Vixen VX 120 (Orion)

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Brand and Model:Vixen VX 120 (Orion)
Price ($USD):1400
Type:Achromatic Refractor
Attributes: un-checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:120mm (4.7")
f Ratio:f/6.7
Focal Length:800mm
Finder:7 X 50
Electric Power:None
Mount:None
Tripod:None
Weight (lbs):12 lbs.
Dimensions (w/h/d):42in X 5.5in
Description:Neo-Achromat with second doublet corrector at base of focus tube. Flattens field and reduces color. 2-inch capable focuser w/ adaptor (sold separately). Rides comfortably on old Super Polaris Mount, though heavier mount would be better.

Vote Highlights Vote
Vixen VX 120 (Orion)
I tried my new 5" refractor Vixen NA 120 S for the first time last night. I had to wait several weeks to get diagonal and ep's.

Through a TeleVue 2" diagonal and very very cheap 1.25 ep's the images were stunning. Deep dark black sky and lots of contrast on objects. Sky was my front driveway with a streetlight.

Orion nebulae was small but well defined in 25 mm ep. I guess I will have to get used to smaller images but very sharp images with lots of contrast and brightness.

Planets were what surprised me. Small images with 25mm ep, but wow huge and sharp with 9 mm or with 2x barlow (also cheap) and 10mm ep. I was expecting what the experts call "color" but I did not see any on Jupiter. Jupiter's bands in higher mag ep's were huge with lots of detail. The planet was salmon in color with shading at poles - very cool. No purple that I saw.

I even found Andromeda Galaxy which was amazing considering it was above the streetlight. No detail but it was there.

I guess there is a tradeoff of image size on DSO with details and field of view. Easy to find things with this scope but DSO smaller. Sharp images with contrast and details but small.

I compared it directly with an 8" SCT. Had them side by side. The 8" SCT had bigger images, and was easier to transport (a C8 with wedgepod) and easier to set-up. But, easier to find objects in Vixen and images sharper/more contrast in Vixen. I could easily find 4 stars in Orion nebulae trapezium in the 5" Vixen. The images were just better in Vixen. Even after 2 hour cool-down for SCT it never did match Vixen in comparison of details on planets - images on SCT broke up at about 12mmep while Vixen just got better and better at high mag.

Saturn was also nice, but small image even with higher powers. Vixen had not cooled down from 65 degrees inside to 25 outside, so I expect to get more details of Saturn in a better observing session.

I rated this Vixen NA 120 S scope a 10. it is very similar to images I had seen in an Intes MN61, but the Vixen is a lot less expensive and a lot smaller/lighter.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:9
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=182762

Vixen VX 120 (Orion)
This scope provides incredibly rich contrast and resolution. Deep sky objects are wonderful but please recognize that you will have chromatic aberration on brighter objects. I personally dislike false color but this is minimized with filters while contrast/resolution remains excellent - unfiltered false color on Jupiter was less than in a Pronto I previously owned for gross comparison. My scope star tests very well - it has excellent correction with pinpoint stars and an extremely flat field. Focuser is smooth, not stiff as is sometimes reported, and OTA weighs around 12-14 pounds. If bought with GP mount, may be insufficient for longer exposure astrophotography but is really fine for visual and great fun with the Sky Sensor 2000. Sets up really easily but may need to consider cool down given the 4-element lens system. Overall an incredible value and immensely versatile scope with excellent optics.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:9 Mount:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=52995

Vixen VX 120 (Orion)
Fine all around scope and good value. Have had for nearly two years. On Super Polaris mount (which is a bit too light, but serviceable). Star test is very good, though I never have a steady enough sky to really detect differences that are not atmospheric. Good planetary views to 220X. Color on 2nd mag and brighter objects, but not too distracting for my eyes. Picks out three craters on Plato on fairly steady nights. Shows different diameters on Jupiter's moons. A bit heavy for travel, but fine in the back of the car for a night on the nearby mountains. Recommended.

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40398

Vixen VX 120 (Orion)
I paid 650 for an OTA with a losmandy dovetail so i really think the value is there. But at retail, its a bit expensive, so thats why i gave it an 8 for value, but it has less color than my 6" synta refractor even when its stopped down to f11! not bad considering the the focal ratio. Pleiades and double cluster are like diamonds on black velvet, quite stunning! my only complaint would be the focuser, it works but its too stiff and hard to fine tune. if you find one cheap I'd say go for it.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=143799

Vixen VX 120 (Orion)
hard focuser, but very nice telescope

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40397

Vixen VX 120 (Orion)
Exellent scope for deep sky observing and photography. Secondary color on the planets and most 1st magnitude stars. For 35mm film photography, stars are sharp to the edge of the print. No distortion at all. Deep sky views are simply amazing, especially when pairing with premium eyepieces. A definite keeper!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40396

Vixen VX 120 (Orion)
Very nice scope

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40395

Vixen VX 120 (Orion)
very pretty telescope.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40394

Vixen VX 120 (Orion)
I bought the OTA and put it on a GPDX mount with the Sky Sensor 2000. The scope performs very well on deep sky objects. Saturn looks beautiful- the most detail that I have ever seen, including through scopes 10 inches in size. There is however quite a bit of 'purple haze' around very bright objects, i.e. Jupiter , Venus. I use filters to knock down the haze, it works pretty well. Overall, I an very impressed with this scope.

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40393

Vixen VX 120 (Orion)
Solid optics for a large, but affordable refractor. Some color on objects brighter than 2nd magnitude. Fine in- and out-of-focus Airy disc. Minor differences - probably better than 1/6 wave. Good planetary and lunar images for relatively short focal length. Four craterlets in Plato with right lighting. Splits Gamma Vir cleanly. Does take some time to settle down, so first views are not prepresentative.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40392

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