Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date: 01/21/2005 06:03:42 pm PST
By: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.225.156)
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=415115

1. The first three accessories I'd buy would be a good star atlas (Sky   Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas is my favtiruoe), a red flashlight, and a 10 50 binocular. All three are essential for finding your way around the night sky.2. You can use either long or short Barlows on a Newtonian. Long Barlows are less of a strain optically. Tele Vue Barlows are the best, and the Powermates are superb, but very expensive. Not a high priority.3. Generally you need only one 2  eyepiece, for a wide-field view. I like Tele Vue Nagler's myself.4. Most filters are a waste of money. The only one I use at all regularly is an OIII filter for diffuse and planetary nebulae.5. Tele Vue and Pentax are the best. Orion is pretty good, but you get what you pay for. Avoid Meade and Celestron, as they are generally cheap eyepieces rebadged with a brand name.6. Tele Vue Plf6ssls are among the best of the low-priced eyepieces, along with Orion Ultrascopics and University Optics orthoscopics. Orion Stratus and Baader Hyperion seem to be good values. The best cheap 2  eyepiece is the Guan Sheng 30mm Super Wide, sold under various brand names.VA:F [1.9.3_1094]please wait...VA:F [1.9.3_1094](from 0 votes)

Just started an Astroscan discussion group on yahoo.  If you are a fan of the astroscan I encourage you to join.  You will find it in yahoo groups under edmund astroscan.  Look forward to hearing from you.
>Astroscans have pretty good optics on the whole with the possible exception of the optical window.  Just received my brand new astroscan in the mail today and have fairly clear skies....imagine that.  If you get lucky as I have and receive an astroscan with really good optics you have something.  I was a little worried at first because the shipping box said made in China.  I needn't of worried.  The optics star tested clearly better than 1/4 wave and the optical window with its fresh coatings didn't distort the fairly flat field nearly as much as I've seen in previous astroscans.  A lot about the astroscan has already been said...the simplicity of the mount, wind proof, maintenance free, durable metal peep sight.  I did find it interesting that the peep frames the field of view of the scope pretty closely.  I would like to add that Edmund has made a substantial improvement in its 28mm eyepiece.  The original 28mm RKE was pretty popular with its generous eyerelief, good light throughput and overall sharpness.  However it had a tendency to focus the dust on the field lens along with the telescopic image.  The 28mm plossl solves that problem and increases its advantage with good coatings and a wider field stop(afov).  The 2 eyepieces alone will be worth $60 on the used market.  I'm keeping mine however.  The long eyerelief makes them really good eyepiece projection photography eyepieces.
>Larry