Stellarvue 80mm F6

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Stellarvue 80mm F6
This scope is an order of magnitude up from the 80mm shortubes. It is all metal with a machined aluminum lens cell. I tested it side-by-side to one of the 80mm F/5 shortubes and it completely outperformed the shortube. Comes with nice accessories. Thes are individually hand crafted and tested. The great customer service from Stellarvue is free!

Don't get a shortube - get a Stellarvue!

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40276

Stellarvue 80mm F6
Great scope... Sure does look good in my living room! High quality and good optics.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40277

Stellarvue 80mm F6
I give it a 10 due to the great value for the money. Very good star tests, very little color on the moon at over 100X (missed Jupiter this time around). It is very well color corrected, has an excellent focuser (very smooth), is hand assembled and tested, and is an order of magnitude better than the run of the mill ST80's it competes with in this price range. Comes with two plossls, a non-stopped down 6X30 finder (or red dot finder scope....highly recommended), nice diagonal, and very nice tube rings for $279. You cannot beat this deal IF you're considering a short focal length 80mm scope.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40278

Stellarvue 80mm F6
The Stellarvue 80mm f6 OTA delivers sharp, contrasty, nearly colorless views through an OTA with a smooth focuser and a machined lens cell bound by serious rings.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40279

Stellarvue 80mm F6
The optics are excellent. The star test showed identical images inside and outside of focus and is better than my Brandon 80mm. There is a trace of false color when the scope is slightly out of focus. While using my 6mm Radian whenever I hit the sweet spot of dead on focus all false color vanished. I am very impressed with this scope. I was able to split Castor and its companion into 2 perfectly round points with there edges touching at 80x, I couldn't see and blackness seperating the disks but I feel I could have easily widened the split with higher magnification. (no barlow as my other scope is a 9.25 SCT and I don't need one with it.) The fit and finish rates a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. The only detraction was a small ding in the aluminum dew shield. Overall this is a high quality scope.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40280

Stellarvue 80mm F6
I have the 2" focuser version. Superb scope! Fit and finish are high quality. Solidly built. Smooth focuser. Slight false color at the moon's edge, but not objectionable even at 150x. Very sharp optics. Takes high power well. I can only reach 150x with my highest power combination (UO 9mm ortho + 2.8x Klee barlow), but I have the sense the scope can go further. Portable - works extremely well on a Bogen geared head and solid camera tripod. Stellarvue's customer service is fantastic! Vic is very responsive to his customer's needs.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40282

Stellarvue 80mm F6
I have been using the 2" focuser version of this scope for several months now, and am quite impressed. I don't have the eyepieces or Barlows to give it high magnification, but with my 6mm ortho barlowed providing 160x (i.e. only 53x per inch) when the seeing is good, it works very well -- the craterlets in Plato, for instance, are not too difficult to discern.

There is some false color on Jupiter but this is an achromat after all, not an apo, and for the price I haven't seen a better scope. Much better than the standard chinese short tube or even the longer focal length 90mm scopes I've seen.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40285

Stellarvue 80mm F6
I have the 2" version - have owned it for almost a year now. Excellent star test inside and out. I have noticed that the scope needs to "settle down" for the best view (maybe 30 minutes to cool) which is surprising for an 80mm scope. However, once cooled down, color decreases dramatically - almost to the point where no color is detected on the moon or Jupiter (there is a very faint purple tint still there off axis, but on axis is 97% color free). Did some observing of Mars last week and noticed a bit of purple which made the image fuzzy - left the scope alone for about an hour and was shocked with the image - tack sharp with virtually no false color! Couple this scope with 2" Naglers and you will be very impressed with the view.

This scope far exceeds any Chinese origin short tubes (but at a price) and is excellent for quick looks and even public events. I have mine on a TelePod mount with Oak legs and beautiful brass knobs from Focusknobs.com. Its a keeper!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40286

Stellarvue 80mm F6
I ordered my SV80 with the 2" focuser last September. I waited patiently for this telescope to arrive knowing that the wait would be well worth it. Vic kept me updated as to it's progress and delivery time etc. and it arrived a few weeks ago. I have used it several times now and have become familiar with it as to it's performance and ease of operation, etc. This is one beautiful small telescope. To put it in the same league as the 80mm Celestrons and Meades etc. would be be jumping from the major league back to a sub-minor league. This scope is not mass produced in a Chinese factory nor is it thrown together in someones garage. It is an achromat, and allowing for that is all one needs to do. It is not a apo and yet the images it produces almost make you think you are looking through one. I have only been able to use it at 120x but I know it will easily go up to at least 180x or more. At 120x using a 4mm Radian, the images of Jupiter and Saturn are detailed with good contrast. The moon is a razor sharp image with excellent detail and contrast. I am used to using a big 6" refractor which just happens to have excellent optics also. Yes, it is a Chinese one, but I got lucky and received one of the good ones. I didn't expect to have the SV80 give me the images that the 6" does but other than the fact that the 6" gives a brighter image, can see deeper, and can swallow up gobs of power, the SV80 is also superb in the images it delivers in the areas it was designed to operate in. I can take it with me on trips and just about anywhere when I want to have it with me. Can't do that with the 6". The bottom line with this telescope is that it is worth every penney it costs and it will give you hours and hours of very enjoyable viewing. If you are considering a smaller scope and have thought about a short tube Celestron, Meade, Orion, or any of the countless others available, check out the SV80 first before making your purchase. But I warn you, be ready to purchase it because once you get your hands on it you won't want to let it go. One last thing, get a 2" diagonal to go with it. Using 2" wide field eyepieces in the SV80 will take your breath away. Clusters and nebulae are spectacular. This is all you will ever need in a smaller telescope. That is unless you just have to spend 4 times as much for an apo that will only be better by a very, very small margin. JOB WELL DONE Vic. You have given amateur astronomers a truly excellent small telescope at a reasonable price. Your customer service level rates a 10 also.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40287

Stellarvue 80mm F6
I have the Stellarvue 80mm f/6 with the 2" focuser. I was pleased and surprised that its color correction and sharpness are very close to my VX102ED refractor.
Sometimes it's hard to believe that this is "only" an 80mm scope. At 96x Mars is superb! A nice orange disk with no halo or fuzzy edges.
The moon shows no purple, just the tiniest yellow line at the limb - similar to the ED scope. The tiny line appears to disappear when you center the scope on some lunar feature. Stars are sharp and pinpoint. Great black background contrast. Found NGC6520 and B86. Crisp white stars and black, black nebula.
Smooth, quality focuser. Well engineered scope.
Will try Jupiter and Saturn when they are up around 3:30AM.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40288

Stellarvue 80mm F6
This little scope is unreal. Hats off to Vic Maris for super quality for the money. One the star tests it was basically equal to a TV ranger/Pronto at a fraction of the costs. On Lunar, allmost no color on the limb, a great travel scope, and with the 2" focuser, nice and bright. I couldn't say enough good things as far as bang for your buck!!!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40289

Stellarvue 80mm F6
Quality optics and construction.
A pathway into the night sky for
the new and experienced gazer at
a most reasonable price.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40290

Stellarvue 80mm F6
This is an excellent value and is a terrific scope for beginners, or long time sky watchers and is so easy to use and enjoy.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=77971

Stellarvue 80mm F6
I recently acquired my second ST80(actually dedesignated as an SV78). It has a 2" JMI two speed focuser and screw on dew shield. It bears the serial number 19. I sold my first one when I decided to upgrade the overall viewing experience and still have a small scope. I tried the Takahashi FS78, Celestron C5, and Questar 89mm field model. They were all very nice but two were very pricey and the C5 lacked punch. This being the case I returned to Astromart and found my current scope. This is really what a great scope is all about: Wonderful optics, excellent build quality, and semi-apo performance. It resolved the sixth craterlet in Clavius when the Questar and Tak couldn't. Need I say more?

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=540225

Stellarvue 80mm F6
If you want a better fast refractor, you will have to buy an APO and spend over twice as much. I have the Nighthawk II version with a single speed focuser. This scope gets used more times than any of my other scopes, as it is also my terrestrial spotting scope. I use an Astro-Tech dielectric diagonal. For astro viewing I use a Baader Fringe Killer or Neodymium Moon & Skyglow filter. For terrestrial viewing I use a Baader Contrast Booster to get rid of blue haze and to totally remove any blue fringing. For birding, you can use the Fringe Killer and see blue in your image. For long distance viewing, you need to get rid of blue haze to see contrast in your images. An APO scope is no better in that regard as with the Contrast Booster all false color is removed in the image. This scope can support magnifications of 200X easily in astro viewing. Due to thermals in daytime use, I rarely go past 54X and that's about the limit of my Astro-Tech correct image erecting prism anyway. Collimation is perfect and the only defect I see in star testing is slight astigmatism. The optics are well beyond 1/4 wave and thus you can get theoretical limits of magnification if the rest of your optical chain is up to snuff. Be sure to use a good quality diagonal and good EP's in this scope. I also use the 2.5X Powermate or 2X Celestron Ultima Barlow and they both work fine in this scope. Ultima, TMB and Star Splitter EP's handle the f/6 light cone well. I use a Stellarvue M1 Alt-Az mount.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Ease of Use:9 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=559477

Stellarvue 80mm F6
Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written atricle. I'll be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of Web Site | UrbanOptics.ca Launched . Thanks for the post. I will certainly return.

Overall Rating: 1
Optics:1 Mount:3 Ease of Use:9 Value:6
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=603882

Stellarvue 80mm F6
I started off with a small reflector and found it far too much hassle so I replaced it with the Nighthawk 2. I've had it for about 8 years now and will never part with it. I've replaced the primary cell with the APO version which has made it even more incredible.
At star parties people always want to come and check colours of stars in my tiny scope as it is so neutral.
I have the M1 mount which is very stable but not 100% super smooth hence the 9. But I guess you get what you pay for.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=609445

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