Willam Yang 80mm Semi APO Megrez

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Brand and Model:Willam Yang 80mm Semi APO Megrez
Price ($USD):529.00
Type:Apochromatic Refractor
Attributes: un-checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:80mm (3.1")
f Ratio:f/6
Focal Length:480mm
Finder:none
Electric Power:none
Mount:none
Tripod:none
Weight (lbs):4 lbs.
Dimensions (w/h/d):14"
Description:Comes w/ Rings, Amichi Prizm, and Camera adapter

Vote Highlights Vote
Willam Yang 80mm Semi APO Megrez
Don't know how I got logged out while posting this so here goes again:
I purchased this scope shortly after they were introduced. In my quest for a do all portable scope.
Optically this scope takes magnification to unbelievable levels and still offers a low power wide field. I have read that there has been some variability in the optics and talked to one person who claimed to have received a lemon, but I wouldn't know since this is the only sample that I have used. There is some false color, which is to be expected for this design. I do have to agree with another reviewer that the lens coatings could be better.

Mechanically I love it, the sliding dew shield fits snugly, the rotating focuser is buttery smooth.

The scope was supplied with a nice soft case, beautiful tube rings, 2" extension tube, Amici prism diagonal and 25 mm Plossl eyepiece. The amici prism is good for terrestrial observing only and should be replaced with a quality mirror diagonal.

Value, I can honestly state that this was one of the few purchases I have made that I feel satisfied for what I received for my dollar. This scope replaced my ETX 90 and WA 80 scopes. It does what the ETX does ( magnification ), only better and is capable of a wide field of view. There really is no fair comparison with the WA 80. To sum up, SWEET.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=332865

Willam Yang 80mm Semi APO Megrez
I bought a second hand Megrez 80 off of Astromart not long ago. Originally purchased from Anacortes late in 2001,it is in pristine condition and it came with excellent mounting rings and a 2" diagonal. It also came with a very nice padded case with provisions for storing eyepieces as well as the scope and its supplied accessories. I am completely impressed with the mechanical quality of the Megrez 80. From the lustrous pearl-white paint to the smooth, rotating focuser and the retractable dew shield, this little scope is a work of art. I own a Takahashi and, while I can detect a higher level of craftsmanship in the Tak, the Megrez 80 gives up very little in comparison. Optically, this little scope gives reasonably sharp views and provides satisfying contrast, thanks to the unique foam-ring baffles in the ota. The glass has little in the way of antireflective coatings, unfortunately. I can push the scope up to 150x without softening the image and, if seeing is very good, I can crank it up a touch higher. Color correction is better than average for an achromat, with color fringing the limb of the Moon and some color around Jupiter when it was up earlier this year. It is no apo, however, despite any claims to the contrary. The scope's real talent is for deep sky viewing, particularly when using 2" eyepieces. It provides a wide FOV and quality images when used with low-power Pentax or Nagler ep's. In summary, this is a beautiful scope with reasonably good optics at a decent price. It is an excellent alternative to those cheap, short-focus scopes haunting the marketplace right now. For myself, if William Optics ever offers a fully multicoated, apochromatic lens cell as an upgrade, count me in!

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Ease of Use:10 Value:9
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=126242

Willam Yang 80mm Semi APO Megrez
I bought a Megrez 80 second hand off of Astromart a year ago, so that I would own a portable scope that I could take with my on airplanes where I'm not willing to lug my LX200.
I wanted something better than a typical short tube 80, but not as expensive as a Tak or an AP, particularly since I wanted to be able to travel without worrying much.
Overall I've been very impressed with my Megrez 80. The biggest issue for me was coming up with a workable alt-az mount for it, since I got mine without a mount, though it did come with 2 tube rings. I ended up buying a Bogen 3001 tripod with a 3030 head, and with some creative use of the two tube rings and a mounting plate that I got with mine, I've made this scope quite usable without spending much money, with the added bonus that as a travel scope, its quite valuable to me that its able to use the same tripod I'd use for my cameras, so I only have one tripod to take on the trip.
The optics in my Megrez 80 are quite good. They seem much better than the views I've seen through some of short tube 80 type scopes. I wouldn't really consider this a "semi-APO" however, as I am more irritated by false color than most people, and when viewing objects at high power there's definitely false color to be seen. I recently borrowed some Naglers and had a look through my scope (don't own any of my own yet) and I was very impressed at the views from this small scope. From a dark location, this scope is quite capable, its easy to view M57, M27, M42 and lots of other objects with this small scope even from light polluted locations. The addition of a Rigel quickfinder is highly recommended, as this is what I use on mine, and I absolutely love it. I actually put the quickfinder in the scope case in one of the eyepiece storage spots, it works beautifully on this scope. My favorite use for this scope when I'm not travelling is to pop in low power eyepieces and look at stuff like the Plieades, or as a "quick look" scope to determine whether its worth my trouble to pack up my stuff and head out to a dark site with the LX200 for a night of CCD imaging. Its a great scope for that sort of use, and its so small that I'm often tempted to just leave it in my car so I have it on me at all times :-)

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 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=133107

Willam Yang 80mm Semi APO Megrez
a well made scope that is light weight, easy to use,has excellent mechanicals and provides excellent wide field views . It provides satisfactory views of the planets ( with a celestron 2X ultima barlow ), but the forte' of this instrument is low power/ wide field, thus the fast f/6 ratio. It performs well for terrestrial viewing, delivering sharp panoramic views, and is versatile enough for birding.
The 2" Crayford focuser is smooth, capable of reaching critical focus without backlash, and the entier assembly rotates a full 360.
With good quality eyepieces, focus is a sharp snap, and the field is W - I - D - E !
The negative: There is noticable false color around the moon and other bright objects ( e. i. venus ).
The positive: William Optics sells an optional Violet filter that threads into the front of the diagonal ( both 2 " and 1.25 " ) that noticeably helps.

A fine small scope indeed.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics: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=134269

Willam Yang 80mm Semi APO Megrez
Having been an owner of the TV Ranger for several years I decided to move on to something that used a conventional focuser and one that would accept 2 in accessories. The logical choice was the Pronto since I was quite happy with the Ranger. A friend had one of the Megrez 80s and I had an opportunity to view with it for an evening. I must say that I was very surprised at the performance. It was brighter than the Pronto and very well corrected. A bit of false color at the limb of the moon and a tiny bit on Jupiter at higher magnification, but all in all about the same as my Ranger. My friend felt that there was a tiny bit more color in the Megrez, but that you had to look for it. We were able to take the Megrez up to about 150x (limited by seeing). The mechanical aspects of the Megrez is first rate. The focuser is smooth and I love the rotating feature. When a Megrez 80 became available on the used market I jumped at it and have not had it for a couple of months. Optically is a almost identical to the first Megrez. I did have to adjust the craford focuser, but that was a simple task. The Ranger is gone now (and I will miss the little guy), but I am very happy with the Megrez 80. The new ones do not include the rings which is a shame as they are VERY nice and now an option for extra bucks. The William Optics 2 inch diagonal is also very good and I would easily rate it as the equal to the standard TV diagonal. All in all I think that the Megrez 80 is an outstanding value.

I read the comment about the war between the TV and WO folks and just wanted to comment that there is not any reason for either group to fight the other. Each scope has its own traits and characteristics and they are both excellent values.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:8 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=111293

Willam Yang 80mm Semi APO Megrez
This is an outstanding value in a small package. The fit and finish of this scope is outstanding. The rings are as good as any on the market and very nicely finished. It has a rotating focuser which is a very nice feature. All of the accessories use compression rings. Optics on my scope are excellent, and the 2 inch diagonal was first rate. Very little color and then only on the brightest objects (full moon, venus, sirius). About the same false color as on the Pronto/Ranger with a bit brighter view. Views of Saturn and Jupiter were great (and unexpected for the 80mm f6). While this scope is not is the same class as my FS-78, for the cost is is great. The Megrez-80 soundly trounces the ST/WF 80 scopes.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics: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=55335

Willam Yang 80mm Semi APO Megrez
Just bought this scope for traveling. It's when I want better
preformance than my other little Orion ST80.
I like it's finish. Of course you can't compare it to any of my
other Takahashis or TeleVues but it's nice and compact. What I like
about William Optics is the mounts. Check them out at www.williamoptics.com

daSentinel

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40864

Willam Yang 80mm Semi APO Megrez
I bought this to replace a Celestron Nexstar 80GT. I did it because of the article in S&T that recommended it as a good buy. I don't have a lot of experience with many scopes, but I can see and feel an obvious difference between the Megrez and the Nexstar. As the article said, the Megrez is beautifully built and the focuser is very smooth. As for the optics, I haven't noticed any color around the moon, Jupiter, Saturn, or any of the bright stars, so it must not be very bad. I am very impressed with the high contrast and sharp focus I get. I like the 2" WO diagonal, but don't have any 2" eyepieces, so I use a 1.25 diagonal instead of the 1.25 adaptor in the 2" WO diagonal. I find all my 1.25 ep's will not come to focus with the 2" adaptor, and they will with a 1.25 diagonal. My star tests look good to me, but again, I am not experienced with the higher quality scopes. I just feel it was money well spent, and in combination with the Nexstar goto mount, I'm a happy camper.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40862

Willam Yang 80mm Semi APO Megrez
First impression is "WOW." It's a beautifully made optical tube. The mechanics are first rate, better than any TeleVue. Even though it's large than a Pronto, it's also about 2 pounds lighter. The focuser can't be beaten. For 650 bucks you get the scope, heavy duty mounting rings, 2" photo adapter, and a very nice 2" diagonal using the new compression rings to hold the eyepiece (no more barrel scratches) and a very nice case. The tube minus the optics is worth $650. Purchased separately from Anacortes, the ring, photo adapter, and diagonal will cost you over $320. The objective lens is a semi-APO with an SD lens element which isn't bad. The coatings are somewhat half-assed; not as dark as they should be. The spherical correction was excellent, about 1/6-1/8 wave. Color correction isn't bad. Not as good as some Prontos I've spent time looking through but not far behind. The moon has a small ring of purple around it, Mars is slightly purplish, and Vega has an alomost indetectable purple tint to it. If this rating was based on mechanics only, it would be a 12. The sucky coatings and the slight color brings it down to a 9. Would I recommend this scope? Most definitely. For $650 it's a steal.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40859

Willam Yang 80mm Semi APO Megrez
nice tube needs better optics

Overall Rating: 6
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40858

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