Great Deal for Beginners

Post by **Airconvent** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 2:23 pm

Just came across this package deal from McGill.
Price was $950 but now $850 and includes a 110mm Mak PLUS the Portamount. Personally, I hate equatorial mounts because they are so heavy and cumbersome but the Porta mount puts the best of alt-azi mounts with slomo control! By itself its really too expensive for my liking but it seems you can get it a whole lot cheaper if you buy their package.

Check it out! Maybe you can buy it and sell the mount to me....

http://www.mcgill.com.sg/shop/product_i ... ucts_id=83

alvinsclee · Post by **alvinsclee** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 3:22 pm

Agree about the PORTA mount... in mid-March this year, I bought my $1600 package (Vixen ED80Sf APO refractor with PORTA mount) from Robin of McGill.

I do find the PORTA mount reasonably light, albeit slightly bulky, for travel (of course, not as light as those expensive carbon-fibre photography tripods) and rather stable (rated to take about 5kg, but I have tried my 8.3kg classical cassegrain on it and it still hold up OK for visual observations).

A new PORTA mount used to be selling at $650... so, for $850 as in the above-mentioned package, you will be getting a 110mm Mak-Cass OTA, a RDF, a 25mm ep and a flip-mirror all for $200 only.

Good bargain for beginners!

Clifford60 · Post by **Clifford60** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:04 pm

How will this offer setup handle astrofoto? Naturally need to get foto adapter.

river · Post by **river** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 6:11 pm

look at the last pic on link, that's one way to mount a camera on the scope
but look at the mount... it is a GEM.

You still can take some astro images with non tracking mount, a tracking mount enable you to do more.

branzzz · Post by **branzzz** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 7:53 pm

is this a cassergrain OTA without the correcting lens in front? how does it compare with a mak-cass or a schimdt-cass?

Canopus Lim · Post by **Canopus Lim** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:19 pm

The OTA is a Mak-cass. I feel that it is a good deal considering it is a full setup with a nice mount. Some eyepieces cause more than it!

ariefm71 · Post by **ariefm71** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:22 pm

No, it's a klevtsov cassegrain, there is no corrector plate.
still, if you can sell the mount for $650 to airconvent, the scope is a great bargain.
if you like maths, here's something from mr. klevtsov himself, comparing his design with schmidt-cass and mak-cass: http://www.telescopes.ru/articles/article1.phtml

alvinsclee · Post by **alvinsclee** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 10:22 pm

I see, VMC = Vixen Modified Cassegrain... not Vixen Maksutov-Cassegrain.

The same VMC110L OTA is also found in the Vixen Skypod package:
http://www.company7.com/vixen/mounts/skypod.html

Canopus Lim · Post by **Canopus Lim** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 10:27 pm

Haa McGill said it is Mak Cass. I was wondering why it did not have a meniscus lens.

Post by **weixing** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 10:40 pm

Hi,
Hmm... The package price is great, but the central obstruction look quite big to me. Also, it use an internal flipped mirror (I admit that I don't favour scope that come with built in flipped mirror

), which may have problem if you want to use on a EQ mount next time.

Have a nice day.