So far, I simply LOVE this scope and everything works perfectly.
Special THANKS to David for all his help and patience with me! :))

Sincerely,

James

I just tried your new Megrez 90 and I'm impressed! This is my first WO scope and I like the quality of the telescope. I just had it out for one night and I'm convinced that this will be my main imaging scope. I'm attaching some photos that I have taken through the Megrez 90 APO with 0.63 reducer and DSI camera.

Mario B.

I got lucky tonight, had great transparency / seeing for first light with the WO Megrez 90. Since there was so little information on this new scope, I will do my best to offer my first impressions.

First, I am NO expert at astronomy. I consider myself a casual observer...who just happens to like really good optics :-) I have very good eyesight compared to the general population. Since all opinions on a Scopes performance is relative to something else, I decided to compare the Meg 90 with my TV 102iis. I put them side by side, had a nice array of EP's of the same quality, mostly Naglers and Pans, to keep them both at the same magnification when doing comparisons. I visited a hand full of different clusters and Nebula.

I compared both side by side and had another observer do the same. My goal was to compare each cluster at the same magnification.... i could not always get it exact, but close enough for this informal comparison. Since these scopes are different apt., I will not state the obvious, such as seeing a very slight bit more gaseous zone in Orion nebula. I was trying to compare the optical performance, not the differences in apt.

First the Scopes, the TV102iis, is f8.6 880mm APO doublet. The Meg 90 is f6.9, 621mm fl, APO Doublet. Physicals.... the Meg 90 is a very small scope compared to the 102.... At infinity, the Meg90 measured 25" vs. 39" for the 102", both with dew shields fully out. The difference was quite noticeable on the mounts, and it really touched on some of the comments made on this list regarding why fast scopes are so desirable these days. In this case, slightly less apt., and faster f ratio, created a substantially shorter scope that is very easy to manage on the mount, with min. movement of the EP height when moving from the zenith to the horizon. A welcomed change indeed. Also balancing was no issue as the Meg90 was so much shorter and lighter. In compressed mode, with dew shield back, the Meg90 measured 20" with 2" diag. A nice small portable package with diag on.

The fit n finish on the Meg90 is excellent for a scope in this price range. The focuser is the nicest I have ever used. The 102iis has a feathertouch focuser made for imaging offering two speeds, similar to the WO focuser. Although the TV focuser is sufficient, the WO focuser is superior... it is highly precisioned and very robust with NO play. I also like the smooth black finish on the focuser, a nice touch.... it gives the scope a very eloquent look IMO. The TV design is more traditional.... I did not understand the carbon fiber diag till it arrived, and I find it very attractive and quite unique.... almost artistic. The focuser also has a unique feature I found interesting.... the focuser has a mount base built into it. You can attach a dovetail plate or some other connection adapter. There is a top set screw that enables the focuser to pivot around the OTA, (like twisting a diag.) so you can orient the plate for a side or bottom mount, while keeping the focuser in proper orientation. The advantage is, you really don't need clamps, unless you have some type of special mount that requires a certain plate that will not fit the 3 holes built into their mount plate. All in all, it adds to the Scopes compactness and saves the user from buying tube clamps, quite clever design.... so consider this savings on top of the $999 price tag. The TV102iis is $2700 for the OTA.

So with all the nice cosmetics, I thought the WO would have skimped on the optics. Hence why I wanted to compare side by side, so I had a good reference, as I consider the TV102iis a well designed scope ....and at f8.6 it is long enough to provide good performance with an APO doublet. Stars are crisp and sharp, no false color and good contrast. It's size is a bit of deterrent....hence why I was interested comparing it with the meg90, a much more manageable scope.... here is the general consensus, both of us shared the same findings... its always nice to have a second person cross checking what your seeing....

I started with a few of the brightest stars at 150x, the diffraction patterns were similar... slightly different, but very hard to quantify. So nothing radically different, so I moved on to magnifications which I consider the most useful for scopes of this size... 20x & 27x - the Meg90 was tack sharp... maybe a tiny edge over the TV102. 38x - 55x nearly identical 80x - The Meg90 was trickier to focus, as focus came in and out of focus faster than the TV102, which I assume is nothing more than its faster speed. But when you got it right, it was sharp.... maybe a very tiny edge to the TV102... too close to really call...

150x - The TV102 gained a bit, partly cause of the greater apt. and due to its longer f ratio, I would give it a slight edge at this magnification. But without the side by side comparison, I would never complain about the the Meg90 view.

So, IMO, I think WO did a good job designing this scope.... I feel they made the fastest scope possible at this apt. while utilizing an APO doublet (not a triplet, adding weight and cost). The result is a very small compact scope (on a relative basis to its performance) which is very manageable and has very good optics at an amazing price point vs. other 90's.

Just to clarify.... there was another hobbiest (Evan) that compared the Meg90 to the SV90T, an APO Fl triplet. He noticed an edge to the SV, which does not shock me, as the SV utilizing an APO triplet and FL glass might have yielded some differences that I did not see comparing an APO doublet vs. an APO doublet. If someone has an ultra critical eye, its possible they would see things I don't see, but I doubt it. I would have liked to have seen the moon to check for any CA... If a person does imaging, maybe this scope is not as effective as the other scopes in this category, as the CCD chips are more sensitive than our eyes, whereas it would pay to use a scope that has even greater level of correction. I don't know this to be true, just something to consider.

All things considered, IMO, this was a very good purchase. At $999 ($100 extra for diag.) the performance is excellent and the scope is a very manageable size, saving money and additional weight on the mount you select. A true Grab n Go Scope. I also tested it in terrestrial mode and it was stunning.... an excellent spotting scope, which a nice BV'er would provide the ultimate binoc. viewing. It's small size makes it a very versatile scope for both terrestrial as well as astro.

I bought direct from WO's , they were very pleasant to deal with, very knowledgeable, the product comes with a 14 day money back guarantee and the warranty is 2 years. They shipped the product the same day I ordered it, it arrived the next day..... So at this price, and with a risk free guarantee, I gave it a try, and turns out, I am very happy with it.

I am basing this review on what I saw in the Scope. I have no connections to WO, and never used any of their products prior to this purchase. I don't plan on becoming a WO Angel and defending the company at any cost. I won't join their Yahoo group and bash others that have had negative experiences with WO's. I have no real knowledge of their dealings as discussed on this list... I simply wanted to share my experience regarding this Scope, whereas there was not a ton of information available on the web.... and I am very appreciative of all the time and energy fellow hobbiest take to make all the reviews on the web..... so I tried to return the favor, and I have learned, reviewing these products is very time consuming! I have presented everything to the best of my ability...

Bill

It finally arrived and lo and behold our weeks on end of clouds parted sufficiently to check it out for about an hour.

First impressions.
1) Fantastic build quality as expected. Actually it's more even better than I expected.
2) Amazingly smooth and strong focuser.
3) Way bigger than I thought it would be. It is just a couple of millimetres to large to fit in my 125mm guide rings
4) I really really love the captivated dew shield.
5) Packaging was superb. Nothing short of an elephant stomping on the package would have damaged it.
6) The dielectric diagonal is MASSIVE!!!!!!!!!
7) This is one beautiful scope.

Well the clouds didn't stay away for long but I got a good long look at M45 and the moon. M45 with a 21mm Hyperion was gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it through the Newt or SCT.

I've never been much of a lunar observer but I think this scope is going to convert me. My girlfriend and mother came out to take a look and were absolutely astounded by the clarity. Neither of them are into astronomy but they were far more impressed by this lunar image than that with my previous scopes.

Apprehensively I put a 5mm Hyperion in, refocused and WOW! The terminator almost popped out at me. I didn't even notice any colour along the limb (not experienced enough to be an expert on this though). Far better than my Ranger here!

I then slewed to Vega for a star test but, alas, the clouds rolled in. Just spent too much time captivated by the moon.

What an experience.
As soon as I get a chance I'll be trying this out on M31, M42 and Saturn.
Another great thing? No need to collimate

Big thanks WO for one of the most enjoyable observing sessions I have ever had!

Trev

Steve

[...] So based on that and searching on AM and CN a used WO Megrez 90 is without a doubt far and away the very best used value on the market for a portable all around scope. I dare anyone to prove me wrong :-)

Steve, Oregon