328 replies to this topic

[Bomber Bob]

Say it ain't so:  With all the excellent & outstanding Vixen-made Classics, there's no Fan thread for them...  

 

Now, there is.  Y'all post your Vixen eye candy here.  

 

1980s Celestron (V) SP-C102 OTA:

 

 

1980s Tasco (V) 9VR:

 

 

1990s Vixen FL80S:

 

[EJN]

Vixen 102M on a Mizar Mount. I have a GP mount currently being refurbished.

 

[Astrojensen]

You have all seen this one, but for the sake of completeness, here it is again. My Vixen GP-E 80L (here upgraded to the full GP version and with 50mm Vixen finderscope holder and 8x50 RACI Antares finderscope). Bought new in 2001 from Vehrenberg, via APM. 

 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

[Astrojensen]

Not a Vixen telescope, but my Vixen Saturn mount, which I really like and use a lot. An excellent manual German Equatorial. Here seen on my Baader Hardwood tripod, via a homemade adapter. The telescope is my Altair 102/1122 ED, to give you an idea of how beefy this mount is. The housings are nearly 4" in diameter. 

 

The Saturn was in production from the early 1970'ies to the early 1990'ies. Early versions has a somewhat different altitude adjustment, but in the 1981 catalog it has found its final shape. 

 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

Edited by Astrojensen, 10 October 2020 - 12:20 PM.

[Don W]

Here's one that got away. Wish I had kept it. Is this the scope that started the Semi-Apo controversy?

 

 

 

 

[Astrojensen]

Here's one that got away. Wish I had kept it. Is this the scope that started the Semi-Apo controversy?

 

Vixen 1.jpg

 

vixen 2.jpg

 

vixen sa-70s.jpg

Nice scope! Always wanted to try one. 

 

Zeiss had already been using the term semi-apochromat for several decades before the Vixen 70/600 triplet came out, so no, the Vixen didn't start it. I believe some Takahashi and Goto scopes also used the term.

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

[Don W]

I find it odd that they would make a triplet and not make it an apo.

[Terra Nova]

Here’s my Vixen ED102SS:

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 

[Terra Nova]

Here’s my Vixen 120S Triplet Petzval:

 

 

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[apfever]

Hang on,  why bother while the camera is out.  Still waiting on a town run for a camera.

Vixen/Celestron:

 

SP-C6 perfect set with everything listed in the original manual contents - plus some ditties. 

Another SP-C6 with the factory motor drives both axis

C4.5, Polaris, early version with two OTA since some one priced a mount out from under me.

Orange C80, correct first produced version Polaris, custom OTA box, one of those 'ain't leaving' things.

more but I'm crossing brain with gonners:

SP-C80, was impressive

9VR, honestly this version is a pretty slick set in the case. I had the collapsing table tripod that the case was made to hold outside. the 99 and especially 999 not so much.

for some reason about 4 other C4.5 complete w/ Polaris all long gone now.

I might figure it all out when I get a camera, or forget.

[Bowlerhat]

I find it odd that they would make a triplet and not make it an apo.

It makes sense when the alternatives competitors were all marked as semi-apo. There was actually one popped up on auction site last week. I kind of sad letting it go.

 

Nice scope! Always wanted to try one. 

 

Zeiss had already been using the term semi-apochromat for several decades before the Vixen 70/600 triplet came out, so no, the Vixen didn't start it. I believe some Takahashi and Goto scopes also used the term.

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

Takahashi TS-65P, Takahashi TS-65D, Goto 80mm f/15 semi apo, Goto 80mm F12.5 semi-apo. Goto also had the 80mm f12.5 and f15 "standard triplet", which is different from it's own 80mm fluorite triplet.

 

Anyway, I'm quite fond of Vixen. They had a role making good quality scopes accessible. My first fluorite scopes too.

 

Vixen FL80s (80s)

 

 

Vixen FL102s (90s)

 

 

Vixen 'Custom' 60mm (70s)

 

 

Paraphernalias

Edited by Bowlerhat, 10 October 2020 - 03:44 PM.

[Bomber Bob]

I'm quite fond of Vixen.

 

Me, too.  Looks like I'll be adding another one to this thread.

[25585]

My A102M

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[Terra Nova]

Here’s a couple of my oldies and now gone Vixen goodies:

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 

[Bomber Bob]

For the New CSNs (Classic Scope Nutz):  The Polaris C4.5 is a Sleeper Scope... It's like a 3" APO, but with brighter fuzzies -- a big improvement on the much older original white-tube Tasco (TOWA) 11T 4.5" Newtonians.  It makes a very fine First Reflector, and the prices are quite reasonable.  Add a cheap ($35) Celestron AstroMaster drive to it, and you have a grab & go Newt that'll surprise you with the views.

[Tourneciel]

To all of you who have the older brothers and sisters of Vixen, I'm gonna be the baby one!

 

Here is my Vixen Halley 70/400. This model was very successful here in Europe from the mid 80's to mid or end of the 90's until it was replaced by the Vixen New Planet 80/400.

 

Despite being only an achromatic one, it's of high quality.

 

The tripod is an Orion and the EQ you see is a mini-super polaris mototrized in RA.

 

Edited by Tourneciel, 12 October 2020 - 03:29 AM.

[starman876]

 

 

 

Vixen 90mm Fluorite

 

 

[RalphMeisterTigerMan]

I believe that Vixen is one of those extremely under-rated telescope manufacturers. Quite a while back I owned a pair of ARK 16 X 80 binoculars, very nice.

 

Also, to all you Comet Catcher owners, Vixen made the optics for these scopes and many owners and former owners will attest to the high quality optics that they have.

 

Clear skies!

RalphMeisterTigerMan

[Astrojensen]

I believe that Vixen is one of those extremely under-rated telescope manufacturers. Quite a while back I owned a pair of ARK 16 X 80 binoculars, very nice.

 

Also, to all you Comet Catcher owners, Vixen made the optics for these scopes and many owners and former owners will attest to the high quality optics that they have.

 

Clear skies!

RalphMeisterTigerMan

In the US, perhaps, in Europe they have an excellent reputation, especially among those who started out a generation or so ago. Vixen was very often the highest quality telescope you could reasonably afford here, in the days before the dobsonian and the avalanche of affordable Chinese optics. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

[marcyc]

In the US, perhaps, in Europe they have an excellent reputation, especially among those who started out a generation or so ago. Vixen was very often the highest quality telescope you could reasonably afford here, in the days before the dobsonian and the avalanche of affordable Chinese optics.


Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

In the late 1980s, I had the good fortune to wind up at Company 7 when looking for my first telescope. They introduced me to Vixen and assured me I would never regret it if I went with a Vixen Custom 90M. And they were right.

That scope is still my primary scope - even though I now also have others (including an 8" SCT and a 12" dob) - and it will be until the day I die. As a matter of fact, I happened upon a second, identical Custom 90M on craigslist a couple of years ago at a very, very reasonable price and bought it so I could have one to pass on to each of my kids one day. They always think of that as Mom's scope, and this way they won't have to fight over it when I am gone.

While I may dabble with other brands, Vixen will always be my love - in addition to the two Custom 90Ms, I also have a Tasco 9VR and a Celestron/Vixen SPC-102.

Edited by marcyc, 11 October 2020 - 05:12 PM.

[rolo]

Here's a rare one. A 70mm Vixen fluorite Celestron branded. Excuse the mount 

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[starman876]

Here's a rare one. A 70mm Vixen fluorite Celestron branded. Excuse the mount 

I see you are getting into the swing of things Rolo.   Just awesome

[JoeInMN]

My two Circle-Vs, both via the CN Classifieds over the last year and a half or so. The GP-C102 is like new. The SP-C80 came at a can't-go-wrong price, with various scuffs and dings that mean nothing to me, missing focuser knobs, and its objective backwards in its cell, needing only a few minutes' worth of fixes. Nice views through both. Mounts/tripods were separate.

 

I have no idea when either of these was made.

 

[Kasmos]

Both of these were posted recently but since this is a Vixen  candy thread here they are again.

C60 circa 1983

 

SP-C80 circa 1991

 

I like these unique left or right swivel finders

The bracket serves as the finder's tube and the adjusters only move the crosshair cell.

 

[Bowlerhat]

To all of you who have the older brothers and sisters of Vixen, I'm gonna be the baby one!

 

Here is my Vixen Halley 70/400. This model was very successful here in Europe from the mid 80's to mid or end of the 90's until it was replaced by the Vixen New Planet 80/400.

 

Despite being only an achromatic one, it's of high quality.

 

The tripod is an Orion and the EQ you see is a mini-super polaris mototrized in AD.

 

Vixen Halley Orion Paragon Tripod.jpg

Vixen is selling these small scopes as guidescopes too, which is pretty cool since the mount bracket allows it to convert between a finder/guidescope to own telescope unit. That mount "bracket" is clever.