Putaendo Patrick Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 O.K. there are probably a 1,001 reasons why I shouldn't buy an obscure vintage Japanese spotting scope with a fixed zoom EP. Problem is I can't quite think of them now. This is a Carton, Tokyo 20-65 scope with a 101mm aperture. I guess from the late 1970s or early 80s. Japanese optics from this period can be very mixed, but they can be very good. Most spotting scopes are 50 to 80mm aperture, so maybe this is special (maybe not). I also have an incurable fondness for vintage. I can see myself using this as a very quick grab-and-go, perhaps placed on the roof of my car in somewhere where I have twenty minutes of spectacular dark sky - and with considerably more magnification than binoculars. Please, tell me not to do this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinker1947 Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 I like old stuff, and for that reason if was cheap i would buy it and just display it so place, 8 X 42 - 10 X 50 Bins would be better for grab and go..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro Imp Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Go on you know you want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Drew Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 If made by Carton it should be of decent quality. I think you would struggle with that mount for astronomical use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glowjet Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Carton make excellent optics, I have a pair of their 10x50 bins and they are absolutely superb. If you can cobble something together to make a device, for clamping it to something solid out in the field, then why not. In these scenarios, if you don`t get it, you will always regret not taking the plunge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putaendo Patrick Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Thanks, everyone! I'm off to look at the scope this afternoon and spend a couple of hours by the seaside. Can't find a lot of information on Carton on the internet, but what there is concurs with your opinion that they make/made quality optics. I have a Manfrotto camera tripod, so maybe I can find a way to mount it on this. Perhaps when SGL does it's next redesign, there should be a [wife doesn't like this] button Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro Imp Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 3 hours ago, Putaendo Patrick said: Thanks, everyone! I'm off to look at the scope this afternoon and spend a couple of hours by the seaside. Can't find a lot of information on Carton on the internet, but what there is concurs with your opinion that they make/made quality optics. I have a Manfrotto camera tripod, so maybe I can find a way to mount it on this. Perhaps when SGL does it's next redesign, there should be a [wife doesn't like this] button I think that might overload the server Enjoy your trip to the seaside and keep us informed about the scope. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putaendo Patrick Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 I am now the proud new owner - and pleased as Punch! As I said in the initial post, this is a spotting scope, originally designed for rifle shooter so it is optimised for viewing at approx 100 to 500 yards. It has quite a narrow field of view - all you need to see is the target. Competitive shooters tend to fire from the prone position (lying down), so the small tripod is designed for this, and balanced for the OTA to be more or less horizontal. These type of scopes are also popular for birdwatchers. My scope has a zoom of x20 to x65 which appears to be fixed. It is NOT the best scope for astronomy - but it caught my eye, suits my needs and was pretty reasonable. Carton Optical Industries was founded in Tokyo in the 1930s, and opened their own production facilities in 1964. Much of their production is now based in Thailand. They have a solid reputation for microscopes and other medical optics. Over the years they have made astronomical telescopes, the quality of which has been compared to Unitron!, as well as binoculars (also very highly considered) and spotting scopes. I suspect my scope is quite old, perhaps from the beginning of the 1970s. It has an aperture of 101 mm which is considerably larger than average (50-80mm). Another very gratifying indicator of quality was a label for Optica Pincus, the shop where it was originally sold in Santiago, Chile. Optica Pincus was founded in 1943 and is currently run by the son of the founder. I have bought weather station equipment from them before, and they certainly don't sell cheap rubbish! Enough of the history. I bought the scope yesterday in Viña del Mar, Chile. In the afternoon I spent a very enjoyable couple of hours viewing ships at least a mile away in Valparaiso Bay (at least, when I remembered to take off the lens cap!). Although the day was really quite misty, the scope proved very clear and sharp indeed. At higher magnification I could see people very clearly - what they looked like, clothes they were wearing etc, and I could even read some of the Safety signs on the ships. I was impressed. Arriving back home, it was beginning to get dark so I bundled the scope and my dogs into the pick-up and drove a mile or two away from the lights of my small town. As dusk turned to night, I watched the stars "come out" - Sirius first, then others. Orion's belt came into view and a little later it was dark enough to try the scope on one of my favourite objects - the Great Orion Nebula. I placed the short tripod on the roof of my pick-up - I wasn't at all sure this would work. I was quite pleasantly surprised: the tripod was reasonably stable and I had no problem viewing from the horizon up to about 75 degrees. Once on target, I clamped the scope firm and used the horizontal and vertical adjusters - very smooth and much easier than expected. At a magnification of around 40 to 50, I was easily able to resolve the Trapezium. At top magnifications there is a noticeable loss of light, normal in this type of set up. Next I moved on to the Pleiades - again great views but somewhat limited by the field of view. I finished this short first session with a quick view over the Souther Cross area. Two aspects which I need to get used to are the swivel focusing on the tube itsef, and the corrected view excellent for terrestrial, but for astronomy it kind of throws you when you expect everything in reverse! Later in the night I briefly observed Jupiter - not spectacular but again no problems, with all four moons sharply visible. I suspect the Moon will be superb, but I was tired and it's rising very late - another time! So, as I say, not a scope I would recommend to everyone (there are considerable limitations) - but for me, it is substantially better than my expectations and fills in a nice little niche between binoculars and my main scope. With a set up time of about a minute, I feel this is going to get a fair amount of use when I find myself in a good spot with 15 - 20 minutes available! Thanks to everyone for their encouragement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro Imp Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Good to read you're pleased with your purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laudropb Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Congratulations on your new scope. Carlton spotters had a good reputation among birdwatchers in the early 70s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fiery Jack Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Yeah good for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.4f68396886aa7004bf4394b26ab9209c.jpg){kind=avatar}
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.