Stellarvue 80mm f-9 Refractor

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Brand and Model:Stellarvue 80mm f-9 Refractor
Price ($USD):429.95
Type:Achromatic Refractor
Attributes: un-checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:80mm (3.1")
f Ratio:f/9
Focal Length:720mm
Finder:Red Dot or 6x30
Electric Power:Optional 12V fully clutched driv
Mount:SV Deluxe Equatorial Mount
Tripod:Aluminum adjustable
Weight (lbs):28 lbs.
Dimensions (w/h/d):ota 4 1/4" x 29"
Description:Stellarvue achromatic objective tested three times after assembly guaranteed 60X per inch magnification. Fully baffled with four light baffles. Finder and eyepiece options allow low cost upgrades to Stellarvue Red Dot Finder and Super Plossl Eyepieces. Ultra-stable equatorial mount with smooth slo-motion controls. Designed for grab and go portability, the OTA is only 10" longer than the 80mm f-6 short tube.

Vote Highlights Vote
Stellarvue 80mm f-9 Refractor
After a 6 month wait I received the 80mm/9.4 w/ M4 mount in February. Waiting times now are 30 days and soon will be off the shelf service.

OTA: Excellent fit and finish, heavy duty construction with a very smooth and stable 2" R&P focuser. Superb multi-coatings and 5 thin metal baffles and flat black painted interior. HD aluminum cell and red dot finder that works well and is easy to use. I upgraded for $60 to the 2" SV diagonal. It is HD with a thick mirror and the alignment is checked by Vic, the company owner, as is the objective lens (3 times for that). The diagonal performs very well with its standard aluminum coatings. A now available enhanced version would be even better.

M4 mount: A smooth working Polaris type GEM w/ aluminum tripod. The motor drive is $150 for the RA axis. Seems a little high until you use it; accurate, no backlash, instant start and stop, 2 additional speeds forward and reverse. Small amount of periodic error noticeable at high powers. I find the aluminum tripod is fully adequate if I use Celestron Vibration suppression pads and don't fully extend the legs by 4-6". The mounting of the accesory tray could be better hence the 9 rating on the mount. German EQ. mounts are harder to use and get used to than alt-az mounts, hence the 9 rating, but are worth it in the long run for their tracking ability at high power. The whole scope and mount is light enough, about 33 lbs., to pick up in one piece and take outside to the driveway or patio. This will help you use it often which is a major reason for getting a small scope.

Performance: Under STEADY skies and with ACCURATE focusing I get very minimal to no color fringing even on the moon and Sirius at low to high power (150x). Straight thru viewing with no diagonal and a 6mm Ortho (125x) revealed the same. Color came and went under more unsteady skies but still was minimal. Excellent contrast and black background skies in the FOV. Focuser very smooth with oversize rubberized knobs. I use premium plossls, orthos, a 16mm Konig II and a 40mm WF Erfle for 3.3* FOV. Tack sharp images and great contrast make Messier objects easy to find and surprisingly bright for just an 80mm under dark skies. Star clusters and double stars are a treat. From M108 and the Owl nebula in the same field to Omega Centauri this scope does not disappoint. Under steady skies I can consistently use powers up to 180-200x + with very good image quality.

Final Comments: This scope will not do miracles; it is still an 80mm scope, rather small, and the laws of physics still apply. But you would be hard pressed to get a better achromat at any price. A true apo the same size will do better but not by much and with the difference in price you could buy the SV80/9M and an 8-10" dob for deep sky use. Not a bad deal in my book.

Paul Schofield

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:9 Ease of Use:9 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=86098

Stellarvue 80mm f-9 Refractor
Love the scope. I have two large (8 and 10") reflectors and lately this scope is used much more often because it is so easy to set up and light weight.
The first time I used it I did what most people do and performed a star test. Both in and outside of focus were identical balls with no flare. Turned to Vega and was happy to see how little false color there was... actually with most of my lenses I couldn't see any but on a 6mm ortho there was some. The double double split nicely at only 130X. On a 90mm meade it wouldn't split until I hit 160X but that was the extent of side by side comparisons.
I am not a expert but have used quite a few scopes and really this is one of the best if not the best small refractor I have ever used. Its high quality construction and tight feel tell you it is not a beginner scope like most of the small refractors on the market and the color correction with quality eyepieces rivals that of APOs .
I highly recommend this scope to anyone who wants a high quality scope to travel or just to use often as you will use it more than any other scope you own.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:9
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=139085

Stellarvue 80mm f-9 Refractor
I bought the f9.4 version of this telescope, complete system, and received it in February.

Color is present, but not obnoxious. Bright stars show a violet halo, as does Jupiter. Some violet light is visible in shadows on the Moon, but these seem to come and go. I read somewhere, and am beginning to believe that the eye tends to ignore the violet haloes over time. The violet light has no noticeable effect upon image sharpness.

And the images are very sharp. I am realizing that I have previously been much more equipment-limited in my viewing than I had believed (my previous telescope was an obviously less-than-par 6-inch SCT). 3-4 belts are visible on Jupiter, with a hint of structure within them. The shadow of Io was also clearly seen during a transit (though not Io itself). On Saturn, the Cassini Division is clearly seen most of the way around the planet. Some subtle surface variations on Saturn itself are also apparent.

The highest magnification which I have used is 188x, by combining a Celestron Ultima barlow with an 8mm Radian. The telescope seems to handle it well. Images get somewhat soft, but it seems likely that what I'm seeing is the limitation of my suburban observing site, with its normally windy, turbulent skies.

The supplied mount is quite nice. Motions are very smooth. I had ordered an upgrade to wooden tripod legs. They weren't ready at the time of shipment, and so Vic sent it with the standard aluminum legs. These have ended up being quite good. They are more than adequate for the weight of the telescope, and vibrations damp within a couple of seconds. Because of this, in the interestes of weight, I cancelled the upgrade.

Though I generally use the telescope with either a 8mm Radian or a 35mm Panoptic, the supplied Plossl eyepieces actually appear to be quite good, sharp and color-free right out to the edges. The eye-relief on the supplied 10mm is too short for me (eyeglasses). That of the 25mm is quite comfortable, and I often use it if I don't feel like adjusting the telescope for the weight of the Panoptic cannonball.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Mount:7 Ease of Use:9 Value:9
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=71536

Stellarvue 80mm f-9 Refractor
Impressive achromat. Mine has only one buffle, so contrast was poor. No focus lock too.

Overall Rating: 7
Optics:7 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=110951

Stellarvue 80mm f-9 Refractor
Good quality. Good price. Outperforms a Pronto and costs a lot less.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40715

Stellarvue 80mm f-9 Refractor
Extremely pleased with this scope after a few months. I got the deluxe version with a 2" focuser. The mount and tracking motor are very good. The focuser gets pretty stiff in cold weather - could probably be improved by replacing the lubricant. (These are built in California - what do they know!). The red dot finder is cheap and is one of the better 1X finders I've seen. Everything is well-built. Optics are excellent. Best color correction I've ever seen in an achromat.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40714

Stellarvue 80mm f-9 Refractor
Very impressive. As good a 3" achromat as probably exists. Very small color fringe on the moon - no color observed in-focus on any other target. Deluxe EQ mount is a little shaky at high power but this is dramatically improved by fixing up the tripod - (I replaced with wood, I've heard that simply pouring sand into the aluminum legs works well also). EQ head is good - a little backlash in controls, but not bad - and motor drive is excellent, tracks very smoothly (to my surprise, at this price). Star test looks perfect, but I'm no expert on that. I don't know how bright it is compared to other 80mm telescopes. Performs well with simple eyepieces (i.e., my orthos) unlike SOME inexpensive refractors.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40712

Stellarvue 80mm f-9 Refractor
Superb optics for this price point. Great entry level refractor system. I have had no problems with high power on mount. Great scope with better than average optics and mechanics with a sturdy mount for a very decent price. If this is what you're looking for, I highly recommend this system.

Gary Weber

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40711

Stellarvue 80mm f-9 Refractor
Stellarvue Deluxe Equatorial Mount a little shaky at higher powers.

Overall Rating: 7
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40710

Stellarvue 80mm f-9 Refractor
By the way, I mentioned the mount being a little shaky - in all fairness, I've pushed this thing above 200X, (with no image breakdown!) - You're not supposed to do that with a 3"! So maybe I wasn't fair.

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: <none>
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40713

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