I got this recent version a couple of years ago, which has the curved spider vanes and is an f/8.5 rather than f/10. I have had several C8s over the years to compare this to and it clearly bests them all. First off the build quality is substantial, it really feels hand-assembled. It certainly weighs more than a C8, I believe it's around 20lbs at least, but is shorter than a C8 by a couple of inches. Cool-down takes a good hour, even with the Sitall primary(I don't know why they don't advertise this feature!). Once acclimated the optics truly shine. Like Intes and Lomo units I have used, this also has the same smoothness Russian optics are known for. The faster f/8.5 optics do yield noticeably brighter images. Unlike the C8 and maksutovs, there is NO lateral color whatsoever, all the way to the very flat and sharp edge of the viewing field. I refer to that phenomenon, such as when viewing Jupiter, where one side of the planet has a reddish cast and the other side is bluish....utterly absent in this scope. The straight through finder is superb and the quick-release holder is very snug and firm. The stock focuser deserves mention. It is a single-speed, 1-1/4" unit, non-rotatable, but is very solid and smooth. Like the US-made Meade ED-Apos from a while back with their 2.7" rack and pinion focusers, this is like that where I do not feel the need to immediately upgrade. And it is not easy anyway. I got a Crawmach ultra-low profile unit custom made for this scope as a supplement, not a replacement, to use for bino-viewing using a Siebert 1x magnification OCA that only installs on a 2" diagonal to get the lowest mag. possible. Feathertouch and Moonlite could not make a focuser to replace the stock unit, just too short....only Crawmach had something available when they were around. Clement makes one that can do it.
But back to the optics. For most of the time I just leave the stock focuser on...it is fairly quick work to switch to the Crawmach when I need...just four screws.
The curved spider setup really works nicely to reduce spikes to a bare minimum....you really only see something in examining their shadow in the inside/outside focus diffraction rings. Planetary viewing is splendid at 1700mm focal length, baffling is great in cutting out flares from off-center bright objects, and resolution is pinpoint...Jupiters moons are discreet disks of varying size and color, and with 32.5% central obstruction( I leave the plastic slip cover off the secondary holder, which hides the adjustment screws- NEVER to be touched by the way!), contrast is still very high for discerning subtle banding.
Collimation is done via six bolts arrayed around the focuser under a snap-on rubber ring that can be removed, and holds very well. I've only touched it up once and is not that difficult...if you've adjusted a maksutov through the real cell it is very similar.
The stock 1-1/4" diagonal this comes with is a very solid unit, and is collimateble! While a mirror diagonal, it actually has about the same in-focus distance as my 1-1/4" Tak prism diagonal....not sure how this is. The 25mm and 10mm plossls included are excellent EPs that compare very well to orthos and even Televue plossls I have had....a quality kit all the way around! Mine came without a mount, but arrived safely encased in a wood crate, and neatly protected in fitted styrofoam in it box.
This puts up the cleanest and most vivid set of diffraction rings I've seen from any scope, including Intes-Alter and Lomo units, simply textbook and sharp, crisply defined. I have no issues with the open-tube design as it does reduce cool-down time...I use no dew-strips or flexible dewshields.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:10 Ease of Use:8 Value:10
Weight: 5
Date: 05/18/2015 09:26:47 am PST

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