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nobody

05 Oct 2010 22:25



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Rezumat:

The accessories included with these telescopes, whether as OTAs or as mount-scope packages, are few and include a better-than-average 25-mm Plössl eyepiece and a substandard finder. These finder scopes are the one really poor component in these Maks. They are far too small&#8212;6 × 20 for the 90 and 6 × 26 for the 102 and 127. Be prepared to replace these useless little things with something better.

The label on the tube says &#8220;Orion StarMax,&#8221; but these Maksutov Cassegrains are Synta through and through. That is, they are made in the Far East by Taiwanese optical giant Synta, Celestron&#8217;s owner. That is not a bad thing. Unlike some imported MCTs, the telescopes offered by Orion strike a good balance between modest prices and quality. No, they are not Questars, but they are similar in optical quality to them and to the ETXs.

Orion does sell some scopes in the United Kingdom and Europe, but nearly identical Synta MCTs badged as Skywatcher are easily available across the United Kingdom and the Continent.

All in all, we continue to be impressed by Synta&#8217;s MCTs.

