Deadlake

An LZOS 105/F6.2 is also very good, but availabllty is jan 2023. http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2014/01/01/the-apm-tmb-105-f6-2-triplet-apochromatic-refractor/ This scope and a TSA-102 in a CN shootout of over 40 scopes came out top…

Managed to get out on day of scopes arrival, clear skies to around midnight. On first light, Jupiter was looking good, incredible detail of the belts using a 4 mm TOE, seems to give best views of Jupiter. Colours of the planets looked photographic/film like in nature. However to be fair seeing was not the best. I feel I need to swap the 2" Baader diagonal for the Baader T2 BBHS prism diagonal. The FT focuser made all the difference in making fine adjustments. Note the amount of counter weight used to balance the scope, its 11.5 11.5 kg without a finder scope or diagonal.

The APM UFF 30mm EP works really well, great for wide angle viewed of the sky...

For an F6 as well as well as an F7.7. Presume Morpheus 9 mm will work well.

24 mm APM UFF, a very good EP, however 65 degrees not the 72 you might be looking for. Also bino’s well.

The accuracy of the test bench is such that it could really be 0.98 Strehl, but as noted the atmosphere needs to cooperate to make use of it…

What you got! 😉 Better be quick before admins like @Stu close the bartering down as on wrong forum...

Some more photos: Now see how short it is: And as for the focuser: Ok, should be photo bombed out.

Baader is blaming the Suez Canal incident for delays, for instance BBHS 2" diagonal are meant to ship November 2021... 🤔 I've benn waiting since last March...

It's one I think @johninderby would of approved of, would he buy the scope to get the handle??? Weight, around 11.5 kg, more then I thought...

Nice! 😃 How new? Mines been waiting for the star light rings and focuser to turn up since March....

This is a Rupert @ Astrograph special APM 130/ F6 scope. Hand delivered. LZOS lens with a Strehl of 0.978. The phenolic tube is reduced 4cm from the standard KUO tube to allow more infocus for binoviewer use. The tube has baffles whereas the APM phenolic tubes no longer do. Usual Starlight 3.5" FT focuser and tube rings. Comes as standard with a handle, unlike a certain Japanese manufacture... In addition no more LZOS lens cells till January 2023, so I don't expect many more posts here for some time. Not seen first light, however I expect clouds... I'll post some pictures next to a Vixen SD103S so you can see how much shorter it is.

One of these: 130mm/F6 It's shorter then a SD103S...

I was thinking of 17.5 mm Morpheus for bino usage, any others I should consider? For larger magnifications the 9 mm Morpheus also looking interesting, again any other EP's I should consider? Thanks

I have a 20 mm XWA and a 30 mm UFF, this does not work with a Vixen SD103S as it does not have enough infocus. Another variable too bring into what EP works with which scope.

17 mm is a length which as you said is just a filler and might not get much use. On price however the owners of the Nikon HW don't pay Treasure Island prices, but import from Japan. e.g. https://www.kyoei-osaka.jp/SHOP/nikon-nav-125hw.html It's around £600, similar to Tele Vue prices, or maybe wait for one needing to be re-homed.... To be honest I'm thinking of getting a bino viewer, so a pair of 17.5 mm Morpheus would slot right in, making the purchase of a 17 HW for mono viewing a little over the top.

Very true but I could imagine that between f4-f8 would be general coverage for most observers. At the same time when EP's are compared I don't really see much reference made to focal length. Good point to make because it's not mentioned, it's not some thing I considered when reading reports.

17 mm size seems great for bino’s. @jetstream tells me the Nikon 17mm HW is one of his best EP’s, better then Tele Vue or APM.

How suitable would the EP be for bino use? I ask as I can imagine for portable use it would cover a lot of bases. Since bino's can be tricky to get working would the below restrict the choice of binoviewer model used? Largest outer diameter : 53 mm , and thus suitable for binocular use for people with at least 53 mm interpupillary distance ( IPD).

Wednesday first day with window from 9 pm to midnight, not much overlap.

I may of missed but what is the SQM where you view? If it’s > 21 then the 30 mm UFF as the large exit pupil and a OIII will let you see nebula’s. If the SQM < 21 the 20 mm XWA has better contrast which will be more beneficial.

I have GEM and the weakness of polar align pro is interference from the metal in the mount. Setup using a phone with plate solving would make the process quicker and hopefully more reliable. I did also think maybe a raspberry pi with a camera running linux and a full fat desktop app was another way to go.

When this gets the polar align module will be hard to beat if the plate solving works: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/778670-skeye-cam-beta-release-for-android/#entry11259156 No longer at the mercy of magnetic compass and mount interference...

Very good on the moon, with a Baader BBHS mirror, you will see everything. Maybe a little to much detail….

I think the TOE ep's look very good. Also the view is a little more smoother thru the TOE than the HR. If I was buying again and ignoring the extra cost the 2.5 mm TOE would be my choice. Having said that the 1.6 mm and 2 mm HR sizes are the only show in town. Usefully on planets and doubles.