Although Meade recommends the UHTC coatings package for improved brightness, I locate the improved contrast is much extra spectacular. I compared the ETX105EC, at 4.13 inches of aperture, side by side together with my 5 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain. The view of Saturn at 200X magnification in together telescopes was nearly identical. The Cassini division in Saturn's rings was obvious, and I could see 5 moons all-around Saturn together with together scopes. The inner moons Tethys and Dione were easier to spot together with the big SCT. The ETX105EC together with UHTC, however, was the clear winner on contrast and color. The UHTC coatings just eliminated much of the scattered light this robs contrast from the views in my SCT. Saturn's equatorial belt was the same apricot color in the 4 inch ETX this I see in much big scopes. When I looked at Jupiter together with the ETX105EC, the pale orange-tan color of the famous Excellent Red Spot was plainly visible.
The Autostar controller brings outstanding pointing accuracy. My usual set-up starts together with centering Polaris in the scope, then leveling the optical tube. This automatically sets the telescope's "home position" inside one degree of true North and altitude. Afterwards a careful configuration the other night, the "simple align" routine put the first alignment star, Rigel, inside the field of view. And the second star, Procyon, was just outside the edge of the field. Simple as can be. (Nightwatch by Terence Dickinson will introduce you to these brighter stars by name.) Even w
The Autostar controller brings outstanding pointing accuracy. My usual set-up starts together with centering Polaris in the scope, then leveling the optical tube. This automatically sets the telescope's "home position" inside one degree of true North and altitude. Afterwards a careful configuration the other night, the "simple align" routine put the first alignment star, Rigel, inside the field of view. And the second star, Procyon, was just outside the edge of the field. Simple as can be. (Nightwatch by Terence Dickinson will introduce you to these brighter stars by name.) Even not including precise alignment to North, the alignment stars were shut enough this I had no trouble together with the configuration. Autostar's guided tour of "tonight's excellent" still located each object but Saturn in the low power field of view, and Saturn was just outside the field.
The model 884 tripod integrated in the ETX105EC package is well matched to the telescope. I saw very little vibration while utilizing the straight up Alt/AZ position. I locate the telescope tracks very smoothly in the equatorial position as well, although putting the full weight of the telescope over one tripod leg doesn't inspire confidence.
The only flaw in the whole ETX105EC package is the right angle finder scope. The finder works well enough - in fact I like the picture orientation this matches the main scope - but it's so shut to the eyepiece this my nose gets in the way when I try to use smaller eyepieces. I was effective to use my favorite Ultima 7.5mm eyepiece for 200X magnification only by replacing the right angle finder together with the smaller straight thru finder from my ETX90. You can in addition exist together with the finder by utilizing a barlow lens or a taller eyepiece such as the Orion 10.5mm Lanthanum (concerning 140X) for high magnification views of the planets. --Jeff Phillips
Pros:
This version of the ETX-105EC features Ultrahigh Transmission Coatings (UHTC). The UHTC coating permits the highest levels of light transmission (concerning a 20% enhance in total telescope light transmission compared to the standard coatings) ever offered on amateur telescopes. Together with UHTC coatings are on all four optical surfaces, the detail of deep-space objects is spectacularly increased. The ETX-105EC yields 36 percent extra light-collecting power than the ETX-90EC. The entire range of celestial objects--the eight key planets, the Moon, galaxies, nebulae, star clusters--as well as terrestrial objects, may be observed together with a significant, and immediately apparent, enhance in resolution and picture brightness. At the same time, the ETX-105EC supports much of the compactness and ultraportability of the smaller-aperture ETX-90EC.
Use the standard pushbutton electronic controller at any of four dual-axis speeds: 8x sidereal for picture centering in the main telescope at high power; 32x for picture centering at lower powers or for pushbutton object-tracking in the altazimuth mode; slow mode for picture centering in the viewfinder or for terrestrial tracking of nature and sightseeing; or medium speed for quick slewing across the sky. The observer can instantly pick and choose any of these speeds just by depressing the speed button on the controller.
The telescope’s ultraportable design lets the viewer to view from any flat surface, be it a window sill, car hood, or picnic table. The optional tripod will raise the telescope to any comfortable height.
The Nuts and Bolts
1. Eyepiece 2. Viewfinder 3. Eyepiece Holder Thumbscrew - Tightens the eyepiece in situate. 4. 90° Eyepiece Holder - Holds the eyepiece upright for simple viewing. 5. Optical Tube - The main optical component this gathers the light from distant objects and delivers this light to a focus for examination together with the eyepiece. 6. Vertical Lock - Controls the manual vertical movement of the telescope. 7. Fork Arms - Hold the optical tube in situate. 8. Focus Knob - Moves the telescope’s optical tube in a finely-controlled motion to achieve precise picture focus. 9. Horizontal Lock - Controls the manual horizontal rotation of the telescope. 10. Computer Control Panel A. ON/OFF Switch. B. Auxiliary Ports - Offer connection for existing and future Meade accessories. C. Handbox (HBX) Port - for the Electronic Controller or the optional Autostar handbox. D. The 12v connector, intended to believe an external power source such as the optional AC Adapter or Power Wire. E. LED power indicator light.
11. Base Housing - Maintains the telescope for positioning on a flat, altitude surface, such as a tabletop or optional tripod. 12. Holes for Optional Tripod - See your tripod’s instruction sheet for mounting information. 13. Right Ascension (R.A.) Environment Circle. 14. Flip-Mirror and Flip-Mirror Control Knobs - ETX telescopes contain an internal mirror. Together with the flipmirror control in the "up" position, light is diverted to the eyepiece. Together with the flipmirror control in the "down" position, as shown in Fig. 2b, light proceeds straight out the photo port for photography. 15. Photo Port - Attach any 35mm camera together with a removable lens to this port utilizing an optional adapter. 16. Declination Environment Circle (on left fork arm). 17. Viewfinder Alignment Screws - change these screws to align the viewfinder. 18. Viewfinder Alignment Bracket. 19. Dust Cap 20. Battery Compartment (not shown, beneath base).
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If the previous reviewer has experienced poor optical performance he should contact Meade as this is not what most owners report. That said, at lot of factors affect your ability to view distant objects, such as Saturn, clearly. Not the least of which is the atmospheric conditions where you are viewing from. I have viewed the moon through this telescope using a 6mm objective and found the image to be very sharp. The same night I viewed Saturn and found it to be somewhat fuzzy.
For a good idea of what the capability's of this scope are see the pictures taken through it at: http://www.thedirks.org/astro/
The biggest problem with these scopes is there Vertical and, to a lesser extent, Horizontal gears used for tracking objects. Often they have a lot of backlash and can easily become stripped as one tends to over-tighten the Vertical locking mechanism to compensate. Instead the Astronomer rebuilt the gears in our scope so that they now work perfectly. The Arkansas Observatory, which houses a large Meade Telescope of its own, offers this tune-up service for around $250 per scope.
An excellent source of information about these scopes along with pictures taken through them can be found at: http://www.weasner.com/etx/menu.html.
For information on haveing a Meade or other brand of telescope tune-up by the Observatory click on "Services" at: http://www.arksky.org/