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The Vixen optical tube starts with a Maksutov’s two high-precision multicoated spherical mirrors to help eliminate spherical aberration and yield a sharp image with no hint of false color. But it doesn’t use the thick, expensive, and heavy full aperture meniscus corrector lens found at the front of a conventional Maksutov’s optical system. Instead, the VMC95L uses a small meniscus corrector lens placed in the light path in front of the secondary mirror. This serves the same optical purpose as a Maksutov’s full aperture meniscus corrector lens, but in a much smaller, lighter, and less expensive form.

In addition, the VMC95L uses a curved spider vane secondary mirror holder to reduce diffraction effects, such as the spikes seen on bright stars in images taken through telescopes using conventional straight-vane spiders. The reduced diffraction of the curved spider vanes helps improve contrast and increase image sharpness.

Like a Maksutov, the Vixen VMC95L offers excellent performance within the solar system, for high contrast visual observing and high-magnification eyepiece projection imaging, as well as high resolution/high power deep space observing of binary stars, globular star clusters, compact planetary nebulas, etc. As its unique design has greater light gathering and permits a somewhat faster focal ratio than a conventional Maksutov (f/11 versus a Maksutov’s f/15), the Vixen is better suited than a conventional 90mm Maksutov for observing the brighter deep space objects – diffuse and compact nebulas, galaxies, open star clusters, etc. This gives it an advantage in all-around observing over the more expensive but similar-aperture 90mm pure-Maksutov design.

The open tube (no full-aperture corrector lens) design eliminates the dew problem on a conventional catadioptric scope’s corrector lens that is common with Schmidt- or Maksutov-Cassegrain systems. No cumbersome optional dew shield or power-hungry dew heater system is needed to keep the VMC95L free of image-degrading dew all night long.

The Vixen VMC95L comes standard with a non-magnifying red dot finder. It focuses by moving the primary mirror back and forth within the optical tube, like a conventional catadioptric telescope. An internal flip-mirror star diagonal directs the incoming light either to the 1.25” eyepiece holder at the top of the tube or to the camera port at the center rear of the tube at the Cassegrain focus at the flip of a conveniently-located lever. This allows you to quickly switch from viewing to photography (for terrestrial nature photography, lunar occultations, solar eclipses, etc.)

Its light weight (only 4 lbs.) make it very easy to transport. Its compact size and light weight make it easy to use with an optional German equatorial mount such as the Vixen Great Polaris or Sphinx go-to mounts, the altazimuth Vixen SkyPod go-to mount, or the manual altazimuth Porta Mount. It is equipped with a dovetail mounting rail that fits all of the above Vixen mounts, as well as Celestron CG-5 Advanced Series mounts (both conventional and go-to) and the Meade LXD-75 go-to mount. It is light enough to be used as a top-quality photoguide telescope for a larger telescope by adding the appropriate guidescope rings.