Saxon Telescopes? Refractor For Camping.

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Sinerjee
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Saxon Telescopes? Refractor For Camping.

#1

Post by Sinerjee »


Hello Refractor Gurus.

I'm currently in the market for a refractor that will be good for taking camping with us. Some research has turned up the Celestron and Orion travel scopes however all the reviews mention a flimsy mount, and the low focal ratio puts me off a little.
We're predominantly going to be looking at the moon, planets and easier DSO's so I thought a higher ratio around f/10 would suit better?
Some basic requirements:
-needs to be refractor around about 100mm or less aperture to be able to take it camping with us.
-about 1000mm focal length would be the limit for the reasons above.
-$500AUD would be the budget (conversion rate is roughly .7 so would be about approx $350USD if you have US options that seem better.)
-ideally I can get some kind of carry bag that it will fit in to protect it somewhat while travelling. We do the occasional corrugated dirt road so it has the potential to get a little bouncy.

I've managed to find a couple that I think will do the trick but wanted to get some opinions first.

First off is a Saxon 90/900AZ3. I liked the look of this one because of the 90mm aperture with the f/10. Not sure how well the AZ3 mounts go though?
http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/telesco ... scope.html

Second was the Saxon 709AZ3. Smaller aperture at 70mm but still at 900mm focal length so sits at f/13. Also with not knowing much about the AZ3 not sure if it would like the longer scope.
http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/telesco ... scope.html

Last was the Saxon 70x700. Takes the smaller aperture and puts it with a smaller focal length so is only f/10. It also only has an AZ2 mount instead of the AZ3 of the others.
https://www.myastroshop.com.au/products ... =MAS-042A1

From what I've been able to find the Saxon scopes are just rebranded Skywatchers. I know nothing about either :lol:. Are they decent scopes? Would they be alright for camping? Are there any other better suggestions out there that would meet the camping requirement?

Cheers,
Adam
Scope: Celestron Astromaster 130EQ Reflector
Astromaster Lens and Filter Kit
Sinerjee
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Re: Saxon Telescopes? Refractor For Camping.

#2

Post by Sinerjee »


Also I'm not sure if this was posted in the correct section so let me know if it should go somewhere else and I can move it.
Scope: Celestron Astromaster 130EQ Reflector
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Re: Saxon Telescopes? Refractor For Camping.

#3

Post by Don Alvarez »


Sinerjee wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 12:51 pm Also I'm not sure if this was posted in the correct section so let me know if it should go somewhere else and I can move it.
Maybe. If it is I'd leave it for the mods to move.

I can speak to the first telescope on your list. Of the three, I'd recommend going with this one. Its an identical OTA as is found on my GT90, a very solid performing long achromat that is very good for planetary and lunar work and yet has enough light grasp to reel in some DSO's as well. It does very well with inexpensive eyepieces and will take a GSO 2" focuser if you wish to make that upgrade down the road. I use mainly GSO Superviews with it and a 2.5x Barlow (apo) The images are very good. It's a bit large but fairly lightweight to tote around in a bag or something.

The mount I'm unsure of. Its probably sufficient, certainly more stable than the camera tripods they include with the travel scopes you mention. Anything heavier is probably entering the realm of what I wouldn't consider a traveling kit, so its a catch-22. You want to keep it light, but since its light you should expect some instability. You will probably need to tweak it a bit especially the tension bolt on the alt adjustment. They can be overtight from the factory and that creates some sticky movement.
Telescopes: 10" SkyLine Dobsonian, 6" Apertura F5 Newt, Celestron Nextar GT90, Meade Infinity 80
EP: 5.5mm, 8.8mm, 14mm, 20mm, 24mm Meade 5000 UWA's, BCO's w/ Q-Turret, 26mm, 32mm, 40mm Meade 4000 Plossls, Orion Expanse, 30mm, 20mm, 15mm GSO Superview, Various others.
Binocs: 15x70 Celestron Skymaster, 10x50 Levenhuk Karma Pro, 10x42 Bushnell, 8x42 Sans & Streiffe
Mounts: Meade LX70 with dual axis motors, Celestron GT, More miscellaneous tripods than a Martian invasion.

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Re: Saxon Telescopes? Refractor For Camping.

#4

Post by helicon »


I'm not very familiar with Saxon scopes, but those options seem to be OK.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
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Re: Saxon Telescopes? Refractor For Camping.

#5

Post by Lady Fraktor »


A lot of the Saxon telescopes are a rebrand of Skywatcher telescopes in the Oceania region.
I would go with either #1 or #2.
#3 has a really good refractor but the mounting leaves a lot to be desired for stability.

These aluminium tripods can be a bit wobbly but can be stabilized quite easily without adding weight to them.
All have mediocre accessories packaged with them but they will get you out viewing.
I would replace eyepieces, diagonal and finder as the budget allows.
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II/ Argo Navis, Stellarvue M2C/ Argo Navis
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Takahashi prism, TAL, Vixen flip mirror
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss
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Re: Saxon Telescopes? Refractor For Camping.

#6

Post by Refractordude »


Sinerjee wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 12:50 pm Hello Refractor Gurus.

I'm currently in the market for a refractor that will be good for taking camping with us. Some research has turned up the Celestron and Orion travel scopes however all the reviews mention a flimsy mount, and the low focal ratio puts me off a little.
We're predominantly going to be looking at the moon, planets and easier DSO's so I thought a higher ratio around f/10 would suit better?
Some basic requirements:
-needs to be refractor around about 100mm or less aperture to be able to take it camping with us.
-about 1000mm focal length would be the limit for the reasons above.
-$500AUD would be the budget (conversion rate is roughly .7 so would be about approx $350USD if you have US options that seem better.)
-ideally I can get some kind of carry bag that it will fit in to protect it somewhat while travelling. We do the occasional corrugated dirt road so it has the potential to get a little bouncy.

I've managed to find a couple that I think will do the trick but wanted to get some opinions first.

First off is a Saxon 90/900AZ3. I liked the look of this one because of the 90mm aperture with the f/10. Not sure how well the AZ3 mounts go though?
http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/telesco ... scope.html

Second was the Saxon 709AZ3. Smaller aperture at 70mm but still at 900mm focal length so sits at f/13. Also with not knowing much about the AZ3 not sure if it would like the longer scope.
http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/telesco ... scope.html

Last was the Saxon 70x700. Takes the smaller aperture and puts it with a smaller focal length so is only f/10. It also only has an AZ2 mount instead of the AZ3 of the others.
https://www.myastroshop.com.au/products ... =MAS-042A1

From what I've been able to find the Saxon scopes are just rebranded Skywatchers. I know nothing about either :lol:. Are they decent scopes? Would they be alright for camping? Are there any other better suggestions out there that would meet the camping requirement?

Cheers,
Adam
Get that 90mm aperture scope. The more aperture the more light.
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Re: Saxon Telescopes? Refractor For Camping.

#7

Post by Bigzmey »


I have used AZ3 mount with 90mm F6.3 refractor for a few months. It is a usable mount. Shaky like many mounts in this price range, but usable. On a positive side it is very lightweight and compact.

I would pick 90mm over 70mm, but if you can afford extra $100 I would go with SAXON 1026AZ3 for camping scope. It will be less shaky on the mount, yet provide a bit more aperture and wider views for DSOs. I also prefer red dot finder over straight through 6x30.
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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