Post by scopesnc on Jan 3, 2015 16:58:51 GMT
OTA Impressions and why I posted
Thought I would post my report on here about the new Explorer Scientific 152 Carbon Fiber OTA I'm using, and how video comes at us from another angle as well.
I have already posted this report on another web site in the refractor forums. I thought the report would be of help here just as well.There are some ( on that other site ) who like to justify their expensive OTA's by always criticizing other manufactures. It does not matter that in almost all the cases they have never really owned or had hands on this equipment. They spread the rumors anyway. They use other peoples theories all the time to back up what they claim. Theories are just that. THEORIES !
All this to justify to others why they spent extra thousands of dollars on a particular manufactures product. Funny thing is most of us do not care at all. Good for them if they are happy with what they have. I'm sure the extra money was well spent for their wants and needs. I'm also sure what they have is fantastic too. It should be. Look what they paid. I will add to this idea now. I have seen simple cheap set ups perform in video just as well as expensive ones . Video has managed to shall we say ( level the playing filed a tad more ) . I see it all the time. I have seen simple 6 inch reflectors show deep sky objects just as well as any other OTA using video. A larger OTA may bring in a tad more detail on deeper objects , but only to a small degree in most cases. Video can be a cheap way of going big with out a big set up. Video can show live on line to others what you are saying and what the equipment can do. Live on line can silence most critics because the proof is right there for all to see. LOL Got to love that Video stuff. I have said this before in other words , but still the same message again from me. I don't care what you have or how much you paid for it. Most of us do not care. Does it work for your needs? Does it do what you had in mind when you bought it? If so then great. Good for you. I'm happy if your happy with it. As for what I have. Well don't knock it. I own it for me not you. I could care less about what you think of my equipment and why you think it is inferior to yours.
OK enough of my rant as to why.
Here s my report on my Explorer Scientific 152 Carbon Fiber OTA. Maybe it will help someone else sometime.
==============================================================================================================
Hi all and Happy New Year.
The set up was this. Ipotron IEQ45 mount, Mallincam Xterminator, ES 152 carbon fiber ota , running at f/4 using MFR3
I finally had a chance to use this new Explore Scientific 152 Carbon Fiber again ( third real good run ) . I had about 15 people on line watching as I broadcast the views through this OTA. Everyone liked the views and made comments about the details we were seeing. There is no false color as others have claimed this OTA has. The moon showed us none of that. The screen captures I have posted along with this report show no false C A either. Using the newest Mallincam Xterminator with the 828 chip I expected there to be some kind of color which is almost a given with these cameras, yet there was none. That alone is a huge surprise to me. I expected some kind of color in and around the stars as I have even seen Tak's on line showing some color and almost all OTA's do show some hint of it. OH and no don't go there. I'm not saying this OTA is better than a TAk, only telling you what I have seen in the past and know. Not so much the OTA's fault as the video cameras themselves. These type video cameras bloat the stars and as such almost always produce some color along with that. We did not see any of this tonight. When I went to the moon it had no fringe on it's edges either. The edges were as clear as one could ask. No false color fringe here.
The captures were adjusted to add more color each time . You will notice the purplish nebula around the brighter stars almost making one think the stars had a violet fringe to them, but they did not Again it just this camera causing the affect. Look at the outer stars in each capture and you see they have no color.
I'm not a astro photographer and will not say anything about how well this OTA would do in that category. I'd have no idea , but my guess would be , just fine. As a visual person with eyepieces it would be a fine OTA too, others I know are happy using them just for that reason.
The following link should show screen capture examples, you may have to cut and paste it in.
Putting the image here so you don't have to link away from this forum site.
I was out for almost 4 hours and the temperature dropped about 20 degrees in that time. The focus never changed. I'd take the theroy of focus change on Carbon fiber and through it in the trash. This is the third time out with big temperature changes and not once did this OTA have to have the focus adjusted. At this point you can argue all you like about it. It is not even a deal breaker for anyone to worry with.
As for cool down time. Well I can't really say. Mine stays out in the observatory and cool down is not an issue for it . I guess if someone is going from a warm house out in to the cold all the time it might mean something to them to lose the extra 20 minutes or so on cool down times. Not sure can't say.
All those watching tonight saw how well this OTA performs and I'm really pleased with it's performance. The color correction is really good on this OTA and I think ES has done a splendid job with it. For the money it is an absolute steal of a deal IMHO, the sale made it all the better. In the end it comes down to this for me. Simply put. I like what I have and it works well. Had I listened to others as some people do I may have missed out on this great deal and a nice OTA. Thank goodness I didn't listen to them OTHERS. LOL Most people would be pleased to own this telescope. I'm really happy with this telescope and that is all that matters in the end.
Thought I would post my report on here about the new Explorer Scientific 152 Carbon Fiber OTA I'm using, and how video comes at us from another angle as well.
I have already posted this report on another web site in the refractor forums. I thought the report would be of help here just as well.There are some ( on that other site ) who like to justify their expensive OTA's by always criticizing other manufactures. It does not matter that in almost all the cases they have never really owned or had hands on this equipment. They spread the rumors anyway. They use other peoples theories all the time to back up what they claim. Theories are just that. THEORIES !
All this to justify to others why they spent extra thousands of dollars on a particular manufactures product. Funny thing is most of us do not care at all. Good for them if they are happy with what they have. I'm sure the extra money was well spent for their wants and needs. I'm also sure what they have is fantastic too. It should be. Look what they paid. I will add to this idea now. I have seen simple cheap set ups perform in video just as well as expensive ones . Video has managed to shall we say ( level the playing filed a tad more ) . I see it all the time. I have seen simple 6 inch reflectors show deep sky objects just as well as any other OTA using video. A larger OTA may bring in a tad more detail on deeper objects , but only to a small degree in most cases. Video can be a cheap way of going big with out a big set up. Video can show live on line to others what you are saying and what the equipment can do. Live on line can silence most critics because the proof is right there for all to see. LOL Got to love that Video stuff. I have said this before in other words , but still the same message again from me. I don't care what you have or how much you paid for it. Most of us do not care. Does it work for your needs? Does it do what you had in mind when you bought it? If so then great. Good for you. I'm happy if your happy with it. As for what I have. Well don't knock it. I own it for me not you. I could care less about what you think of my equipment and why you think it is inferior to yours.
OK enough of my rant as to why.
Here s my report on my Explorer Scientific 152 Carbon Fiber OTA. Maybe it will help someone else sometime.
==============================================================================================================
Hi all and Happy New Year.
The set up was this. Ipotron IEQ45 mount, Mallincam Xterminator, ES 152 carbon fiber ota , running at f/4 using MFR3
I finally had a chance to use this new Explore Scientific 152 Carbon Fiber again ( third real good run ) . I had about 15 people on line watching as I broadcast the views through this OTA. Everyone liked the views and made comments about the details we were seeing. There is no false color as others have claimed this OTA has. The moon showed us none of that. The screen captures I have posted along with this report show no false C A either. Using the newest Mallincam Xterminator with the 828 chip I expected there to be some kind of color which is almost a given with these cameras, yet there was none. That alone is a huge surprise to me. I expected some kind of color in and around the stars as I have even seen Tak's on line showing some color and almost all OTA's do show some hint of it. OH and no don't go there. I'm not saying this OTA is better than a TAk, only telling you what I have seen in the past and know. Not so much the OTA's fault as the video cameras themselves. These type video cameras bloat the stars and as such almost always produce some color along with that. We did not see any of this tonight. When I went to the moon it had no fringe on it's edges either. The edges were as clear as one could ask. No false color fringe here.
The captures were adjusted to add more color each time . You will notice the purplish nebula around the brighter stars almost making one think the stars had a violet fringe to them, but they did not Again it just this camera causing the affect. Look at the outer stars in each capture and you see they have no color.
I'm not a astro photographer and will not say anything about how well this OTA would do in that category. I'd have no idea , but my guess would be , just fine. As a visual person with eyepieces it would be a fine OTA too, others I know are happy using them just for that reason.
The following link should show screen capture examples, you may have to cut and paste it in.
Putting the image here so you don't have to link away from this forum site.
I was out for almost 4 hours and the temperature dropped about 20 degrees in that time. The focus never changed. I'd take the theroy of focus change on Carbon fiber and through it in the trash. This is the third time out with big temperature changes and not once did this OTA have to have the focus adjusted. At this point you can argue all you like about it. It is not even a deal breaker for anyone to worry with.
As for cool down time. Well I can't really say. Mine stays out in the observatory and cool down is not an issue for it . I guess if someone is going from a warm house out in to the cold all the time it might mean something to them to lose the extra 20 minutes or so on cool down times. Not sure can't say.
All those watching tonight saw how well this OTA performs and I'm really pleased with it's performance. The color correction is really good on this OTA and I think ES has done a splendid job with it. For the money it is an absolute steal of a deal IMHO, the sale made it all the better. In the end it comes down to this for me. Simply put. I like what I have and it works well. Had I listened to others as some people do I may have missed out on this great deal and a nice OTA. Thank goodness I didn't listen to them OTHERS. LOL Most people would be pleased to own this telescope. I'm really happy with this telescope and that is all that matters in the end.