Arneb

Thanks Dave. Due to its classic looks I'm allowed to keep this one out of its case!

I can't wait to do some wide-field sweeping of the Milky Way late summer. Just need to book a week or two somewhere with dark, and if the fates smile on me, clear skies. 🤞

Couldn't resist the allure of using one of these with the NP101 any longer...

A really interesting thread this. Very tempted to give this a go myself. A question though for anyone who has done this conversion, how are the original microscope eyepiece holders attached? I presume they are threaded on and it's just a case of unscrewing them, but wanted to check before I grab a pair. Thanks.

My Takahashi FC-76Q F12.6

Had you not been looking for a more budget option, and given your penchant for refractors, as a fellow NP101 owner I would have had no problem suggesting the Tak FC-76DCU. I bought one for use originally as a compact, lightweight travel scope and for those opportunistic short sessions at home. It cools rapidly, is very light, and the optics are superb. It also has a similar focal length to the NP101 so your existing eyepieces would afford near identical field of views in the Tak. It would fit onto the Gibraltar and should ride an AZ GTI just fine (I'll have to try it on mine!). It meets all your criteria except, potentially, the most important one! For more budget friendly options, I've always been impressed by the Skywatcher/Orion 80EDs though their standard focuser can sometimes require a bit of attention. I've also been impressed with the Skywatcher 72 ED it is a very lightweight, compact option and generally a bit of a bargain IMO. For non-refractor options, I also enjoy using my Celestron C6 SCT for grab and go (though presumably it wouldn't fit on your Gibraltar - it might be marginal on the AZ GTI as well). The Celestron C5 (or one its guises e.g. Omni 127, Astrofi) are typically well regarded and might squeeze onto the Gibraltar but would certainly ride an AZ GTI. Both used to be available OTA only. I'd imagine, given their popularity, they would appear on the secondhand market reasonably often. The C6 in one of its guises can be bought with a go-to mount from FLO here though I've no idea how good or otherwise that mount is. A Skywatcher 130 P-DS Newtonian could also be worth looking at too. Despite the lure of a quality refractor, if the NP101 was my only scope I'd be tempted to pick up something with more aperture. Then again I do love the Tak...

A Tak CQ 1.7 extender to turn my FC-76DCU into an FC-76Q. Very much looking forward to trying this combination!

A Tak and Tele Vue tag team tonight (how's that for alliteration!).

I once explored doing this with my 500mm F4 for Nikon F. Nikon used to make a dedicated adapter comprising a prism and a fixed 10mm eyepiece but it is discontinued and it may not have worked with my 'G' or 'E' lenses which don't have a manual aperture ring (unless I could have somehow prevented the lens from from stopping down to the smallest aperture). I'm not sure if Canon made something similar. There is a third party Kenko adapter though: Kenko LENS2SCOPE Adapter for Canon EF/EF-S Mount, Angled View K-LS10-CEAB (adorama.com) There are also adapters for converting M42 lenses into scopes on ebay. These comprise a diagonal and, I believe, a fixed eyepiece. You might be able to use one in conjunction with an EF to M42 adapter. The quality of the components are anyone's guess though. Those who've tried turning their telephotos into scopes (based on the limited discussion I managed to find buried in photography forums) seem to have created their own adapter along these lines: Lens to eyepiece adapters - Turn your Lens into a Telescope - Bob Atkins Photography I didn't pursue it any further as I wasn't convinced that I would get acceptable results with a home made adapter and didn't fancy sinking the $$$ to buy one of the Nikon adapters given the possible compatibility issues. I had only considered it for a safari where the primary focus was nature photography rather than astronomy and I had to travel light. In the end I just used a pair of binoculars for some lovely low power viewing. Anyway, good luck with the project!

Thanks. The scope is phenomenal and it's a joy to use with that mount/tripod combination - lightweight yet sturdy.

The newest addition to the fold, my Tak FC-76DCU.

A Tak FC-76DCU. It arrived this afternoon and at the moment the sky is clear...🤞

@Stu I hope to one day as I'm sure it would be a wonderful pairing and I feel almost duty bound to make it happen. The 34mm and 40mm Maxvisions are doing sterling service in the meantime. The ES92 17mm and NP101 is a special pairing too. Certainly enough to keep me out of the clutches of the Ethos range, for now at least. And here's one of the 90s ads with images similar to those I found so enticing: https://televue.com/televueopticstalk/wp-content/uploads/ST_1995DEC_p2_GenesisSDF_RenaissanceSDF_Pronto.jpg

In my early teens I used to dream of owning a Genesis SDF. I must have sent countless stamped self-addressed envelopes out to the astronomy retailers of the day to receive the various brochures and advertisements they held for the scope manufacturers of the time. I seem to remember a TeleVue advert with a photo of the Renaissance and Genesis (and possibly a Pronto) on Gibraltar mounts together. They looked stunning to my eyes. Well the marketing, kind of, worked as almost 30 years later I acquired an NP101. It was worth the wait. Those low power, wide field views were exactly as described by Mr Nagler in the literature I had poured over. How awesome it will be to get the NP101 under some dark skies again. And perhaps I should send off for the 31mm Nagler brochure 😉...

I try to pretend the Delos range doesn't exist as the temptation is strong with those ones!😉 I love the ES92s but alas they are heavy beasts and those Delos would complement them nicely! I've all the Maxvisions except the 24mm as I have the 24mm pan. So for lightweight travel with the 76DCU I'll likely go with the 24mm Pan, 16mm MV, 9mm Nagler and my Ultima barlow... And then I'll doubt my decision and end up bringing so many additional eyepieces I'll end up paying excess baggage!