Show us your LZOS Scope

[Deadlake]

14 minutes ago, DirkSteele said:

Not familiar with that model. I shall look it up now.

https://www.telescopengineering.com/telescope/apo160fl-f-11/
 

There is a 200 mm model as well..

https://www.telescopengineering.com/telescope/apo200fl-f-11/

Edited August 4, 2023 by Deadlake

[John]

I owned a "yellow submarine" a few years ago. Definitely NOT made by TEC 🙄

I had a lot of fun with it and a Chromacor 0-1 though 😁

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by John

[John]

19 minutes ago, DirkSteele said:

I can whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone who has the money. Mine is woefully underused but one day I will build it a little house and then it collect all the starlight it deserves.

My only 1st hand LZOS experience is with my 130mm F/9.2. It is quite probably the best scope, in terms of outright optical performance for it's aperture, that I have ever looked through 🙂

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by John

[Mr Spock]

Ah, a yellow... Konus? The chromacor idea was a good one had it been executed properly and had a different person behind it 

[John]

1 hour ago, Mr Spock said:

Ah, a yellow... Konus? The chromacor idea was a good one had it been executed properly and had a different person behind it 

Yes it was a Konus 👍

I owned 3 Chromacor's in total including one of the very rare Mk 2's and, properly matched and installed they all worked excellently in terms of turning an achromat into the equivalent of a good ED doublet. That was at the time when a 6 inch ED doublet cost several thousand £'s, if you could find one at all. Far, far better than filters with an achromat but also far more expensive. 

A properly matched Chromacor corrected SA as well as CA which is sometimes overlooked.

Today they would not make much sense in 150mm or smaller apertures of course - you can get an ED doublet 6 inch for around £1,800 and the Chromacor's cost around £800 apiece even pre-owned (which they all are now !)

A Chromacor might make sense today if you have a very large  (say 7 inches plus) aperture achromat of around F/8-F/10 though. An ED doublet or triplet of that aperture is going to set you back £10K plus so using a Chromacor might make sense.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by John

[badhex]

4 hours ago, DirkSteele said:

Given geo-politics as they are now, obtaining an Apo of that size is almost impossible unless you want to place an order for the Takahashi FCT which are wallet breaking compared to the LZOS.

 

Wish I had considered a bigger one at the time of my purchase but anything larger than 7” really needs a permanent home (the 7” does really as well) and I did want to be able to take it to star parties.

Indeed. However, I did read somewhere on CN I think, that Markus suggested that there were still possibilities of purchasing lens assemblies in order to continue building LZOS based APM scopes. I remain sceptical.

[DirkSteele]

2 hours ago, John said:

My only 1st hand LZOS experience is with my 130mm F/9.2. It is quite probably the best scope, in terms of outright optical performance for it's aperture, that I have ever looked through 🙂

 

That one is extra special among special scopes of the LZOS range. Have started writing a review of it after almost 5 years of ownership.

[Deadlake]

9 hours ago, DirkSteele said:

That one is extra special among special scopes of the LZOS range. Have started writing a review of it after almost 5 years of ownership.

The extra light grasp of the 130 mm over the 105 mm is quite noticeable. I’d really like to know if a 0.99 vs 0.98 Strehl rating can be seen when comparing f 9.2 vs f 6?

The f 6 is big enough and the f 9.2 will have a smaller exit pupil.

Edited August 5, 2023 by Deadlake

[Celts88]

 

Hi

I’m new at Astro photography, etc. and not overly experienced even when it comes to photography as a whole but have got into it more over the last year in preparation for our big caravan trips (I live in Oz and just recently retired so going to be doing some big trips in the van).

I got a WO GT-81 to get me started (I haven't even unpacked it from the box yet) and happened to be looking on Astromart and saw this LZOS 105 f/6.2 Carbon Fiber APO (I was actually looking for an Esprit 100). I've an Avalon M-Zero mount and the LZOS 105 f/6.2 looked a good option as a lightweight scope to take away in the van (believe the scope is about 4.5kg).

There's no certificate with the scope (the previous owner to this one didn't have it on hand) and there doesn't appear to be any manufacturer's marking on the scope. The lens does have the same marking as other 105 f/6.2 lenses, but no mention of LZOS or APM (it does have the LZOS logo). I've got no worries about the seller, he's well known and respected on Astromart, so there's no issue there.

If anyone has any info on the scope I'd be very grateful.

https://imgur.com/WLdIv93

Edited January 18 by Celts88

[John]

6 hours ago, Celts88 said:

 

Hi

I’m new at Astro photography, etc. and not overly experienced even when it comes to photography as a whole but have got into it more over the last year in preparation for our big caravan trips (I live in Oz and just recently retired so going to be doing some big trips in the van).

I got a WO GT-81 to get me started (I haven't even unpacked it from the box yet) and happened to be looking on Astromart and saw this LZOS 105 f/6.2 Carbon Fiber APO (I was actually looking for an Esprit 100). I've an Avalon M-Zero mount and the LZOS 105 f/6.2 looked a good option as a lightweight scope to take away in the van (believe the scope is about 4.5kg).

There's no certificate with the scope (the previous owner to this one didn't have it on hand) and there doesn't appear to be any manufacturer's marking on the scope. The lens does have the same marking as other 105 f/6.2 lenses, but no mention of LZOS or APM (it does have the LZOS logo). I've got no worries about the seller, he's well known and respected on Astromart, so there's no issue there.

If anyone has any info on the scope I'd be very grateful.

https://imgur.com/WLdIv93

 

Looks like a genuine LZOS objective and Feathertouch focuser in a custom tube. It might be something that someone has put together themselves - you can buy the objective and the focuser separately and supply your own tube. Perhaps they wanted a lighter overall scope than the ones that APM supply with the objective ?

As long as the tube has light baffles correctly installed within it (no reason to think that it would not) then it should be an excellent performer.

Here are a couple of reviews of LZOS 105mm F/6.2's in the tubes supplied by APM in Germany:

Review of the APM TMB 105 f/6.2 Triplet Apo Refractor | Alpha Lyrae (alpha-lyrae.co.uk)

Buyer's Guide to Four-Inch Apochromats (scopeviews.co.uk)

These weigh 6.6kg which is quite heavy for a 4 inch class refractor so maybe that is what the originator of your scope was looking to achieve - same optical performance in a lighter tube ?

I hope you enjoy it 🙂

 

 

 

 

[Celts88]

9 hours ago, John said:

Looks like a genuine LZOS objective and Feathertouch focuser in a custom tube. It might be something that someone has put together themselves - you can buy the objective and the focuser separately and supply your own tube. Perhaps they wanted a lighter overall scope than the ones that APM supply with the objective ?

As long as the tube has light baffles correctly installed within it (no reason to think that it would not) then it should be an excellent performer.

Here are a couple of reviews of LZOS 105mm F/6.2's in the tubes supplied by APM in Germany:

Review of the APM TMB 105 f/6.2 Triplet Apo Refractor | Alpha Lyrae (alpha-lyrae.co.uk)

Buyer's Guide to Four-Inch Apochromats (scopeviews.co.uk)

These weigh 6.6kg which is quite heavy for a 4 inch class refractor so maybe that is what the originator of your scope was looking to achieve - same optical performance in a lighter tube ?

I hope you enjoy it 🙂

 

 

 

 

Thanks for that.

You would have to assume the light baffles, etc. were all installed correctly as seems a bit silly to use such a good lens & focuser then only do a sub-standard job.

The person I bought it from also had an APM TMB 105 f/6.2 and said he looked through both of them side by side and couldn't see any difference.

I've never thought of doing visual with Astro and was only looking at photography, but having the GT-81 and now the LZOS 105 f/6.2 I've got both options. I realise I'll probably have to get the Riccardi flattener for imaging and possibly the 0.75 x reducer for other options, but I'll need to wait and see if I can get them 2nd hand as here in Oz to get both is 50% of the price I've paid just for the scope.

[John]

4 hours ago, Celts88 said:

You would have to assume the light baffles, etc. were all installed correctly as seems a bit silly to use such a good lens & focuser then only do a sub-standard job.

Agreed.

I've never thought of doing visual with Astro.....

That is all I have ever done with scopes 🙂

 

[DirkSteele]

22 hours ago, Celts88 said:

 

Hi

I’m new at Astro photography, etc. and not overly experienced even when it comes to photography as a whole but have got into it more over the last year in preparation for our big caravan trips (I live in Oz and just recently retired so going to be doing some big trips in the van).

I got a WO GT-81 to get me started (I haven't even unpacked it from the box yet) and happened to be looking on Astromart and saw this LZOS 105 f/6.2 Carbon Fiber APO (I was actually looking for an Esprit 100). I've an Avalon M-Zero mount and the LZOS 105 f/6.2 looked a good option as a lightweight scope to take away in the van (believe the scope is about 4.5kg).

There's no certificate with the scope (the previous owner to this one didn't have it on hand) and there doesn't appear to be any manufacturer's marking on the scope. The lens does have the same marking as other 105 f/6.2 lenses, but no mention of LZOS or APM (it does have the LZOS logo). I've got no worries about the seller, he's well known and respected on Astromart, so there's no issue there.

If anyone has any info on the scope I'd be very grateful.

https://imgur.com/WLdIv93

Certainly looks like a legitimate LZOS objective.  There have been a couple of manutfacturers over the years that integrated LZOS objectives into Carbon Fibre tubes but your model does not exhibit shall we say some of the colourful flurishes they have.

A&M example

 

Officina Stellare Hiper Apo (believe they may have originall been A&M before a rebrand)

Edited January 19 by DirkSteele
typo

[DirkSteele]

You should reach out to Markus Ludes at APM in Germany. They are the worldwide exclusive agent for LZOS objectives so even if was made by another brand, the lens likely passed through him and he tends to keep a copy of the test certificates.  If it is a custom job, he almost certainly sold it.

 

[F15Rules]

On 13/08/2018 at 10:40, John said:

Happy to oblige Matthew

 

I feel that a top quality 5" class refractor of F8 to F10 is visual stargazing Nirvana, for versatility, image quality, and all round manageability..and it should ideally be white!

They don't come much better looking than yours, John, lovely looking scope😊.

I dont know if there is much difference in performance between the Lzos F6 and F9.2 models, but to look at (and probably through?) I'd take the F9.2 version every time🤭.

Dave

Edited January 19 by F15Rules

[stuy]

On 04/08/2023 at 21:04, badhex said:

Indeed. However, I did read somewhere on CN I think, that Markus suggested that there were still possibilities of purchasing lens assemblies in order to continue building LZOS based APM scopes. I remain sceptical.

Correct 👍

[stuy]

On 19/01/2024 at 15:17, F15Rules said:

I feel that a top quality 5" class refractor of F8 to F10 is visual stargazing Nirvana, for versatility, image quality, and all round manageability..and it should ideally be white!

They don't come much better looking than yours, John, lovely looking scope😊.

I dont know if there is much difference in performance between the Lzos F6 and F9.2 models, but to look at (and probably through?) I'd take the F9.2 version every time🤭.

Dave

Fantastic scope 

[John]

Not mine of course but currently for sale in Germany and a snip at 295,000 Euros - a 14 inch / 365mm F/12 Lzos triplet. Interesting that the objective bears Thomas M Back's initials and seems to date from 2002 according to the test report.

 

Edited February 16 by John

[DirkSteele]

5 hours ago, John said:

Not mine of course but currently for sale in Germany and a snip at 295,000 Euros - a 14 inch / 365mm F/12 Lzos triplet. Interesting that the objective bears Thomas M Back's initials and seems to date from 2002 according to the test report.

 

To live somewhere where seeing would make that worthwhile….

That and the additional 500k+ to build a climate controlled observatory so the lens is ambient and a mount the size of a small car to hold it.

Guess I can dream. 😉

[Mr Spock]

14 hours ago, John said:

Not mine of course but currently for sale in Germany and a snip at 295,000 Euros - a 14 inch / 365mm F/12 Lzos triplet. Interesting that the objective bears Thomas M Back's initials and seems to date from 2002 according to the test report.

 

If I win the Lotto tonight I'll be taking that. What a scope!

[Deadlake]

On 16/02/2024 at 07:03, DirkSteele said:

To live somewhere where seeing would make that worthwhile….

That and the additional 500k+ to build a climate controlled observatory so the lens is ambient and a mount the size of a small car to hold it.

Guess I can dream. 😉

You have a 185 mm finder scope, finally it would get some use! 😃