First experience of televue

[Highburymark]

Loving my new nexstar evolution scope, but standard celestron eyepieces less than impressive, so bought televue panoptic 24mm this week - my first experience of televue - after advice this was a great EP.. Hardly the most promising conditions - light pollution seemed particularly bad in London tonight. But completely blown away by the panoptic. Fantastic clarity.. My question is, with a 6 inch sct, mainly stargazing from the city, is it worth me investing in more televues, and which ones?

[Floater]

Oh Mark! What are you doing?!

You offer your throat to the razor!

There are people here - bad, bad people - who will happily sacrifice your wallet on a green and black altar. They are insidious; they are seductive; they are dangerous.

To paraphrase Gandalf, 'Fly you fool!'

(By the way, TV rocks!)

[rowan46]

there are eyepieces that are good in any scope and televue come under that heading but an f10 doesn't need televue  in the same way that faster scopes do. So some of the  not so premium eyepieces  will give almost  as good performance. have a look at explore scientific either the 68 or 82 series (not the 70) the meade 5000 swa or uwa or maxvision 68. i don't think there are any 82 left.

[Highburymark]

Thanks floater. I knew I'd be dicing with forces beyond my control and understanding here, but I take full responsibility for whatever happens, including bankruptcy.

[ronin]

You cruel person keeping a single Televue eyepiece on it's own.

There has to be a collection of at least 3, preferably more.

When there are 4 you find they purr quietly at night to you and you sleep better.

So that simply means which others (2 at least) are you going to get and how soon?  :biggrin: 

[spaceboy]

there are eyepieces that are good in any scope and televue come under that heading but an f10 doesn't need televue  in the same way that faster scopes do. So some of the  not so premium eyepieces  will give almost  as good performance. have a look at explore scientific either the 68 or 82 series (not the 70) the meade 5000 swa or uwa or maxvision 68. i don't think there are any 82 left.

I agree with Rowan46 but the problem with this is the ES eyepieces are lacking in green. That means they won't match your pan in the eyepiece case so it is only right you buy some more Televue's so it looks more uniform against the backdrop of grey pluck foam

[Highburymark]

Spaceboy - Floater warned me about people like you

[ghostdance]

One is *never* enough...they are bewitchingly good. I've only had the pleasure of the Plossls and a Radian, but I see Naglers in my future when funds allow.

Ronin's right, my TV plossl set are like little green and black tribbles (with the purr, without the fur...). I sleep easy...

[Moonshane]

I own pretty much all (I mean only really, not all!) TV eyepieces and really like them. the 24mm panoptic is a gem. TV plossls are just as good as other designs but with less field and sometimes tighter eye relief so you don't have to spend the earth. I like the older Naglers, all of which are about 30% less than newer types

[Dude_with_the_tube]

not all are bad here

Dont have one Televue and dont want one either.I stick with my 30 year old glass

[Charic]

#3 rowan46 makes a a good point.

I would be thinking/considering upgrading the aperture next,  rather than investing in your next TeleVue.

Mention TeleVue to anyone who has one and they'll say their the best!  But an EP is only as good as your telescope - eye combination. 

From the description of your surroundings, regardless of light pollution, a little more aperture will capture more Stars, helping you see more under the same conditions, and with your new found knowledge that the TV's are great, increasing your  aperture can only be to your advantage.

[estwing]

Standing at the top of a slippery green and black slope.....!

[ghostdance]

Mention TeleVue to anyone who has one and they'll say their the best!

*Shhhhh*...it's because Al sends each and every TeleVue owner a cheque every time we mention how good they are... $)

Or is it their superb build quality, excellent quality control... and what was that other teeny thing? Oh yeah, lovely optical quality....and they hold their value on the used market LOL....

And of *course* - 'other brands are available'.

Aperture is only King if other factors are met - portability and weight, storage, for example.....

Assuming you're in Highbury Mark (see what I did there?), let me know if you fancy having a look through my TV plossls or Radian. I'm only a short bike ride away.... and I love a bike ride

[Charic]

*Shhhhh*...it's because Al sends each and every TeleVue owner a cheque every time we mention how good they are... $)

Or is it their superb build quality, excellent quality control... and what was that other teeny thing? Oh yeah, lovely optical quality....and they hold their value on the used market LOL....

And of *course* - 'other brands are available'.

Aperture is only King if other factors are met - portability and weight, storage, for example.....

Assuming you're in Highbury Mark (see what I did there?), let me know if you fancy having a look through my TV plossls or Radian. I'm only a short bike ride away.... and I love a bike ride

..........So you'll get the last EP in your collection  FREE

I don't doubt the abilities of the TV range except the one I borrowed? The 8mmTV-P The eye-relief was too short  which has left a lasting impression, yet my present 9mm RA which has  similar eye-relief feels so comfortable? The TeleVue 8mm will have better glass than the revelation 9mm, but there is a difference in the comfort between the two. Comfort / ease of use will be independent between each individual, wins my vote over price alone.

I wont stop collecting the RA Plossls, till my set is complete ( maybe a little OCD with systems/kits in general ?)  

I've only borrowed and purchased to compare with my BSTs, and the difference is clear to me that the BSTs are more comfortable to use for my eyes. My eyes are ageing now, over half a century! so what feels sharp and clear to me, does not  necessarily equate to just price / branding of the optic alone. The 8mm TV was sharp, just not comfortable for me, the others would be fine no doubt! The BSTs for me are sharp AND comfortable. I know I'm paying more for a TeleVue, you pay for quality and construction, I'm just satisfied so far with my signature collection..

As you mention,  TVs  hold their value, which is still a burden for some folk, as even second hand, they are not cheap, but their only good if your eye-brain thinks that way.

Just my opinion, of course.

[ghostdance]

Don't worry too much about your eyes - I'm not sure I even clearly remember my fifties! Could be the sheer amount of gin and bourbon of course...

[John]

It's like opening Pandora's Box starting a thread about Tele Vue isn't it Highburymark ?

I'm glad you enjoy the Panoptic 24mm. It covers the wide angle / low power niche excellently with your scope as no 1.25" format eyepiece will show a wider view so I guess you need to think about the further focal lengths that will build a useful set with your scope. Then you can think about whether you want to use Tele Vue products to fill those roles or other brands. There is no shortage of choice these days !

Your 24mm gives you 62.5x magnification and a 1.1 (approx) degree true field of view. For mid range power you might find something in the 15mm-13mm focal length range useful for 100x-115x and then for higher powers I reckon a couple of options are very useful, depending on the seeing conditions, say something around 10mm (150x) and something around 7mm (214x).

These are approximate focal lengths. With your F/10 SCT many eyepieces will work really well and, as has been said, you don't need to buy Tele Vue. I'm very taken with that brand so I'd not blame at you all if you did though !

Do keep an eye on the used market. All my eyepieces have been bought used and I'd not have been able to afford this sort of quality if I'd bought them new. Here is an excellent site for used astro equipment in the UK:

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/

Tele Vue stuff does not hang around long though so you will need to move quickly if you see something that suits your needs.

Have fun and enjoy whatever you do buy in the future

[alan potts]

I have spent hundreds of hours looking through an F 10 scope comparing TeleVue eyepieces with others, there are some very slight differences between them and shall we say second string eyepieces, Explore Sc, Meade 5000 ranges and a few others. At this scope speed the TeleVue is better but by such a small amount I doubt if even I would care.

If you are going to stay with the F10 scope then i would say get yourself some ExSc;s or Meades, or even the Maxvisions which was a Meade cancelled order I believe. If however you see yourself going towards F 4 then buy TeleVue's.

alan

[Highburymark]

Thanks to everyone for your comments. Would be good to see some other televue eps ghost dance - and any advice on viewing sites in north/north east London? I see that the Lea Valley waterworks/nature centre was given a dark skies award a couple of years ago - but can't find any official astronomy events there.

[Luke]

I had the 19mm Panoptic. What a disappointing eyepiece, weakest one of the Tele Vue lineup, heavy, clunky, kidney beans all over the shop.

If you come across one please send it to me and I will get rid of it for you.

Of course what I really mean is what a gem it was, it will be mine again, muhahaha

[ghostdance]

Thanks to everyone for your comments. Would be good to see some other televue eps ghost dance - and any advice on viewing sites in north/north east London? I see that the Lea Valley waterworks/nature centre was given a dark skies award a couple of years ago - but can't find any official astronomy events there.

Hi Mark

there aren't any organised events that I've come across in the Waterworks Centre (assuming it's the same place I'm thinking of, the filter beds, which is a five minute walk from me) . There is a golf course gone wild over the back that may be good site. Didn't know about the award so I wonder if it's further up the valley park? The most open place nearby is Hackney Marshes (right next door to the golf course too )- I wouldn't call it a proper dark sky but it has the benefit of very expansive views for east London....I have not yet used it for any scope observing but always up for an adventure!

Happy to pop over one evening with the TeleVues I own....

Plus, I'd *love* to experience a Panoptic! I'll pm you with my contact details if you like

[deepspacehunter]

I have an F/5 scope.... I never saw a TELEVUE that I didn't like... I also am a fan of the Meade 5000 series EPs.... The EYEPIECE is the most important part of your Telescope !!!

Mark

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have an 8" SCT, and many TeleVue eyepieces. The non-TV are Pentax and Vixen (and one MaxVision). Yes an SCT might not strictly need premium EPs, but I have used premium and non-premium EPs in my scope and I can see the difference. I worked with quality Plossls for a long time, and upgraded the 10mm more for comfort (short eye relief) than for the intrinsic image quality.The Vixen LVs were a huge improvement with their 20mm eye relief. Much later I replaced the 36mm with a TMB Paragon 40mm. That is a superb EP. After the first encounter with a Nagler (22T4, AWESOME), I was hooked on ultra wide field. Slippery slope, indeed

[Joves]

I think there is a lot to be said also for the wider AFOV in many Televue eyepieces when used in an f10 scope. I suspect, on top of clarity of view and pinpoint starts to edge of field when used in a typical SCT compared to stock EP's, it is the wider FOV that often wows those who uses a TV (in this case, the 24 Pan, which is an absolutely cracking little EP) for the first time in a scope that doesn't "need" them.

[mikeDnight]

Sometimes you may read that only three eyepieces are required to allow for the entire range of observation. I have a friend who sincerely believes this. Personally I think an astronomer should be able to fine tune his telescope to suit the variable seeing conditions we encounter here in the UK. This means a well thought out selection suitable for your scope. When you get to the high power end, the focal lengths can seem rather close together. For my own scope I use 3.5, 5, 7 and 10mm XWs, which give me magnifications of X257, X180, X129 and X90 respectively. Then for my lower powers I use 20 and 31mm Naglers giving me magnifications of X45 and X29 and true fields of 1.8° and 2.8° for the latter two in a 120mm F7.5 ED.

I know its sad, but its nice to open the eyepiece case and see all the Pentax XW's laid side by side along the same row, all matching, and the two chunky Naglers lying together on the row above. Looking into an eyepiece case containing matching sets of real quality is mouth watering, like an expensive box of sweeties.

You've experienced the joy of a quality TeleVue eyepiece, now imagine a box of them! :-)

Sorry for putting that nasty thought in your mind!

Nasty Mike.

[alan potts]

I know its sad, but its nice to open the eyepiece case and see all the Pentax XW's laid side by side along the same row, all matching, and the two chunky Naglers lying together on the row above. Looking into an eyepiece case containing matching sets of real quality is mouth watering, like an expensive box of sweeties.

You've experienced the joy of a quality TeleVue eyepiece, now imagine a box of them! :-)

Sorry for putting that nasty thought in your mind!

Nasty Mike.

Mike,

Sad never, just take a look at the "show me your eyepiece case" thread, we are all at it but just won't admit it.

alan