Clave Clavius 166

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Clave Clavius 166
[Note: Vote moved from description by webmaster]

An unusual catadioptric telescope built by Clave of eyepiece fame, and perhaps one of the finest telescope on the market.

Pros:
This new and very unusual optical configuration (Para-Cassegrain relay telescope) enables desirable features and superb optical performances:
low central obstruction (24% diameter), 1° fully illuminated and diffraction limited field of view (MCTs and SCTs have full illumination on axis only, and are not diffraction limited off axis), f/6.7 makes it suitable for fairly any application. Optically it is beyond reproach. The collimation is highly stable. The carbon fiber OTA has an excellent thermic behaviour and doesn't induce internal turbulence. The spidervanes are ultra-thin and barely noticable on bright stars.

Cons:
The only thing against this telescope is its limited FOV: 1.3°. For a 6.3in f/6.7 that's not much but that's what you can achieve with a 8in f/10 SCT with a 55mm Plössl. Outside this FOV, illumination drops to *zero*.

Verdict:
In my opinion, this scope gives a run for its money to the finest 6in APO refractors for visual work on the planets and DSOs. It is much lighter, far less cumbersome to carry (something important for me), but cannot offer the same wide fields at low power (I use a 30mm Plössl for DSOs on this scope). The price seems high for a simple OTA, but not that much when the quality and actual performances of the design are factored in. Clave is soon supposed to introduce a 10in and a 17.3in with similar characteristics.

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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=187454

Clave Clavius 166
Great scope! Great Optics! But try to find one!

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:10 Ease of Use:8 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=559850

Clave Clavius 166
The views are so good that I have crapped my pants repeatedly. Other than washing out a lot of messy underwear, I am totally pleased with the scope. I sold my 7" Russian Mak and do not miss it at all. Find some good cheap underwear, as the views will have you crapping your pants also. I just stuck a cork in my butt, and I'm doing fine for now.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 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=565486

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