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Showing results for tags 'refractor'.
Found 75 results
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Skywatcher 100 ED Pro Esprit - Great Performance
Selborne posted a topic in Member Equipment Reviews
Hi Guys, I thought I would share with you my first hand experience of the Skywatcher ED100 Pro Esprit Telescope, I have only had it a few months, but so far I am extremely happy with the results, it is so sharp and the contrast is very high. I live in a small town, Stowmarket, Suffolk, UK, where the light pollution is not to bad, but still I have to be cautious with the direction I choose to point the telescope. All my astrophotography is done from the back garden on my patio. I have had a few different telescopes over the years, but I always found myself moving more and more into astrophotography, so after some research I selected the Skywatcher ED100 Pro Esprit, as many of the other users had commented on the sharpness and contrast. As I wanted to focus on more wide field astrophotography the F5.5 speed giving 550mm seemed the right choice, I also use an ED50 Skywatcher Guide Scope with an Altair Astro ASI130mm camera for the guiding and of course PHD2 software, all mounted on my Skywatcher HEQ6 mount. Here is a shot of the Andromeda Galaxy, 20 x 30s stills at ISO 800 on my Sony A7Rii, no filters just RAW images processed with Photoshop, Stacked Mean option. I used the Trevor Jones video on his BackyardAstro You Tube page for processing DSO's and it seems to work very well. What you will see from the image is just how sharp it is, something that really surprised me when I processed the images. This has inspired me to spend more time outside in the garden to photograph more objects, plus I have recently purchased an Astronomic CLS Filter for my Sony A7Rii, so I am looking forward to using this to see if it improve the contrast. I will keep you informed. Also I am looking forwarded to trying my Olympus EM1 MK2 camera, yes I know it does not have the capabilities of the Sony A7Rii for light gathering, but it does have a really clever mode where it can stack the images in camera to reduce noise, so I will also let you know how this went as well. Best Regards Jamie- 54 replies
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I am thinking about a second scope to accompany my 8” dob! I would like a doublet with an EQ mount. I want it for planetary observation. I will also have to choose a reasonably priced EQ mount. I also want to be able to use my 2” eyepieces. Is that even possible? I thought maybe an 80-100 but the price really jumps as you go bigger! Any advice would be appreciated!
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For sale a skywatcher startravel 4 inch scope, has end caps and dovetail bar/rings. Would make a great guidescope, retail is £165, asking £100 with postage (ono), excellent condition throughout. Message me if interested...……..
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Technosky quadruplet flatfield 70mm apo
Ulysses31 posted a topic in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups
Hi Guys, any one had any use of a Technosky Apo or know anything about them. I am looking at getting my first apo as usually I am Astrograph man and seen this 70/478 mm quadruplet flatfield for £482. It seems a good deal but was just wondering about the build quality? As this seems cheap for a quadruplet!!! https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/tecnosky-telescope-ap-70-478-quadruplet-flatfield-ota/p,57327#tab_bar_1_select -
Bresser Messier AR102xs 102/460 f/4.5 refractor
DHEB posted a topic in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups
Hello SGL'ers I have long considered different options for a capable yet affordable combo that will enable problem-free train and air travel, as well as comfortable bicycle and backpacking tours. I recently saw that this new scope has become available and got interested. As it is a new product there is not much information around, with the exception of a lengthy thread in a German forum and one in CN (where I also posted more or less the same content shown below, except for the photos, that are only posted here - hope you do not mind). I received the scope yesterday. The telescope is indeed small (43 cm without diagonal, compare with normal keyboard below) and relatively light (~2.8 kg). It came well packaged. The important parts (focuser, dovetail, lens?) are of good quality, with the exception of the diagonal which obviously needs upgrading to something more serious. Other parts are less qualitative (finder scope, the finder scope plastic holder, the included 26 mm plössl eyepiece) but I do not worry about these since I will not be using a finder scope and have other, better eyepieces. The package included two extensions as well, I assume for photographic use. Tests made during daylight using the supplied 26 mm plössl (giving 17.7 x) showed very nice images without any striking problems. The combination of scope, diagonal and EP apparently inverts horizontally but not vertically, so the system works well for terrestrial targets as birds. I also setup up at "night" to do some tests but these results are possibly not very representative since it does not get dark here in this time of the year (only civil dark with the Sun reaching a minimum elevation of 8 degrees below the horizon). A street lamp about 50 m away showed a clear blue rim on one side. Not terribly annoying, but it was there. Same with Arcturus, which showed a red tint, or flare that shouldn't be there. Dimmer stars looked OK, but as said above, the sky was too bright and I could barely detect stars of mag 7, even with this scope. I could not test with Moon or Jupiter, as these were hidden behind the trees. I used the ES 82/8.8 mm eyepiece for these tests. I also acquired a Vixen Porta II Altaz mount on an APP-TL130 tripod for use with it. The mount is simply excellent, and the tripod is sturdy and very light, a highly recommendable pair! My first impression is that this telescope is great value for the money and that the system will work perfectly for my intended purpose. The fact that bright stars, and surely Moon and planets, show obvious chromatic aberration is not a problem for me. As a visual observer, mostly interested in variable stars and DSO's, I believe this scope and mount will provide a good combo for me. For all other things I can always use my 200 f/5 Newtonian. I will write a longer review when I do some serious night testing. That will be when it actually gets dark again, namely in two months -
8" reflector vs small APO refractor
Ardoamros posted a topic in Getting Started General Help and Advice
Greetings stargazers, I'm considering buying a new telescope (my first telescope) for astrophotography, and some visual astronomy. But I can't decide which type should I get. I mainly want to photograph deep sky objects. After testing some variations in Stellarium I am worried that some deep sky objects won't fit into the aperture of an 8" reflector. I'm wondering which type should I get. And also I'm worried that I won't be able to photograph anything with a small refractor because I live near a city. I am also open to any suggestions for a beginner astrophotography telescope. (around 800$ would be perfect) Thank you:) I apologise if I made any writing mistakes. Edit: I'm considering buying a Bresser Messier 203/800 or a William Optics Zenithstar 61 but I'm still open to any suggestions. -
First refractor for imaging
Paolo Silvestri posted a topic in Getting Started Equipment Help and Advice
Greetings everyone, I am a student with a recent strong interest in astrophotography. I currently use a Nikon D3300 and I plan to get for my graduation a small refractor and a tracker mount, most likely a star adventurer. My question is, which is the best/most stuitable apochromatic refractor to use with the SA? The budget would be around 1000€ for all the setup. Thank you in advance and clear skies!! -
Hi all. Considering a new scope, and specifically a new refractor scope specifically for lunar and planetary work. Seen the Altair Starwave F11 102mm achromatic OTA which doesn't break the bank too much. With the longer focul length CA shouldn't be too noticible, and as I have no intention of doing any imaging with it then an APO scope seems a little expensive just for visual use. Anyone have one of these for visual use at all? Any feedback (good/bad) would be welcome. http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/altair-starwave-102mm-f11-achromat-refractor-telescope-with-2-crayford-focuser.html
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I do a lot of travelling and would like something properly portable. Obviously I would not get the performance that I get with my 6SE, but that would be an acceptable compromise. I have been looking at two posibilities, the Celestron Travel scope 70mm, 400mm/f5.7 or the Meade EXT80 with backpack which is 80mm 400mm/f5 Has anyone used these and what are their opinions?
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exceedingly cheap refractor
Some Dude With A Mak- Cass posted a topic in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups
found a $40 refractor at a goodwill today. will include some pictures, is it worth the money? has a EQ mount included, and for just 40 I'm seriously considering it. tips? it has no eyepeices included, but the mount looks sturdy and the i don't yet have a refractor so i really want it.. if its worth it. pretty sure its worth over $200 but idk 4 sure. remember that i know so little about refractors that i had to google how they worked.. again. but that mount alone would be worth it, even if the optical tube isn't. please feel free to tell me its not worth it, i don NOT want to waste money on this. -
I just bought an Istar 150mm F12 lens and cell and will be building the telescope to hold it. The guy I bought it from has generously given me some excellent advice, so I know where I will get the aluminium tube and how I will cut it, how I will plan the light path and baffles, and how I will flock it internally. He also suggested a couple of focusers that he has used and likes. I think I will probably go for a Moonlite focuser as I have one on a newtonian and I really like the smoothness and precision of it, but I am also considering a couple of others. Do any of you have either the TS Monorail or the Baader Steeltrack? What do you like and dislike about them? I will be using the scope for visual observing only and the heaviest eyepiece I will use on it will be my Explore Scientific 30mm 82° at 1.4kg. Thanks.
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Starwave 70ED F6 Travel Refractor opinion?
mikeyj1 posted a topic in Getting Started Equipment Help and Advice
Hi all, I am thinking of adding one of these to my Christmas list. I want it primarily for astrophotography with my aps-c Canon on the Star adventurer mount, with a sturdy photo tripod (I have all of those already). For £399 it seems like the best combination of value and performance to me, but what's your opinion? https://www.altairastro.com/starwave-70ed-f6-travel-refractor-telescope-with-2-crayford-focuser-finder-diagonal-eyepiece.html thanks Mike -
Hi all, not sure if this is the right place for this, but cannot decide which is the better one.. Here is my problem; I have an old Telephoto lens that is an 86mm achromatic and has a variable focal length of 600 to 1300mm. I have had this years and don't really use it anymore, it's no good for astrophotography as it stands but after some experimenting with various eyepieces jerry rigged in the end of the lens I have found it makes a very good and effective refractor telescope...and as I want a larger finder/secondary scope on my LX90 this would seem to be a good use for old equipment. The lens has a 42mmx0.75mm male thread on the end for the attachment of camera adapters. I have had a look for a female threaded adapter that would allow the use of either a single or interchangeable eyepieces on the lens. Does anyone know of any such adapter, or perhaps a couple of adapters that would allow the end game I want... Thanks everyone. Jim
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New old refractor added to the family
Knighty2112 posted a topic in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups
A new (old) 'frac added to my wee family of scopes. From an Astromedia kit of a slightly smaller copy of one of Galileo's refractors. Not had a chance to view the night sky yet, but get a 12x magnification, so should be able to see the moon in a little more detail. Field of view is small, but as one of the first kind of telescopes made this was cutting edge back in the day I guess! Hope for a chance tonight to observe something if the clouds permit! -
Help for choosing my first telescope ;)
Androri posted a topic in Getting Started Equipment Help and Advice
Hey everyone ! I am new to this site , don't know how to properly use it , but hope someone will help me As the topic says , I am trying to buy my first telescope , and am quite excited for it. I have been reading wuite a lot about astronomy , so I know most of the basics , but have many many unanswered questions ... xD I was originally looking for a scope for viewing the planets , but well , after learning more , I thought that maybe a scope that can show only planets will eventually get a BIT boring , and will not be used much (although I still admire the planets and still will want to observe them). Just a quick info on me : I live in a city , have no place to go / or car to transport my scope to a darker place , live in a building , hope to observe from the rooftop. My ONLY CONCERN about this is that from my balcony I can see Vega at night , and as depressing as it may sound , nothing more .It may be because there are buildings covering my view (I at least hope so that's the case) or light pollution , although the place I live is in the orange to red zone in many light pollution maps. So originally I stumbled upon the Orion Starseeker IV 80mm GoTo refractor. http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/GoTo-Computerized-Telescopes/Orion-StarSeeker-IV-80mm-GoTo-Refractor-Telescope/c/1/sc/15/p/113919.uts Thought it was good for the GoTo and stuff , but after doing some research , got concerned about the sturdyness of the mount.Some said it was too shaky (I have almost constant winds of about 10mph at night here) . Plus after some while I discovered DeepSpace and got even more interested in it than the planets . So I started to seek for reflectors. After a while I discarded Dobsonians as an option , cause I do want to do astrophotography ( just amateur , not gonna spend money on expensive DSLR s or sth) . And maybe in the future I will want to do some more serious astrophotography , so it will be very sad , if I have to change the scope later , if I want to... So after doing some research I am currently watching these scopes . 1. Orion 9827 AstroView 6 Equatorial Reflector Telescope . https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000XMSR0/ref=psdc_499154_t1_B01N2HJBQC 2. SkyWatcher Explorer-150P EQ3-2 Reflector. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150p-eq3-2.html The only downside of these is that they're not GoTo (The second one has an option , but it's out of my price range) , but I think an additional RA motor drive will do the thing. At lease if I will be able to find anything in my sky ... That's it ! If you own/have used any of these scopes tell me more about them ! What you like/dont like etc. ANY GENERAL ADVICE IS APPERCIATED . Thanks ! -
Takahashi Fetish Continues .........
Rainmaker posted a topic in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups
Another day another Takahashi ......... when will I ever escape this vicious circle ??? Just when I had resolved not to buy any more astro gear, someone advertised this scope at a very, very tempting price.... here we go again, my dear wife just shook her head when I told her I would be away for a couple of days picking up another telescope. Enter the Takahashi FSQ106ED build # 89 of 2014, in immaculate condition with a genuine Takahashi FSQ case, Extender-Q 1.6X, Clamshell and a pair of LE eyepieces. How could I say no? To say that I was happy driving the 700 alms back home would be an understatement ..... Thanks for viewing -
Hello guys, I may have found exactly the forum I need here I would be really glad if you could help me a bit please : I love stargazing on the mountain next to home (low light pollution), but now I want to level up. I mean, I'd like to use a device that is better than my eye to see the night sky. The problem is I am quite lost between telescopes, lenses, reflectors, refractors, and hybrids devices etc. So here I am, coming for your advice that will be, I am sure, of great help. Here's my question : what device is best suited for my use ? I'd like to see constellations and close deep sky like big galaxies (andromeda M31 for example). I am aware that refractor lenses are less bright than reflexion telescopes but I'm not certain which one to buy. > The main purpose would be a looking through device, but ideally if I can plug my Canon DSLR it would be fantastic. What are best brands for an amateur ? I prefer to pay more but once than cheap but twice and have a budget of around 250-300 € (if one is a bit above but really effective I can go a higher). Thank you a lot in advance for your time and advice ! Golfox2
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From the album: The Great White
This is a Skywatcher 150mm Frac that I bought slightly battered and bruised... she was old school blue but she's had a make over and is now the pride of my fleet :-) -
I'm considering to build a nice all-round wide field 150mm binoscope, mainly to observe DSOs and, why not, some planet observations. The priority is wide field observation with good contrast at 5 pupil exit, and also good contrast on smaller DSOs at 2-3 exit pupil, so I guess the focal length should be 900mm at maximum. I don't mind too much some chromatic aberration observing the moon and planets at 100 X, I'm not aiming higher than 100-150 X for planets. I want this binoscope to be a keeper for life. I'm considering these refractors, and I would like to hear your suggestions and recommendations based on your expertise: (1) TS 152mm F5.9 http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p2229_TS-152mm-f-5-9-Gro-feld-Refraktor-mit-3--Crayford-Auszug.html (2) iStar WFX 150mm F5 http://www.istar-optical.com/refractors-ii.html (3) Celestron Omni 150mm F5 http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p4010_Celestron-Omni-XLT-1590R-Rich-field-Refractor---Optical-Tube-Assembly.html I plan to use high end 2" barrel eyepieces, like Ethos 13 for the 2-3 exit pupil views, and other eyepieces suited for binoscopes (less that 6.2 cm diameter) for the 5 exit pupil range. Which pair of refractors do you think will do the job better and more cost-effectively? I'll consider other refractors you may suggest. Thanks in advance
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This was one from a backlog of images on my SD card ....4th Dec 2011 5" Takahashi Refractor Pentax K5 ISO 100 1/60th sec (single exposure) Moon by mikeyscope, on Flickr
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Hi, how's it going? I'm new to all this, so new I have no equipment yet. I'm looking for the skywatcher 80ed pro in good condition at a fair price. I also need a good GOTO mount, EQ5 or above, and a guide camera. Thanks for looking, Chris
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Hi all. After upgrading my Skywatcher Startravel 120 refractor with a nice new dual speed 2" Crayford focuser, I also splashed out on some flocking to install in the frac too after reading good positive things about flocking the inside of your telescope to reduce light glare and improve image contrast. Not going to do the flocking until I have fitted a new synta shoe for my finder scope to the tube (so most likely a job for next weekend at the earliest), but was just wondering if anyone else has flocked their refractor at all? Most people that I read who had flocked their scopes were talking about Newtonians or big dobs, so just curious if flocking my frac will improve my views? As the flocking only cost just under £12 with p&p from FLO if it doesn't do too much then nothing much lost anyway.
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Hello! My friend and I are trying to make a DIY refractor based telescope which will be used only for solar projection as our personal monsoon project. We don't have any specific plan yet but roughly this is the idea : suppose an 80mm achromat f/10 (or similar) with a zoom eyepiece attached to a Sun funnel. (Or similar) My major concern is the heat build up in the scope. I use my 90mm f/10 refractor for solar projection and within 15 min I can sense the heat built up inside. Any ideas or suggestions on this? Are there any specific coatings which can work for heat reduction? Any thoughts are welcome! P.S. I am from Mumbai region and summer temperature does rise up to 40+ degree Celsius. Also,I don't want to have a telescope smaller than 70-80mm aperture.
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Hi All, I need to get a new 2x Barlow lens and looking online prices vary from a few quid to several hundred quid. While I am happy to go on a research tour of the internet, I thought I would get more mileage out of this group. :-) My telescope is a Bresser AR-102S/600, is there anything in particular in a Barlow that I should be looking for? I am just getting into AP, but do like to just look at things every now and again. Thanks in advance for any advice. James
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Hi, I was asked on a Swedish forum to put an "Astronomical Dictionary" on my homepage. I have made a test page in an easy form. Astronomical related words linked to wikipedia. It aims to the beginners in astronomy so it should not be too complicated words. http://astrofriend.eu/astronomy/astronomical-dictionary/astronomical-dictionary.html Let me know if it's useful and and I shall add more words. /Lars
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