Four-inch refractors occupy the astronomical sweet spot for backyard Galileos: big enough to provide great detail, small enough to put on simple, non-motorized mounts. The SV102ED2 uses low-dispersion glass in its two-element lens to minimize color aberrations that can cause annoying halos around luminous objects. Views are bright and crisp, with plenty of detail.
Review: Stellarvue SV102ED
Four-inch refractors occupy the astronomical sweet spot for backyard Galileos: big enough to provide great detail, small enough to put on simple, non-motorized mounts. The SV102ED2 uses low-dispersion glass in its two-element lens to minimize color aberrations that can cause annoying halos around luminous objects. Views are bright and crisp, with plenty of detail. Stellarvue […]
WIRED
Every unit is personally inspected and tested by either company founder Vic Maris or his senior technician. If you want to save a few hundred bucks, you can skip the two-speed focuser — Stellarvue's standard unit is also very smooth.
TIRED
Lens shield snags when extended or retracted. Logo is a slapped-on decal instead of being painted on — petty gripe, but it diminishes an otherwise marvelous rig.