Am I being unreasonable to my new scope? (4 Viewers)

[Dr Forinor]

I purchased an Opticron MM4 77 GA ED (with the SDL v3 eyepiece) this week and was able to take it out today for some deer spotting. It was a little foggy/misty to give a rough idea of the atmosphere.

Looking through the scope I felt it could be sharper, but is that because of the mist/fog? I know that seems very obvious but the reason I question it is because I also had with me a monocular - Hawke Endurance ED 8x42.

Through these monoculars everything appeared sharper, more contrast, crisper, colours slightly more "vivid".

The Opticron lowest Magnification is 18x, and goes up to 54x. Even at it's lowest I felt the Hawke monocular was sharper.

I did a bit of reading online before purchasing this Opticron scope and the general consensus was that it is a good scope and is supposed to be sharp.

Can someone guide me on this please?

 

[4 The Birds1]

It is almost certainly just the effect of the fog, which is more noticeable with the higher magnification of the scope compared to the lower magnification of your 8x42. You will find similar if you are observing in circumstances when there is heat shimmer. So don't panic and reserve your final judgement on your new scope until you have had an opportunity to use it in good seeing conditions!

 

[Dr Forinor]

It is almost certainly just the effect of the fog, which is more noticeable with the higher magnification of the scope compared to the lower magnification of your 8x42. You will find similar if you are observing in circumstances when there is heat shimmer. So don't panic and reserve your final judgement on your new scope until you have had an opportunity to use it in good seeing conditions!

Thank you for your reply.

I thought either I was being too harsh or perhaps there is something wrong with my scope.

 

[Binastro]

Actually in fog and mist the Seeing or steadiness of the air is better than in clear but windy weather.
Although thick fog means poor images and poor contrast.

But comparing a low magnification smaller aperture monocular may not be a fair test.

After using the scope in different conditions you can see whether the scope is good or not.

Regards,
B.

 

[Binastro]

It is quite possible in fog that a layer of condensation built up on the front of the objective.

This can become so bad as to make objects almost invisible.

But when partly formed it is very difficult to realise without inspecting the front of the scope.

It is best then to take it indoors to clear rather than trying to clean it off unless great care is taken.

There are battery powered dew removers that slightly heat the glass.
They are made in different sizes and probably best bought from an astro shop.

B.