The Baader BBHS-Sitall Silver Diagonal - Is it really that good?

[Stu]

1 hour ago, paulastro said:

Very many thanks Stu, I'm really pleased to see the  light at the end of the tunnel .  I just need to find a supplier who has one, there is always TS if I can't find someone more 'local', thanks again.

I believe MicroGlobe list them. I've not bought from them but know that some people have done successfully.

http://www.microglobe.co.uk/baader-telescope-c-148_739_1429.html?

[paulastro]

26 minutes ago, Stu said:

I believe MicroGlobe list them. I've not bought from them but know that some people have done successfully.

http://www.microglobe.co.uk/baader-telescope-c-148_739_1429.html?

Thanks yet again Stu.  I've actually ordered one from Rother Valley (in fact I composed a post to this affect an hour ago, got called away and forgot to actually post it!) who had one in stock, they were very helpful and it should be with me tomorrow! 

I did search on line for  potential suppliers and came across MicroGlobe, it was about £20 less than I paid and it did say it was in stock on the web listing.  Rother Valley were first on my list to phone, and though tempted to phone MicroGlobe first because of the lower price I didn't.  Mainly because I didn't know anyone who had ever dealt with them. Also, I know they supply camera equipment amongst other things and would prefer to support purely astronomical suppliers.  Mind you, I may not be saying this if it had been £50 less .

So, really looking forward to trying it out, though the weather forecast for the next few days up here seems to indicate otherwise.

Many thanks for all your help Stu, and all the other kind and helpful people who have contributed to this thread of course .

[Highburymark]

Paul - Microglobe are the cheapest uk retailer for Baader products, but they've been very slow ordering stock for me before - so now I only buy from them if the goods are in stock and I can visit the store in person. Just my personal experience - their prices are very competitive

[Moonshane]

I love the t2 system it gives an almost infinite range range of options.

 

[Piero]

On 18/04/2017 at 23:33, Stu said:

BBHS refers to the mirror coating so I don't think you would get a BBHS Prism.

 

 

Actually, there is a Baader 2" BBHS Prism diagonal...  

http://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/baader-2"-bbhs-r-prism-star-diagonal-prism-with-2"-clicklock-clamp.html  

[Stu]

36 minutes ago, Piero said:

 

 

Actually, there is a Baader 2" BBHS Prism diagonal...  

http://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/baader-2"-bbhs-r-prism-star-diagonal-prism-with-2"-clicklock-clamp.html  

Thanks Piero! That'll teach me  

Actually someone will have to explain that to me, I thought prisms acted via total internal reflection, what does the BBHS coating do?

[Piero]

I've looked it up on the Internet, but I haven't found an explanation. Maybe Baader applied the BBHS treatment to the way the prism reflects the light ?

 

I think Bill Paolini's review is very interesting, so are the 8 pages of comments following later on! I'd be very interested in knowing: 

1. the lifespan of the BBHS treatment? (e.g. couple of years as some members suggest Silver coatings last or a couple of decades as Paolini says)

2. how flat the BBHS reflectance along the spectrum is? (e.g. does BBHS reflects better than enhanced aluminium coated mirrors on the red bands only?)

[Piero]

 

From one comment in Paolini's review, how do various types of mirror coatings impact on contrast :

https://translate.google.com.cy/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aokswiss.ch%2Fd%2Ftel%2Fbino%2Fmatsumoto%2Fbeschichtungen.html&edit-text=  

[Piero]

I am going through this : 

http://www.baader-planetarium.de/sektion/s28/download/e_BBHS-reflective-properties-0616.pdf  

it basically contains all what we want to know about the BBHS technology, how it is applied to prisms ( @Stu ), and the answers to my questions too. 

[John]

28 minutes ago, Piero said:

 

From one comment in Paolini's review, how do various types of mirror coatings impact on contrast :

https://translate.google.com.cy/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aokswiss.ch%2Fd%2Ftel%2Fbino%2Fmatsumoto%2Fbeschichtungen.html&edit-text=  

Reading stuff like that can make you paranoid about your current gear ..... just when you think you have some decent kit .....

[GavStar]

I have both the t2 Zeiss bbhs prism and t2 and 2 inch bbhs silver diagonal and to my eyes they are all excellent in my f7 and f7.4 refractors and I can't tell them apart. Lovely planetary colours both of them. The GRS really stands out bright red/orange.

[Piero]

5 minutes ago, John said:

Reading stuff like that can make you paranoid about your current gear ..... just when you think you have some decent kit .....

John.... I think you have a terrific kit! A real dream for many.   

We need more clear nights rather than other equipment!   

[John]

18 minutes ago, Piero said:

John.... I think you have a terrific kit! A real dream for many.   

We need more clear nights rather than other equipment!   

Thanks and you are quite right about the need to use it rather than just discuss it !

The nice leveller is when you use your kit for outreach. The folks don't care what brand it is, what it cost or how it compares with something else that they have never heard of, they are just excited to be seeing something astronomical though a telescope

 

 

 

[jetstream]

2 hours ago, Piero said:

I am going through this : 

http://www.baader-planetarium.de/sektion/s28/download/e_BBHS-reflective-properties-0616.pdf  

it basically contains all what we want to know about the BBHS technology, how it is applied to prisms ( @Stu ), and the answers to my questions too. 

It kind of sounds like my Baader/Zeiss prism diag might already have this coating? Great info Piero.