Orion 80ED Telescope

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This is my current telescope. This telescope is beyond the beginner level. With a good equatorial mount, the right eye-pieces and accessories is becoming a very capable tool. I bought this telescope, mostly for astrophotography. I choose this particular telescope for it's high performance compared with the low price.

Specifications
Optical design: refractor
Clear aperture: 80mm (3.5")
Objective lens: Achromatic (rear element ED glass)
Focal length: 600mm (23.62")
Focal ratio (photographic speed): f/7.5
Focuser: Crayford, accepts 1.25" or 2" accessories
Resolving power: 1.45 arc secs
Maximum practical visual power: 160x
Light Grasp: 131x
Limiting Magnitude: 12
Telescope mounting: photo tripod screw 1/4"
Finder scope: not supplied
Diagonal prism: not supplied
Eye-pieces: not supplied
Tube body: seamless aluminum
Telescope dimensions: D=100mm x 390mm
Telescope aprox weight: 2.6kg (5lbs 11oz)

Comments
Orion Short Tube Telescope is a very good first telescope choice. I bought this telescope after I read a very good review in Sky & Telescope magazine, and I wasn't disappointed.

+Pluses+:

Portability. It's not heavy.
Price. It's probably the cheapest in it's class and in spite of this is delivering very good performance.
Dew cap it is fitted with a dew cap insuring dew protection and also the protection of the front lens.
The focuser accepts 1.25" or 2" accessories.

-Minuses-:

No Manual All you receive with the telescope is a pathetic sheet of paper, giving you hints about the product.
No Diagonal Prism.
No Eyepieces.
No Tripod. You need to buy an equatorial mount, that will cost you probably more than the telescope.
The tube is fitting a 100mm lens as well, therefore is a little bit bulkier that it should be.
The dew cap is not sliding back and this is increasing the size of the telescope making it a little less portable.

The Binocular & Telescope Shop is a good place to buy a telescope or any other accesory for a telescope.

Gabriel Ditu