A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

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John Baars Netherlands
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A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#1

Post by John Baars »


A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.
by John Baars

Performance of and differences between a 150mm widefield achromat and a 120mm apochromat. A personal review. Apple and pears are both fruit. Comparisons between the two are normally not done. Different taste, shape and bite. Still, we do it all the time. Consumers know the differences. Why bother for...
Read more...
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
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Don Quixote
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#2

Post by Don Quixote »


For some reason when I pull up the review the screen has a black background and it's difficult to read the text... any ideas?
Thank you, John.
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John Baars Netherlands
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#3

Post by John Baars »


Same here. When I submit the black version of TSS, it becomes readable. I'll ask.

[Edit: can't be helped at this time, sorry. It will become beter readable when you turn to the black version of TSS]
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
Amateur astronomer since 1970.
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#4

Post by Thefatkitty »


Well, black background or not, I squinted through it :D Very nice, John! It was quite an interesting read; definitely some points to ponder.

Thanks again and all the best,
Mark

"The Hankmeister" Celestron 8SE, orange tube Vixen made C80, CG4 & AZ-EQ5 mounts.
Too much Towa glass/mirrors.

H/A - PST stage 2 mod with a Baader 90mm ERF on a Celestron XLT 102 (thanks Mike!)
Ca-K - W/O 61mm, Antares 1.6 barlow, Baader 3.8 OD and Ca-K filters with a ZWO ASI174mm.
W/L - C80-HD with Baader 5.0 & 3.8 Solar film, Solar Continuum 7.5nm and UV/IR filters with a Canon EOS 550D.

Oh yeah, and Solar Cycle 25 :D
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#5

Post by Unitron48 »


No problem reading, John. Nice comparison....thanks for doing and sharing!!

Dave
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#6

Post by j.gardavsky »


Excellent comparison, based on a long time experience with the telescopes!!!

Thank you John for sharing,
JG
6" F/5 Sky-Watcher achro, 2" BBHS Star Diagonal, 2" zenith prism, 1.25" Takahashi prism
Leica 82mm APO Televid
Eyepieces: Docter UWA; Leica B WW and WW Asph. Zoom; Leica HC Plan S and L, monocentric; Pentax SMC XW, O-, XO; Tak MC O, Carl Zeiss B WW, and Pl, E-Pl, S-Pl, W-Pl;
Swarovski SW; Baader Symmetric Diascope Edition; Nikon NAV SW, ; TMB supermonocentric; Rodenstock; Vixen HR; TV Delos
Filters: Astrodon, Astronomik, Baader, Balzers, Zeiss West and East, Lumicon
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#7

Post by notFritzArgelander »


Very interesting read. Thanks!
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#8

Post by Lady Fraktor »


A very good article John, thank you for taking the time to do this.
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
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#9

Post by Don Quixote »


Got it John.
Thank you for this great review!
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#10

Post by Juno16 »


Very interesting article John!

Great data presentation!

Like Jg said, you know these scopes intimately.

Thanks, and very nice article!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#11

Post by Makuser »


Hello John. A superlative comparison and analysis report. I knew going in that the chromatic aberration would be an issue. To my knowledge, there are 6 of us on this forum here using a 6" class achromatic refractor. You and JG use the SkyWatcher branded 150 f/5. Bigzmey (Andrey) and I use the Celestron branded 150 f/5. Don Quixote (Mark) and Helicon (Michael) use the Explore Scientific 152 f/6.5. They work great on the moon, until you get near the limb, and then the chromatic aberration sets in, and the planets look like a kaleidoscope. But wait, we use these for the beautiful wide field, high contrast, and sharp views on the DSO's (faint fuzzies). Most of us have another more suitable telescope that we can use for planetary work. Thanks for your great comprehensive report John, and the very best of regards.
Marshall
Sky-Watcher 90mm f/13.8 Maksutov-Cassegrain on motorized Multimount
Orion Astroview 120ST f/5 Refractor on EQ3 mount
Celestron Comet Catcher 140mm f/3.64 Schmidt-Newtonian on alt-az mount
Celestron Omni XLT150R f/5 Refractor on CG4 mount with dual axis drives.
Orion 180mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain on CG5-GT Goto mount.
Orion XT12i 12" f/4.9 Dobsonian Intelliscope.
Kamakura 7x35 Binoculars and Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars. ZWO ASI 120MC camera.
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#12

Post by DeanD »


Thanks John: great comparison: well done!!! As you say, it is pretty much as expected, especially with planetary and lunar views in the apo: but it is great to have a more in-depth analysis.

Marshall, I also have the Celestron 150 f5 achro. ;) Great for widefield and faint fuzzy views on a budget. I would love to have an Esprit 150 or the Evostar 150, but I couldn't justify it without selling my TSA102: and that isn't going to happen; so my achro has to satisfy my lust for size- and it does it surprisingly well.

Keep up the good work John, and happy viewing.

- Dean
Telescopes: 12" f5 dob, Celestron CPC800, 150mmf5 Celestron achro, Tak TSA102, TV76, ETX125...
Binos: Steiner Wildlife XP 10x26, Swarovski 8x30 Habicht, Zeiss SFL 8x40, Vanguard Endeavour 10.5x45, Fuji FMTR-SX 10x50, Tak 22x60, Orion Resolux 15x70
Eyepieces: way too many (is that possible?), but I do like my TV 32mm plossl, 13mm Nagler T6, 27mm Panoptic and 3-6mm Nagler zoom, plus Fujiyama 18mm and 25mm orthos and Tak 7.5mm LE
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#13

Post by Greenman »


Useful review, too often there is a default to the most technical solution. However, there are always compromises in every solution. As shown here.
Cheers,

Tony.

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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

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Post by pakarinen »


Nice review, thanks. I selected the text with my mouse so the black background shows as white text on royal blue.
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

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Post by Makuser »


DeanD wrote: Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:35 am Marshall, I also have the Celestron 150 f5 achro. ;) Great for widefield and faint fuzzy views on a budget. I would love to have an Esprit 150 or the Evostar 150, but I couldn't justify it without selling my TSA102: and that isn't going to happen; so my achro has to satisfy my lust for size- and it does it surprisingly well.
- Dean
Hi Dean. I am sorry that I missed you in the group. Well, that makes 7 of us now. :lol: I really enjoy my XLT150R refractor, as it is easy to carry out, setup, and a joy to use. This Fraunhofer doublet refractor does a great job on the faint fuzzies for the cost. A scope this size in a ED or APO version is way out of my price range, especially since I am retired now. Thanks for reminding me Dean, and the very best of regards.
Marshall
Sky-Watcher 90mm f/13.8 Maksutov-Cassegrain on motorized Multimount
Orion Astroview 120ST f/5 Refractor on EQ3 mount
Celestron Comet Catcher 140mm f/3.64 Schmidt-Newtonian on alt-az mount
Celestron Omni XLT150R f/5 Refractor on CG4 mount with dual axis drives.
Orion 180mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain on CG5-GT Goto mount.
Orion XT12i 12" f/4.9 Dobsonian Intelliscope.
Kamakura 7x35 Binoculars and Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars. ZWO ASI 120MC camera.
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#16

Post by Bigzmey »


We should open 150ST club! :)

Excellent review John! Matches my experience to the letter. 150ST is my favorite scope for open clusters, large nebulae and low power walks along the Milky Way. It is also riches surprisingly deep on faint galaxies, even though I now have bigger guns for that.

Smaller APO/ED scopes my favorite tools for doubles and casual planet/Moon observing.

When I want to go deep for faint galaxies or high resolution on planets/Moon, I roll my large SCT out.
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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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#17

Post by helicon »


Thanks for the review John. 6" Achros despite some of the weaknesses, are excellent scopes for general observing. My 6" frac is out almost every clear night.
-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: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#18

Post by Doug James »


It is definitely a very interesting read . Thanks for posting it.
Celestron Omni XLT 120 Refractor, Orion XT8 Classic Dobsonian - Telrad finder - Sirius Plossl 1.25" eyepieces 40mm,25mm,17mm,
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#19

Post by Makuser »


helicon wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 2:50 pm Thanks for the review John. 6" Achros despite some of the weaknesses, are excellent scopes for general observing. My 6" frac is out almost every clear night.
Well, now I count 8 of us using this variety of telescope.
Marshall
Sky-Watcher 90mm f/13.8 Maksutov-Cassegrain on motorized Multimount
Orion Astroview 120ST f/5 Refractor on EQ3 mount
Celestron Comet Catcher 140mm f/3.64 Schmidt-Newtonian on alt-az mount
Celestron Omni XLT150R f/5 Refractor on CG4 mount with dual axis drives.
Orion 180mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain on CG5-GT Goto mount.
Orion XT12i 12" f/4.9 Dobsonian Intelliscope.
Kamakura 7x35 Binoculars and Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars. ZWO ASI 120MC camera.
>)))))*>
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Re: A 150 mm Achromat and a 120 mm Apo, a personal review.

#20

Post by Bigzmey »


Makuser wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 7:10 pm
helicon wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 2:50 pm Thanks for the review John. 6" Achros despite some of the weaknesses, are excellent scopes for general observing. My 6" frac is out almost every clear night.
Well, now I count 8 of us using this variety of telescope.
Everyone should have it. :D A great performer in amazingly compact and lightweight package.
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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