19 replies to this topic

[humbleservant888]

Hello Chaps:


Do you think Orion will start a product line for fluorite telescope in the future?

[Ron B[ee]]

I'm extremely dubious because fluorite is very expensive and difficult to make.

I think we'll see more ED scopes from Orion like the 80ED.

Ron B[ee]

[humbleservant888]

I hope they can start a fluorite telescope and costs around $1000. I know this is expensive but compare to the famous bands, it costs cheaper.

[humbleservant888]

Compare to Takahashi, are they using the same materials?

[IDONTSEEIT]

Hi Sam,

Would you please let us know where you got the data/info on the type of glass they use on that 80ED?


Thanks!

[humbleservant888]

If you want to know the detail of the Orion 80ED, check out this page.
http://www.companyse...on80EDf7.5.html

"ED Glass The air spaced doublet objective lens of the 80 mm ED is designed to provide precise optical color correction, and multicoated to improve contrast and transmission across the visual spectrum. The 80 ED's objective incorporates an Extra-Low Dispersion Fluorocrown glass crown element developed under laboratory conditions. Colors of the spectrum have differing wavelengths, to see this consider how in a normal optical glass prism the red and blue rays are bent at slightly different angles as they pass through. This dispersion results in color fringing manifested usually as a slight violet halo around objects that contrast one against the other, and an overall lack of sharpness. In camera normal and wide-angle lenses this is imperceptible or can be corrected with other techniques, but telescopic lenses magnify the variation in focus between red and blue light rays. Camera lens making companies (Carl Zeiss, Nikon, and Canon) were among those who pioneered the Extra-Low Dispersion glasses, and the Fluorite crystal technologies to solve this problem. This ED glass material provides reduced chromatic aberration over similar f ratio achromatic rivals in portions of the spectrum from the D (yellow), through C (red), F ( blue) and G (purple) Fraunhofer lines.

While this ED lens is not as esoteric in deign or materials as those of our most advanced Apos such as the Astro-Physics 92 f7 triplet Apo, and TeleVue 85 f7 Doublet Apo, the cost of the complete Orion 80 mm ED telescope will be a fraction of the cost of its superior cousins. The Orion 80mm ED will remain a lightweight, user-friendly, quick set up an go telescope capable of providing a lifetime of good service.

Also this lens design permits the construction of a more compact and improved alternative to traditional Achromatic f11 to f15 refracting telescope designs. This makes it practical to use the 80 mm ED on optional relatively lightweight Equatorial Mounts, and Photographic Tripods"
By Company Seven



Kelvin

[IDONTSEEIT]

Thanks guys,

I must have six Orion catalogs at home, and I musta missed that line about glass type.

Thanks again.

[matt]

Hello Chaps:


Do you think Orion will start a product line for fluorite telescope in the future?

Orion HAD a line of "natural" fluorites in the past, which were supplied by Vixen. Vixen also supplied the Celestron Fluorites and the French (I have an 80mm sample) Perl company (under the confusing name of Perl-Vixen).

However, these Fluorites are much more expensive than ED refractors, so maybe they would not fit in Orion's target price. I think it's marketing law.

[Tom T]

Tom,

I've been wondering this same thing, although not just about TV.

I suspect that none of these small manufacturers are making a killing on their products, and (this is an extreme case, but) I somewhat fear that it won't drive down prices at all, it will simply have the end result of eradicating many of the scopes they are competiting with.

We may be heading for a paradigm shift. OTOH, we may not. Meade ED APO's have been around for a long time with out significantly (negatively) affecting the market (at least as far as I can see).

Guess we will have to wait and see.

Tom T.

[jrcrilly]

Meade ED APO's have been around for a long time with out significantly (negatively) affecting the market (at least as far as I can see).

Good point. The purists simply refuse to accept them as APO's and continue to support the "real" APO market.

[humbleservant888]

Well maybe the brand name is another issue. Everybody likes to own a telescope like AP, Takahashi, Tele Vue, TMB.....rather than Orion, Meade........

[Ron B[ee]]

Well maybe the brand name is another issue. Everybody likes to own a telescope like AP, Takahashi, Tele Vue, TMB.....rather than Orion, Meade........

I'm speculating that a lot of people would rather own a decent very nicely priced APO like the Orion than an achromat, especially high priced achromat. It's just that up until now, there wasn't any truly affordable ones (except the Meade). Meade screwed up their ED line with bad reputation and trying to regain the lost reputation with the redesigned lens cell has proven tough even though their ED line is very attractively priced. So I guess Orion learned from that mistakes.

I think Tom T. is right in his Nostradamus' prediction. The current APO maker won't cut their price and may even continue to raise theirs (eg. AP). However, I think the larger makers such as TV, Vixen and Takahashi will very likely suffer lower volume due to lost sales (unless they respond differently).

On the other hand, I think the speculated 4-inch APO from Orion will be somewhere in the f/9 region. If they continue with the doublet design, the 5-inch and 6-inch f/ratio will have to be even larger to maintain the same amount of color correction. I also speculate that it is for this reason that the Meade 5",6" and 7" f/9 EDs are too large to attract mass purchase by most buyers.

What can I say, the 4-incher is just the right, economical but yet satisfying size .

Ron the 4-inch Tall Evangelist B[ee]

[humbleservant888]

I am waiting for their (Orion) 4" ED. Are they planing to do the 4"? Any people have any idea?

[humbleservant888]

Actually I own the Orion 80ED but if they have the 100 ED, definitely I will buy it. I am also waiting for
a bigger dob too such as 12.5".