A Future Cult Classic? The Vixen ED81S Refractor!

[@edcar61]

I just give you a thumbs up automatically even before watching. I enjoy your video so much. Thanks.

[@joemills950]

Me too, look forward to Ed's videos.

[@danbieche5382]

I learn so much from you man keep it up. Thank you

[@brandonrunyon]

Great, a whole brand of scopes I didn't even know I didn't have but need to buy now

[@LifeIsAnArt95]

As a newbie to the hobby I truly appreciate your straightforward, in-depth and fascinating reviews! They are the best the out there and so easy to listen to because of your fantastic gift of presenting them! Fascina-Ting and Ed-Ting are synonymous!!! Many thanks!!!!!!!!!

[@edting]

Haha, I have to remember that one!

[@kenrouse6860]

I'm CERTAINLY IN,! Thanks, Ken Rouse

[@rsramanujam]

What’s a Monday morning without a video from Mr.Ed? I am very unlikely to become an astrophotographer, but I still watched this first thing in the morning!!

[@KingLoopie1]

I love these comparisons! Thanks, Ed! Keep them coming! Especially these midrange scopes of any design. That's generally where I shop the used market...

[@edting]

Will do my best, KingLoopie1!

[@TheStarHound]

I'm an ED 81S owner. I agree with you, Ed. It is a high quality refractor. It is my grab 'n go scope and I love it for most objects (but for the very faintest of fuzzies). It absolutely rocks on the moon, the brighter planets, and double stars. Clear skies to all!

[@douglassmith1215]

I have a 140NA and it is an unusual scope but I've grown to appreciate it. I didn't use it much at first because the visual images are not ideal. But I've lately started imaging more in narrowband and for that it's really quite good. Very fast (only 800mm focal length for 140mm diameter) with a very flat field. Also, the focuser is really strong and very precise. It's very long but not all that heavy. I think the cost was about the same a good 4 inch APO refractor. For luminance, I use a #29 deep red filter or an Astronomik ProPlanet 642 filter. That cuts down on the modern day light pollution and the achromatic effects.

[@layersofonion8073]

Vixens are so underrated in my opinion. Their SD115s refractors are amazing and so are their other models.

[@titobattaglia7932]

Every Vixen piece of kit that I have is outstanding. My Advanced Polaris, light as it is, is spectacularly precise in its tracking and has no backlash to speak of. My SD81S is a gem of a little scope and it has shown me sights that I'd never have thought possible with such a small aperture. I'm now considering a used R200SS for larger aperture tasks.

[@titobattaglia7932]

Hey Ed, I just brought home the more recent but identical SD81S. I'm pretty stoked!

[@OlliesSpace]

Interesting look Ed, I've seen these scopes around and this explains their cult status. Bit like my 1985 Yamaha U3 piano I can't imagine playing anything else.👍

[@UzairH]

Ed thanks for this 😀 Love your reviews, very calming and pleasant to listen to. Along with the channel Watchfinder you are my go to guy for such geeky product videos without the usual bombast we have on KZbin. Vixen certainly makes beautiful looking OTAs. I wish they'd focus more on ED apos

[@edting]

Thanks for the nice comments!

[@markihde4381]

Another informative video. It seems that I do not own any of the telescopes that you have reviewed, but these videos inspire me to get outside and use the telescopes that I do own. I, too, am a refractor nut job. Thanks for your positive and entertaining posts!

[@mikeisss79]

I'm really enjoying these reviews covering various ED refractors. As an owner of the Celestron variant of the ED80 it's also somewhat reassuring to know that optically the ED81S doesn't exactly blow the ED80 out of the water. Of course I still want one though :-)

[@StargazerFS128]

Nice scope! my Vixen GP carries my TSA-102 to this day, it is really a gem of a mount.

[@mif1118]

I love your reviews! Excellent. Thank you!

[@jajmcg]

I've been saving up for a SD115S, but maybe the ED81S instead. I love my VMC200L and am excited to eventually own a Vixen refractor. Thanks for doing these reviews Ed.

[@avt_astro206]

Very Comprehensive Review Ed!!

[@dedskin1]

Thanks for showing us how it looks , i thought you wont .

[@TheAngryAstronomer]

Interesting. I'm pretty new to the hobby in a relative sense (last few years) and I've considered Vixen to be one of the nice premium brands from the get go.

[@tim71pos]

Vixen is the low end of the high-end. On this model things like the focuser, visual back, and rings are lesser quality execution than what you would get out of an astro-physics or a cff. But it's priced appropriately and the hardware is usable as sold and does a pretty good job. Focuser can handle an astrophysics diagonal and xw40 eye piece but it's problematic if you want to use a Daystar quark combo for solar h alpha. The little cap on top of the dust cap on the front is fun it is 40 mm and allows you to explore what a 40 mm apo is like. You see the sky exactly the way Galileo would have seen it if Galileo had had lanthanum glass a tracking mount a dielectric diagonal and Pentax eyepieces.

[@astroblast9352]

I love Vixen telescopes. My 103s has the best optics of any telescope I've looked through. And that's saying something. The 81s is a great scope also.

[@julese7790]

Very interesting review. I totally understand the "Vixen Crazy" peoples. I have a VMC260L & a FL55SS. I love them :)

[@crumbly5265]

Hello Ed i’m a supporter and have taken your advice for the reviews you make it really helps

[@edroberts5193]

Ed, it would be interesting to get your views on the Vixen FL80S and how it compares to these Vixen scopes.

[@nordmende73]

Thank you!

[@lizzymendez6644]

Thanks for the video! Always love finding anything coming from your channel. Is it worth to get the Vixen ED 102s? For visual and imaging

[@richardchamberlain8802]

I have been using my SD81s for 3 years now. It is a great telescope, with great optics. The focuser does have annoying image shift, but it gets the job done. The scope has very good contrast. Looking at the Orion Nebule, sometimes I can see more contrast than my 8 inch Parks reflector. Great double star scope. I can even make out globular clusters with averted vision. They actually start to resolve with this scope, although they are very dim. Not bad for a 3 inch scope. Jupiter, on good nights, I can see the red spot color and banding. When Jupiter is at its closest, the moons are discs. Highest power eyepiece usually is around 7mm. Sometimes I can go higher to split double stars, even though you are seeing the Airy disk. I use this scope much more than my 8 inch reflector because the images are sharper and the scope is easier to use. Also, I want to think Ed Ting for producing these videos and his web page.

[@richarddavis1375]

The focuser on my scope was doing some image shifting as well, and annoyed me too. I adjusted it via instructions I found on the internet and all is well now. In fact, now I feel it's a really good focuser. If you haven't tried it it's worth giving it a shot.

[@MarkMphonoman]

I too have a high regard for Vixen 👍

[@richardchamberlain8802]

I’ve owned a Vixen SD81s for one Year now. Excellent optics. Good star splitting scope. Focuser is ok but has image shift. Splits Lyra double double every night using a 10mm eyepiece. Splits Airy disk using 5mm eyepiece. Izar splits most nights using 5mm eyepiece. Star test shows a little color on each side of focus on bright stars only. Otherwise I don’t see color fringes when in focus.

[@elija6582]

Is the SD81 the same as the ED81?

[@RadgeCanary]

@@elija6582 The optics are the same. The ED had a better focuser - the SD has a simple single-speed one. The SD has better baffles. Note - the new SD81Sii has a ring spacer in the objective, rather than the old Vixen foils, so if you do AP the new model won't have the "reverse lighthouse" shadows around bright stars.

[@peter7624]

I bought a Vixen 102mm achromat on the Polaris mount which I used while living in South Africa. It was on the aluminium tripod (EQ-3?) and was a great scope. Some great views of the planets, star clusters etc. in that rich southern sky. I even used it to watch Shoemaker-Levy smash into Jupitor. No apochromats available then so I never even thought about the CA..

[@edting]

Those old Vixens are really nice.

[@TucsonBillD]

Hi Ed... I just had a chance to review the images of the moon as seen through the Orion and the two Vixen scopes you used in this review. On my iPad Pro 2020 model, running a 12.7” (diagonal) monitor running (at least) 4K resolution. From what I saw, when I expanded the image to show approximately 1/4 of the moon, the Orion image was the lowest resolution, the Vixen ED80 was slightly more contrastier, and the ED81s was the most contriastiest. Now, I must admit that these differences are slight... but, they still show just how good the ED81s is.

[@edting]

Thanks for looking at those! I see what you see, but the differences are small like you said. On the other hand, refractor lovers obsess over stuff like this.

[@TucsonBillD]

Like you and me, Ed.

[@TheT0nedude]

I still have my vixen GP FL102 f9 bought in 1996...superb optics.

[@edting]

Nice - I'm jealous!!

[@ohwell2790]

I have a model 21011 Celestron 102 mm refractor and can not find any information on it. The doubles in Lyra are so well resolved one would think they are not doubles at all. Perfectly round and a gray blue color and easily goes to 220 power, have no idea how old it is. Use a 2X barlow and a 6 mm eye piece and the image does not break down. KIngman AZ 3,700 feet and 5% humidity. Clear skys to you. Thank you for the videos

[@terrywhite6269]

Nice review, Ed. I ordered a TEC APO180FL F/7 recently. Do you plan on posting any TEC reviews on your channel? Keep up the good work!

[@andyyy6307]

Ed, how do you think this telescope would compare with a Vixen FL80S?

[@SheltonDCruz]

Saturn and Jupiter is over my head every morning here in Brisbane Australia :)

[@edting]

I'm going to get to the OzSky ranch one of these days!

[@TucsonBillD]

Maybe the question should be, Ed, would you consider adding this scope to your collection of scopes? And, if so, why?

[@Robin-Visser]

Eds videos are always fun to watch. Not that i do something with the info😅. Just to fill my time on a nice way

[@Tuffjobs]

I foolishly sold one of these thinking it was a cheap scope even though I was blown away by the optics. Bought a takahashi fsq80, Only difference was the tak had zero purple fringing on bright objects. Sharpness was identical although the takahashi is something special.

[@hectormendez6483]

Hey ED, I watched a ton of your videos. Thank you for your hard work. Im looking for advice on what to buy for my telescope endeavors. How can i get advice ?

[@brayd8235]

Instant notification click love ur content

[@edting]

Ha, thanks!

[@deeber35]

I have a Nikon D5500. Are these the items I need to connect to this scope: Vixen Reducer & Flattener 0.67x for ED TS-Optics Optics T2 Adaptor for NIKON Cameras Vixen adapter from M60 to T2 ?

[@MrLink-dk7yn]

Great videos!

[@JamesAdams-ev6fc]

In last week's comment I wondered whether a review of the Vixen R200SS reflector might be possible. Well, with very little self-control I have just purchased one, and it is en route. This is a very light weight reflector, less than 12 pounds, that has been described as "a reflector that is almost as easy to use as a refractor". Vixen deserves more of the market, I think.

[@edting]

Wow, an R200SS! I'm jealous!

[@JamesAdams-ev6fc]

@@edting I'm no expert, but if you want, I can tell you what I find out using it and the Vixen Corrector PH. Maybe this will encourage more people to look into Vixen scopes. Thanks for your channel, I enjoy the reviews tremendously. All the best.

[@ultrametric9317]

That was fun :) That NS140 "Neo-achromat" almost made me bite once, but user reports brought me to my senses. It was fun that Vixen would try something like that. I would be a little reluctant to buy an ED scope without a collimatible lens cell. Was the diffraction pattern nice?

[@edting]

Yes, the star test was excellent. I've stopped talking about that because it confuses beginners. Of course a collimatible lens cell would be nice. On the other hand, my Sky 90 and Stowaway don't have them.

[@deeber35]

And does this scope need a flattener when shooting at 625mm? I heard this scope may not need 1.

[@goldenboy06]

I’ve just taken ownership of a lovely Vixen SD115S. Any chance of a review of that model?

[@edting]

I haven't seen one of those yet.

[@ronboe6325]

I have the NA140 and there are a few times I'd like to upgrade the focuser - but not too often. It's a bit sharper than my Surplus Shed 127mm 1200mm - but I was surprised how well the SS optics compared to the Vixen. On an iMac, at 1080p, the moon shots showed the 81s to be sharper with more apparent detail - but then I've been doing some Nikon glass shopping so I might be calibrated to see small differences. :)

[@edting]

Thanks for the update on the NA140 focuser. I hadn't thought about that in a while.

[@Lionchuu]

Hello Ed, are there any specific telescopes that you recommend for people that live in Bortle 7/8 zones? I have a budget of $1000AUD/$750USD for a first telescope. Are the 8"/10" Dobsonians the best bet for me? I really enjoy watching and appreciate your videos. Cheers :)

[@edting]

Yes, I still think the 8" Dob is your best bet!

[@miertjestoer9525]

Hi, can you also use the mount, while you sit down in a low chair? Or is it a little too highe? Thanks. For me with a lunt 60 solar telescope.

[@edting]

It depends on the mount, the optical tube, and your height. On a G11, you will never be able to sit down. With the AVX, you should be able to sit down for most angles the scope may be pointed, but keep in mind the back of refractors get very low to the ground on smaller mounts.

[@miertjestoer9525]

@@edting I mean with the vixen porta 2 mount. Thanks!

[@mikesanders3902]

Hey brother , how about a review about that Mewlon beside you👀

[@wanderingquestions7501]

No reviews about truss RC scopes?

[@phakeacount2228]

I should have waited for a used Great Polaris for my TV101 instead of the AXZ. It would not have been so glitch-prone without all that electronic crap.

[@brandondearment549]

It looks great, but I can not find anyone that has one in stock.

[@edting]

There is a worldwide shortage of telescopes right now. We're all in the same boat. Hopefully this will clear up soon.

[@brycebaines2831]

Hey Ed what is your favorite deep sky telescope?

[@edting]

For deep sky, I'd probably name the 12.5" Obsession I shouldn't have sold.

[@lornaz1975]

Ed at around 7:35 / 8:00 is the dual speed focuser an after market addition or does the scope come with it?

[@edting]

That's an aftermarket focuser added by the owner.

[@lornaz1975]

@@edting Ok. I kinda thought so. I have an 81s version 2 on order so I will look for the part and possibly a Baader click lock if they make one for it. thanks.

[@jeffblazey7802]

A nice overview and thank you. Regarding optical quality, please elaborate as to optical quality. While it is informative to say the optics are execellent, please be more specific for us refractor-aholics. Excellent optics means: no/scant spherical aberration, coma or astigmatism, the big three. Also your comparisons with the other three 80mm doublets was photographic, not visual. My personal comparisons with my sample Orion 80mm ED showed no differences up to my magnification limit of 200x. Which brings up another issue, these are one off samples and there is sample to sample variation. But thanks for the overview.

[@richardchamberlain8802]

No coma. Very little color inside and outside of focus on bright stars only. Objects in visual focus show no color fringing. The optics are probably the best in its class, meaning a doublet. The Vixen SD81s replaced the ED81s. I have the SD81s. Its basically the same scope. The scope is well priced because it doesnt have a high quality focuser. The focuser is fine though.

[@stevenhope3697]

Hey Ed! You reviewed and panned that little handheld 10 power scope a while ago. I saw an another add for it where they used your review but edited your words to make it look like you liked it. These people are crap.

[@TheD1rtyRider]

Apparently the new SD81s only have a 1 speed focuser.

[@jochenkraus7016]

You can get the 1:7 focusser separately for - let me look it up - :-o - 209€

[@jochenkraus7016]

There seems to be an ED and an SD variant of the 81S that are not too far apart in pricing. What's the difference between them? This video makes me want to buy it although I already got an A81M not too long ago :-)

[@edting]

Oooh, I didn't know that!

[@jochenkraus7016]

@@edting More refractors to collect ;-)

[@astroblast9352]

The 81S ED is the older version and the SD81S is the newer model. I understand the optics are the same, but the internal baffles are a bit different. The new SD81S allows for a larger format camera to be used. Otherwise they are pretty much the same scopes they always have been. Both should be very good.

[@edting]

Thanks for the clarification.

[@jochenkraus7016]

@@astroblast9352 Thank you. So I put an SD 81s on my list, also the flattener/reducer package, a 2" diagonal, some 2" eyepieces (note to self: It's a trap!) ;-)

[@deborahlindgren9669]

I’m in! Please

[@thambone30]

What are the best telescopes for astrophotography under $1,000? What are your top 6?

[@skypowergb3842]

i have 60mm refractor and now im looking for something bigger becouse its in bad shape ( i got it when i was 7 or maybe less) my budget is 500$ and im in europe (croatia) so buying outside eu is not option , before one year the biggest aperature i could have bought is skywatcher skyliner 200p but now price is 600$ , i would like to take pictures of what i watch the best camera i have for taking photos at night is gopro hero 7 black , i would like more details on planets and use it for dso , the problem is i live in suburban sky polution 5-6 , with 60mm i watched: moon,jupiter,saturn,venus,mars m31, m42 and beehive cluster . i took photos of m42 and moon , saturn and jupiter did show some detail while mars and venus are just dots except venus show shadow , i could maybe add diy motors to telescope with arduino(only calculations i dont know hot to do) , unfortinetly i dont drive now but i will by the end of this year but there not a lot of places in croatia where i could go the best sky is in areas where landmine fields might be so the best case could be 4-3 . which telescope should i buy

[@King0neEurope]

I thought about getting the SD115S which right now costs about 2600 bucks where I live. But now Im considering to buy the SD81SII which would cost me 1150. so not even half. Does somebody have experience with the two? Is the SD115S worth the price?

[@richardchamberlain8802]

I own the SD81s. I wish I could afford the SD115s. Globular clusters would be much easier to see in the bigger scope. if you bought the SD115s, you would not need another scope for a looong time.....

[@tim71pos]

If you own one of these telescopes run don't walk to get the Baader visual back part #2458196 it will greatly increase the security of the grip on your diagonal. Alpine Astro, Agena, etc., about $100. Since I got the ED81s (now called the SD81s) I have a couple of other 3 inch class scopes and I don't use it as much as I might. But I can't bring myself to sell it. Cream puff.

[@alexanderpeters2368]

Great review! Always fantastic videos. Does anyone know the image circle of the 81S? I am looking to get a telescope that works with full frame Canon R systems. Thank you in advance!

[@edting]

That's a good question. Maybe someone here knows. FWIW I used a modded EOS 5D Mk 3 to take those images, and I didn't see much if any vignetting.

[@alexanderpeters2368]

@@edting I will do more research on this and find out. I am currently using a Canon FD 300mm L F4 from the 80's and a Canon R6. Is there a Telescope you would recomend for Full-frame Astrophotography? The Canon lens is a "doublet" and I am looking for a triplet with more focal length. The Esprit series looks amazing but that is out of my price range, I have a CEM40 on the way.

[@jochenkraus7016]

According to their German site, the ED variants were designed for APS and visual observation and the newer SD cover 44mm. That's also what someone told me here in the comment section. www.vixen-astronomie.de/produkt-sortiment/teleskope-optik-tubus/refraktor-teleskope/

[@tuduki5545]

The FL80s body and ED80 is interchangeable. Vixen is classic.

[@tjzambonischwartz]

It's ironic that Vixen is sourcing some of their stuff from Synta these days, given that Synta built their entire empire initially on cloning Vixen stuff.

[@edting]

Ha, good point!

[@lornaz1975]

I wonder how would it compare to a TAK if they even make an 80mm?

[@richardchamberlain8802]

A TAK is much better made. If the TAK is a triplet, then the optics would be a true APO. The SD81s is a doublet. A very good doublet for visual use. A triplet APO is needed for high quality astrophotography. For just visual use, the SD81s is about as good as it gets optically, for a doublet. The scope is priced well because the focuser is not high quality like the TAK.

[@grandmasteryoda9893]

​@@richardchamberlain8802 many tak apo are not trippet and its a lie you cant take good images with a doblet

[@grandmasteryoda9893]

wish vixen made more triplets

[@majorskepticism7836]

In 1990 I bought a C80 fluorite on a Super Polaris mount for $1,000 from Astronomics. I will not part with it.

[@edting]

Those were really nice scopes.

[@majorskepticism7836]

@@edting They had the C80F for $1,000 and the C102F for $1,600, both on Super Polari. I had the money to buy both. Hindsight…

[@jeffreyburley4033]

Just a little note here. I find it very disturbing if a refractor manufacturer designs an instrument in a refractor style that can be culminated. Just the simplicity of a lens "cell" or lens "grouping" design screams to keep your fingers off of it. If a manufacturer gives you that capability then that product is not made hefty enough for daily use. Nothing against Takahashi as a refractor manufacturer but you have commented a few times about one of yours that goes out of culmination and requires an expert to correct it. If the scope had been designed and built properly, why do you need to mess with it? These are just my thoughts and opinions but, one thing is for sure, I will never buy a refractor that can, and therefore, will need culmination.

[@edting]

Yes, others have mentioned this. I'd love for all refractors to have collimatible lens cells too but for some reason they don't do it. The Sky 90 doesn't, nor does my A-P Stowaway. The TeleVues don't either.

[@borzak101]

Cheap price from cheap labor and strong advertisig wins each time unfortunately.

[@808d0l3]

I've viewed several of these videos, and always catch the part where you explain your club "tricks out" a telescope you donate to libraries. I work for the city of Santa Fe in NM, and would love for our libraries to be considered for that donation. We have beautiful skies devoid of light pollution, and I know we would spark so much interest with a donation like that. Please let me know what I can do!!! Please feel free to contact me for my personal contact information!