Orion 80mm ED (3.15") Multipurpose Apochromatic Refractor

Above: Orion 80 mm ED Apochromatic Refractor Telescope.
Sold as an Optical Tube Assembly only as shown above with 2" Focuser, and Reducer to 1.25" (56,374 Bytes).
Click on image to see enlarged view (108,275 bytes)

The first moderate cost Apo Company Seven chose to place on line!

The 80mm ED is available as the Optical Tube Assembly only described on this page for use on third party mounts. Or, it may be purchased as a complete astronomical telescope with German Equatorial Mount and visual accessories as the Orion SkyView Pro™ 80mm ED EQ telescope. This telescope has become so well regarded for its balance of performance and value in its class that we hoped the design would be scaled up to produce a telescope with a larger aperture, one that would be even better suited for astronomical applications. And finally on 6 August 2004 this new telescope was introduced to the world at Company Seven as the 100mm ED telescope.

In the battle of who makes the best compact, multipurpose telescope an aspect has been lost in all the rhetoric - it is possible to buy a telescope that does not claim to be the finest in the world, but is one heck of a good balance between aperture, focal length, overall optical performance and cost. The Orion 80 mm ED Apochromatic refractor telescope is in that class of telescope, and it has earned its space in Company Seven's showroom.

Orion has developed a multipurpose telescope that can be readily produced economically overseas (solely for Orion) and which delivers a very rewarding experience. Its compact arrangement provides the telescope is suitable for variety of applications including:

• Astronomy
  • versatile, traveling low to medium power telescope
  • large Finderscope for use atop another larger astronomical telescope
  • photo-guide telescope
  • wide field of view astrograph
• Terrestrial
  • Low Power, Wide Field Terrestrial observing
  • Birding and Nature Watching
  • Use as a versatile Ultra-Telephoto Lens

The 3 inch (75-80mm) Apo refractor is regarded as a highly desirable multipurpose compact telescope - an excellent start into the hobby and a good lightweight alternate for those who own larger telescopes. These Apos get used more often than larger alternatives because they are readily managed, even useful on simple Alt-Azimuth mounts. They can deliver the light gathering and high contrast resolving power necessary to reveal many celestial objects with a very natural almost three dimensional appearance. Moderate aperture Apos provide a wider span of Field of View than any Reflecting or Catadioptric design with an aperture that can show similar detail, while they can reach the critical 200x threshold of planet and lunar observing that reveals details and changing features from night to night. And with their 2" Focusers, these telescopes can interchange accessories with larger telescopes which one may take out only on the steadier and more transparent nights.

ED Glass the air spaced doublet objective lens of the 100 mm ED is designed to provide precise optical color correction, and it is multicoated to improve contrast and transmission across the visual spectrum. The objective lens incorporates an Extra-Low Dispersion Fluorocrown FPL-53 extra-low dispersion "ED" optical glass from Japan; this is a glass crown element developed under laboratory conditions. Colors of the spectrum have differing wavelengths, to see this notice how in a normal optical glass prism the red and blue rays are bent at slightly different angles as they pass through. This dispersion results in color fringing that when looking through a telescope or telephoto lens usually appears as a slight violet halo around one object that contrast one against the other, and this can cause an overall lack of sharpness. In camera normal and wide-angle lenses this is imperceptible or can be corrected with other techniques, but telescopic lenses magnify the variation in focus between red and blue light rays. So the camera lens making companies (Carl Zeiss, Nikon, and Canon) pioneered Extra-Low Dispersion glasses and Fluorite crystal technologies to solve this problem. This ED glass material provides reduced chromatic aberration over similar f ratio achromatic designs in portions of the spectrum from the D (yellow), through C (red), F ( blue) and G (purple) Fraunhofer lines.

This technical materials improvement improves one of the critical aspects of refractor performance: reduction of chromatism. This means when one looks through the 80mm ED to a study a black bird contrasted against a light blue sky, or a green leaf in the distance, or the planets or Moon overhead then there is no perceptible false color fringing or violet halo around these objects; the colors are more properly rendered and finer details are seen. And since the colors ore more precisely brought to focus, then the color intensity is better - the more subtle variations in the tonality of the bands on Jupiter are more obvious, and fainter stars may be revealed than in a similar aperture achromatic telescope.

The good performance and low cost of the telescope is made possible in part by the low wages paid in China, the ready supply of cheap crown glass, and to degrees of automation and speed in manufacture. This process produces a lens made to a prescription that is good enough to provide views free of false color that are acceptable at up to about 60x per inch of aperture which is somewhat less than premium Apos. While this ED lens is not as esoteric in deign or materials as those of our most advanced Apos such as the Astro-Physics 92 f7 triplet Apo, and TeleVue 85 f7 Doublet Apo, the cost of the complete Orion 80 mm ED telescope will be a fraction of the cost of its superior cousins. The Orion 80mm ED will remain a lightweight, user-friendly, quick set up an go telescope capable of providing a lifetime of good service.

Also this lens design permits the construction of a more compact and improved alternative to traditional Achromatic f11 to f15 refracting telescope designs. This makes it practical to use the 80 mm ED on optional relatively lightweight Equatorial Mounts, and Photographic Tripods.

What does it do? The Apochromatic refractor has been the traditional top choice of visual astronomers. The combination of thermal stability, best view per pound of telescope, clear high contrast images, and apparent brightness can surpass more expensive designs such as the 5" Catadioptric and 6" Newtonian telescope. And the versatility of field of view and range of magnification is unrivaled by all other telescope designs except high performance Apochromatic refractors.

This portable telescope provides stunning lunar and planetary observing; it can clearly reveal the major changing features on several planets through out observing seasons. You may imagine you are seeing details on the moon as if you were in orbit - even though the smallest object you could see with this telescope will actually be about 6 kilometers in diameter! And yet it is so compact and lightweight that a child can manage it.

left: Orion 80mm ED locking 2" Focuser and Reducer to 1.25". Notice the innovative arrangement of the Focuser Lock, this prevents marring the drawtube as is common with many other moderately priced telescopes (52,574 Bytes).
Click on image to see enlarged view (88,227 bytes)

2 inch Focuser Aside from brilliant performance at higher magnifications possible with 1.25" diameter eyepieces, the telescope is quite at home with 2" eyepieces sweeping the Milky Way or Comet hunting. This is an easily manageable telescope with the unobstructed 80mm light gathering power and fields of view to recognize many of the popular bright deep sky objects. Tease subtle details out of the Great Nebula in Orion, the Andromeda Galaxy. See the entirety of immense nebulae including the Veil. Seek out more deep-sky wonders including Star Clusters, and Planetary Nebulae, etc. Try a TeleVue 55mm Plossl eyepiece on for size, working at 11x provides a true field of 4.4 degrees. The combination of field of view and light gathering power will make hunting the large deep sky objects very rewarding, even more so with optional light pollution rejection filters. Or take the plunge into awesome perfection of the TeleVue 22mm Nagler at 27x showing 2.3 degrees - suitable for both astronomy and nature watching, with a view akin to looking out of a port hole!

The relatively short focal length of the 80mm ED is made even shorter still with the optional focal reducer (offered by Company Seven to our 80mm ED customers), delivering wide-field views and allowing use of the 80mm ED for astrophotography too.

Notice the innovative arrangement of the Crayford style Focuser and Lock; this a low maintenance friction drive which eliminates the conventional focuser's use of a Rack and Pinion and need for lubricants. The adjustable set screw applies pressure to the Focuser Pinion thereby preventing the marring of the drawtube as is common with many other telescopes. The downside of this arrangement is that it requires a bit of getting used to for someone used to conventional focusers, the proper adjustment of the friction control is critical.

Features of the Orion 80mm ED Apochromat Refractor:

• Lightweight, yet precise mechanical construction of metal and aluminum:
  • Machined Aluminum, Black Anodized Front Cell
  • Cast Aluminum, Gray Textured Painted Focuser
  • Rolled Steel, Metallic Gray Painted Optical Tube
• 2" diameter rack and pinion focuser. Moves with smoothness and precision, with no hint of backlash or play
• Focuser draw tube includes reducer to accept furnished 1.25" (31.7mm) accessories
• Focuser tension adjusting/locking screw permits the user to secure focus with heavy loads attached (such as a film or CCD camera) so that focus will not accidentally change over the course of an exposure or viewing session
• Mounting Block with 1/4-20 tpi threaded socket allows easy installation on optional Dovetail Plate hardware*
• Quick Release Bracket for optional Orion Finder
• Dew Shield - slip on and easily removed
• Slip on Lens Cover with 52mm diameter on axis Aperture Stop
• Illustrated instruction manual
• One year Limited Warranty

* The Mounting Block permits the 80 ED telescope to be installed onto a conventional photo tripod head 1/4"-20 tpi attachment bolt. This single attachment point does not facilitate balancing the instrument, nor does it prevent the instrument from yawing (swinging left to right) in some circumstances. To attach those 80 ED telescope's sold by Company Seven onto equatorial mounts or dovetail platforms we offer optional Mounting Rings sold by the pair. These hinged rings clamp onto the telescope optical tube and are secured with a hand knob. We offer Rings for simple visual uses, or more sophisticated rings with platforms drilled and tapped to accept accessories including photoguide telescopes. All our Rings can be bolted onto a Dovetail Plate to facilitate quick installation and removal from most of the mounts we recommend for the telescope. The optional carrying bag that we offer for our 80ED's will fit the telescope, with Rings and our typical Dovetail Plate attached. Please contact us to discuss the available choices.

Receive a FREE Starry Night Special Edition software suite. Both the highly acclaimed planetarium software by Imaginova "Starry Night Special Edition" with a bonus "SkyTheatre" DVD are included FREE with purchase of any Orion-brand astronomical telescope from Company Seven.

"Starry Night Special Edition" is a basic version of the more capable "Starry Night" version 5.0 astronomy software series; this software will help you learn the night sky, see what is up day or night, now or in past millennia, plan your observing sessions, and print out charts and information about the celestial wonders. The set also includes "SkyTheatre", a DVD by Imaginova so your television or PC becomes a spaceship on a voyage through our Solar System. The set is compatible with both Macintosh computers running OSX version 10.3 or later, and with Windows XP for PC. Your personal planetarium and guide to the night sky!

Left: CD-ROM "Starry Night Special Edition" with bonus "SkyTheatre" DVD suite (43,322 bytes).
Click on image to view enlargement (85,180 bytes).

PUTTING A SYSTEM TOGETHER: As you read this, keep in mind that the 80mm ED is sold as a bare optical tube assembly. So in order to complete a telescope system to the point that one may be able to really begin to enjoy a telescope such as this generally requires at least:

a) Telescope Optical Tube Assembly (OTA)
MOUNTS: Regarding a choice of a suitable mount there are two basic arrangements. The choice may be a matter of convenience, or how you intend to use the telescope.:

Alt azimuth: Our first choice of mount for casual observers using the 80mmED is the TeleVue Telepod or the evolutionary Universal Astronomics heads. These mount heads are each relatively lightweight, easy to set up and use, can be fitted to most rigid photographic Field Tripods, and are well engineered to provide years of good service. These are a first choice for uses which include terrestrial panoramic observing since the alternative German Equatorial mount is unwieldy in such applications. However, for some uses in astronomy such as when one approaches those magnifications necessary to see meaningful details on the planets, or when sharing a telescope among numerous observers it becomes more and more challenging to precisely manually move the Alt Azimuth mount smoothly and simultaneously in elevation and azimuth.

Equatorial: If you seek to observe the planets or do other operations which require high magnifications, or if you wish to share the telescope with several others (especially young children), or if you hope to become involved in astrophotography, then we do suggest you place the telescope onto a German Equatorial mount that will provide a much easier capability to stay on a target in the sky. Company Seven does offer a good selection of practical and affordable German Equatorial Mounts for the 80mm ED, you may wish to start off considering a suitable economical German Mount such as the Orion SkyView Pro system.

German mounts are heavier and complicated to set up and use than Alt azimuth mounts, and so some people may find there is no one perfect solution for every problem and they may wish to have both types of mount in time.

Several of these mounts can accept a variety of optional encoder and digital display systems to help one navigate around the night sky or connect to a personal computer planetarium software program. These computerized aids to celestial navigation are distributed by Orion, TeleVue, Losmandy, and JMI among others (see our section at for a good write up of these systems which are quite similar to one another).

Please call us to discuss the available choices.

b) Alt-Azimuth or German Equatorial Mount, with Tripod

c) Portable rechargeable Power Supply (for the German mount if furnished with motors)

Highly desirable accessories for telescopes such as this include:

d) High magnification (about 150 to 200X telescope) eyepiece for views of the planets

e) Low magnification eyepiece (for views of the faint deep sky objects)*

This may necessitate an upgrade to a 2" Diameter Mirror Diagonal with the associated fittings.

f) Middle Magnification eyepiece - usually between 80 to 120X, for views of the full Moon, Sun, Star Clusters, etc.

g) Neutral Density Filters for viewing Moon, planets (usually set of 2)

h) Guide book (with Red L.E.D. flashlight for reading in low light)

i) Mirror Diagonal: Refracting telescopes when furnished with a right angle mirror diagonal provide the sharpest and most clear image through a telescope. The image is correct right side up, but is reversed left to right. Few people using this for nature watching complain about this since the view is notably better at higher magnifications which may be used occasionally for birding and more often in astronomy.

Those telescopes provided with the optional 45 degree angled image erecting prism diagonal provide images which are correct right side up, and left to right. This tends to be selected by few of our customers, including nature watchers since the view is less crisp and clear (than the mirror diagonal) at higher magnifications which may be used occasionally for birding and more often in astronomy. The prisms do not tend to illuminate the full field of view of low magnification oculars (such as the 32mm Plossl), and so some vignetting may appear obvious at the edges of the field of view. These prisms can not support 2" oculars.

The telescopes furnished with our optional 2 inch diameter right angle mirror diagonal (or Zenith Prism) provide the combination of the sharpest and most clear image through a telescope, and this can also accept very wide angle 2 inch diameter oculars, and 48mm threaded filters (polarizing, etc.). This is highly desirable for panoramic views of the country side, large areas of night sky (sweeping through the Milky Way) and observing large Nebulae such as the "Veil" and "North American", etc. The image is correct right side up, but is reversed left to right.

80mm ED TELESCOPE SPECIFICATIONS:

* Specifications are subject to change without notice.

FURTHER READING

To read additional information about the Orion 80ED sold by Company Seven feel free to download the Orion SkyView Pro™ 80ED EQ Telescope Instruction Manual. This is the complete 28 page illustrated instruction manual as furnished with our 80mm ED telescopes when packaged with the Orion SkyView Pro™ German Equatorial Mount. Publication content by Orion Telescopes and Binoculars, all rights reserved. From Company Seven's Archives. 2,949,488 bytes (in Acrobat Reader ".pdf" format).

C-7'S QUALITY CONTROL SERVICE:

All of the information we provide on line and by phone, or by E-Mail, with our expertise and our unrivaled showroom and museum (an increasing rare sight), and the fact that one may buy the basic instrument from us or elsewhere at about the same cost should be enough to persuade one to choose Company Seven. However, we do even better; we make it in your interest to buy from us. While Orion has been quite good at having the factories overseas produce a great value, once in a while something less than perfect slips by; a part is not machined just right, something is installed a bit off, a contaminant gets into the lens, or a component is damaged in transit. If you receive one of these telescopes, and if you know enough to recognize an anomaly then it is a simple matter to call Orion for a prompt exchange or replacement parts. We both have very good reputations for after sale support and a money back guarantee.

But for those who buy their 100mm ED from Company Seven, they do so with the assurance that their telescope will be "ready to rock" that critical first night out! For no additional fee Company Seven will assemble and check through the telescope for you. This is similar to the standard service we have offered for more than twenty years on our more costly telescopes, and it is at times misunderstood and unappreciated by those who are ignorant of what we do. This all starts and ends with our technicians who have many years of experience building amateur and industrial telescopes; our services provide a telescope that realizes its highest potential. As we unpack each arriving 100mm ED we evaluate cosmetics, often cleaning off surplus glue or dirt. We make adjustments to assure each optical and mechanical component is nominally installed and aligned; we are happy to provide you with the optional tools to check this on your telescope if it becomes necessary and more importantly we will teach you how best to proceed. We know the tricks to make the telescope perform better: how to reduce glare or ghosting, etc. We work so that our telescopes will perform as well as experience shows they can, and as we process the telescope we perform some tests that will reveal to our experienced eye whether or not the optics were made as they could be. And finally, we generate additional information that is provided to the owner which characterizes the potential of the telescope for visual and photographic applications.

One will never read a sad tale from someone who actually bought their telescope at Company Seven. We are so confident in our QC program that we promise if a telescope sold by Company Seven is ever returned to us with any manufacture related anomaly then we will correct it, return it to you at no charge, and reimburse your costs of returning the instrument for service!

"expert counsel brings value to a transaction, and profit should be the reward for a job well done"

SUGGESTED ACCESSORIES

1. Equatorial or Alt-Azimuth Mount: a good quality mount head and tripod or stand will be needed to steadily hold the instrument. An equatorial mount will be preferred for astronomy, more so for those who seek to attain its high magnification potential. A telescope of this high quality deserves a good quality, rigid platform to support it.
    
   
2. Mirror Diagonal: 1.25" diameter or preferably 2" diameter precision mirror so that one can comfortably view celestial objects with low magnification, wide angle eyepieces. The 2" to 1.25" Reducer provided with the telescope will permit the use of 1.25" eyepieces in an optional 2" Diagonal.
    

3. Eyepieces: Typically astronomers will wish to initially set up the telescope with at least two or three 1.25" or 2" eyepieces to address:
    
   • Low magnification: for views of the faint deep sky objects a 32mm to 35mm focal length eyepiece.
      
   • Middle Magnification eyepiece - usually between 80 to 120X, for views of the full Moon, Star Clusters, etc.
      
   • High magnification: for views of the planets

   Fortunately for those on a constrained initial budget, simpler eyepiece designs such as the Plossl, Orthoscopic will work well on this focal ratio telescope. If you prefer to see wider fields of view, and if you require long eye relief (distance from lens to the eye) to accommodate spectacles, then Company Seven recommends eyepieces of advanced designs such as those pioneered by Al Nagler, founder of the TeleVue company. TeleVue's advanced designs include the "Nagler", "Radian", or "Panoptic" series eyepieces. These oculars will provide the widest clear, and flat field images bringing out the most in your telescope (and many other) telescopes. For manually driven mounts in particular, wider field of views are also desirable since as the Earth rotates and objects drift across the field of view, a wide angler ocular shows an object for some time longer before having to adjust the telescope.
   

   Please refer to the brochure and the test report/data from Company Seven enclosed with the telescopes we deliver for detailed characterizations of many suggested eyepieces:

   Eyepiece	Magnification	Actual field of view	Exit pupil
   55mm Plossl (2" eyepiece)	11x	4.4 degrees	7.3mm
   35mm Panoptic (2" eyepiece)	17x	3.7 degrees	4.67mm
   32mm Plossl	19x	2.6 degrees	4.3mm
   27mm Panoptic (2" eyepiece)	22x	2.9 degrees	3.6mm
   24mm Panoptic	25x	2.59 degrees	3.2mm
   22mm Nagler (2" eyepiece)	27x	3 degrees	2.9mm
   15mm Plossl	50x	1.2 degrees	2.0mm
   8mm Radian	101x	0.59 degrees	0.9mm
   6mm Radian	100x	0.6 degrees	0.8mm
   5mm Nagler	120x	0.67 degrees	0.7mm
   3mm Radian	300x	0.3 degrees	0.4mm

4. Guide book: "Backyard Astronomers Guide" or "Nightwatch" by Terrence Dickinson, or "Starware" by Phil Harrington. For the novice from age 8 to 15 or so up to adult. Good introductions to astronomy, the use of telescopes, and their accessories. Easy introductions to finding ones way around the night sky.
    
5. David H. Levy Guide to the Stars Planisphere If you are not familiar with the night sky then Company Seven recommends you buy a good simple Planisphere which makes it very easy for one to find out what constellations and major deep sky objects are overhead at any given time of the day or night.

   The night sky is mapped with the Constellations being those patterns recognizable to man since time immemorial. Constellations can be thought of as countries or states on a world map, where if you seek the Grand Canyon then you know to find Arizona. While in the night sky when one seeks the Great Nebula then one looks toward the Constellation Orion. The Planisphere is a two piece assembly consisting of one disc with a chart of the entire night sky, and an attached overlay disc with a transparent window and surrounding mask to simulate the horizons. The overlay is dialed to line up its local time indicator marks with the Month and Day printed around the edge of the chart disc, and so when properly set this will reveal what parts of the sky may be seen at any time of the year. The print is easy to read under day or red light.
   

6. Red LED Flashlight such as the Rigel Skylite to help one set up and use a telescope, and to read charts or a planishpere without adversely impacting the observers night vision.

7. Camera Adapter: The Orion 80mm ED is at its best in astronomical applications, but may be used as a terrestrial telescope, or as a Super-Telephoto lens for video or 35mm film uses.
    
8. Focal Reducer: For visual or photographic use - sold as a courtesy ONLY to those who bought their 80mm ED from Company Seven. Shortens the effective focal length of the 80 ED telescope from 600 mm (f7.5) to 480mm (f/5.3). Corrector provides 35mm format Fields of view of up to about 5 degrees!
    
9. Mounting Rings (pair) - to eliminate possibility of lateral rotation of the telescope, and facilitate piggyback or guide scope payloads.
    
10. Astro photographic Guide Telescope with Mounting Bracket.
     
11. we suggest adding a good quality 50mm Right Angle Finder such as the Orion 9x 50mm Correct Image Finder. Or you may prefer a reflex sight such as our compact Rigel Qwikfinder, or the larger Telrad, or the "TeleVue Starbeam" illuminated sight: these will aid one in finding and centering objects in the main telescope and also help one learn the sky by "star hopping" from one object to another.
     
12. Neutral Density and Color Filters to reduce the brightness of the Moon and Planets, and highlight subtle features.
     
13. Sky Light Pollution Rejection Filter to reduce the greenish or golden background glow from city lights and darken the sky background - aid seeing faint Nebulae.
     


14. Orion Deluxe Case. A sturdy wood-panel hard shell case which has a black, water-resistant PVC skin. Aluminum edge rails and corner reinforcements ensure long-lasting durability. The custom foam interior fits the 80 ED like a glove, even with a 2" diagonal attached. Also holds up to three 1.25" eyepieces and a 6x 30mm finder scope with bracket. Twin latches and a carrying handle round out the feature set. External dimensions: 31" x 8-3/4" x 9". This case alone is not suitable for shipping a telescope.

    Click on the image at right to see enlarged view of the hard shell case
     


15. Orion zip up fitted and padded Carrying Bag (example made for an 8 inch Dobsonian telescope is shown at left) for safer, and more convenient transport the telescope optical tube assembly. The carrying handles are offset to allow one to easily balance the rear heavy telescope in the hand or over the shoulder. Keep in mind that these are very convenient and lightweight bags, but are not suitable for shipping a telescope.
     
16. Barlow or TeleVue "Powermate" Lens: Company Seven suggests you consider any of a number of 1.25 inch or 2 inch diameter Barlow lenses that we offer to double or more than triple your magnification. Furthermore, these accessories can project an image farther from the focuser to attain focus with most 35mm SLR cameras, optional accessories such as binocular viewers, etc. Contact Company Seven for suggestions on how to to best meet your goals.
     
17. Equalizer: A slip fit machined bronze, heavy 2 to 1.25 inch diameter reducer adapter. Helps to keep telescope balance when switching to and from light and heavy accessories and eyepieces. Particularly helpful when using telescope with Alt-Azimuth mounts.
     
18. Telescopes such as this often put the eyepiece at position that is only about 3 or 4 feet (0.9 or 1.2 meters) from the ground. Since most of our customers are taller than that, they will find it uncomfortable to stand bent over to observe for extended periods. For a much more enjoyable and comfortable observing experience, Company Seven recommends the Observing Chair; this is our most comfortable, flat folding, adjustable height seat. It is not inexpensive, but is so practical and can be used for camping or other times when a comfortable portable seat is desired.