23 replies to this topic

[Bomber Bob]

Are you nutz about Japan-made reflectors??  Post your eye candy, anecdotes, etc. here...

 

 

My 1st -- a 1960s Mizar P-100 F10 Kit:

 

 

Excellent build quality & parabolic primary = fantastic views.

 

Up next -- a 1980s Mizar Comet 100 F8 Kit:

 

 

Only Complete Classic Kit that I've bought -- included the manuals, star charts, & other observing aids.  An outstanding Newtonian.

 

My Best -- a 1983 Mizar 130SL Lambda F5 Kit:

 

 

1/20th wave optics... it's a fast Newt that delivers on high-power planetary, too.

 

My Latest -- a 1980s Kenko 70N 100 F7 OTA:

 

 

Mirrors look good, but haven't star-tested it yet...

[25585]

I always wanted the Takahashi 8" Newtonian MT-200

[VA3DSO]

My little Sears 2426 was made in Japan. 40mm of reflector fury!

 

 

 

 

Clear skies!

 

Rick

[osbourne one-nil]

That's so cute!

 

I had a lot of fun with this one. I was probably its 3rd or 4th owner, and it was starting to show its age mechanically (optically, it was great), but it brought me a lot of happiness...

 

 

...and some nice nights out with my youngest. 

 

 

 

[Bomber Bob]

A well-kept secret, and great scope for Beginners -- 1980s Celestron (Vixen) C4.5N 114 F8:

 

 

This one is a hybrid.  I got a mangled C4.5N on Goodwill for about $20.  Rather than restore it, I bought a China-made version on GW for about $20, and moved the Vixen mirrors to it.  Before the swap, I star-tested the Chinese mirrors.  These were not as good as the Vixen set.

 

About vintage Takahashi & Vixen Newtonians:  I check ZEN frequently.  Decent TAK MT Series reflectors run about $300 for the 130, and $600 for the 160 -- youch!  I'm also interested in the Vixen R200SS, but I don't do DSO imaging.

Edited by Bomber Bob, 12 June 2025 - 09:33 AM.

[VA3DSO]

A well-kept secret, and great scope for Beginners -- 1980s Celestron (Vixen) C4.5N 114 F8:

 

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This one is a hybrid.  I got a mangled C4.5N on Goodwill for about $20.  Rather than restore it, I bought a China-made version on GW for about $20, and moved the Vixen mirrors to it.  Before the swap, I star-tested the Chinese mirrors.  These were not as good as the Vixen set.

 

About vintage Takahashi & Vixen Newtonians:  I check ZEN frequently.  Decent TAK MT Series reflectors run about $300 for the 130, and $600 for the 160 -- youch!  I'm also interested in the Vixen R200SS, but I don't do DSO imaging.

The first telescope I bought was a Bausch & Lomb "Professional 200" EQ-mounted Newt that was very similar. This was my first step up from my little Sears scope. I doubt it was made in Japan however...

 

Soon after that, I moved up to a C8!  
 
 

[Jon Isaacs]

I've had a few.. C4.5  Bausch and Lomb 130 mm F/5.5.

 

There is a member here named Stephan Kennedy who has a 210 mm F/7 Mikage Optical Newtonian on a massive Pentax mount. A truly magnificent scope.

 

 

https://www.cloudyni...-be-modernized/

 

Jon

[BIG]

Here's my Vixen R200SS with MoonLite focuser upgrade...been enjoying the great optics for a number of years but I am not the original owner and I have no idea when the green finish was offered.

 

 

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[CHASLX200]

I am about them big fancy deals RVR sold.

[CHASLX200]

I've had a few.. C4.5  Bausch and Lomb 130 mm F/5.5.

 

There is a member here named Stephan Kennedy who has a 210 mm F/7 Mikage Optical Newtonian on a massive Pentax mount. A truly magnificent scope.

 

IMG_20250612_120846_(480_x_550_pixel).png

 

https://www.cloudyni...-be-modernized/

 

Jon

Way too heavy to set up.

[Bomber Bob]

Here's my Vixen R200SS with MoonLite focuser upgrade...been enjoying the great optics for a number of years but I am not the original owner and I have no idea when the green finish was offered.

Do you use it visually?  How are the views??

[Jon Isaacs]

Way too heavy to set up.

 

 

Maybe but it's a magnificent mount with what is certainly an amazing telescope.

 

Jon

[BIG]

Do you use it visually? How are the views??

I do use it for visual and the views are sharp out to about 75% of the field with my better eyepieces (Morpheus). At F4, it really needs a coma corrector, which I am saving for. The original Vixen focuser also came with a screw in corrector, but it's not useable with the MoonLite. I might also try some EAA in the future.

[Astrojensen]

This is technically a catadioptric, and not a pure reflector, but perhaps it will be allowed in anyway? My Vixen RC-125M Bird-Jones Newtonian on New Polaris mount (same as Tasco 8V, just in native Vixen colors). Superb optics and mechanics. A surprisingly enjoyable little scope. Will split Zeta Cancri BC easily on a night of good seeing, and show stars of mag. 14. 

 

I've upgraded the tube rings, to make it easier to rotate the OTA, and put a RACI finder on it, as well as a RA motor drive.

 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

[osbourne one-nil]

Do you use it visually?  How are the views??

I used mine visually a few times and with the original Coma Corrector 3, it was great fun. So lightweight it sat nicely on my alt-az mount, which I think is it the only way to use a Newt visually. I never tried to fathom whether I needed to calculate back-focus when using a coma corrector with an eyepiece, but it all looked fine to me. 

[osbourne one-nil]

This is technically a catadioptric, and not a pure reflector, but perhaps it will be allowed in anyway? My Vixen RC-125M Bird-Jones Newtonian on New Polaris mount (same as Tasco 8V, just in native Vixen colors). Superb optics and mechanics. 

Permission granted!

 

So there were decent Bird Jones scopes then?! 

[Astrojensen]

So there were decent Bird Jones scopes then?! 

A few, yes. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

[Bomber Bob]

My compact Kenko 70N 100 F7 is ready for testing:

 

 

My 1980s Mizar AR-1 EQ carries it easily.  Overall mint cosmetics, with just a few tiny paint scrapes.

 

The only down-side:  It came with a .965" adapter; and, the tube isn't the standard 36.4mm -- like my Kenko NES-A80M refractor -- the focus tube is the smaller 30mm (like the Mizar P-100 or the COMET posted previously).

 

It may see First Light next week -- after a strong cold front pushes out the latest tropical squatter!

Edited by Bomber Bob, 13 June 2025 - 10:37 AM.

[Lentini]

My little Sears 2426 was made in Japan. 40mm of reflector fury!

 

Clear skies!

 

Rick

That’s crazy! Wow. Very cool.

[Wdh]

I saw this Monolux 4390 on FB marketplace a couple of weeks ago and picked it up- I would have killed for it when I was a kid. The optics are surprisingly good, but the mount is incredibly bad. Kinda fun, though.

[Bomber Bob]

Your Monolux 4390 is a cool find -- I haven't seen one before.  Looks like TOWA, but I don't see the (T) mark.

 

Is the focuser manual pull / push, or is it helical?

[Wdh]

Your Monolux 4390 is a cool find -- I haven't seen one before.  Looks like TOWA, but I don't see the (T) mark.

 

Is the focuser manual pull / push, or is it helical?

Thanks! It’s helical. The scope seems to be complete, apart from one missing rubber tripod foot cover. I had never seen one either. 

[Takuan]

This was my first telescope (100/1000). I was quite lost back then and rediscovered it many years later when I took up the hobby again. I don't know where it is now, but I vividly remember its fine focus and its pinpoint stars. Fantastic (for the aperture) planetary and lunar images. But you all already know that. 🙂

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Edited by Takuan, 16 June 2025 - 10:23 AM.

[Bomber Bob]

[Big Sigh]  My little Kenko Newt has been on its mount & ready in the shed for weeks now - still untested.

 

June has been the cloudiest / rainiest month; and, HOT.  Last week, 3 Red Flag & 2 Black Flag days (dangerous Heat Indices).  So, even if I get a break in the clouds, not one night that's worth the effort...

Edited by Bomber Bob, 27 June 2025 - 03:03 PM.