A great comet catcher
Written: Jun 27 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: size, weight, cost, optical quality
Cons: limited magnification, 45 degree diagonal
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| ke8yy's Full Review: Orion ShortTube 80mm Rich-Field Refractor Telescop... |
Short refractors like the Orion ShortTube have been very popular lately, and with good reason; they're small, easily portable, inexpensive, and capable of delivering sharp, contrasty images- provided you understand their limitations.
Every telescope design is a tradeoff; in the case of the ShortScope, the makers are trading off size, weight and cost for increased chromatic error. Put simply, that means that a scope like the ShortTube, with its very fast f/5 focal ratio, isn't capable of the same levels of magnification as a more traditional f/15 scope.
A good 3" f/15 refractor should be capable of delivering sharp, high resolution images at magnifications of around 150x; the short scope is limited to about 40x, or perhaps 60x at the absolute most. But that's not a limitation for a scope like this.
There are scores of interesting objects in the sky that the ShortScope is perfect for- the moon, comet hunting, the Great Galaxy in Andromeda- and the Short Scope is small and light enough to carry everywhere you go- like camping trips, where you can view the stars under a really dark sky. And it makes a great birding or nature scope, too. In fact, for birdwatching around dusk or dawn it's just about ideal.
I like to use the ShortScope with a small, solid tripod, and a 28mm and 12mm eyepiece. Under a really dark sky, and a new moon, you'll be amazed what you can find just strolling through the Milky Way.
One caveat- get rid of the 45 degree erecting prism, and replace it with a 90 degree mirror diagonal. The 45 degree diagonal is fine for daytime viewing, but at night you'll see a lot of ghost images from extra reflections.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ke8yy
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Member: Michael Edelman
Location: Huntington Woods, MI
Reviews written: 85
Trusted by: 3 members
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