Halden Crest 160 APO triplet refractor, tube with alt-az mount

Specifications

Description

The Crest 160 is a three-element apochromatic refractor with a 160 mm objective and 1120 mm of focal length, which works at f/7. Its objective uses two elements of extra-low-dispersion glass and one of a second low-dispersion type, bringing red, green, and blue light to nearly the same focus. On bright objects such as Venus and the lunar limb, the color fringe is very small, and the difference from a doublet of similar aperture is apparent when you compare them side by side.

The 3 in dual-speed rack-and-pinion focuser holds a heavy camera or a 2 in star diagonal with an eyepiece without slipping, and its fine-focus knob gives a 10:1 reduction for critical focusing at high power. A retractable dew shield and a set of knife-edge baffles keep stray light off the objective and reduce scatter from nearby streetlights. At 11.8 kg for the tube alone, the Crest 160 needs a German equatorial mount rated for at least 15 kg of payload, along with a sturdy tripod and a dovetail saddle. The tube also takes longer to match outdoor temperature than a small refractor, so allow an hour or more before you begin critical viewing.

At 160 mm, the objective can split double stars with separations near one arcsecond under steady air, so you can examine tight pairs such as Epsilon Lyrae at high magnification. Jupiter's cloud belts and the Cassini Division in Saturn's rings show clearly on nights of good seeing. With a 2 in wide-field eyepiece at low power, the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula each fit within the field, and the core of the Andromeda Galaxy shows structure that smaller refractors do not reveal under suburban skies.

About this configuration

This listing covers one specific configuration of the Halden Crest 160 APO triplet refractor, defined by its bundle, finish, accessory kit, and edition year. The included alt-az mount moves up and down and side to side, so you point the telescope by hand without polar alignment. An alt-az mount keeps setup short: level the tripod, attach the tube, align the finder, and start finding targets. Matte black paint gives the telescope a low-key look, although a dark tube is harder to find on a moonless night.

With the imaging kit, a camera attaches at prime focus, so the telescope works as a long telephoto lens. This is the 2025 edition, which updated the knobs and clamps so you can operate them with gloves on cold nights. Check the specifications table for the optical figures, since they stay the same across every configuration of the Crest line.

What's in the box

• Optical tube assembly with retractable dew shield
• Tube rings with 300 mm dovetail saddle bar
• 2 in star diagonal with 3 in to 2 in adapter
• Right-angle 8x50 finderscope with bracket
• Front and rear dust caps
• Alt-az mount with aluminum tripod
• T-ring and T-adapter
• Bahtinov focusing mask

Compatibility notes

• Accepts 2 in eyepieces through the supplied 3 in to 2 in adapter.
• The 300 mm dovetail saddle bar fits German equatorial mounts rated for at least 15 kg of payload.
• The focuser has a T2 thread for camera adapters once the nosepiece is removed.