9 replies to this topic

[Blair]

Stellarvue have a much higher quality objective than the Chinese made Orion scopes. Still, the 120mm will out perform the 80mm, noticeably, on deep sky objects. The 80mm will be more portable, of course, and easier to use on a light weight mount should you need to travel to a dark sight. Many like the 80mm f/6 but I ended up prefering the 80/9D (750mm focal length) as it performs better at higher powers and the new ones have the retractable dew shield (mine does not). Hope this helps.

Blair.

[Tom T]

You may wish to consider the Orion 80ED. (Available from synta dealers as well.) There are several reviews of the scope on this site, and tons of information on it in this and other forums. It makes a wonderful portable or grab and go scope, and is a true apo, and holds up well to scopes several times it's modest cost.

Tom T.

[Scott Beith]

Simon,
Are you refering to the Orion Astroview 120 or the 120 ST? They are drastically different scopes designed for different types of observing. The ST will show a lot more false color than the Stellarvue, and the long tube will show approximately the same amount of color, but will crush the SV in light gathering. The long tube 120 is, however a large scope. Keep this in mind when making your selection. My SV Nighthawk is an outstanding little scope, which performs extremely well within its intended use (wide field), and does a suprising job on planets too. The build quality of the Stellarvue is much better than the Orions. The Orions are good servicable scopes which will serve you well - the Stellarvue is simply a step up in quality. It all depends on what you want to observe. Hope this helps.

Scott

[moynihan]

I have both the ETX 90 (the optical tube assembly) and the Orion 80 ED. I use my ETX on a German Equatorial mounting. It has excellent optics. Once you get meade's mount out of the way, you can really appreciate what the little fella can do.
The 80mm ED does pass it up on two counts though:
1. Wide field viewing. No match, given the difference in focal length.
2. Multiple/double stars, planets. Planets are a tad better in the 80ED, but not by much. 80 ED splits doubles at a lower power, and for instance, shows more stars in the Trapezium, (sp?).

jay

[Scott Beith]

Simon,
Whichever scope you decide on, make sure that the mount that you use with it is sturdy enough to handle it without shaking. Let us know which scope you decide on, and we can advise on the mount. The long tube 120 is a much better general purpose scope. You can use 2" EP's and have a wide FOV, as well as the ability to crank up the power on planets. The Skyview Pro 120 from Orion is the same OTA as the Astroview, but with a much better mount.

Scott