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Barlow recoomendaton?

hozepipe

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fmeireso

fmeireso

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Tal 2x? I have my doubts. She's good for DSO, great contrast, but lacks sharpness on planets.

My advice is to get a good barlow, it's worth it. Go at least for the Ultima/shorty plus and even better the TV2x if you can afford it.

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hozepipe

hozepipe

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OK I'm getting a feel for the thing now - I would prefer a barlow that didn't compromise on sharpness - if it was a toss up between sharpness/resolution and contrast/brightness I'd prefer the former ability over the latter.

I've read a little bit more and it seems the Televue powermate is highly regarded as it take a different approach. I'd prefer to spend more now rather than be disappointed with a stop-gap solution. However funds are not unlimited so it's tricky (I also need to buy camera T-ring/tubes etc etc, it all adds up).

I'm aware though that kit with the green logos can be over-priced compared to far eastern stuff, though I've never looked though TV kit maybe its justified.

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fmeireso

fmeireso

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OK I'm getting a feel for the thing now - I would prefer a barlow that didn't compromise on sharpness - if it was a toss up between sharpness/resolution and contrast/brightness I'd prefer the former ability over the latter.

I've read a little bit more and it seems the Televue powermate is highly regarded as it take a different approach. I'd prefer to spend more now rather than be disappointed with a stop-gap solution. However funds are not unlimited so it's tricky (I also need to buy camera T-ring/tubes etc etc, it all adds up).

I'm aware though that kit with the green logos can be over-priced compared to far eastern stuff, though I've never looked though TV kit maybe its justified.

go for an TV2 or powermate then. A powermate has some advantages like it does not increase the outthrow of the exit pupil and does not show a bit vignetting at the edge a barlow shows.

A TV2 barlow gives very good images on planets, very sharp and also better contrast on DSO then the Ultima/Shorty plus. It's only a bit more expensive then a Ultima /shorty plus. However when you use a refractor with a prims the longer barrel of the TV could give a problem but with a Newt there is no problem. The Ultima/Shorty plus is a very short design giving still very good and sharp images on planets.

The socalled 'APO label' is a marketing talk. All barlows are colorfree. The third lens in the Ultima/Shorty plus is there to handle the steep light cone and maintain the sharpness because the piece is so short.That exactly what the TAL 2x lacks...

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hozepipe

hozepipe

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I just had a look on Harry Siebert's site which recommends avoiding shorty barlows - I can't qualify his statement but I have three EPs on order from him to shortly arrive. Once I can evaluate them it'll help ascertain whether he's right, and if he is then it would reduce the field to the TV2 or PM or his own barlows (which he seems to say are comparable, but are a lot cheaper). This is the higher cost option though. If I decide to go for a stop gap the Orion or Tal look worth investigating further.

However I came across these Astro Engineering AC610 Supreme Barlows, does anyone have any experiance with them of the company in general? They have a T thread on the end which might end up saving me money with the camera kit.

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ianmwatson

ianmwatson

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I was lucky enough to pick up a 5x powermate and t ring adapter on uk astrobuysell recently for a really good price, it turned out to have never been used. The powermate is awesome. I can stick my 12mm ortho in it and use my 80mm apo to get a very stable 231x mag on saturn. I think you need to pick the price that suits you, find out what you can afford and either buy new or put up a wanted ad and give it a week or two. Good luck whatever you go for.

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hozepipe

hozepipe

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Hi Ian

That's interesting. I've got an 80mm to (ED80) and that's one of the reasons I want a Barlow (to get higher powers visually, but also to cover more of the chip for photography). Good to hear you are getting good results with the 80mm - what scope is it? My ED80 is quite amazing at taking higher powers, but none of the EPs I have can push it to breakdown the image, and I was wondering just how high its possible to go with it.

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fmeireso

fmeireso

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IMO Harry Siebert is right. If you don't really need a short one get a longer barlow.

Premium barlows like TV2, TMB, Takashashi all are of the longer kind. Short barlows can of course used easier in prisms used with SCT or refractors. So for practical reasons a short barlow can be a benefit but if you don't need a short one i would adivse to use a longer one too

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FLO

FLO

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I have been using Meade's #140 for some time now (visual) and like it.

I keep meaning to compare it to the Ultima but never seem to get around to it.

I recieve mixed reports about whether the Orion Shorty is or is not the same as the Ultima. If a member with one could get together with, or loan it to, a member with the other... We might actually find out!

Until then, the difference in cost is small so I shall continue to stock and recommend the Ultima to those wanting a short, quality barlow.

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hozepipe

hozepipe

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IMO Harry Siebert is right. If you don't really need a short one get a longer barlow.

Premium barlows like TV2, TMB, Takashashi all are of the longer kind. Short barlows can of course used easier in prisms used with SCT or refractors. So for practical reasons a short barlow can be a benefit but if you don't need a short one i would adivse to use a longer one too

So hang on, you can't use long barlows with a diagonal? I haven't been paying attention to that when I've looked a pics. Looking back at the pics on various sites I can now see that the long barlows have lower sections that go deep into the scope. But the Powermates have a short lower section. Are they OK to use with a diagonal? Is that what shorty barlows are for - for use in diagonals. Sorry for my ignorance, but I've never used a Barlow... If someone could clarify the mechanical issues it would help.

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fmeireso

fmeireso

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It all depends of course, but a short barlow will probably never have a problem with prism, a longer barlow could...

That's probably why most manufacturers produce short barlows, they can be used allmost certain in every scope while longer ones could produce a problem in some scopes or accessoires used(eg prisms,Paracorr)

=>I have a 3X barlow too, very long and inserts even a bit deeper then my TV2 in the focuser, if it were a refractor with a prism i probably could not use it.

My TAL 2x is the shortest barlow i've ever seen, the barlow itself is even cone shaped! Can't image that causes a problem in a any telescope...

What kind of telescope are you going to use your barlow with?

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fmeireso

fmeireso

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Sorry, now i see you have an ED80 ...;

Well a long barlow could be an issue. Do you know how deep you can insert something before you hit the prism?

Perhaps in your case the ultima/shorty plus is the best choice after all.

Be adviced that the ultima/shorty plus gives about 2.2x mag.

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FLO

FLO

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Did you tried the Meade on Planets yet?

Yes, can't say I have noticed a problem but then I haven't compared it to either the Ultima or Televue. It is noticeably better than my previous barlow (#126). I also use the Tal 3x and the Revelation/Moonfish/WO/etc 2" ED barlow - and like them both.

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fmeireso

fmeireso

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But the Powermates have a short lower section. Are they OK to use with a diagonal? Is that what shorty barlows are for - for use in diagonals. Sorry for my ignorance, but I've never used a Barlow... If someone could clarify the mechanical issues it would help.

On the Televe site the powermates are recommended for refractors and diagonals over barlows.

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  • 2 weeks later...
ianmwatson

ianmwatson

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Sorry I didn't answer your earlier question hp, I've been in lovely Glamorgan (incidentally, some of the best skies I've seen in the UK).

Anyway, the scope's a william optics zenithstar 80 fluorite doublet. It handles magnification quite nicely, I've had it up to 231x so far.

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