Orion AstroView 100mm EQ Refractor


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Brand and Model:Orion AstroView 100mm EQ Refractor
Price ($USD):$399.00
Type:Achromatic Refractor
Attributes: un-checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:100mm (3.9 in)
f Ratio:6
Focal Length:600
Finder:6x30
Electric Power:optional
Mount:EQ-3 (CG-4)
Tripod:Aluminum
Weight (lbs):29.0
Dimensions (w/h/d):OTA: 24.5 inches
Description:

Vote Highlights Vote
Orion AstroView 100mm EQ Refractor
I use this scope on an old unitron mount which works quite well. I bought this scope to replace a smaller 80 mm refractor. Chromatic errors are quite tolerable but much improved with a W/O mv filter. With the filter there is no color visible on the edges of the moon. M13 was resolved almost to it's core. Comet Holmes was quite spectacular, looking like a white eyeball peeking through a slightly green ccloud like coma. At 6 pounds this scope makes a good travel scope. It's gunmetel paint is elegant. The price was right and an excellent value for a 4 inch scope. Lens is multicoatedand looking into it is like looking into a deep pool of water!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=571386


Orion AstroView 100mm EQ Refractor
This is a beginner’s review of this scope, I hope you will find it helpful:
I have contemplated buying the 100mm for nearly 2 years but I was always greedy about aperture so I opted for larger ones; but when it went on sale I had no excuse but to get it. I knew the Orion 100mm had a very impressive spec sheet. So without any delay, after seeing the special price on the Internet, I drove to Cupertino- Ca, and picked one up.{ I live 3 exits down Highway 85 from Cupertino}

Out Of The Box:

The whole unit (OTA+ tripod & accessories) was in one double box. Each major component, in its own wrapping, inside a separate box. First impression was that every thing was solidly built and well crafted.

Assembly:

Assembly took about 40 minutes. This is my first equatorial mount, so I had to figure out few basics. One immediate negative here was the not-so-clear manual (from my prospective). It lacked pictures for some basics for people, like me, unfamiliar with this mount. The worst part was installing the polar alignment scope in the equatorial head. There is a lot of very sticky grease at the point where the polar scope needs to be inserted; this was tricky while trying to avoid smearing it with that famous super viscous Chinese grease. Also aligning it, once inserted, required patience and many attempts; the polar scope is aligned by three screws that were difficult to get the right position of alignment. [Hint for Orion if they are reading this: A picture says a thousand words and few extra pictures would have saved a lot of errors and time]. Anyway all was put together under the curious eyes and remarks of the family clan that gathered in the living room watching with anticipation. Finally: there it was, a fully constructed beast occupying a space in front of the television. After a quiet moment of gazing, comments started pouring in, all in agreement of its beauty and “elegance”. It is a beautiful telescope. I spent few minutes swiveling the scope about the R.A & Dec axis to get familiar with their motions before grabbing the whole unit and taking it outside. It was not too heavy; it was “transportable” (at least to the back yard without disassembly).

First Light:

Luckily, Heaven was on my side that evening: Clear skies with a first quarter moon but very cold by N. California standards, this time of the year (low 40’s!). After aligning with Polaris (again the manual delivered meager help there) and aligning the finder scope, “first light” was about to commence. The target was the Pleiades. It took few minutes before I could aim the scope on target due to unfamiliarity with the equatorial dance, but eventually the 100mm was looking at the Seven Sisters. All stars fell into focus effortlessly. The bundle of sparks looked sharp and clear and seemed to “sit” there in deep space silently beaming their light throw the field of view. I’d looked at the Pleiades countless times before with my 8” SCT and always liked it, but this time there was a new sense of crisp clarity that deeply impressed me with really nice feeling.
Next target was Rigel, Capella and so on. Color was visible but not distracting or detracting from the crispiness and clarity. (I know tolerance to color is very hot topic and very subjective, but to me there wasn’t a problem and I’d expected it; after all, this is a $300 achromat; so strict colorless expectations will be unrealistic IMHO). Andromeda was next, and later the Ring Nebula and few other DSO’s. All were sharp and contrasting against deep black space, but appeared “tiny” for someone used to larger aperture; nonetheless this telescope is really in a sweet “middle spot”, among the scopes, where it delivers wide range of heavenly delights with exceptional clarity.
The view was in focus nearly to %80 of the F.O.V. I tried many combinations of E.Ps and barlows and the highest magnification achieved was about X170 beyond which the urban skies above San Jose limited sharpness.
The rest of evening was spent more on equatorial practice than viewing, but even then the crispiness of what I saw made me very happy with the purchase.
After few more nights, the equatorial dance became second nature and the mount and tripod held very solidly and slewed reasonably accurately (sometime when the scope is pointing almost zenith, slewing can lose precise aim on target). Also, even at 3.9”, the objective’s glass needs sufficient cool down after leaving a warm living room to be parked outside in 40’s weather. A thermally well-equilibrated objective showed remarkable increase in sharpness.
The supplied EPs are decent enough for urban visual missions but the supplied mirror diagonal, though fair in quality, impeded the performance of the telescope; a high-end diagonal revealed vastly superior images. Later I aquired a 2” diagonal from William Optics; The difference in image was unquestionable. The focuser action was smooth and responsive at low to medium powers; though at high magnifications I’d wished for a little more preciseness; nevertheless, all came to focus crisply and clearly.

Pros:

-Nice optics.
-Wide range of use.
-Very Reasonable portability.
-Very good value.

Cons:

-“OK” EPs and..
-“Not so-OK” diagonal.
-Instructions sheet need revision.

Conclusion:

It’s been nearly 6 months since the Orion 100mm joined my collection and I enjoy it every time I use it. It really filled a practical rank between other telescopes and it made me wonder why didn’t I buy it any time sooner. Even for the current price ($369+s/h+tax), this is a great quality instrument. It delivers admirable views, reasonable portability and accessibility to substantial starry attractions. This is a highly recommended telescope for many star gazers from the novice to the established veterans.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Mount:9 Ease of Use:9 Value:9
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=431732


Orion AstroView 100mm EQ Refractor
The scope gives a nice view for being a short achromat. I'm surprised at the success I have in splitting tight doubles with it. When sky conditions permit, I push the magnification to 200x for planetary viewing, which still gives me a decent image although the chromatic aberration robs detail. I gave it a 7 for ease of use because I find the focuser, like all the cheap r&p focusers, to be less than wonderful to use.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:9 Ease of Use:7 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=600398


Orion AstroView 100mm EQ Refractor
Good but not great. Very easy to use and small enough to leave set up inside for ease of movement. Color fringing very minimal and V-block filter really helps. VERY good service from Orion.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=391520


Orion AstroView 100mm EQ Refractor
this is a good fast refractor setup , yes there is some
false color on brighter objects , just get the v bock filter.
optics`are very good ,can split the double double easily
at 80x , ring nebula was very bright , it surprised me
must be the multi coatings. great scope for the value.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Mount:8 Ease of Use:10 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=361199

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