Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have owned both this scope and it's little brother, Orion's 90mm Mak. This one has all the same good points as its sibling and one less bad point; the tiny hokey finder from the smaller Mak is replaced on this scope with something that is actually useful and mounted well out on a stalk so you can look through it without banging your head. The 45-degree prism diagonal is the same: acceptable for daytime use, well worth replacing with a 90-degree mirror diagonal, even a cheap one, for astronomical use.
That said, I find that I use the 90mm scope more and I'm probably going to sell this one. I got this one because I have a weakness for Maks and because I thought the extra aperture would be worth it. It's not, for me at least. I already have a big scope for sucking up photons. The whole point of a little Mak is portability, and the 90mm scope is significantly smaller and lighter. I use it more for grab-n-go and more for travel, too. In my experience all of the Apex/Starmax scopes are rock-solid and well worth the money. If you're looking for one to be your only scope, I'd think hard about trading up to the 127mm version, which gathers 60% more light and will show you more stuff. On the other hand, if you're looking for a highly portable second or third scope, or a scope for birding or digiscoping, the 90mm version is small and lighter, and the light-gathering difference is only 20%.
That's pretty nit-picky, though. This a good scope and the extra pounds and inches it sports over its little brother are only going to be an issue if you're really minding weight and volume for travel. Even so, I have flown with this scope and would happily do so again...if I weren't getting rid of it. If there's a moral to all this, it's to think hard about what variables you're looking to maximize, and don't get suckered by aperture fever. Also, amazingly enough, it IS possible to have too many Maks laying around. Clear skies!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Orion Apex 102mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope
Powerful enough to split close double stars, resolve bright globular clusters, or look an eagle in the eye, Orion's Apex 102mm is both a fine astronomical instrument and an unparalleled terrestrial spotting scope. The Apex's 102mm-diameter (4") optics collect 28% more light than a 90mm scope. The fully multi-coated curved front meniscus lens guarantees the highest possible light transmission. The Maksutov-Cassegrain design collapses its 1300mm (f/12.7) focal length into a tube length less than 12" long. The Apex 102 tube easily pops on and off a telescope mount or camera tripod with the built-in 1/4"-20 adapter plate, and doubles as a high-power telephoto lens. Just mount a 35mm camera body (with T-ring sold separately) to the T-threads on the eyepiece holder and you're set! Includes 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece, 6x26 finder scope, 45-deg correct-image diagonal, and fully padded case. One-year limited warranty.
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