Russian tales

[nightfisher]

I seem to enjoy Telescopes from Russia, mainly the TAL scopes and with good reason, solid build, pleasing lines and high quality sharp optics, so let me introduce you to my latest addition to the family, the TAL 125r   

                                                                                            

Hailing from the land of fire and ice, well NPZ optics  Novosibirsk, this 125r was made in the year 2004, and has with stood the test of time remarkably well, still being in fine fettle, and is highly original, pretty much as it left the factory other than a shoe for an RDF that has been fitted to the underside of the OTA, this has been epoxied and is best left in place, may even find a use for it.

The 125r is some what unique in tube design, being a 100r tube then having a beautiful "flute" front end to accommodate the larger objective cell, with a very substantial metal dew shield that slides over the cell. At the rear is a silky smooth 2" rack and pinion focuser with 1.25 reducer, and house`s the 6x30 finder scope                                                                                    

This scope has ended a near 2 year search for one of these, some of you good folk on here will remember the wanted adds, and my following any hint of getting one, i had sort of reached a point where i was not looking for one, as it seemed highly unlikely to locate one, then fate played a fair turn and i stumbled on this superb condition instrument, the deal was done in an instant.

The optics have come into question on this model, some of the very few examples here in the uk seem to show a dislike for high magnification, at present i can not confirm just how good high power work performs but low power up to around x100 is very nice, on my first light i used a 2" Revelation 42mm eyepiece at Luna surface and my reward was a slight amount of pale yellow CA but some stunning super sharp crater detail, maybe this vintage Russian prefers lower powered 2" oculars                                                                

I really did not appreciate quite just how rare this scope is in the UK, but so far i know of only 3 others here in the land of wind, rain cloud and taxation  

                                                                                                               

I will of course update this post as i get to know my new to me Russian comrade, as we embark on a journey, visiting beautiful and interesting locations in the cosmos     

[jnc71106]

looks like a very nice scope and i'm glad your long search has finally paid off, i'm partial to Russian optics myself

[emadmoussa]

Very nice. Refractors are a manifestation of beauty

[AndyH]

Lovely !!

I look forward to your updates over the months to come.

Clear skies, Jules

Andy.

[twotter]

Now that, is what I call a telescope

Clear skies and all sorts of other good things!

[SpookyKatt]

Lovely scope, congrats.  I look forward to reading how it performs.

kathleen

[John]

A fine looking scope Jules - congratulations on finding one at last 

I hope it's performance makes the wait worthwhile.

[nightfisher]

Thanks for all the kind comments, John i hope it does prove a good one

[Qualia]

That frac has such a gorgeous look about it, Jules. I love how it bulbs towards the end in that 'flute' look (great word find), it really enhances its overall appeal. Like you, I have never been disappointed by the Tal 100rs' performance, so it would be great to hear your views on its bigger brother. Some more pics would also be nice Have you thought of a name for your new family member?

Sure you've read it, but this is one happy fellow: Taming a Tiger

[nightfisher]

Thanks Qualia, yes i have read taming the tiger a good many times, i might let you come up with a suitable name for the newest addition

[John]

Thanks Qualia, yes i have read taming the tiger a good many times, i might let you come up with a suitable name for the newest addition

It's not Neil's old scope you have bought is it ?.

I know he sold his not that long ago.

[nightfisher]

No John, i emailed Neil to see if it was his old  scope

[Stu]

Thanks Qualia. Taming the Tiger is a great read :-)

Hope yours turns out to be a 'good'un' Jules

Cheers

Stu

[Qualia]

I'm pretty useless at that kind of thing, Jules but we could all make some suggestions Maybe one of them will fit? I mean the best I can come up with for my own is Los Diez Dedos which means The 10 Fingers. And for the 4" it's The Tal. Not exactly that inspiring, I know

Why Name a Telescope

Thanks, Big Mak

[Marki]

Excellent find Jules! I wish you joy with your new find. How does the Az4 cope with it? I know my EQ5 holds my 125r ok, and the Az-eq6gt barely notices it.  

Its looking like a halfway decent forecast tonight...hope you can get out!

Very much looking forward to reading your first light! We'll have to do a side by side comparison soon!

[John]

If there is another TAL 125R owner on the forum we could set up a comparison of the whole UK population of these scopes 

I wonder how many of the 125 Apolars they sold here ?

[AndyH]

.....................Have you thought of a name for your new family member?..................

Mmmmm.

 Your starter for 10.

Girl or boys name?

Girl -

Svetlana or Светлана in cyrillic, means 'star'. Well, rather, meaning is derived from star??

Pronnounced, I think, Sveet Lana

[sloz1664]

Only just picked up this thread. what a fantastic find Jules. All we want now is the Tal 100 - Tal 125 showdown.

I'd call it Unicorn or Hen's teeth......

cheers

Steve

[dweller25]

Tonights the night ??????

[nightfisher]

Excellent find Jules! I wish you joy with your new find. How does the Az4 cope with it? I know my EQ5 holds my 125r ok, and the Az-eq6gt barely notices it.  

Its looking like a halfway decent forecast tonight...hope you can get out!

Very much looking forward to reading your first light! We'll have to do a side by side comparison soon!

Hi Marki, the AZ4 just struggles with it, needs the HEQ5, i may travel over to yours with it one clear friday night in december

If there is another TAL 125R owner on the forum we could set up a comparison of the whole UK population of these scopes 

I wonder how many of the 125 Apolars they sold here ?

Like it  i know of 3 others in the uk, dont know any one here with an Apolar

Tonights the night ??????

hoping to set mount up under horrible light pollution and do a star test, all being well 

[Qualia]

Not sure if this is the best thread to place this review of Tal's Plossls but thought it might make for a good read and be of interest to Jules, Mark, Andy and John.

[AndyH]

I sttuck a thread up last week(I think), regarding Bill P's Tal Plossl & Tal super/ultra wide eyepiece reviews. Enjoyable read as always from him. He has very interesting thoughts regarding a selection of the plossl's on the moon, which may be of special interest to Jules, as he's such a 'moonie'......  ;

Andy

[AndyH]

Yeah, there it is. PDF's included for convenience.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/197806-tal-eyepiece-range-reviewed-by-bill-paolini/

[nightfisher]

Nice TAL ep review, thanks for the links

[Qualia]

Have you had any chance for viewing, Jules? Even if just a peek