"Mike Fitterman" wrote in message
news:miURc.10766$gd1.9660@trndny05...
I have the ED80 and yes, I've looked in the slightly smaller version of
the
OA4. The OA design is a phenominal scope. Jon mentioned in a later post
that I sold my 6.5" which I did. I'm getting another OA from DGM. I'm
not
sure what's so bad about that one Jon? The design is really a great
design
for the aperature size. Neither of you have looked through the OA, I've
at
least looked though siblings of both designs.

Mike,

You seem very good at making assumptions. Dan has brought an OA to The
Conjunction some years, and I have indeed had a chance to look though an
OA4. There was also an OA 6.5 (or something around that aperture) at a
couple of local star parties.

Even though I have looked though an OA4, I have not spent a lot of time with
one, nor have I had a chance to compare one to a 4" APO, so I am hardly
going to express my opinion about how the two compare. I do have a good
idea what a phenomenal 4" scope can do, since we have had one here for many
years, but I am hardly going to pass judgment on two telescopes that were
not tested side by side.

I will say that, based on looking through a lot of scopes at a lot of
conventions, the differences between well executed scopes of different
designs having the same aperture are generally rather subtle (allowing a
little for central obstruction), and there are no telescopes that magically
overcome the limitations of their aperture.

Clear skies, Alan