tal 125r apo

[chris47]

I have a tal 100rs which is great. I see there is a tal 125r apo on ebay, does anyone know much about this scope and the likely going price. I have spoken to several people who say it is a good scope BUT none of them has actually seen let alone used one.

I

[Stu]

Some discussion about this here.....

http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php?/topic/224075-heads-up

Stu

[dweller25]

The Tal 125R is quite a nice doublet achromat - there are lots of reviews on the web about this scope.

The Tal 125R APO has a six lens optical system which could prove difficult to collimate if required - there is very little info about these on the web - a safer option might be the Skywatcher 120ED.

[Marki]

I would absolutely want to look through this before buying. I'm a bg fan of TAL, but I;d be cautious. There are very few of the 125 APOs in the UK, and I've read conflicting reports about them. Lots of praise, especially by russian users. But maybe they don't travel well. John, one of our members here posted a review a while back. It'd be worth checking that out.

Mind you, if its in good condition, £500 would be a bargain!

[Marki]

See this thread for a review of the 125r APOLAR:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/104408-tal-125r-apolar-apochromatic-refractor/

To be fair, if I had the cash, I'd already have contacted the seller to see if I could arrange a viewing . I have a 125R, indeed a good doublet achromat as dweller25 posted, and that cost me preyty much the same as this APOLAR (I had to import it from a seller in Italy).

[cotterless45]

The price has already outstripped ,

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bresser-telescope-Messier-AR-127L-1200/dp/B002SY9JNU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1409408825&sr=8-6&keywords=bresser+telescope

http://www.opticstar.com/Run/Astronomy/Astro-Telescopes-Opticstar.asp?p=0_10_1_1_240

http://www.opticstar.com/Run/Astronomy/Astro-Telescopes-Opticstar.asp?p=0_10_1_1_235

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=86794

Personally I'd go with a 1200mm ota. It gives more punch.

A Baader semi apo filter will sort out ca, although make no difference to fine star splitting or planetary details.

I like the agricultural quality of TAL, especially the Newts. However , before bidding I'd check out the competition and even look at Istar

http://www.istartelescopes.co.uk

Nick.

[John]

I did the above review and tried a couple of the 125 Apolars in the process, the first that was sent had damaged optics. The second was optically pretty decent but the finish was still ropey for what was then a £1K plus scope but TAL owners are used to having to fettle things a bit.

I've ended up with a Skywatcher ED120 in this niche which does not quite have the character of the TAL but is a very effective instrument.

[chris47]

Hmmm plenty to think about. I guess at £500 it is probably worth a shot - of course there is still a week to go.

[John]

If its collimation is out £500 seems a lot to pay as re-collimating a 6 element system is going to be complicated. I would definitely want to star test it before committing.

Most of the TAL 125 doublets that have come here have needed quite a lot of optical attention before they gave of their best.

[nightfisher]

At £500 it would be worth a punt but above that your getting into the 120 ED price range and they would be a safer bet, i had a 125r for a few months, very nice scope but it did nothing that my 100rs can do

[chris47]

Ouch!!! Just been told I am losing 60hrs overtime pay per month for the foreseeable future. That £500 suddenly looks like a lot of money.

Was