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Advice on scopes please....

Rossco72

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Rossco72

Rossco72

Posted
Posted

Greetings,

Well I never thought this day would come but I think I have too many scopes, or at least too many similar scopes.

I have been going round and round trying to decide what should go and what should stay and I would welcome some objective opinions.

For the time being at least I am keeping my Solar scope and Big Dob so it's really the 'fracs I'm pondering over.

- William Optics 132FLT with 3.5" Feathertouch - Really good Triplet optics, solid build, silky smooth focuser, big and heavy

- William Optics ZS66 Triplet with 2" Feathertouch - Really good Triplet optics, solid build, silky smooth focuser, small size and weight

- TeleVue 102 with Feathertouch Microfocuser, excellent optics and mechanics, no rotation on focuser though, f8.6 is slow for imaging.

- TeleVue 85 with Feathertouch Microfocuser, excellent optics and mechanics, no rotation on focuser though, can be reduced to f5.6 with a flat field for imaging.

- TeleVue 70 Pronto, great for grab and go, not really designed for imaging as such.

Being realistic, I'd say that two of these should go. Alternatively I could consider selling more and getting say a BabyQ for imaging and either keep one for visual or get a cheaper Skywatcher version :huh: :huh: :huh:

Anyway, anyone with any ideas or opinions then i'd like to hear. Space is at a premium as my Flat doesn't have much storage.

Regards

Stuart

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rowan46

rowan46

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I would suggest keeping the televue 85. Here is why, it's small enough to be grab and go and fast enough to use as an imaging scope. the 132 really is different to your other scopes and I would keep it for planetary although your tracking dob will blow it away on the planets tough call that. The other 2 are grab and go and as you are already keeping the tv 85 really are surplus to requirement. With the weather we have been having lately there seems to be more of an interest in grab and go scopes. I doubt you will have trouble offloading at a decent price. I forgot to get rid of the 102 .

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damnut

damnut

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Hi Stuart,

Just send any of those spares down here!.

Apart from keeping the WO 132mm, you have a difficult choice removing these from your inventory. However the Televue 102 is hardly grab & go. Of the three others then you are well placed for imaging and grab & go.... The 66 is close enough to the TV70,, keep the WO66 for imaging along with the 132 .That leaves the TV85 as a substantial grab & go.

Keepers

WO 132 FLT

TV 85

WO ZS66

The sale of the two scopes would allow you to buy a large sct which is the only scope missing from your arsenal :laugh: , and would make a great companion to that lovely dob. So I believe I agree with Rowan46 above...

Good luck with a difficult choice.

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ronin

ronin

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66mm, 70mm, 85mm, 102mm, 132mm, seems a reasonable spread. Keep the lot, maybe slip in a 110mm as well. :eek: :eek:

There is no way I would let go any of them. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Suppose I am not really helping you make a decision am I. :evil: :evil: :evil:

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Your ZS66 is a triplet? Mine isn't!

I might be inclined to sell all the refractors bar the 132 and go for a Baby Q. It's big for an 85 but could still be called Grab and Go. It is simply beyond belief for imaging and with an EP it is also stunning. In visual use you'd have two well separated refractors (in terms of aperture, FL and portability) and the Baby Q will beat both the small WO's resoundingly while running the 4 inch TV close visually and trouncing it photographcally.

The Baby Q's only limitation is that it will not quite cover the Kodak 37x26 chips but since you've sold the Art 11K I suppose that may not matter?

Alternatively I might lose the small WOs (the TV85 knocks them into next week while remaining portable) and the 4 inch TV since it will have only a small advantage over it smaller sister.

Olly

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Rossco72

Rossco72

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66mm, 70mm, 85mm, 102mm, 132mm, seems a reasonable spread. Keep the lot, maybe slip in a 110mm as well. :eek: :eek:

There is no way I would let go any of them. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Suppose I am not really helping you make a decision am I. :evil: :evil: :evil:

Haha. That's the problem. My heart says keep them all even though they aren't getting used. My head says I should think about what I could live without.

The Televue scopes are classic doublets, well made and classics. The William Optics scopes were only let down by their focusers and these have both been replaced with feathertouch ones so they're pretty good.

My head hurts again lol...

Cheers

Stuart

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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you seem to have it all wrong Stu. you should be buying more eyepieces to get a range of magnifications, not scopes!

:grin:

I think your answer depends on whether or not you are going to image seriously. on that assumption (i.e. you are) then I agree with Olly and he'd know.

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Rossco72

Rossco72

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you seem to have it all wrong Stu. you should be buying more eyepieces to get a range of magnifications, not scopes!

:grin:

I think your answer depends on whether or not you are going to image seriously. on that assumption (i.e. you are) then I agree with Olly and he'd know.

I don't have the weather or location to image seriously. I will snap away with a dSLR but I sold off my Atik cameras last year as they just werent getting used. I have had 6 nights under clear skies since about august last year and there's only been a few I've missed due to other commitments.

I'd really love a Tak but in reality it would most likely be wasted here with the cloud and I dont have a permanent setup as I need to travel 20 miles or so to get out of Glasgow and It's awful orange sky.

Cheers

Stuart

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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I thought I'd got you on the ZS66 there Stuart! That'll teach me to be cocky. :grin: I didn't know the triplet existed but, then again, I doubt if William Chang knows all the WO range...

In that case I'd keep the 85 and 132. There's a flattener for the 85 and then it makes a fine imaging scope. One of our regulars uses one from his club and loves it.

One eyepiece and lots of scopes. Now there's an idea. What I like about it is that my one EP would be a 26 Nagler so I'd be looking at something VERY nice, scope-wise, to give me 300x on the planets...

Olly

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Rossco72

Rossco72

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I thought I'd got you on the ZS66 there Stuart! That'll teach me to be cocky. :grin: I didn't know the triplet existed but, then again, I doubt if William Chang knows all the WO range...

In that case I'd keep the 85 and 132. There's a flattener for the 85 and then it makes a fine imaging scope. One of our regulars uses one from his club and loves it.

One eyepiece and lots of scopes. Now there's an idea. What I like about it is that my one EP would be a 26 Nagler so I'd be looking at something VERY nice, scope-wise, to give me 300x on the planets...

Olly

And very nice it is too with its feathertouch focuser....

post-3903-0-19748900-1361368199_thumb.jp

post-3903-0-42890300-1361368241_thumb.jp

Cheers

Stuart

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E621Keith

E621Keith

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you seem to have it all wrong Stu. you should be buying more eyepieces to get a range of magnifications, not scopes!

:grin:

I think your answer depends on whether or not you are going to image seriously. on that assumption (i.e. you are) then I agree with Olly and he'd know.

I think Stu is preparing for the next generation monster eyepieces from ES and TV, where you put the scope into the eyepiece.

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nightfisher

nightfisher

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I sympathize with your predicament stuart, alng with all the other people i would keep the 132, if you sold it and missed it you might not be able to justify replacing it, and maybe keep the TV 85.

I think i have to sell a couple of refractors again

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