First light for my APM TMB LZOS 130

[Stu]

Thanks Chris.

Now back to the APM 130...

[John]

I agree with Chris - despite the brightness difference between the components, it's the low altitude that makes it awkward. If you can get a lowish and clear horizon then a small frac should do it.

I thought the secondary star looked grey-green but with all the "scintilating" going on with the primary I'd not swear to that !

 

[chiltonstar]

2 hours ago, John said:

I agree with Chris - despite the brightness difference between the components, it's the low altitude that makes it awkward. If you can get a lowish and clear horizon then a small frac should do it.

I thought the secondary star looked grey-green but with all the "scintilating" going on with the primary I'd not swear to that !

 

Electric blue-green with the ED80, faded lilac with Mak 180.

Chris

[F15Rules]

Fabulous first light report John, which I've only just seen as I'm on holiday in north Norfolk til tomorrow ( and no clear sky to look at at night time!).

I really do think a 5" or so apo at F9 , and of that quality, must be pretty near the perfect dream scope for frac lovers.

I'm so pleased for you!:-)

Dave

[John]

25 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

Fabulous first light report John, which I've only just seen as I'm on holiday in north Norfolk til tomorrow ( and no clear sky to look at at night time!).

I really do think a 5" or so apo at F9 , and of that quality, must be pretty near the perfect dream scope for frac lovers.

I'm so pleased for you!:-)

Dave

Thanks Dave

Owning these two superb scopes is like a dream for me too. I'm very lucky to be in this position, I appreciate that.

Mind you, comparing them with the Vixen and ED120 have shown that the optics on those are excellent as well. If I'm going to part with one the decision is going to be very tough indeed !

[nightfisher]

John, very pleased to read such a positive first light on this superb scope, we all know some times a new "used" scope arrives and is not as good as one hopes but in this case it sounds like you have one of truly excellent quality.......and it looks blooming lovely.

If you decide on a driven mount i might be able to put you onto an HEQ5, but will need to see if its for sale

Scrub this bit about mount, he sold it a week or so back

Edited July 9, 2016 by nightfisher

[Saganite]

That is a beautiful telescope John and I am delighted for you.

 

Edited July 9, 2016 by Saganite

[FenlandPaul]

Absolutely stunning, John - many congratulations.  I assume this is a stop-gap to take you through the 20-month lead time for the real prize: http://apm-telescopes-englisch.shopgate.com/item/383633

 

[John]

26 minutes ago, FenlandPaul said:

Absolutely stunning, John - many congratulations.  I assume this is a stop-gap to take you through the 20-month lead time for the real prize: http://apm-telescopes-englisch.shopgate.com/item/383633

 

Yep - thats the grand plan, a half metre apochromat refractor. I've just got to get an observatory on a mountain top and I'll order the scope !

My 130 would make a half decent finder for that one

 

[chiltonstar]

I'm impressed you can split Lambda Cyg with 130mm John at 0.92 arcsec (?). With my 127 Mak, it takes a blue filter to split the pair (smaller Airy disk) although with my 180mm Mak, it is relatively easy to get the "dark line".

Chris

Edited July 11, 2016 by chiltonstar

[alan potts]

Many congratulations on the new scope, sorry for being late but I have been on holiday for 2 weeks, this is the one I wish I had bought. They are superb scopes and the optics are as good as any on the market.

Alan

[John]

13 hours ago, alan potts said:

Many congratulations on the new scope, sorry for being late but I have been on holiday for 2 weeks, this is the one I wish I had bought. They are superb scopes and the optics are as good as any on the market.

Alan

Thanks Alan - hope you had a great holiday

[alan potts]

13 hours ago, John said:

Thanks Alan - hope you had a great holiday

John,

Yes thanks I did, it turned out longer as I got blocked in by some morons and couldn't move the car, all efforts to find the offenders failed, then the hotel manager who is known by the wife offered us an extention so cheap we could resist. The place was Albena here on the Black Sea, a purpose built resort that has just about everything apart from parking spaces for cars, when it was thrown up few people had cars or could afford to go there so visitor mainly came by plane. A good work mate went in 1980 and said it was so cheap it was difficult to spend money, that's all changed now.

On the scope front, I don't know if it is the amount of cuecumbers and courgettes we are eating at the moment but I am turning a little green, that is really a top instrument and I am well pleased for you, I want one. Maybe if I feed it mine will grow 15mm.

Alan

[John]

My original plan was to get one really top end scope but in the event two came along !

[alan potts]

Sounds like buses. I must have missed something in what was a quick run through read, so you have two Lzos type scopes, I must re read the thread now, I have just got greener. You know I have some half decent kit but there is something about a refractor, I don't know what it is but there is without doubt something.

Alan

[alan potts]

John,

Just had a re-read, Antares is a stunning split from the UK even though I know you are in the south. I have done it from here but never with the 115mm APM but with the 190mm M/N which has very good optics for a fair sized 1000 quid scope. I have done Antares with the 18 inch but that is nothing to shout from the roof tops.

Alan

[John]

1 hour ago, alan potts said:

Sounds like buses. I must have missed something in what was a quick run through read, so you have two Lzos type scopes.....

Nope Alan - one Tak FC100DL Flourite and one APM / TMB / LZOS 130 F/9.2 Triplet

 

 

Edited July 12, 2016 by John

[alan potts]

Very nice indeed John, two weeks away and look what I miss. From a pretty point of view the APM wins for me but the Tak is a fine instrument I am sure. With having the 115mm I feel that if I were to go for another it is going to have to be a 6 inch which is not cheap as you know, maybe a SW Espirit will be the winner as it is about half the price of the APM, one day.

Alan

[John]

5 hours ago, alan potts said:

Very nice indeed John, two weeks away and look what I miss. From a pretty point of view the APM wins for me but the Tak is a fine instrument I am sure. With having the 115mm I feel that if I were to go for another it is going to have to be a 6 inch which is not cheap as you know, maybe a SW Espirit will be the winner as it is about half the price of the APM, one day.

Alan

I'd still like a 6" as well but it will have to avoid the mounting / handling issues that were presented by the Istar 6" F/12 that you might recall I had a little while back. I thought long and hard about an APM / Lunt 152mm F/8 ED doublet but I've seen enough doubts posted about their objective cells to put me off those a bit. The new APM 140 ED which uses an FPL-53 element looks interesting and is around the same weight / size to the LZOS 130 I believe. One of our members here has one of those.

There is, or was, a nice Esprit 150 for sale here and I did think about that one as well. It's too heavy for my mounts at the current time though but they get great reports generally.

The Tak was a limited edition of just 100 units worldwide (very unusual for Takahashi) and I managed to get the last one sold of the UK allocation. It's a slender lightweight OTA which cools really fast. I grabbed a couple of hours with it last night and the views of Saturn were pretty sublime for a 3.9" aperture scope, there is no CA whatsoever on anything and it splits tight doubles like nobody's business

I cleaned the mirror of the 12" dob yesterday so that's ready for the darker skies and won't be left to gather dust just because a couple of flash new scopes are around

 

Edited July 13, 2016 by John

[alan potts]

I like the bit about flash new scopes around. I said that I would not stop using all my scopes but since I have had the 18 inch, which seems to have a truely excellent mirror, the 180mm Mak has been out once, the 190mm M/N twice and the 115mm APO not much more. The Meade on the other hand gets a lot more use now, since it has had its home in the obsey, quick to use I guess.

I did mean to ask you, and sorry, it's right off the subject but did you get the Deep Sky atlas and what did you think?

It's a bit hot here at the moment and the sky is very wobbley so I haven't bothered too much of late, 39 is on the cards for tomorrow and it's 36 now. I watered the grass last night and I am sure steam was coming off.

Alan

[John]

I did get the Interstellarium Deep Sky Atlas Alan and I like it very much

The innovative presentation of objects by visibiliy in aperture groups is clever and useful. It's more user friendly than Uranometria as well.

Of course my other half wants to know why I need 2 detailed star atlases as well as Stellarium, Cartes du Ciel, S&T's Pocket Atlas and my old Nortons

If I ever write a book it will be called "Astronomers Excuses and Justifications for Equipment"

[chiltonstar]

8 hours ago, John said:

 

If I ever write a book it will be called "Astronomers Excuses and Justifications for Equipment"

It might be a best seller........can I pre-order a copy?

Chris

[Marki]

10 hours ago, John said:

I'd still like a 6" as well but it will have to avoid the mounting / handling issues that were presented by the Istar 6" F/12 that you might recall I had a little while back. I thought long and hard about an APM / Lunt 152mm F/8 ED doublet but I've seen enough doubts posted about their objective cells to put me off those a bit. The new APM 140 ED which uses an FPL-53 element looks interesting and is around the same weight / size to the LZOS 130 I believe. One of our members here has one of those.

 

 

 

The APM 152 has recently caught my attention too. What are the reported issues with the objective you read, John? The APM 140 also looks good too, and is also on my "possible" list. Both would sit happily on my AZEQ6 and should be physically managable for me (lighter than the IStar 150 f10 I had). It'd be interesting to see how the 140 stacked up against the 130 LZOS/APM in terms of views etc.

 

[John]

Hi Mark,

I'd read a few complaints from folks with the 152 ED's and some rather defensive posts including from the chap that runs APM. I started this thread on the CN forum:

http://www.cloudynights.com/topic/535732-apm-lunt-152mm-f8-ed-doublet-optical-quality/

It's had a few diversions here and there, as you get on CN, but my summary is that I don't feel that my confidence has soared in the scope unless it's bought from a source where you can be confident of really good support should there be any issues.

It's a bit inconclusive of course but when paying out a couple of grand or more I tend to be a bit risk averse

I should get 2nd light with the LZOS 130 tonight, if it stays reasoably clear

 

[Telescope40]

John. A bit off topic but may I ask about the hardwood tripod.  Is it any particular make. I've been hunting around for a similar item - Fleabay etc. 

Seen a lot of surveyors tripods that are similar to yours at first glance. Would it be happy with the scopes individually. Was thinking to mount my Skytee with a maximum of my Meade 127 plus counterweight attached. 

Absolute top scopes which I'm sure I've said before 

Regards. John