12.5 Obsession and 12.5 portaball show down

[VinSnr]

so many post...where are the reports?

[MooEy]

friday night was quite gd, i wonder where's the report.

~MooEy~

[Airconvent]

sigh...I remembered back in the "ole days" when every little bit of singastroian that mattered will send in their obs report, some like me immediately after I reach home but it seems this practise is no longer observed. Perhaps its because its mostly the same few guys and the stuff they reported tend to overlap between reports?
anyway, still looking forward to something...there must be something to say about the two 12.5"!!
hopefully cc can post a review under the review section...that place has been collecting cobwebs so far...

[acc]

Hello Rich
Aiya how come never join us then you can write a review

After a hectic workday, I was just taking the time to enjoy both scopes instead of trying to do a comparo between them. So no reviews from me...

cheers
cc

[weixing]

Hi,
Hmm... May be they are preparing to write a 10 pages test report... hee hee

Anyway, two excellent 12.5" F5 dob... I doubt there will be any obvious difference in optics... I'll be very surprise if there are any big different... hmm... may be a very slight difference on high magnification planetary viewing.

Have a nice day.

[Tachyon]

I think when it comes to comparing two top-notch scopes, it comes down to personal preferences. I suspect that the images from both would be very similiar, especially under Singapore skies! Maybe the reviewers are waiting for something special before they write!

Cheers!

[weixing]

Hi,

sigh...I remembered back in the "ole days" when every little bit of singastroian that mattered will send in their obs report, some like me immediately after I reach home but it seems this practise is no longer observed. Perhaps its because its mostly the same few guys and the stuff they reported tend to overlap between reports?

[Off-Topics]Hmm... Currently, I'm learning and trying out imaging when I go out and didn't do any visual observing, so don't have much to write because most of the time I'm doing the same old thing: Polar Alignment, Focusing, Taking Image and etc... It'll be a very boring report... hee hee hee

Have a nice day.

[VinSnr]

Hi,

sigh...I remembered back in the "ole days" when every little bit of singastroian that mattered will send in their obs report, some like me immediately after I reach home but it seems this practise is no longer observed. Perhaps its because its mostly the same few guys and the stuff they reported tend to overlap between reports?

[Off-Topics]Hmm... Currently, I'm learning and trying out imaging when I go out and didn't do any visual observing, so don't have much to write because most of the time I'm doing the same old thing: Polar Alignment, Focusing, Taking Image and etc... It'll be a very boring report... hee hee hee

Have a nice day.

My concern is that this forum is becoming very equipment centric but not much sharing of knowledge. You see a lot of buy and sell, but there is very little sharing of review and information.

In the past, when they see something interesting or found something interesting, they will post here the moment they are back. Thesedays most don't.

For the showdown of this two scopes, I would expect a certain report or a short review. They are the premium scopes that not many of us have seen until now. Optic-wise we know they are the same, but what about mechanics, ease of use, build-quality, ease of setip, portability, weight, dimension, etc....I am sure there are plenty to say and plenty to share.

[Canopus Lim]

Actually comparing scopes is quite a touching issue especially when they aren't cheap. Anyway, I would give my point of view of my scope and CC's scope.

To be fair, actually both of the scopes cannot be compared since they are made differently and have different design goals; it is like you cannot compare an Ortho with a Nagler or a 1.5 L car with a 2.0L car as they are different designs and class and both have their pros and cons.

The portaball is a real unique dob design and it is made of fibre glass. The Obsession is a 'traditional truss tube' dob design and made of wood; also the Obsession started the truss tube dob revolution and it is the most immitated scope. If there should be a comparison, I think the Obsession should be compared with other premium 'traditional dob' out there and not the portaball.


What I like about the portaball:

1. It is more compact for its size. The volume is slightly less than the Obsession because the UTA (Upper Tube Assembly) is smaller and can fit inside the sphere. This is cool as it reduces one more item to carry. The sphere on the other hand is bigger since it can fit in a 14 inch mirror.
2. It has all the inbuilt power and electrical connectivity. The Obsession on the other hand only provides a primary mirror fan with the positive and negative leads out; I did modifications to this. No secondary mirror heater is provided and I had to buy my own and install it myself.
3. It is pre balanced for the heaviest eyepiece. I had to balance the Obsession but that is fine with me as I have not decided how I want to configure it. I can also do fine tuning to the Obsession as I have a counterweight kit that allows sand to be filled to different weights.
4. The design allows rotating the tube so that the focuser can be angled to a comfortable position unlike any other dobs where the focuser cannot rotate.
5. Nitty gritties like container for truss tubes and covers for the scope provided.

Mechanical comparison:
1. I find that both the scopes are very smooth to use and not 'sticky' in motion. I find it easy to push the scope and centering objects.
2. Both scopes fit and finish are excellent.

Optical comparison:
1. I won't compare on that as the sky was not fantastic when we were at Dempsy road. Also I feel that it would be very close. I'm happy with my optics as I'm confident it is better than any mass produced scopes of same aperture.

What I like about the Obsession:
1. Easy to setup and no tools setup and collimation. Everything is captive.
2. Perhaps slightly more ruggard as it is made of wood and many layers of Appleply plywood.
3. I find that it can handle high magnfications very well as it is solidly built but at the expense of more volume and more truss tubes (though they are very light). I cannot comment about the weight as we did not measure it.
4. The time to wait for an Obsession is much faster than the other scopes like Starmaster, Teleport etc. This is at an expense that the scope is not balanced and secondary dew remover, fan power etc not provided. I don't mind that as I can solve all these problems but it may be a bother to people who aren't so technical about these things.
5. Cheaper and I can use the 'extra' money to buy other things.

Ok I think that's what I can comment. CC do tell me if you do not agree with any of the things I said.

[acc]

Hi Canopus
I think you have it covered pretty well. I really love the nice woodwork on the Obsession. Both are excellent scopes, so I guess it all boils down to personal preference: I can't imagine being unhappy with either

cheers
cc