Explore Scientific AR102 Air-Spaced Doublet Refractor Telescope 102mm dia. f/6.5

I am an EAA convert from a visual backyard guy. Look at the great colors this scope shows. Compare this photo from my AR102 to the photo in SkySafari for M27. Pretty close.

I purchased my AR102 back in 2016 as a "grab and go" scope, but it has evolved into my favorite instrument for both casual observing and deep-sky imaging. It is a well-made instrument, with good components and a solid feel. Yes, it is an achromat, so there is some color around the brightest objects, but the lens is very sharp and gives great views of the Moon, planets, and double stars from my front yard. It easily resolves the components of Epsilon Lyrae, Gamma Virginis, and other close doubles, and with a Barlow lens gives good views of Jupiter and Saturn. Under dark skies the Double Cluster and Orion Nebula are breathtaking, and when I attach my DSLR I get great astrophotos of everything from globulars to galaxies. All in all it is a great entry-level scope that will stand the test of time as one advances in the hobby.

Ive had this scope for over 7 years now, I also have the 80mm Ed CF, the 127mm FDC100 CF and 6" reflector. At first the CA was a problem to me, as I do mostly astrophotography. I found that using a duo O111-H-Alpha filter pretty much wipes out the CA and light pollution. I now use this 102 AR more than any of my other scopes by far. The other scopes are either to small for most objects, or to big to fit in the field of view. This is just the right size for 75% of my objects. Ive taken 20 min subs with this setup mounted on a PMC 8-Exos2 gt. Im extremely impressed with this setup. Customer support is outstanding at Explore Scientific you can't go wrong making your purch

I picked up one of these scopes to offset my Celestron 8 Inch Newt so I could have something with wider fields of view. The comments regarding this scope is not for astrophotography???? I will provide a link to some images of the moon I have taken with this scope. It is not a bad scope for imagining as some are saying that it is not good for astrophotography. :(
I first like to point out this is not an advanced scope. Yes it has some CA but with a nice Baader Semi APO or fringe killer filter; it eliminates most all of the CA. Secondly if you want to get good flat images; I would suggest the 2 inch field flattener especially if you are using a DSLR camera or even a ZWO model camera. I found nothing wrong with the images it produces. I thought it was a great scope for the price and I would recommend this scope if you're starting out in astronomy or imaging and want to see more of the sky.

I purchased this scope several years ago with the idea of using it for a grab and go scope. It soon became a goto scope for deep sky and planetary imaging. It works very well mounted on my Sirius mount and gives very wide field views with various cameras. As mentioned earlier in other reviews it does have some chromatic aberration. My solution is to use a high quality Agena 2" Color / Planetary Filter - #8 Light Yellow or an old Celestron Minus V (Baader made). There is still CA around brighter stars but can be handled by processing. As long as you are aware of this issue there are many well documented work arounds. The quality of workmanship, optics and mechanical design are very high. The oversize dew shield is outstanding for dew protection. Was able to run the telescope all night in high humidity with everything else dewing up but not the main objective! CA is not objectionable with visual observing and #8 filter. I have obtained high quality, color images, of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars with this telescope and a ZWO120 MC camera. The CA does not seem to affect the actual surfaces of the planets. Overall it is great for the money!