1195 replies to this topic

[Astrojensen]

You can all rest assured that there will be a detailed report. 

 

 

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

[AaronM]

[daquad]

Congratulations Thomas, and KevH is right.  Looks to be another Kunming scope with typically high Kunming workmanship. Looking forward to your experience with it.

 

Dom Q.

[HARRISON SCOPES]

I sell them but yes I can't resist so I will order one for testing purposes

They seem a really good design, thoughtful with the sliding dewshield and even a section of main tube removable for binoviewing without a corrector.

At around 10lbs bare tube it should go great on modest alt az mounts like the az4 / giro / sabre types.

At f11 it will be interesting to see how it performs with a good prism diagonal to.

Very good value here in the UK at £599, just a shame the planets are hiding!

Congrats Thomas...looking forward to your report.

Edited by HARRISON SCOPES, 09 January 2019 - 03:06 PM.

[Astrojensen]

I sell them but yes I can't resist so I will order one for testing purposes

They seem a really good design, thoughtful with the sliding dewshield and even a section of main tube removable for binoviewing without a corrector.

At around 10lbs bare tube it should go great on modest alt az mounts like the az4 / giro / sabre types.

At f11 it will be interesting to see how it performs with a good prism diagonal to.

Very good value here in the UK at £599, just a shame the planets are hiding!

Congrats Thomas...looking forward to your report.

I use nothing but prism diagonals. I'll of course do a with and without comparison. 

 

And the major planets may be hiding right now (except Mars, but it's getting small), but the Sun and the Moon are out year-round. The Moon should be well placed in the evening sky, when I get the scope. 

 

It should be interesting to compare impressions of the scopes.

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

[Sasa]

About the glass type(s), color correction and all that: The scope is a cosmetically different version of this scope:

 

http://www.kasai-tra...erius102ed.html

 

PRESUMABLY the optics are the same. And if they are, the color correction is QUITE good indeed, according to the chart on Kasai's site: http://www.kasai-tra...us102edab-1.jpg

 

If I'm reading the graph correctly, it has about the same color correction as Takahashi's FC 76! It has a TOTAL color defocus of 0.2mm, which is better than the TEC 140...! 

 

That is at least according to theory... What happens in practice is anyone's guess so far. Especially since we don't know whether the glass is the same as in the Nerius 102ED or indeed whether the Nerius is as good as theory or not. 

 

But we'll soon find out.

 

 

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

Looking at the color diagram, the glass combination gives f/df~10000. For D=102mm at f/11 it should give color index

 

SF~915/10000*102/11~0.8-0.9

 

Zeiss would call this refractor apochromatic. It should be very nice visual instrument. Looking forward for your reports!

[Starlease]

The Kasai price is around 1000 usdollars.

Overpriced or different scope.

Edited by Starlease, 09 January 2019 - 10:34 PM.

[hasebergen]

Good morning,

after my project "improve the lenscell of the Bresser 102/1350er FH-Refraktor" (http://www.amateurastronomie.com area "Projekte") I´ve asked the seller (I know him since many years from the german starparty ITV) to discuss and create with the chinese manufacturer a 102/1350 ED-Version of this refractor. I´m curious, whether it will come. But if, there will be a nearly falsecolour-free telescope for a low price.

But now, we will see, how this 102/f11 ED-scope will perform ...

Best regards from the cloud&rain hell (since 4 or 5 weeks now without break :-( ) Stuttgart, Hannes

[25585]

No need for that. It's white and has a sliding dew cap, with a pretty logo on it. What more do you need? 

 

 

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

I would like a red tube version of the ED.

[Dave1066]

I think one of more of my telescopes might be making room for one of these telescopes!

 

I'm not great with the more complicated maths, how would the performance, spot diagram etc compare to a Fraunhofer F15 Achromat?

[Astrojensen]

I think one of more of my telescopes might be making room for one of these telescopes!

 

I'm not great with the more complicated maths, how would the performance, spot diagram etc compare to a Fraunhofer F15 Achromat?

The ED will have far less false color, if any at all. The spot diagrams will be much, much better, too. 

 

The rest (spherical aberration, smoothness, collimation, etc.) is up to how well the individual scopes are made. 

 

 

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

[Astrojensen]

The Kasai price is around 1000 usdollars.

Overpriced or different scope.

The OTA is quite obviously the same, so either the price has been lowered, because they felt it otherwise wouldn't sell very well or they've changed the objective to cheaper glass. 

 

We know nothing, so it's all pure speculation.

 

 

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

[Astrojensen]

Perhaps the explanation is simply that Altair ordered a lot more OTAs than Kasai did and could thus get a discount?

 

I've been trying to find reviews of the Kasai, but to no avail, so far.

 

 

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

[JimFR]

I was watching their achro model for a while.  The ED model showed up yesterday on my FB page and it’s not much more than the achro so this is very tempting.  Altair also no longer lists the F11 achro.

[russell23]

A 48mm Brandon with this scope would be incredible!

[Jaimo!]

 

Very interested.

[daquad]

Perhaps the explanation is simply that Altair ordered a lot more OTAs than Kasai did and could thus get a discount?

 

I've been trying to find reviews of the Kasai, but to no avail, so far.

 

 

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

Thomas what did you pay for shipping?  The cost as listed by Altair includes the VAT.  For a US buyer that would be 500BP's, which right now comes to $650 plus shipping.  Seems too good to pass up.

 

Dom Q.

[daquad]

Looking at the color diagram, the glass combination gives f/df~10000. For D=102mm at f/11 it should give color index

 

SF~915/10000*102/11~0.8-0.9

 

Zeiss would call this refractor apochromatic. It should be very nice visual instrument. Looking forward for your reports!

With a color blur of less than 1, it is definitely an APO.  This scope must be using something like FPL-53 to achieve that value of f/df.  The SW 100 Ed uses FPL-53 and has excellent color correction at f/9.  

 

I see that you have used the more stringent factor of 915 rather than used by Rutten and Van Verooij  (735).  The 735 being for the full Airy disc out to the first minimum, while the 915 is for the smaller disc that is actually visible.  This scope is a true APO.

 

Dom Q.

[Astrojensen]

Thomas what did you pay for shipping?  The cost as listed by Altair includes the VAT.  For a US buyer that would be 500BP's, which right now comes to $650 plus shipping.  Seems too good to pass up.

 

Dom Q.

£23.40. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

[daquad]

£23.40. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

Thanks, Thomas.  I can probably expect to pay about twice that for shipment to the US.

 

Dom Q.

[Astrojensen]

I've got a mail from Altair, saying that they have processed my order. No word about whether shipping has been arranged or when the scope is supposed to arrive. I'm guessing sometimes next week, presumably thursday or friday, if the scope hasn't been shipped yet.

 

 

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

[Erik Bakker]

Always exciting to have a promising new scope on the way Thomas!

 

Hope it arrives soon and in excellent condition in your hands 

[Alterf]

Here is a listing at Land, Sea & Sky in Houston:

 

https://www.landseas...ed-focuser.html

 

Val

[Tyson M]

Interested in hearing the reports on this scope.

 

I would have ordered instantly, but I have a mint Vixen/Synta ED100 which is f9 which I am trying out currently....

[Stargazer3236]

The 102mm F/11 at Land, Sea and Sky is a great bargain at $775 plus free shipping. I think I will get that scope, instead of an 80mm Zenithstar by WO.