Why do they do this ?

[John]

I had a chance to pop into my local astro equipment supplier today for an hour while we happened to be in the vicinity. It's a camera shop that does a good range of astro stuff and has done for quite a while.

It was good to look, and drool a bit, at a Williams Optics 132mm APO OTA which I had not seen "in the flesh" before.

What rather shocked me however was a tall glass cabinet full of premium eyepieces - Meade's, Tele Vue's and Williams Optics. Many of the eyepieces (including really expensive ones such as Nagler 3-6mm and 2-4mm zooms) had been on display for a while with their top dust caps left off exposing their eye lenses - and they were covered in a thick layer of dust !.

I asked if they were used examples but was told that they were new and was quoted the full retail price !.

Obviously if you bought one in the shop you could make sure that you got a mint condition one but mail / e.mail order customers would have no idea on the conditions these optics might be in - I could not see any way that the eyepieces could be cleaned without real risk to their coatings unless done by someone who really knew their stuff - the dust was really thick on them.

Needless to say I won't be shopping there but I can't understand why they would treat hundreds of pounds worth of quality optics that way ???.

John

[Kai]

At least the dust was undistrubed , what would worry me would be "clean" eyepieces on display without dust caps.

As you say though its hardly inspiring to see that level of care taken on high end eyepieces.

[acey]

My local camera shop had a Meade ETX90 on display in the window for months with its lens uncapped and gathering dust - no wonder they never sold it.

[astro84]

Hello,

<snipped>

Needless to say I won't be shopping there ..,

John

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Right on the money.

Sooner or later you'll see the obligatory sad little post from them announcing the closure of their shop.

Not all bad though.., you got to see a WO (to each his own ) scope you perhaps were on the look out for, in the end.

Regards,

astro84

[roundycat]

I saw this in a major camera shop years ago and enquired as to why they were allowing expensive camera lenses to gather dust. (my enquiry was in the form of a major bow-lacking). The salesperson simply replied that it was the manager's wish to display the lenses like that because they looked better and they had no plans to change.

they never got my custom.

Dennis

[kniclander]

they do it cos, as napoleon said, we are a nation of shopkeepers not a nation of astronomers (well, he said the bit about shopkeepers and I added the bit about astronomers)

shame