I just picked up for a very reasonable price a pristine if not mint condition ED 80 S as pictured below.
The tube and especially the tube fittings (dovetail, rings, for housing, finder, bracket, etc.) are clones of those on my 70 S FL which I presume is from the same era although I am having a tough time running down exactly when the ED80S was introduced and when it went out of production.
I was very surprised to receive it from Japan for a very reasonable price, including free shipping, well packed and delivered within three days of the time it was turned over to federal express international in Tokyo. The OTA itself is pristine, the tube rings, etc. without marks or blemish, and the optics appear to be very clean. I haven’t done a test yet, but everything seems to be very much in order.
One last point, the focuser on this scope, an area that can often be a problem on many older Vixen is the proverbial butter smooth, precise and so far does not appear to have a slippage issue. I am wondering how often this scope was used as it seems like very little rather than just well cared for as I can’t see any wear on it. (By the way, sorry for the small picture of the focuser at full extension. My system in giving me a hard time and it’s the best I can get out of it today.)
A nice addition to my Vixen stable. And by the way, anyone who wants the Dog that is resting in the background please feel free to ask since it is my wife’s dog and she drives me crazy with her barking. I am a cat person.
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Edited by Dave Novoselsky, 25 April 2024 - 12:58 PM.
