Celestron vs TeleVue

[tom33pr]

Hi,

Is there any way of telling which of the below would potentially work better with an f5 scope (does the focal ratio matter here at all)?

• Celestron 'Ultima' X2 Barlow
  
• TeleVue X2 Barlow
  

Thank you.

[John]

Is it for use in a refractor or newtonian scope ?

For a refractor I'd suggest the Ultima as it's a shorty format that will conveniently go into the diagonal. For a newtonian the Tele Vue might be better. Optically there is not much to pick between them in my opinion.

[Rufusgj]

Hello Tom,

I doubt that there is much between them, the Celestron gets good reviews - I have the TV X2 Barlow and it is very good - in fact it is so good that you hardly notice you are using a Barlow at all with any of my eyepieces.

I have also used it for webcam imaging and it seems to do very well for that as the barrel is quite long, which can help focus better in some instances.

Hope this helps.

Simon

[tom33pr]

Is it for use in a refractor or newtonian scope ?

For a refractor I'd suggest the Ultima as it's a shorty format that will conveniently go into the diagonal. For a newtonian the Tele Vue might be better. Optically there is not much to pick between them in my opinion.

It's a newtonian.

Thank you jahmanson (just managed to get hold of one for as little as £50 - I hope it's a good price for that piece).

[tom33pr]

...in fact it is so good that you hardly notice you are using a Barlow at all with any of my eyepieces.

Simon

That's sounds good. thx Simon!

[brianb]

Optically there is not much to pick between them in my opinion.

Well, in my opinion the Celestron Ultima SV 2x - which is a 3 element triplet - is far superior to the ordinary 2x barlow bearing the Televue trademark. The TV Powermate is definitely superior to the Ultima - especially for imaging because of the reliable magnification factor, which is hardly affected by the back focus distance - but it is a lot more expensive.