221 replies to this topic

[George Methvin]

Just wondering if anyone has had a chance to buy and use one of these scopes, could not really find many reviews on it, looks like a nice refractor for the price.

[Maritime]

I’m curious, too.

[terrypaula]

I didn't know they decided to try to make a decent telescope?  I'll have to keep it it in mind.

[George Methvin]

It looks very close in design to the Astro-Tech 102mm ed f/7 or very close as far as I can tell. 

[SteveG]

I didn't know they decided to try to make a decent telescope?  I'll have to keep it it in mind.

They don't make them, they just rebrand them like many others.

[belgrade]

Same scopes different labels.

[Bomber Bob]

Same scopes different labels.

Only a handful of PRC-based companies making scopes, but lots of brands...  In the Golden Years of Japanese Imports, there were more actual scope makers -- lots of small mom & pop lens grinders -- but the glasses & methods were simpler 60 years ago...  (The relative scope prices were higher back then, too -- more labor-intensive.)  

 

But... USA Importers often set minimum quality requirements / desired retail prices -- like Swift vs. Towa.  My understanding is the situation is pretty much the same today -- APM vs. ES, for example.

[Cbaxter]

It is a very inexpensive fpl-51 doublet, as long as expectations are appropriate, it will likely be a very adequate visual scope for the price. Obviously there will be chromatic aberration but much less than an equivalent non ED achromat. For open clusters and bright DSO's it should be very good compared to a similar apature/focal length achromat. It should be just OK for planetary and moon observations though, as it won't deal well with high magnifications compared to a higher end fpl-53 doublet or a triplet. I appreciate that they market as good for bright DSO and casual planetary observations. They don't try to make it sound like a TAK or AP with over hyped marketing. The description is pretty honest for what can be expected from a ~$600 f/7 fpl-51 doublet.

Frankly I love seeing inexpensive ED options at this apature and such a low price. It means affordable ED refractor options in a medium apature size (for a frac) for budget minded and beginners.

Regards.

Edited by Cbaxter, 18 August 2021 - 10:22 PM.

[Jaimo!]

It is a very inexpensive fpl-51 doublet, as long as expectations are appropriate, it will likely be a very adequate visual scope for the price. Obviously there will be chromatic aberration but much less than an equivalent non ED achromat. For open clusters and bright DSO's it should be very good compared to a similar apature/focal length achromat. It should be just OK for planetary and moon observations though, as it won't deal well with high magnifications compared to a higher end fpl-53 doublet or a triplet. I appreciate that they market as good for bright DSO and casual planetary observations. They don't try to make it sound like a TAK or AP with over hyped marketing. The description is pretty honest for what can be expected from a ~$600 f/7 fpl-51 doublet.

Frankly I love seeing inexpensive ED options at this apature and such a low price. It means affordable ED refractor options in a medium apature size (for a frac) for budget minded and beginners.

Regards.

You should read the reviews of the AT102ED in this forum, same scope different brand. 

[George Methvin]

Yea I am thinking it might be a real good scope for a causal viewer someone that just wanting a nice view of the moon or some open star cluster or a nice grab and go setup. I have the Astro-Tech AT80mm ed and I really like that scope very sharp and I really don't notice much if any CA on any bright object in fact if the SVBONY SV503 102ED F7 ED Refractor is as good as the AT-80mm ed f/7 it would be a really nice scope to have.

[Jon Isaacs]

Yea I am thinking it might be a real good scope for a causal viewer someone that just wanting a nice view of the moon or some open star cluster or a nice grab and go setup. I have the Astro-Tech AT80mm ed and I really like that scope very sharp and I really don't notice much if any CA on any bright object in fact if the SVBONY SV503 102ED F7 ED Refractor is as good as the AT-80mm ed f/7 it would be a really nice scope to have.

 

I am not sure why you would buy the Svbony when Astronomics has the AT-102ED which is the same scope..  Yeah, Svbony is $570 and the Astronomics is $600 but with the Cloudy Nights member discount, they are very close to the same price and you will be supporting Cloudy Nights when you purchase from Astronomics.  

 

I had the very first AT-102ED back in 2007..  It's a good scope and the CA is minimal.  The only danger with the AT-102ED is that you might end buying more and more refractors because it is just so much fun.. That is already happening to you with your AT-80ED.

 

Jon

[Cbaxter]

I am not sure why you would buy the Svbony when Astronomics has the AT-102ED which is the same scope.. Yeah, Svbony is $570 and the Astronomics is $600 but with the Cloudy Nights member discount, they are very close to the same price and you will be supporting Cloudy Nights when you purchase from Astronomics.

I had the very first AT-102ED back in 2007.. It's a good scope and the CA is minimal. The only danger with the AT-102ED is that you might end buying more and more refractors because it is just so much fun.. That is already happening to you with your AT-80ED.

Jon

Easy, same scope, almost same price, astronomy gear is hard to find in stock right now... So in a case like this (if I were in the market for this scope) I would get the one that is actually in stock in a time frame that meets my goals. Regardless of the brand badge..

[George Methvin]

Well I had really not thought about getting this scope but now I am kind of thinking about getting this scope LOL I can order it and have it here by next Wednesday. its in the cart all I have to do is hit buy button LOL I will let you all know how it turns out in the next episode of "will he or will he not" no guts no glory no buy scope no story.

Edited by George Methvin, 19 August 2021 - 02:29 PM.

[erin]

It is a very inexpensive fpl-51 doublet, as long as expectations are appropriate, it will likely be a very adequate visual scope for the price. Obviously there will be chromatic aberration but much less than an equivalent non ED achromat. For open clusters and bright DSO's it should be very good compared to a similar apature/focal length achromat. It should be just OK for planetary and moon observations though, as it won't deal well with high magnifications compared to a higher end fpl-53 doublet or a triplet. I appreciate that they market as good for bright DSO and casual planetary observations. They don't try to make it sound like a TAK or AP with over hyped marketing. The description is pretty honest for what can be expected from a ~$600 f/7 fpl-51 doublet.

Frankly I love seeing inexpensive ED options at this apature and such a low price. It means affordable ED refractor options in a medium apature size (for a frac) for budget minded and beginners.

Regards.

I had the Astrotech version of this and I can assure you it did much better than okay on the moon and planets! The CA was well controlled and images very sharp. Comparing this scope to my FPL-53 102 ED f7, there was a tiny bit more purple, but no detectable loss of sharpness or contrast. Honestly, now that I know that, if I were to spring for a 102 Ed f7 again, I wouldn’t feel the need for the FPL-53 (I am visual only). There is a lot of bang for the buck with these ED’s.

[Bomber Bob]

You should read the reviews of the AT102ED in this forum, same scope different brand. 

A LOT of scope for the money.  In these pix, I tried to get mine to show CA in the usual places - bright lunar limb, highest points along the Terminator:

 

 

Nope!  No blue-violet "rind" along the limb, and no yellow "flashes" at the tops of crater walls.

[Jon Isaacs]

Easy, same scope, almost same price, astronomy gear is hard to find in stock right now... So in a case like this (if I were in the market for this scope) I would get the one that is actually in stock in a time frame that meets my goals. Regardless of the brand badge..

 

I guess I have a certainly loyalty to Astronomics. After all, without Astronomics, this thread would not exist, you and I would not be having this conversation.

 

I check first to see if Astronomics has it in stock.

 

Jon

[Jon Isaacs]

A LOT of scope for the money.  In these pix, I tried to get mine to show CA in the usual places - bright lunar limb, highest points along the Terminator:

 

AT-102ED - Moon 20191205S7S005.jpgAT-102ED - Moon 20191205S7S003.jpg

 

Nope!  No blue-violet "rind" along the limb, and no yellow "flashes" at the tops of crater walls.

 

Try Venus..

 

Jon

[belgrade]

I guess I have a certainly loyalty to Astronomics. After all, without Astronomics, this thread would not exist, you and I would not be having this conversation.

I check first to see if Astronomics has it in stock.

Jon

[belgrade]

It doesn’t.

[Bomber Bob]

Try Venus..

 

Jon

A problem with Venus is separating out the thick atmospheric effects from actual scope performance:   Vega at the meridian vs. Vega at 10* above a sunset horizon...

 

It affects all scope types, too.  The Moon near the meridian is a reliable test.

[erin]

A problem with Venus is separating out the thick atmospheric effects from actual scope performance:   Vega at the meridian vs. Vega at 10* above a sunset horizon...

 

It affects all scope types, too.  The Moon near the meridian is a reliable test.

I think your results are impressive! IIRC, a camera should be more sensitive to CA than the eye? Good point about Venus and the atmospheric effects. 

[Cbaxter]

Try Venus..

Jon

Unfortunately Venus often has effects of atmospheric dispersion which can look a lot like CA, even in reflectors, making Venus a tricky target for CA evaluation. An atmospheric dispersion corrector may help, but may not correct it entirely.

Regards.

[Skywatcher Simon]

I have a Svbony SV503 102 ED. I just wrote a review and send it to submit.

 

Before I bought the Svbony, I was observing the night sky with a shorttube (Skywatcher Startravel 120/600) but after taking more and more interest in terrestrial observation, i was really annoyed by the chromatic aberrations with the Skywatcher. Even with low-power-eyepieces (2" 34mm) the skywatcher was showing so much color that decided to go for an ED! It should be not weight more than 4 kg and also still a wild field telescope. Svbony SV503 102 ED was worth a try since I already had good experiences with the brand quality.  

 

For my purposes, the Svbony SV503 102 ED is ideal. It shows practically no or very few chromatic aberrations. In any case, enormously less compared to the Skywatcher Startravel. In addition, the Svbony is simply a completely different league. It feels more valuable! The double speed focuser is a dream! It glides smoothly and is just fun. Even the screws are high quality and there are no plastic parts included.

 

I am very satisfied with the performance of the Svbony SV503 102 ED! Found it on Amazon for 650 €.

 

Are there any better ED telescopes? Sure!

Edited by Skywatcher Simon, 20 August 2021 - 08:17 AM.

[George Methvin]

Very nice review Simon this was what I was hoping to find some one that had used this scope it looks to be a real winner, very nice write up thank you so much for your time and effort.  

Edited by George Methvin, 20 August 2021 - 08:23 AM.

[Cbaxter]

Simon,

Excellent review with a great comparison graphic to help beginners visualize what to expect. A true value-added to this community. Thanks! This would be great in the equipment reviews section as well. Although, I think most newcomers will find this by Google search anyway.

Regards.