's not the worst, either. Post Extras:       la200o Pooh-Bah Reged: 09/09/08 Loc: SE Michigan, USA Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: drksky]       #5636585 - 01/22/13 10:25 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I don't image, but the much despised helical focuser doesn't slip with heavy Ethos ep's. Bill Post Extras:       geminijk professor emeritus Reged: 04/03/08 Loc: TN Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: la200o]       #5636946 - 01/22/13 01:45 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I recently picked up a Coronado SolarMax II 60mm and find it great. Do I regret it? Not at all, it will hold me over until I get a 80 or 90mm Ha for the next cycle. Do I wish I bought a Lunt? Not really, because I needed to put funds towards a monochrome camera, if I had the wiggle room in my budge I would have sprung for the Lunt PT 60bf12. Even on Stephens website for reviews, there is pretty much a toss up between the Lunt and the SolarMax if your talking the standard tilt-tuner. The Helical focuser isn't bad at all, takes a bit to get use to, works fine in practice. John Post Extras:       SDTopensied super member Reged: 04/25/11 Loc: Atlanta Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: geminijk]       #5660832 - 02/03/13 10:25 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I have no issues with the focuser on the SMII. It's not bad, just different than a Crayford style focuser...and that may be the source of the focuser debate. The scope had no quality issues out of the box and I was pleased with it. With the DS on, there is definitely a sweet spot. I didn't find that to be the case without the DS. Interestingly enough, the views through my Meade Series 5000 HD 60 eyepieces are better than the "Contrast Enhanced" Coronado eyepieces. The views through the 12mm were especially pleasing to my eye. -Steve Post Extras:       mikertx sage Reged: 09/29/05 Loc: Austin, TX Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: SDTopensied]       #5662118 - 02/04/13 04:56 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I like my SMII-60 but didn't care for the focuser. I also wanted to be able to remotely control the focus. Ron at Moonlite fixed me up, http://www.mikesastro.com/equipment/solarmax_moonlite/ Mike Post Extras:       Aquarist sage Reged: 08/27/12 Loc: Illinois Re: Thinking of buying Coronado SolarMax II 60mm [Re: mikertx]       #5662391 - 02/04/13 07:59 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I think it is likely that you will wish to have a zoom lens. Post Extras:       Pages: 1 | 2 | (show all)

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