TS 90 carbon triplet. thoughts please?

[Daniel-K]

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p2403_TS-Triplet-APO-90-600mm-Carbon-tube--2-5--PHOTO-focuser.html

looking at all options for a new scope this one is right on the budget mark of £1k, just wondering what peoples thoughts and weather they have one and use it for AP. or is there something better i can get for my money. its f6 with the obligatory FPL53 glass so it should preform well.

thanks

DAn

[alan potts]

Dan,

I have had a lot of stuff from TS and the last 2 years for me they have not been at the top of their game. The last and very last thing I will ever buy from them was a 70mm ED carbon fiber, it was my second one. When I got it, it was bent. the Meade dealer in Sofia who is a good friend agreed it was faulty, they argued and even after I sent photo's did not accept their was a problem, they said the photo proved nothing ( this was not the case ). I repaired it myself and we charged them 50 euros, it is still no where near as good as the one I bought 2 years back. In my books the objective is poor quality. I think Olly Penrice said with TS it depends if your item came from the top or the lower part of the pile because there is a hell of difference between the two.

I think some of my problems come from where I live though I can never be sure, one person on site received two very very poor quality scopes from them which were supposed to be high quality APO's, they were anything but. I know the scope you are looking at and if I were you I would have a word with Telescope House, they are doing the same scope with excellent QA under the Orion banner. I would buy one from them. I have the full story from them as I have been a good customer and they keep in touch with me. The one thing they did tell me was Orion had a job getting the quality they required to a level of consistency they demanded. Tele House told me they are happy this has been done.

I am thinking of getting one myself from them not from TS. I am sure it will serve you better in the long run to use a UK outlet.

If you give me an e-mail address I will send you what they say about this scope.

Alan.

[alan potts]

Dan,

I am sorry I did not see you had been looking at a 90mm, the one I was looking at was a 80mm. As far as I am concerned the above still applies.

Alan.

[Daniel-K]

Hi Alan thanks for the brief, i think i will look for something here in the uk. going off what you say thats pretty poor.

[m.tweedy]

The Altair ones look good as well

http://www.altairastro.com/product.php?productid=16481&cat=270&page=1

[Daniel-K]

they do but i have not seen many images taken with these

[PARTY MARTY]

I've bought the TS 115mm F7 Triplet APO from TS! Quite an expensive scope (Which I paid around 1800 euros but it does come with a focal reducer with it) but the engineering quality is quite something! I've managed excellent images of DSO's! However it's quite a large APO refractor but relatively light around 6Kg which is not bad considering it's a aluminium tube, most of the weight is from the Triplet objective itself!

The optical coatings are of very high quality and I cannot see any CA in my images or by visual use!

Despite the high cost, I'm starting to love my 115mm APO more than my 8" Quattro, it offers sharper razor crisp images than the Quattro and the imaging set-up seems a lot easier than the Quattro, however not as fast as the Quattro only deliverying F5.5 with the focal reducer, but my CCD images are so clear and sharp! Don't get me wrong here the Quattro is a really good imaging scope, however my 115mm APO seem's to have edge over the Quattro, I don't know why but being a strong reflector owner over many years! But If you going to use a scope for CCD imaging I believe that a high quality APO refractor is the way to go, I soon realised that more apeture is not really as important, it's the focal ratio is the big one for Astro-imaging! Despite an APO being really expensive I finally taken the plunge, and realised why most astro-imagers opt for the APO, and now I can see why they use them! And now I've bought and used many telescopes of many kinds, I which in the end I bought an APO in the first place???

So if you're serious in imaging and you want to make an investment, I believe that the TS 90 Carbon APO would make an excellent imaging scope!

[alan potts]

Mr wormgear,

I have spent a great deal of money with Telescope sevices well over 15,000 and I have had a lot of problems with them and know others who have also had problems, I agree they were once good but the cheap scope as you put it was the last straw. Just because something is cheap is no reason to accept rubbish.

Alan.

[Daniel-K]

So if you're serious in imaging and you want to make an investment, I believe that the TS 90 Carbon APO would make an excellent imaging scope!

yes im serious lol just means i would have to save up again for a new mount, i do like it alot though

[PARTY MARTY]

The TS 90 is carbon tube, I reckon a HEQ-5 mount would easily carry that scope no problems! Even with a 80mm guidescope, and a CCD attached to it! It should be fine!

[Daniel-K]

i was thinking that but the pier in my obsy is for a NEQ6 which i had to regrettably sell last month but now all is well and im itching to get back into AP, i had the 8inch quattro thought i was ok but the collimation done my head in so im going to a APO, i use to have the ED80 although a nice scope at its native F7.5 an even with the reducer still a tad slow for me so this ticks all the box's, im hoping to have all my gear back for winter or the end of summer and this will be on the list

[ollypenrice]

Alan's experience was similar to that of another TS apo owner on SGL who received two dud instruments in succession. Have a read.

http://stargazerslou...lescope service

The issue is not whether a well collimated version of telescope X can give a good star test. The issue is how good is the QC and how good is the returns policy if your example isn't good?

As someone who does astronomy for a living I get to buy quite a lot of kit and I most certainly do not know that Telescope Service are 'the best in Europe.' I have bought quite a lot of kit from them and have no complaints, but I read the forums. I do not get the impression that they are as reactive in regard to poor telescopes as some other retailers. Have you ever read a similar account of Ian King Imaging or FLO? I haven't.

As far as I'm concerned 'the best in Europe' (of those I've tried) is to be found in the UK. As for 'the cheapest,' I couldn't possibly care less. This gear is expensive, sensitive and I'm a perfectionist. I only want to buy from someone who understands that the kit has to be a perfect example of the breed.

Olly

PS An HEQ5 will easily carry any 4 inch apo.

[admin]

Mr wormgear's posts have been removed and he is no longer a member. Not because of his passionate support of TS but because he is fond of controversy so has been banned a number of times already.

Apologies if the removed posts have left the thread disjointed.

[misterp]

I have used TS a number of times and I have had no problems.

However, you could talk to Bernard at Modern Astronomy as he sells some of their stuff. I am sure he could get that scope and then at least the distance selling act applies. I am sure he will also check it for you if you ask him to.

Good luck

Ian

[alan potts]

Admin,

I didn't take offence myself but I believe the point I made about something being cheap was a worthwhile one there are people on this forum, good members that find 200 quid a lot of money. Equipment should be at a standard that it is advertised as and this was not. This was my 4th major problem with them in two years and I believe that is enough chance for anyone.

It is sad that you found it necessary to ban the guy but you run an excellent site and I bow to your greater judgement.

Alan.

[admin]

He was not banned for his content in this thread Alan, he was banned only because he has been banned a number of times already but keeps re-joining under different usernames.

[alan potts]

Oh, I see, well it only goes to show it must be a dam good site, seems like some people never learn.

Alan.

[alan potts]

Dan,

I noticed Olly joined in, this is a man that sees much more equipment than most shops see and Is in my opinion well worth taking notice of. I still think the 80mm will do you very nicely, I have to say I am tempted by it myself, I don't know why , I jusy want one.

Alan.