Telescope Comparison
Vixen A80Mf vs Vixen ED80Sf
The Vixen A80Mf is a complete setup. The Vixen ED80Sf needs a mount before it's usable.
First light
Vixen · 80mm · £329
The simple alt-az visual scope
- 80mm refractor on a simple alt-az mount
- Good for: Moon, planets, bright open clusters
- No alignment required — quick to set up, intuitive to move
- Finding objects requires learning to star-hop: navigate with a finder scope and sky chart
- 6kg total — manageable to carry to dark-sky sites
Vixen · 80mm · £649
The custom-rig optical tube
- 80mm refractor — optical tube only, no mount included
- 600mm focal length at f/7.5
- Requires a compatible mount before you can observe anything
- Best for: observers who already own a suitable mount or are building a specific imaging rig
- Not a complete purchase — budget at least £100–300 extra for a mount before observing
The full picture
The numbers that separate these two scopes — and what they mean at the eyepiece.
Aperture
Equal light-gathering. Aperture won't settle this comparison — the mount, focal ratio, and observing experience are what differ.
Focal length
Vixen A80Mf's longer focal length reaches higher magnification with the same eyepiece — better reach for planetary detail. Vixen ED80Sf's shorter focal length gives a wider true field — better for large open clusters and extended nebulae.
Focal ratio
Vixen ED80Sf's faster f/7.5 delivers wider fields with any eyepiece — better for open clusters and large nebulae. Vixen A80Mf's f/11.38 provides more magnification per eyepiece — better for fine planetary detail.
Mount type
Vixen ED80Sf has no mount — add a compatible mount before you can observe. Vixen A80Mf is a complete ready-to-use system.
Weight (OTA)
Similar optical tube weight. Any portability difference between these setups comes from the mount, not the tube itself.
Optical design
Both are refractors — no mirrors to collimate, good contrast, colour-free stars with ED or APO glass. The differences between them are in aperture, focal ratio, and glass quality.
At the eyepiece
| Target | Vixen A80Mf | Vixen ED80Sf |
|---|---|---|
| Planets | ||
| Moon | Excellent 80mm aperture and f/11.4 focal ratio deliver sharp, high-contrast lunar detail — craters, rilles, and terminator shadows are crisp with minimal chromatic aberration. | Excellent 80mm aperture with ED glass delivers sharp, colour-free crater detail; f/7.5 handles high magnification well |
| Saturn | Good 910mm focal length and clean optics show rings clearly separated from the disc; Cassini Division visible in good seeing. | Good Rings clearly defined, Cassini Division visible in steady seeing; 600mm focal length adequate for useful magnification with a short Barlow |
| Jupiter | Good Two equatorial belts and Galilean moons well defined; the long focal ratio rewards patience in steady seeing. | Good Main equatorial belts and GRS visible; ED glass keeps the limb clean, but 80mm limits fine belt detail |
| Mars | Challenging Small disc visible at opposition with possible polar cap hint, but 80mm aperture limits surface detail. | Challenging Small orange disc visible at opposition; polar cap hints possible but aperture too small for surface detail |
Deep sky | ||
| Orion Nebula (M42) | Excellent Bright nebula core and trapezium stars well shown at 80mm, though the 910mm focal length crops the nebula's full extent. | Excellent 80mm aperture and 600mm focal length frame the full nebula with surrounding structure; trapezium resolved |
| Andromeda Galaxy (M31) | Moderate 910mm focal length shows only the bright core region — the galaxy's halo extends well beyond the field of view. | Excellent 600mm focal length captures the full extent of the galaxy; bright core and inner dust lanes visible |
| Open clusters | Moderate Narrow field at 910mm means many clusters overfill the eyepiece; compact clusters like M35 fare better than the Pleiades. | Excellent 600mm focal length gives wide true field — Pleiades, Double Cluster, and M35 all fit beautifully with pinpoint stars |
| Globular clusters | Moderate M13 and M3 appear as granular fuzzy balls — 80mm cannot resolve individual stars in the cluster. | Moderate M13 and M3 appear as fuzzy concentrated balls; 80mm cannot resolve individual stars |
| Faint galaxies | Challenging 80mm aperture limits detection to brighter Messier galaxies as faint smudges; detail is not visible. | Moderate Brighter Messier galaxies (M81/M82, M51) visible as faint smudges; no structure detail at 80mm |
| Milky Way / wide field | Not recommended 910mm focal length produces far too narrow a field for Milky Way sweeping or rich star field context. | Good 600mm is slightly long for sweeping Milky Way fields but still delivers rich star clouds with a wide-field eyepiece |
Other | ||
| Double stars | Excellent The f/11.4 focal ratio produces clean, tight Airy discs — ideal for splitting doubles down to the ~1.5 arcsecond Dawes limit. | Good Clean ED optics split Albireo easily and handle tighter pairs like Castor; Dawes limit ~1.45 arcsec |
The real tradeoff
Both scopes are capable. The question is which one fits the way you actually observe.
Vixen A80Mf
- You'll spend your nights locked onto the Moon and planets — the f/11.4 focal ratio makes Saturn's Cassini Division pop and Jupiter's belts snap into focus, rewarding high-magnification patience with crisp, colour-clean views.
- You'll master double-star splitting because the long focal length and smooth Porta II mount make tracking tight pairs at 150× feel effortless, turning binary observation into your most satisfying nightly pursuit.
- You'll accept a narrow field of view as the price of planetary perfection — sweeping the Milky Way or framing the Pleiades whole simply won't happen, and you'll learn to appreciate what the scope does instead of fighting what it doesn't.
Vixen ED80Sf
- You'll spend your first night rebuilding the scope from scratch — no mount, diagonal, or eyepieces means an additional £400–800 outlay and the assembly burden falls entirely on you before you observe anything.
- You'll reward patience in the long term by pointing the ED80Sf at wide fields and deep-sky targets, where the f/7.5 focal length and colour-clean ED glass let you frame entire nebulae and galaxy halos whole, then photograph them if you add tracking.
- You'll choose between visual observing tonight or astrophotography eventually — the same scope can do both, but owning a proper equatorial mount transforms it from a grab-and-go visual refractor into a genuine imaging platform.
The dark side
Every scope has a personality. Here’s where each one gets difficult.
Vixen
Vixen A80Mf
The 910mm focal length creates a narrow true field of view that makes large deep-sky objects and Milky Way sweeping impractical — you'll miss the full context of open clusters and large nebulae.
80mm aperture cannot resolve individual stars in globular clusters or reveal faint galaxy structure, leaving deep-sky observation confined to bright showpiece objects.
Residual chromatic aberration appears on bright stars and the lunar limb despite the long focal ratio — it's well controlled for an achromat but still visible on high-contrast targets.
No motor tracking or GoTo capability limits astrophotography to brief smartphone afocal snapshots of the Moon and planets.
Vixen
Vixen ED80Sf
OTA-only design means no mount, diagonal, finder, or eyepieces included — you'll spend £400–800 more than the advertised price to assemble a working system.
80mm aperture cannot compete with 100mm+ instruments at similar total system cost for deep-sky observation or planetary surface detail.
Field curvature and coma appear at the edges of camera sensors without a dedicated field flattener or reducer, complicating astrophotography setup.
1.25" focuser on the standard model limits eyepiece selection and accessory compatibility compared to 2" focuser refractors.
Premium pricing reflects ED glass and build quality, not light-gathering power — you're paying more per millimetre of aperture than faster, larger achromatic scopes.
Which is right for you?
Two different buyers. Two different right answers.
The simple alt-az visual scope
Vixen · Vixen A80Mf
You'll love this scope if you're a beginner who wants a quality refractor that will last years and you're drawn to lunar and planetary observing — the Porta II mount is a pleasure to use at high magnification, and the long f/11.4 focal ratio keeps chromatic aberration out of your way. Double-star splitting will become your signature hobby. You're not this scope's person if you dream of resolving faint galaxies, sweeping the Milky Way, or doing astrophotography beyond smartphone snapshots of the Moon.
The custom-rig optical tube
Vixen · Vixen ED80Sf
You'll love this scope if you're an intermediate observer with time to build a complete system and you want genuine versatility — the ED glass and f/7.5 focal length let you observe wide-field deep-sky targets crisply and eventually image them once you add an equatorial mount. You accept the higher total cost and assembly burden as the price of a portable, colour-clean platform that grows with you. This isn't for you if you need a complete ready-to-observe package today, or if you're chasing planetary surface detail — the A80Mf will serve you better and cost less to get observing.
Our verdict
This comparison has a catch: the Vixen ED80Sf is a bare optical tube. You cannot use it without a separate mount — which adds meaningful cost and complexity. The Vixen A80Mf is a complete, ready-to-observe package.
For most buyers, the Vixen A80Mf is the right choice — you can observe the same night it arrives. The Vixen ED80Sf makes sense if you already own a compatible mount, or are deliberately building a specific imaging setup piece by piece. If I had to choose for a first telescope: the Vixen A80Mf, without hesitation.
Vixen A80Mf
View Vixen A80Mf →Vixen ED80Sf
View Vixen ED80Sf →Deep field: Full specifications
Every data point, for those who want to go further.
Full specifications
Fields highlighted in blue or amber indicate the better value for that spec. Data is manufacturer-stated and may vary.
How much can it see?
| Spec | Vixen A80Mf | Vixen ED80Sf |
|---|---|---|
Aperture The most important spec — bigger = more light = better views | 80mm | 80mm |
Focal Length Longer = more magnification potential | 910mm | 600mm |
Focal Ratio Lower f-number = wider field of view; higher = more magnification per eyepiece | f/11.38 | f/7.5 |
Optical Design The type of optics — each design has different strengths | Refractor | Refractor |
Coatings Better coatings = more light transmission through the optics | Multi-coated achromatic doublet | Fully multi-coated ED doublet on all air-to-glass surfaces |
How do you point it?
| Spec | Vixen A80Mf | Vixen ED80Sf |
|---|---|---|
Mount Type The mechanical system that holds and moves the telescope | Alt-Az | None (OTA only) |
GoTo Computer-controlled pointing — finds any of thousands of objects automatically | ||
Tracking Motor keeps objects centred as the Earth rotates — essential for astrophotography |
The focuser
| Spec | Vixen A80Mf | Vixen ED80Sf |
|---|---|---|
Focuser Size 2" accepts wider eyepieces and gives better low-power views | 1.25" | 2" |
Focuser Type Rack-and-pinion is standard; Crayford and dual-speed are smoother | Rack and pinion | Dual-speed Crayford (with 1.25" adapter) |
Size & weight
| Spec | Vixen A80Mf | Vixen ED80Sf |
|---|---|---|
OTA Weightⓘ Optical tube only — useful for comparing mount load capacity | 1.6kg | 1.8kg |
Total Weight Full setup including mount — this is what you lug to the car | 6kg | — |
Tube Length | 910mm | 528mm |
Tube Material | Aluminium | Aluminium |
What's in the box?
| Spec | Vixen A80Mf | Vixen ED80Sf |
|---|---|---|
Eyepieces Included eyepieces — more is better, but quality matters more than quantity | 25mm eyepiece | — |
Finder Scope Helps you locate areas of the sky before switching to the main eyepiece | 6x30 optical finder | — |
Diagonalⓘ Tilts the eyepiece 90° for comfortable viewing — useful on refractors |
Blue highlight: Vixen A80Mf advantage · Amber highlight: Vixen ED80Sf advantage · Greyed cells: equal or subjective.