Tal 8" refractor pics !!

[John]

That frac is just stunning, im getting so niggled that TAL make all this wonderful astro kit and we in the uk dont get a look in, when i win the lotto im going to set up a tal dealer ship and import these products, so we can finally get a look in

They will need to sort out their quality control first. The Apolar 125's that I had for review were not finished well for flagship products

[nightfisher]

They will need to sort out their quality control first. The Apolar 125's that I had for review were not finished well for flagship products

to be a tal supplier you would need to hand check each item, but it would be worth it

[AndyH]

to be a tal supplier you would need to hand check each item, but it would be worth it

Damn. That'd be hellish tough

[John]

to be a tal supplier you would need to hand check each item, but it would be worth it

If the quality control was more consistent at the point of manufacture then I agree.

If I had been a dealer though, both the scopes I had supplied to me for review would have gone back to the factory - frustration for me and frustration for my customer

Maybe I was just unlucky

[nightfisher]

To be honest john i guess that the muti element is a bit of a gamble for the factory, the standard achromatic fracs and reflecting scopes they make have a huge following of loyal fans, but with any mass produced item there will be an element of quality control, they might have rushed the 125 out, eager to show the world their new model, just my thoughts

[AndyH]

It's also roughly £500 overpriced...............possibly.

[nightfisher]

yep, sounds about right, and to complicated

[AndyH]

£500 overpriced in the UK, that is.

[nightfisher]

£500 overpriced in the UK, that is.

When you stop and think about it, maybe the price is about right,am i right in saying this is an APO as in ED glass

[AndyH]

It's an apo, but I don't think the glass types used are terribly exotic, hence the design.

In case anyones reading this and thinking 'what the hell has he been rambling on about, on this thread', here goes.....

Factory pricelist, prices a straight conversion to UK£

125 Apolar = £700

200K = £700

UK retail price from Optical Vision Ltd(importer)

125 Apolar = £1500

200K = £1000

If anyone can tell me how that makes sense, fire away.

Andy.

[John]

I can't make sense of the pricing either but then I don't have a commercial head

My guess is that Optical Vision looked at the pricing of the Equinox 120 Pro and used that as some sort of yardstick.

It's an apo, but I don't think the glass types used are terribly exotic, hence the design.....

That is the fascinating thing about the Apolar to me - it demonstrates that it is possible to have an excellent apochromatic refractor without using exotic glass.

The downside is that I would not want to have to collimate the 6 glass elements in 3 groups arranged down the tube

[nightfisher]

I can't make sense of the pricing either but then I don't have a commercial head

My guess is that Optical Vision looked at the pricing of the Equinox 120 Pro and used that as some sort of yardstick.

That is the fascinating thing about the Apolar to me - it demonstrates that it is possible to have an excellent apochromatic refractor without using exotic glass.

The downside is that I would not want to have to collimate the 6 glass elements in 3 groups arranged down the tube

My thoughts exactly and maybe the reason why no one seems to have made the purchase,on the NPZ site it states this "pipe needs careful handling by experienced person"

[AndyH]

I can't make sense of the pricing either but then I don't have a commercial head

My guess is that Optical Vision looked at the pricing of the Equinox 120 Pro and used that as some sort of yardstick.

It's strange. I do think it's also a wee bit unfair on the scope, as it was never designed and made to compete alongside the 5" triplet market(so I read from one of the designers). It was meant as a cost effective alternative, for ordinary local(Russian) astronomers, giving similar results/views. I mean it doesn't stand a chance alongside a £1500 chinese triplet, mechanically, cause it never was meant to, in the first place. Garbled a bit, hope you see what I mean.

That is the fascinating thing about the Apolar to me - it demonstrates that it is possible to have an excellent apochromatic refractor without using exotic glass.

Indeed. Tom Back had designs for a series of lenses to be made from standard glass types. I think he called them 'bricks'. There was a lot of discussion on the Burgess Group, when he and Bill Burgess were working together. It reached the prototype stage I think(edit: & they were delighted with the result), but his sudden death has robbed the world of astronomy a truly great mind. Terribly sad.

The downside is that I would not want to have to collimate the 6 glass elements in 3 groups arranged down the tube

Very true. Some German blokes figured out a collimation method using the front lens cell, mind you. And they did say back in the turn of the century that the Klevtsovs were uncollimatable, which happily has been proven incorrect. It's not a scope for everyone, but it's nice to see something different, design wise.

Andy.

[AndyH]

My thoughts exactly and maybe the reason why no one seems to have made the purchase,on the NPZ site it states this "pipe needs careful handling by experienced person"

It says that about the Klevs too

But seriously. I'm honestly interested in opinions if the scope was £1000? I guess the design may put a lot of folk off anyway to start.

I wouldn't pay £1500 for it, and I'm a Tal-head.

Andy.

[DaveGibbons]

I just wish that Tal still supplied the achromat 125r into the U.K. That was a magnificent scope! The 8" Tal looks very cool!

Dave

[Mr Spock]

Just about everything is priced too high in the UK. I guess were just a bunch of mugs willing to pay through the nose for stuff

[spaceboy]

At a guess I'm thinking it's either

1) To do with the whole world economy thing. We are considered one of the worlds richest countries. As we don't live in mud huts and have the luxury of clean running water we pay that bit more into the global bank to help those less fortunate.

2) OVL have complaints about QC on TAL's and some end up being returned. The high UK price buffers the shipping losses getting them back to Russia etc.

3) To keep food on the tables of employees the price has to be high due to a large S/H market for astronomy items taking a lot of business.

4) We are just a bunch of mugs!

[nicnac]

option 4 for me

got to say, whilst looking at all things TAL on the net, i rarely come across any complaints about the equipment. only one for the reflector range and that was by a chap on SGL and i think that was due to bad delivery

[nightfisher]

I just wish that Tal still supplied the achromat 125r into the U.K. That was a magnificent scope! The 8" Tal looks very cool!

Dave

I have just taken the trouble of sending an enquiry to OVL, highlighting a demand for Tal products, and more so the 125r achro ota, i have noted to them the new series of stargazing live due soon, which will create a demand for more quality astronomy products, i await the reply, i hope its a good one!

[John]

I have just taken the trouble of sending an enquiry to OVL, highlighting a demand for Tal products, and more so the 125r achro ota, i have noted to them the new series of stargazing live due soon, which will create a demand for more quality astronomy products, i await the reply, i hope its a good one!

Good luck with that - OVL will need to convince the dealers first and foremost I reckon.

[nicnac]

Can't see why they can't stock, TAL would supply. If OVL listed products in their catalogue, people would buy because they are available, maybe if they started with one or two extra products, the 80 degree EP and the 150P8, see how they sell?

Another thing, just received the new OVL catalogue and they have printed the wrong specs again!, with the 150P you get a 1.25/2" rack and pinion focused and a 25mm and 7.5mm Plossl EPs, they have been this way for years now! Fingers out OVL!!!

[MjrTom]

Just about everything is priced too high in the UK. I guess were just a bunch of mugs willing to pay through the nose for stuff

I suspect it has more to do with the UK having some of the highest import duty and VAT of any country...

We are not playing on a level playing field here so we always get hammered.

When things can be 50% cheaper in the USA it cant be down to buying power alone. China/Russia are just as far away geographically to the UK as they are to the USA for instance...

If the Government stopped squandering all the tax collected from tax payers in this country we might be in a better position with lower taxation... But that is a whole different topic of conversation!

[AndyH]

Noticed the 2012 pricing is up on the Tal factory forum and this caught my eye....

TAL-200A (apochromat) (D200mm, F = 1800mm) 320,388.00 Roubles

So roughly, £6730 (factory door price)for an 8"F9, incl 3" focuser, revolving turret and 5 eyepieces.

Andy.

[nicnac]

Im sure it would get a 100% mark up if it comes over (which i doubt)

[AndyH]

For an 8" class Apo, that's a pretty good price.

Wouldn't mind a Russian made std eyepiece turret. Intes-Micro make, or made one. Nearly got one cheap, years ago.