F15Rules

Here you go Jock ☺..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Picreator-Renaissance-Micro-Crystalline-Wax-Polish/dp/B001DSZWEM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=renaissance+wax+65ml&qid=1571260420&sprefix=renaissance+wax&sr=8-1

It's not cheap, but it goes a very long way and lasts indefinitely if you keep the top screwed on properly.

HTH,

Dave

...well, a polish actually, as much to take my mind off the relentless rain and cloud as anything else..

For a 20 year old scope she came up like new.This Renaissance Micro Crystalline wax polish was recommended to me some years ago by Mark at Moonraker scopes and it really is the business. Just apply with a soft clean cloth (sparingly) and buff with another clean cloth immediately.

A small tin (see photo) lasts for ages and I can really recommended it - and Tanya the Tak FS128 seems to like it too😊.

And guess what? The clouds rolled away this evening and I had a very pleasant hour around Lyra with Vega, the Double Double etc. A nice end to the day👍

Dave

Fascinating review Matthew, of a product I haven't heard of before. Sounds a very nice piece of kit!

Thanks for sharing 👍

Dave

9 hours ago, Star101 said:

Oh wow. If only my neighbour would do the same here. 

Happy for you Dave 

+1 for that, good for you, Dave. 

At least my neighbours conifers are north-east facing, along with 2 large trees in my garden which can't be touched as we are in a conservation area..😱

Dave

Doug, your original post nicely summed up the thought process I have been through in the past 2-3 years, in my case bought on by retirement/reduced income prospects, but also by what I might call "scope choice fatigue" - ie the continual debating with myself as to which scope to use on a given night.

I concluded that for me, a good 5"/127mm class apo would be as close to being my ideal all round scope as I could get, and so I now have just 2 scopes, a 128mm apo and an 80mm traditional long achromat, as I have always had a soft spot for that kind of scope. But 90% of my observing these days is with the 128mm, and I now spend far less time dithering with decisions!😀👍

I've also gone through the same process with eyepieces and now have just 5 "keepers", plus one good barlow, covering from c 3.5mm to 30mm focal lengths, and am pretty content with my gear now.

Just wish the weather was a bit more consistent!

Good luck with your own deliberations!

Dave

On 10/10/2019 at 18:49, Radman40 said:

 

I have used 80mm, 90, 100,103 and 128mm refractors, and I still have 80mm and 128mm scopes.

Firstly, as Mike says, an 80mm scope can be a wonderful tool to enjoy the night sky. When I was a teenager, Sir Patrick Moore taught us that a 3" (76mm) refractor or a 6" reflector were the minimum apertures that would give satisfying views and make worthwhile observations possible..(my first "proper" or "serious" (to me) scope was actually a 60mm Circle T Japan refractor, and it gave me some really wonderful views which spurred me on to get a bigger scope which would show me more).

In those days, though, refractors were nearly all F15 long tubes which weren't the easiest to mount, especially at higher powers: so, going from an 80mm F10 or F15 to a 100mm of a similar focal ratio was a real challenge in terms of mounting and portability.

Nowadays, however, thanks to modern, high quality ED glass doublets, it is possible to get a lightweight, relatively short F7 or F8 focal length refractor which performs as well as (and in some respects better than) the old long achromats, and yet can be easily mounted on a very portable altazimuth mount.

At different stages of our lives, different scopes will be best suited to our circumstances - family commitments, job, finances etc. I am fortunate to have recently retired and have made the choice for myself that a 5" (128mm) quality apo can almost be my "all in one" scope. (I say "almost", as I my 1970s  F15 80mm achromat is just a superb high power double star splitter due to its depth of focus), and so I keep it.

I sold my superb 103mm Japanese ED refractor simply because I can't now afford to have 2 similar quality scopes, one of which won't get much use because the bigger scope shows me significantly more. And I don't need the portability that some do, as I am lucky enough to have reasonable skies in rural Lincolnshire. Twenty years ago it was very different and I couldn't have afforded more than a decent 4" achromat. And it was great for me at that time..if I live another 10 it 15 years, the balance may well swing back to lighter, more portable as I get older and weaker 😱🙄..

So, in summary, it is much easier these days to upgrade from an 80mm to a 100mm class scope whilst still having great portability: one of my favourite ever setups was an excellent Vixen ED103s on a Porta II altaz mount. Lightweight, portable, and optically excellent. And I know there are many SGL members using a good F7 on a nice Porta, AZ4 or Skytee type mount who would agree on just how satisfying such a setup can be.

If you can afford it, I would say do it!😁.

Dave

8 minutes ago, Radman40 said:

Is the extra weight, size and cost of a 102 mm APO refractor worth it when compared to an 80mm in terms their respective performance across a range of astronomical applications?

For visual use, yes, yes ,yes!👍

Dave

Anyone got any further info on this ep, such as field of view, or night time testing? 

Btw, judging by the performance of Russian binoculars I have/have owned, some of which had a yellowish cast, it wasn't really an issue on the night sky, hardly noticeable..what was noticeable was the pin sharpness on axis and high contrast images, so I would hope this big Erfle would be similar..

Dave

10 hours ago, Louis D said:

There is no Meade 5000 HD-60 5mm, only a 4.5mm and a 6.5mm.  There is a BST Starguider 5mm which is seemingly just as good.

I stand corrected, it was the 4.5mm I meant, this would give x133 in the 120mm F5 refractor ☺

Like others posting here, I think that x120 for your intended targets is the highest power I would recommend, given our current UK skies and weather (Jetstream), limitations of your scopes and, importantly the low positions of the planets.

That means that a decent 5mm eyepiece would be a good choice: be careful though, as some of the optically very good 5mms out there have very short eye relief - especially orthoscopics and plossls. This can make extended viewing sessions a bit uncomfortable, and an uncomfortable eye sees less than a comfortable one!

So, my recommendations for a high quality, comfortable, good value eyepiece would be one of the following: (used price estimates shown)

Vixen SLV 5mm (£60)

Vixen NLV or LV 5mm (older versions of the SLV, £40-50)

All the above have 20mm eye relief and are very comfortable to use.

Meade HD 5mm ( not common in the UK around £40-50, eye relief I think around 18-20mm)

Personally, I'd choose any of the Vixens above.

HTH☺👍

Dave

Although I'm (sadly) not in the market for another binoviewer at the moment, I'm delighted to hear about this new Baader product😊.

I remember that the Morpheus 17.5mm took around 3 years to get right, but it was worth the wait, and Baader do seem to put a lot of time and effort into their R&D programs.

I look forward to reading reviews, and the thought of the views of Orion etc through this new BV loaded with a pair of 35mm pseudo Masuyamas is truly mouthwatering!

Thanks for posting, Steve😀..

Dave

On 19/09/2019 at 17:34, Alan White said:

I have just seen it because of others posting, very nice scope Rob.
My vixen ED103s at f7.8 (i think) is really nice, but wow a bit longer and a Flourite element, no wonder it sings.

Close, Alan, the ED103S is F7.712 (795mm😁😁). The ED series effectively replaced the FL102mm. 

I've not looked through the latter but I imagine they'd be very, very close in performance..both wonderful performers ☺️.

Dave

Yep, Alan, but I don't consider it really "back" til it's observable from c midnight! 😁😁

Dave

19 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

 

Lovely read Nick, as ever, thanks..

I must admit that with the moon so bright lately, (and climbing SO high, SO fast??), I didn't bother this past few nights. But the worst is over now..

Not long now til Orion etc are back to play😀😀..

Dave

Lovely pair of scopes Garry☺️..

It's raining her in Linc's but to be honest it's SO dry here we do need it..and there is the almost full moon too.

Hope you get a break in the clouds though!

Dave

Beautiful scope, TB, and great story. I felt exactly like you when I had the chance to buy a mint FS128 and mount a couple of years ago. I had to sell most of my kit to fund it, but it was worth it, and just thinking of the coming winter season with it, and Orion & Co now that I am retired, sends a tingle down my spine😁.

Enjoy your wonderful new TEC!

Dave

I've not used the 4.5mm..  I have used the 9mm, 14mm and 17.5mm and found them all to be first rate eyepieces: in fact I sold my Pentax 14mm XW in favour of the Morpheus.

I have no reason to believe the 4.5mm will be any less good than the others, and I for one don't get phased by a little bit of EOFB!

Here's a review I found of the 4.5mm on CN..

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/533720-morpheus-45mm-field-test/

Dave

Lovely report Old Nick😁.

Here in Lincolnshire we have had several decent nights recently, but circumstances have limited my viewing to one decent 90 minute session with the FS128 and a short session with my Opticron 8.5 X 50s.

The highlight with the Tak was M13 glob in Hercules. I was trying a new (to me) William Optics 3mm SPL eyepiece and, at 346x the cluster fills the fov..the view was dim, but jet black and ghostly faint stars were popping out all over the field.

The double double was also lovely, with masses of black space between each pair at that power. I feel a driven mount really makes the view at very high powers.

Great to have some proper astronomical darkness again!

Thanks for sharing, Nick

Dave

2 hours ago, iPeace said:

Excellent build quality and views, certainly the clearest, sharpest high-power views I've enjoyed.

Hi Ant,

I bought Mike's 3.4mm in mint condition and agree 100% with his comment above.

Far more comfortable than orthos with good eye relief, mine gave 305x in my FS128. Just superb on doubles with inky black sky background and great scatter control. Sadly I didn't get a chance to use it on the planets before unplanned early retirement came along and I had to let it go along with some other cherished items.

However, I will definitely replace it in the future with another and heartily recommend the HR Series.

PS I use a driven mount so didnt have a problem with the ortho like fov- in fact I prefer the smaller field for studying doubles ☺.

HTH.

Dave

Nice! 

First time I've seen these with the Helios brand on them. The purple coatings look great, very like the early Tal scopes looked☺.

Dave

31 minutes ago, dannybgoode said:

It actually makes a lot more sense for them to be based on the Zeiss than the Nikon thinking about it.  The Soviets cloned a lot of German gear; some of it very well and some of it... well, not quite so well :D.

Goes to show the 'value' a badge adds as well.  Zeiss Jenoptem can't be had for £12!

Yes, all my reading suggests that these were clones of the Jenoptems, using tooling appropriated by the Soviet Army after the war.

I think the slight yellowish cast came from the local glasses used for the objectives..as for the smell, who knows? All the Tal scopes I owned from new also had a distinctive odour, though less "pungent" - maybe something to do with the local lubricants used?

The stellar images in these are very nice, round points and colours come through well too, despite the slight yellow cast..

BTW my pair are also 1979 vintage😁

Dave

John's nailed it there I feel. If you are new to 2" viewing, these eyepieces are a pretty low cost way of trying this out.

I also felt the 32mmm was the pick of the bunch..

Dave

1 hour ago, John said:

I have a pair of those. Made in USSR (so that dates them) by Komz

Me too John..😁

To be honest I feel a little cheated now...I paid £13 for mine on Gumtree 4 years or so ago!!😁

Joking apart, a great little set of bins, great for birdwatching in the garden too. Nice leather case included.

Mine have that slightly yellowish tinge (very sharp though) and that smell!!

Dave

I had an OMC 140 Hilux some years ago. It was a nice scope, but specialised with I think an F14 or so focal length.

It excelled on the moon, Jupiter and double stars on steady nights, but was sensitive to dewing up too without a long dewshield. 

I liked it, but couldn't get good enough conditions to get the best from it in typical conditions where I lived at the time (industrial urban residential Midlands).

HTH,

Dave

To be honest, I wouldn't go for any of the 3 you mentioned above. 

The TV 32 is a nice eyepiece, maybe worth saving for, a bit overpriced IMHO but  a nice ocular.

I'd also recommend a used Celestron Ultima Japan 30mm, or one of its siblings (all the same optically), ie Baader Eudiascopic, Parks Gold, Orion Ultrascopic - all 30mm, 52 Deg FOV, same as the TV 32, and probably available used at between £50 and £70. They have a beautiful, large eye lens and are just a joy to use. Pics show my late lamented Parks Gold Series 30mm eyelens..

HTH☺

Dave