Televue (1 Viewer)

[Tord]

My setup has drawn quite some attention and I have been asked (and am also asking myself) if there are refractor scopes that are capable of even better results than the SW (application area wildlife and bird photography).

I have been browsing through posts on this forum as well as other places and understand that Televue scopes have an excellent reputation, both image and product quality. Yes, I know the price tag of a Televue is a magnitutde higher than the SW but still a fraction of a high grade super-telephoto lens.

I also wonder what eyepices would be recommended for terrestrial observation purpose.

Anyone using a Televue here, or can provide a direction?

/Tord

 

[DanC.Licks]

They are low on CA, but also low on contrast. Cumbersome, to say the least. I had an 8" Dob but got rid of it in favor of a refractor. Don't regret it for a minute. For terrestrial observation they are wholly unsuited. Hard to aim, everything upside down and backwards.

 

[Tord]

They are low on CA, but also low on contrast. Cumbersome, to say the least. I had an 8" Dob but got rid of it in favor of a refractor. Don't regret it for a minute. For terrestrial observation they are wholly unsuited. Hard to aim, everything upside down and backwards.

Hi Dan,
What I had in mind was a refractor, not a mirror scope. I have been reading about the Televue 60 as a portable scope and the Televue 85 for more static applications. There also exists a Televue 76.
I just found there are 3 reviews posted on this site, reviewers seem very pleased with 10/10 rating. Where did you get the upside/down and low contrast from?

/Tord

 

[ceasar]

Have you looked over Televue's Birdscoping section?

http://www.televue.com/Birdscope/Tables/Telescopes4DaBirds.asp

There are many options. Click on the photography link in the upper right.

Bob

 

[rferrieri]

Tord

The Televue 60 APO will no doubt have well corrected color-free optics as does all of this companies products, but I wonder how good this little scope will be for prime focus photography given that you have to adjust crude focus using a the draw tube and fine focus using the helical focuser. Would the helical focuser rotate your camera? I don't have any experience with helical focusers. I also worry about lack of light with a 60 mm objective. If you are considering a TV you should look for some of their older now discontinued models like the Pronto or Ranger. Rich

 

[cango]

we also have the Borg

http://digiborg.wordpress.com/page/48/

not sure how they compare, but shouldn't be any less of a scope I think.

 

[DanC.Licks]

Oops, misread.:gn::egghead:

Where did you get the upside/down and low contrast from? I tried it!

 

[Tord]

Where did you get the upside/down and low contrast from? I tried it!

Dan,

Now I am lost...
You are the one who wrote about the Televue "They are low on CA, but also low on contrast... Hard to aim, everything upside down and backwards".

 

[DanC.Licks]

I thought you were talking about reflectors. Just misread, that's all. Sorry.

 

[Paul Corfield]

Any bird photos posted here taken with the Televue refractors haven't been any better than the SW80ED ones. Certainly not worth the extra money from an image quality point of view and the build quality of the SW80ED can be improved for little money.

Televue never disclose the type of glass they use but some websites try to discover this by shining lasers through them etc. General opinion is that Televue use an FPL-53 doublet as does the SW80ED.

Paul.

 

[Tord]

Any bird photos posted here taken with the Televue refractors haven't been any better than the SW80ED ones. Certainly not worth the extra money from an image quality point of view and the build quality of the SW80ED can be improved for little money.

Televue never disclose the type of glass they use but some websites try to discover this by shining lasers through them etc. General opinion is that Televue use an FPL-53 doublet as does the SW80ED.

Paul.

Thanks Paul,

Do you have insight into what eyepieces are recommended for terrestrial observation?
/Tord

 

[Paul Corfield]

As far as eyepieces go they are all pretty good. I'd just go with well known makes and a decent field of view. I've got cheap eyepieces, mid range ones and expensive ones and you don't see a huge difference in image quality. Some of the wide angle multi element designs can suffer from something called kidney beaning when you put your eye up to them and I've seen that in cheap multi branded makes. A good quality branded wide angle or zoom would be the best bet.

Paul.

 

[markkilner]

I can't speak for the relative merits of other scopes (and only a side-by-side test would truly answer the image quality question), but what you lose in size, you gain in portability. But anyway, if you want to see for yourself, here's what I've managed to get with the TV60 so far:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/tags/tv60/show/

The majority of these were photos were taken hand-held, at prime focus.

And to answer rferrieri's question, the helical focuser does not rotate the camera.

 

[RJM]

The gotcha with using a high quality telescope as opposed to a fieldscope visually is always the erecting prism diagonal. Even the best, most expensive Baader Amici will have a negative impact on the image quality at high powers. Moreover, a 90° diagonal prism is not the most comfortable to use in a terrestrial scenario.

Televue sells odd 60° diagonal but its IQ is still somewhat lacking compared to the Baader Amici.

You might be able to find an old Vixen porro erector but you will have to view straight thru and they won't accomodate long fl/ultra wide eyepieces. But at least you won't see a roof edge interfering with the view.

 

[DanC.Licks]

A lot of very good pictures there, Mark. You seem to have been rather close most of the time. Nothing like a little too much air to bugger up a shot! Excellent detail.

I can certainly see the attraction of having something more portable. I have been using my old, beat up (clean glass!) Nikkor 400mm/5.6 a lot lately as a walk around. Has internal focus so it is very fast and easy to focus with two fingers while supporting the lens by the collar foot. OK at 5.6 but best at 11.

 

[Paul Corfield]

I've got a 1.25" amici prism and I've never noticed any problems with terrestrial viewing. I've also got a few other straight through amici roof prisms from old binoculars that I've made into erectors. I just stick them into the back of the eyepiece and they work fine too.

Siebert optics make a prism unit to screw into the end of any 1.25" eyepiece, similar to the ones I make myself. I'm sure I've seen them from other makers too.

Something else that could be used is a 90° or 45° erecting prism along with a binocular viewer. Televue make a nice one. Some come with fixed eyepieces while some allow you to change the eyepiece to any 1.25" variety and Sieberts make viewers for 2" eyepieces.

Paul.

 

[DanC.Licks]

Two TV60 mounted side by side....now THAT would be a pair of bins!

 

[Paul Corfield]

Something like these :-O https://www.garrettoptical.com/Garrett-150mm-Binocular-Telescope-p/gt150-45.htm


Paul.

 

[Tord]

I can't speak for the relative merits of other scopes (and only a side-by-side test would truly answer the image quality question), but what you lose in size, you gain in portability. But anyway, if you want to see for yourself, here's what I've managed to get with the TV60 so far:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/tags/tv60/show/

The majority of these were photos were taken hand-held, at prime focus.

And to answer rferrieri's question, the helical focuser does not rotate the camera.

Mark,
Nice collection of photos!
You write "the majority of these were photos were taken hand-held, at prime focus". Are any ones in the gallery taken with non-prime focus? (or is the majority applicable to hand-held, and all taken at prime focus)

If I got it right the TV60 is F/6, meaning 360 mm focal length. I guess the photos are cropped?

Cheers
Tord

 

[DanC.Licks]

Paul,
those look nice, but a bit of a rip off. Don't even come with a neck strap!:king: