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| Date: |
NA |
| Price: |
$375.00 (blem) - regular $480.00 |
| Design: |
5-inch (127mm) achromatic refractor at f/9 with a focal length of
1143mm |
| Description: |
Large 127mm refractor that ships with 7x50 finder and bracket. Also
includes a two inch focuser. |
The Review
I
just purchased an Apogee Inc. 5" f9 achromatic refractor OTA which comes
with a 2" focuser, a 7x50 finder with bracket, and tube rings. I
bought the blem for $375 + $15 shipping. The regular price is $480 +
shipping. It was mounted on a CG-5 for initial observations (adequate, but
no more, for this scope). The excuse was the need for a decent, but
relatively inexpensive and rugged scope for heavy public use at star parties.
Not extensively tested, but my brief observations left me very impressed. Mostly
observed Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon. Very nice planetary detail at 240x
(4.8mm Nagler) and 300x (Parks gold plossl). Jupiter showed at least 4 bands and
Saturn showed some surface detail as well as a very clear Cassini's division.
Only double I tried was Castor, which was cleanly split at 70x. I
thought lunar detail was quite impressive as well.
Of course, color fringing was obvious on bright stars and Venus, and a star test
showed some astigmatism. Clearly, this scope is not in the same league as my
6" AP, but having
literally owned dozens of scopes over the past 30 years, I have to say that this
may have been the best bargain of any telescope I've bought. The performance to
price ratio is just outstanding, and for someone looking in this price range I
would recommend this telescope without hesitation.
Submitted by Steve Cooper
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