TS Optics ED 70mm f/6 Refractor Telescope - Carbon Tube

[Thalestris24]

Hi all

Just wondered if anyone has this scope and, if so, what they think of it (for imaging). I'm looking for something affordable to go on my Star Adventurer  . I know the TS scope has cheap, Chinese glass but it's light and I'm sure it would be an improvement over the TravelScope 70 I'm currently using .

Thanks!

Louise

[knobby]

I knew this scope rang bells, by all accounts its pretty decent !

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/140380-teleskop-service-70mm-ed-apo/

[Thalestris24]

I knew this scope rang bells, by all accounts its pretty decent !

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/140380-teleskop-service-70mm-ed-apo/

Thanks - though I've seen that before. I'd really like to here from someone who's maybe done some dso imaging with one It seems to be more marketed as a 'spotting scope' first and for imaging second.

Cheers

Louise

[knobby]

No worries Louise, someone will have one !

good luck

[redtail]

I have the ts65q and is a great scope for imaging.

[Thalestris24]

I have the ts65q and is a great scope for imaging.

Yeah, I've heard good things about it - tempting but a bit pricey! How much does it weigh?

Thanks

Louise

[Pan Euro]

Yeah, I've heard good things about it - tempting but a bit pricey! How much does it weigh?

Thanks

Louise

Aperture: 65mm

-- Focal length: 420mm

-- Photographic speed: f/6.5

-- Diameter of the corrected field: 44mm

-- Weight: 2.8 kgs (with tube rings)

-- Focuser: 2" RP with improved bearing, 360° rotation and ring clamping

-- Mechanical length: 340/375 mm with retracted/extended dew cap

-- Resolution: 1.78 arc seconds

-- Limiting visual stellar magnitude: 11m6

-- Diameter of the dew cap ... 88mm (for solar filter)

According to the web site.

[Thalestris24]

Aperture: 65mm

-- Focal length: 420mm

-- Photographic speed: f/6.5

-- Diameter of the corrected field: 44mm

-- Weight: 2.8 kgs (with tube rings)

-- Focuser: 2" RP with improved bearing, 360° rotation and ring clamping

-- Mechanical length: 340/375 mm with retracted/extended dew cap

-- Resolution: 1.78 arc seconds

-- Limiting visual stellar magnitude: 11m6

-- Diameter of the dew cap ... 88mm (for solar filter)

According to the web site.

Is it really 2.8kg? That's way too heavy for the Star Adventurer....

[cs1cjc]

The weight of the IKI aluminium version is about 2.3kg and the tube is very very short. 

There are lots of labels but all are manufactured by Kunming United Optics: http://www.united-optics.com/Products/Telescope/ED_Telescope/70mm_F-6_ED.html. The aluminium version is currently available under the Altair Astro Starwave label:  https://www.altairastro.com/starwave-70ed-f6-travel-refractor-telescope-with-2-crayford-focuser-finder-diagonal-eyepiece.html which was reviewed in Sky at Night here: https://www.altairastro.com/public/reviews/SkyatNight_104_Starwave70ed_review.pdf.  The TS Carbon version was measured in 2011 against other similarly sized refractors, in translation here: https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.co.uk&sl=de&tl=en&u=http://r2.astro-foren.com/index.php/de/9-beitraege/01-aeltere-berichte-auf-rohr-aiax-de-alles-ueber-apos/195-a132-sechs-reisetaugliche-refraktoren-interstellarum-nr-73-dez-jan-2011-s48ff&usg=ALkJrhjShk3F1_MzQaf2Y4-95ipgClRgnQ.  There is a review of using a Strellarvue version for imaging here: http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/EQ_TESTS/SV70ED.HTM. 

I use mine as a travel scope for visual only.  It fits in hand baggage on aircraft and is probably my most used scope.  Under (unsteady) UK skies, I find the colour aberration disturbing, giving "disco lights" on bright stars and fine lunar detail.  To curb this,  I normally use  it with a Baader Fringe Killer filter mounted in the diagonal. 

I do not feel the need for a filter on my larger Equinox so some day soon I may well be looking to replace this 70mm ED with a similarly compact travel scope that displays less colour.  There are relatively few alternatives but the Skywatcher 66mm, Takahashi 76mm or Borg 71mm are all possibilities.   

[Thalestris24]

The weight of the IKI aluminium version is about 2.3kg and the tube is very very short. 

There are lots of labels but all are manufactured by Kunming United Optics: http://www.united-optics.com/Products/Telescope/ED_Telescope/70mm_F-6_ED.html. The aluminium version is currently available under the Altair Astro Starwave label:  https://www.altairastro.com/starwave-70ed-f6-travel-refractor-telescope-with-2-crayford-focuser-finder-diagonal-eyepiece.html which was reviewed in Sky at Night here: https://www.altairastro.com/public/reviews/SkyatNight_104_Starwave70ed_review.pdf.  The TS Carbon version was measured in 2011 against other similarly sized refractors, in translation here: https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.co.uk&sl=de&tl=en&u=http://r2.astro-foren.com/index.php/de/9-beitraege/01-aeltere-berichte-auf-rohr-aiax-de-alles-ueber-apos/195-a132-sechs-reisetaugliche-refraktoren-interstellarum-nr-73-dez-jan-2011-s48ff&usg=ALkJrhjShk3F1_MzQaf2Y4-95ipgClRgnQ.  There is a review of using a Strellarvue version for imaging here: http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/EQ_TESTS/SV70ED.HTM. 

I use mine as a travel scope for visual only.  It fits in hand baggage on aircraft and is probably my most used scope.  Under (unsteady) UK skies, I find the colour aberration disturbing, giving "disco lights" on bright stars and fine lunar detail.  To curb this,  I normally use  it with a Baader Fringe Killer filter mounted in the diagonal. 

I do not feel the need for a filter on my larger Equinox so some day soon I may well be looking to replace this 70mm ED with a similarly compact travel scope that displays less colour.  There are relatively few alternatives but the Skywatcher 66mm, Takahashi 76mm or Borg 71mm are all possibilities.   

Hi Chris

Thanks for the info! It doesn't look like it performs very well in respect of colour correction. I suppose can't expect too much at the price. I'll keep looking. A carbon fibre scope would be good, to save the weight.

Cheers

Louise

[r3i]

Hi Louise,

I have the IKI version (aluminium tube).  I did some imaging with it but it really needs a good field flattener as there's quite a lot of curvature in the field of view.  I had the SkyWatcher field flattener which helped a fair bit.  I didn't notice any of the bad colour aberrations that others have experienced.

I guess by the time you've added a flattener and a camera onto the scope it is going to be a fair weight - is the load capacity on the mount around 5kg?  If so it might squeeze under that.

I've since replaced it for imaging with a Star71, but I keep the IKI70ED as a handy travel scope.

[Thalestris24]

Hi Mike

Yeah, I'd expect to need a field flattener with any fast frac that isn't a quad (that makes the ts65q tempting but for the weight). The info in the link suggests the ed70 has relatively poor colour correction i.e. relatively large CA. Having said that, I'm not sure if all the models are identical. The TS carbon fibre one does specify FK61 glass whereas the others don't seem to. Maybe it's the FK61 glass that gives it the CA, or maybe not! Yeah, the payload for Star Adventurer is only 5kg so the imaging scope really needs to be less than 2kg, I think. Trouble is I can't really just buy a heavier scope on the off chance it will run ok so have to be conservative. Unfortunately, I can't afford a wee Borg!

The ED70 sample pictures are either narrowband, mono, or avoid much colour! On the other hand, it seems to be the only CF scope in the range.

I'd really like to see some more colour images taken with it - anyone??

Louise

[tony210]

For what its worth I have the carbon fibre tube TS70 and although I have yet to image with it , visually it seems very well corrected with no chromatic aberration on the moon or bright stars- best wishes Tony

[Thalestris24]

For what its worth I have the carbon fibre tube TS70 and although I have yet to image with it , visually it seems very well corrected with no chromatic aberration on the moon or bright stars- best wishes Tony

Hi Tony

Thanks - do post if you do any images

Cheers

Louise

[GuLinux]

Sort of bumping this thread, as I'm very interested as well (I too want to use it on a StarAdventurer, with an ASI1600mm and RGB filters).

It seems there are two version of this scope: the INED version, which seems to be the oldest, with FK61 lenses (and can still be found somewhere), and a newer version, with FPL51 (theoretically should give the same colour correction, but who knows?)

 

Anyone tried any of those as AP scopes?

[mikeyj1]

Hi Louise, did you get the TS70 in the end?

[Thalestris24]

Hi

Um - no! I pretty much abandoned my Star Adventurer. I think it may have been faulty as the tracking on it was poor. It might be ok just with a camera/200mm lens but nothing more. I did buy a TS 80mm F6 APO which is excellent on a heq5 syntrek/pro.

Louise

[Rick_It]

Quote

 

Sort of bumping this thread, as I'm very interested as well (I too want to use it on a StarAdventurer, with an ASI1600mm and RGB filters).

It seems there are two version of this scope: the INED version, which seems to be the oldest, with FK61 lenses (and can still be found somewhere), and a newer version, with FPL51 (theoretically should give the same colour correction, but who knows?)

 

Skywatcher is coming with a 72mm doublet, probably FPL-53. I would wait....