Best Barlow for £50?

[Daz1969]

Hi all, Am looking to upgrade my standard Celestron 2X Barlow which is now around ten yrs old and wondered what should i be looking at for around the £50 mark ? what should i look for as a 2nd hand alternative for the same money?

I will be using it for visual and imaging purposes.

Cheers.

Daz:headbang:

[Andrew*]

2nd hand you can't beat a Celestron Ultima. They're £87 new and are often seen 2nd hand within your budget.

The Orion Shorty Plus barlow is identical to the Celestron and £71 new. Telescope House used to have it for £53 but it's disappeared from their site. I wonder if the Antares is also the same optically?

The TeleVue 2x is remarkably cheap too... in fact I imagine better than the Celestron and cheaper:)

Andrew

[Daz1969]

Cheers Andrew! Iam a tad shocked that i could get a TV Barlow for £50. Arnt these things meant to be the holy grail of barlows?

Daz

[Andrew*]

Well, a powermate is getting closer to that, but I think the "holy grail" is I believe held by the Zeiss Abbe II, but it costs about £300 (I have one:D)

Anyway, I have a feeling the Televue will be better than the celestron - also quite surprised it's cheaper. TeleVue is all-round a better brand.

Andrew

[Andrew*]

Just had a look at a group test in Sky at Night and the TeleVue and Celestron tied optically... The TV has 2 elements and the Celestron 3. Whether that's a good thing or not I just don't know, but it seems highly regarded.

Andrew

[mike bacanin]

I doubt there's much in it optically, but if i recall i think the celestron has set screw to hold the eyepiece, whereas the televue is compression ring.

mike

[Daz1969]

Ah,Thanks very much for that guys. Think i will be looking for a 2nd hand TV.

Will let the wife know ! Its my 40th on the day Neil n Buzz blasted off ,so fingers crossed she will agree.

Thanks again

Daz

[brianb]

The TeleVue 2x is remarkably cheap too... in fact I imagine better than the Celestron and cheaper

Sorry but I'd far rather have the performance of the Celestron Ultima SV than the cachet of the Televue branding ... the Ultima SV simply works better, at any rate on a scope of f/6 or slower.

[Daz1969]

Mmm. Now you have me confused Brian. What do you think is better about the Celestron?

Daz

[Doc]

TAL barlows are very good as well and cheaper. The x2 one I've used before and was very pleasently surprised.

[John]

Sorry but I'd far rather have the performance of the Celestron Ultima SV than the cachet of the Televue branding ... the Ultima SV simply works better, at any rate on a scope of f/6 or slower.

I tried a TV x2 Barlow back to back with a Celestron Ultima SV and I found they performed about the same in the F/6.5 and F/6 scopes I had at the time. I ended up keeping the Ultima because the short format was more convenient for me with a refractor / diagonal combination. Then I got a 2.5x TV Powermate which was better again - but a lot more expensive of course.

John

[brianb]

What do you think is better about the Celestron?

The example I have gives considerably sharper images, with less chromatic aberration and less off-axis astigmatism. Bear in mind I'm comparing the Celestron Ultima SV, not the X-Cel or Omni, with the standard Televue 2x, not the Powermate (which is considerably more expensive).

People seem to have this hangup about Televue. They do produce great products but their ordinary Plossls are, well, ordinary - I'd far rather have the Meade series 5000 "super Plossl" any day.

[Daz1969]

Mmm. Thanks for the info chaps