Here is the place to talk about all those equipment(Telescope, Mounts, Eyepieces, etc...) you have. Not sure which scope/eyepiece is best for you? Trash it out here!
Arief gave us a sneak preview of WO's new OTA. That section is up and running, with close-ups picts and specs and price tag. There is a package sale for it too. IMHO, the price seems reasonable.
OK, don't want to argue about glass types, but you can get FPL-53 doublet scopes for about the same price as this FPL-51 scope. Check out AT80ED (i like the name :-)) from Astro-Tech, they didn't say it's FPL-53, but the specs are very similar to ZS "fluorite" doublet (without the TMB-codesigned stuff).
you may want to check out the william optics forum where a very messy
discussion on flourite definition is going on.
we had people there who accepts the "flourite" doublet as a very good scope for the price but is wailing and pulling their hair out because the "flourite" doublet does not contain the calcium flourite (made famous by Takahashi) they assumed would be there but a variant of flourite derivative called FPL53 (which is actually about the best you can buy less the Tak's older calcium fluorite scopes. even though FPL53 is a flourite glass, they argued the designation should be based on Takahashi as reference instead of taking the material composition as a guide...it became so senseless I stopped reading them and deleted the entire chunk of exchanges....
some have accused william optics of cheating them. these people naively believed that for the low cost they paid, they will get a Takahashi. you have to read their wails to believe such people exist.
in anycase, this one should satisy them, being labelled as an "ED" scope.
performance from some users seem to suggest colour performance is not bad but one must look at the price and not expect too much.
The Boldly Go Where No Meade Has Gone Before Captain, RSS Enterprise NCC1701R United Federation of the Planets
it became so senseless I stopped reading them and deleted the entire chunk of exchanges....
hi rich, you can go back again to the WO forum, the "fluorite" debates between WO and forum members have been ended :-)
the good thing about those threads is teaching us to take manufacturers' ads with a grain of salt (can't believe everything they say). for me, if i want a real fluorite scope, i'll get used fc-76 or vixen fl80s instead of buying these new scopes.
hi arief...
yeah..I noticed. I wonder if it will stay closed! :roll:
In anycase, the scopes you mentioned actually cost much more than the WO FD. I don't really mind the WO advertising really because the key word is APO and these are APO scopes.
In fact, some singastro members have noted that 80FD compares favourably with TV85 in performance.
Owning a Tak or Televue is many people's dreams but for those who cannot afford it, the 80FD represented one of the lowest priced 80mm APO scope you can get today and a step closer to those giants. I do agree in future perhaps they should add all these details in since they are dealing with americans who are quite picky on their purchases.
Edited to correct some factual errors noted by some members. Sorry... :oops:
Last edited by Airconvent on Sun Apr 23, 2006 11:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.
The Boldly Go Where No Meade Has Gone Before Captain, RSS Enterprise NCC1701R United Federation of the Planets
I think in the optical design it does not mean that which glass is better. There are no better glass but whether the combination of the glasses (of different refractive index) has the ability to reduce chromatic aberration significantly. Also, there are many other aberrations to control and that depends on the optical designer and not the glass per say. I think the best designer is one that can control all the aberrations well and yet use glasses that are 'cheap'.
Ya I wonder why there are all these passionate arguments about glass types when all that really matters is what you see through the scope... The WO FD definitely is no let-down in this respect.
We do it in the dark...
Portaball 12.5"
Takahashi Mewlon 210
William Optics 110ED
...and all night long!
Agreed! I would not want a fluorite scope that delivers poor images because of a bad design!
But frankly, I'm tired of all these 80mm scopes coming up! Choice is good but I think there are just too many right now!
[80% Steve, 20% Alfred] ------- Probability of Clear Skies = (Age of newest equipment in days) / [(Number of observers) * (Total Aperture of all telescopes present in mm)]
