Full Review of the Explore Scientific ED127 Telescope - Is the Carbon Fiber Model Worth It?

If you're looking for a medium to large telescope, the Explore Scientific ED127 could just be the telescope for you! I'll discuss everything you need to know in this full review video, especially when it comes to astrophotography.

[@legacysearches4481]

I wanted this scope SO BAD but it was during covid and the price and wait time went crazy! I found a 152cf used for just a little more but with fast delivery. No regrets! It’s not THAT heavy but my 152 is 5 feet long with everything attached for imaging and total weight is around 30lbs…still guides under .5 riding on a eq6 R pro mount.

[@mlethbridge76]

Nice video Dave! I never realized how big the 127 is, it looks massive! Very nice looking scope, you should throw an off axis guider on that thing!

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Thanks Mike! Woah, woah... I'm not ready for that yet... Baby steps! 🤣

[@MichaelBen-Yehuda]

Thanks for the review on this scope. FWIW people put far too much concern on the glass type of only one of the three elements. That's what marketing hype does. Reality though is something else. What matters more is the accuracy of the lens figuring, the coatings on the other elements, the tube baffles and the accuracy of assembly. ES gets high marks for their coatings and figuring. I own the ED127CF FCD1 and won't trade it for the FCD100. If i lived in a Bortle 3 zone I might think differently, but living in a coastal and Bortle 7-8 area, the seeing is my limiting factor. Two things that ARE IMPORTANT. 1- Dont use the "rotator'" that is really the attachment of the focuser to the rear port. It is s horrible system. I had the focuser separate from the rear port and fall. Broke the focuser, and nearly my foot, which is what saved my astro modified DSLR. That connection is held on by 3 tiny grub screws and one small thumb screw holds it in place. The grub screws have to keep friction to prevent it from coming apart and have plastic nibs. With AP gear attached, the grub screws wear througb the plastic covers and start to dig into the metal of the focuser, wearing out the shallow groove their in. You might notice because it messes up collimation. You then collimate and tighten to the grubs and it digs more. Then, at one point a grub screw will work its way loose and boom, the back half hits the ground. The fix is to re-design the interface. I offered to do that fur then but ES would rather deny the issue is widespread 🙃. It's just us AP peeps who like everything threaded that suffer this. 🤣. So beware! Lock fish those screws and rotate the camera elsewhere. One other point. I've got the ES 1.0x flattener( might be discontinued) it actuality threads up and inside one of the 2" extension tubes, then you thread the extention on the focuser. No 53 to 48 mm reducer. Camera then threads onto the m48 threads of the adapter. Saves backfocus. Don't know if your .7x works the same way. It should.

[@avt_astro206]

Nice Review of The Scope! Looks like You have had Great Adventures Shooting Some Great Photos!

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Thanks man!

[@domino089]

Nice. I have ED102, this can be my next step, I love refractors. We just need some clear skies here in Vancouver. It has been so far a very bad year for astrophotography here on the west coast. Btw, why are you not guiding?

[@Loopy01]

I was actually interested in this exact scope, so the timing of this video review is perfect. I keep trying to find some ways to avoid upgrading my HEQ5 mount by looking at lighter scopes, but it seems that even the carbon fiber version would be pushing the limits of the mount. Looks like going to EQ6-R is inevitable..

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Haha, great timing! Yeah it's never good to push the limits on your mounts weight limit 😬

[@Alucard400]

I own the HEQ5 and EQ6R pro. I run with a couple of Explore Scientific Scopes- 102mm and 127mm, both aluminum and FCD100. The 127 definitely won't go on the HEQ5 and it's the only one that won't work out of my 6 setups (72ED, 102ED, 127ED, three for EdgeHD800). If you must run with just one rig, the 102ED is the way to go as you can still mount a EdgeHD800/SCT8 on the HEQ5 and any refractors smaller than 102mm. The choice of scope and mount should come from how many objects and which objects you like by their size. Refractors are best for nebulae but are great for a few galaxies. 102mm is the sweet spot for imaging most nebulae in my opinion. Then have your SCT8 for the smaller objects and galaxies.

[@Loopy01]

@@Alucard400 Thanks for that. Yeah right now i only have one scope - 80ED. I would like to stick to refractors for the simplicity of operation, but would also like to upgrade to a longer FL so i can start getting some detail on the smaller galaxies. I set my sights on the 127 (150 would be too large imo), but it's evident that a mount upgrade is required. Tbh the main reason that i'm delaying (other than money) is that i do like the portability of HEQ5. But at the same time i don't feel that the 80->102 upgrade would be worth the investment just to keep the same mount.

[@stephen.and.the.huskies3741]

Thanks for another great video!

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Thanks so much!

[@castronomy]

Nice scope and awesome images!

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Thanks so much!

[@robertmount156]

Hi Dave. I like the way you present, but I'm not too keen on the fellas that keep popping up "behind you!". As to the change in focus that you commented on, I suspect that this happens because the focuser is not up to the job. Whether imagine or viewing faint objects, it is usually necessary to sight the scope at least 40 deg above the horizon, in order to get clearer sky. The load on the focuser increases the higher you go and the focuser can start to lose its grip. This is made worse by changes in temperature because almost everything hanging on the back of scope is metal. With your set up, you need a quality 3" focuser such as a Feather Light. Regards, Bob

[@JB-bv6jl]

I like the pop ups, enjoy the sense of humour!

[@wesleyjohnson597]

666mm is my favorite focal length

[@geraldkimmich8018]

HI what parts did you use to connect your camera? Can you show a close up of that end of the telescope? Spacers, adapters, Flattener, etc. Cheers.

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Hello, so from the scope it goes reducer (which you need an adapter for) then I have a filter drawer screwed on to that (which also acts as a spacer), then the smaller spacer that comes with the camera and then the camera. It's fairly simple. You can probably see it in my video on the changes I made to the rig a little while back

[@davehyper7835]

Sod it... I'm getting one! Thanks!

[@MountainFisher]

The ED cf 127 is $2200 right now. F7.5 is good for visual.

[@falubii9712]

Really wish I didn't miss that sale, just bought one for 3,000.

[@Mr6sess]

The 152 version of this scope is not heavy at all 20.5lbs. Fully rigged up it's only about 26lbs.

[@boyanpungov8303]

The ES ed 127mm FCD-100 has a carving/thread on the dew shiled, what is it for?

[@jirisirucek5069]

Nice video, btw is the the glass of fcd 100 big difference against fcd 1 telescope ? Iam still choosing but idk, iam new at this hobby.

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Thanks! I would say the FCD 100 is definitely better and worth the increase in price

[@jirisirucek5069]

@@keystothecosmos7527 Thank you

[@daimokuroku9041]

Good morning, i am newbie to astrography etc., so i have a few questions about telescope choice and goto.: 1. Is better for dso Celestron xlt c11-s or explore scientific carbon fibre 127 mm. 2. Is goto really that important? Iam planning to learn coordinates of space objects by myself. 3. For info: iam living in part of earth, that is not polluted, and i can clearly see many stars by my old russian binocular and by clear eye.

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Thanks for your question. So the Celestron C11 would be great for visual astronomy. However if you wish to do astrophotography, the 127mm would be better because it's a more useable focal length and much more forgiving. I would really recommend goto when you start getting into bigger scopes. It's incredibly hard to find things manually when you're looking at very small section of the sky! And lastly, I'm jealous of your dark skies! 😃

[@lwizzit]

I almost bought this as a first scope, but smartened up and got a wide field GT71 to start with. I am getting itchy to move up. Like you, I’m using the CEM40 (non EC, I guide). Do you think the heavier aluminium would be supported with the camera , ASIAIR etc, or would I need the carbon fiber? How’s your balance? Also with the long scope, do you need a pier extension of some sort?

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Thanks for your comments. So yes you'll be fine with the aluminum version as far as weight on the CEM40. Balance on the CEM40 is tricky (see my video on it) and this scope is very front heavy. And yes I use a pier extension and would definitely recommend one as this scope is quite long 👍

[@robertharrigan8882]

where did you get the pier extension for the Ioptron CEM 40 tripod

[@keystothecosmos7527]

I can't remember exactly but either Ontario Telescope & Accessories or Telescopes Canada

[@RaduChelariu]

What's the length of the system, from extended dew shield to the end of the 533? Thanks!

[@keystothecosmos7527]

It's just about 45"!

[@RaduChelariu]

@@keystothecosmos7527 Wow, 115cm... that's a loooong scope!

[@keystothecosmos7527]

@@RaduChelariu Yup!

[@circonflexechess]

Complaining that the scope isnt fast enough Explaining that he doesnt need a wider camera Well ... Thanks anyway for video.

[@anata5127]

Are you claiming this one better on planets than SCTs? Nonsense. Your SCTs are probably not collimated.

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Thanks for watching. My EdgeHD is perfectly collimated 👌 While I definitely use it to do planetary, it's because of its focal length, not image quality. Focal length aside, refractors provide much better image quality IMO, especially for visual. The contrast is much better, in particular when you have a refractor with really nice glass. There's a reason they're so expensive!

[@anata5127]

@@keystothecosmos7527 Well, I guess it is matter of taste. Theoretically, refractor cannot compete with larger mirror scope. This is a reason that professional scopes anything but refractors. I have 140mm TEC and 9.25 edge. Tec never shows visually as much as edge.

[@palmereldrich]

That is very funny. Nonsense- all scopes vary and IF you've a great figure on your apo it'll WALK ALL OVER an Edge.

[@MichaelBen-Yehuda]

For planets you need resolution. Diffraction limit is based on aperture. There is no way that a 5" refractor competes with an 11" SCT on resolution. Also, target image size.. 2800mm fl vs 950. The problems come in though when you put them in the field. Does the seeing support the C11 aperture/resolution and FL? A good APO will give you better contrast. FWIW, the edge HD doesn't really support full frame cameras. You'll get vingetting with anything larger than about an APS-C size sensor.