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what setup (1 Viewer)

K

kurakura

Well-known member
finally i am about ready to pull the trigger on a telescope...

question is... what telescope would you guys go after if you were in the market? budget 7-800euro

short tube-triplet preferred

did look at the omegon 80 doublet... maybe just fancy talk with the flp53 + s-nbm51 combination being perfect for sharpness and high contrast
 
I am leaning towards a tkapo 80/480 715euro
unless dan is buying the 500mm f4 and selling the 90/600 for cheap:) the tkapo seems to be same as tsapo

there is also a apm 80/480 in wo tubus for 795
 
Hi Kurakura

I quite recently bought myself a TLAPO 804 (80mm F/6) FPL53 triplet, with 2" improved Crayford, splitable tube. With dewcap retracted the scope is 35 cm long, so it qualifies for being a short tube. I bought it from another source than the one that Dan pointed at, though, if I remember correctly the price was around 800€

If you have budget constraints the Skywatcher 80 F/7.5 (doublet FPL53) is a good performer, great bang for bucks, sharp although somewhat less contrasty pictures than the triplet. Quite many people on this forum use this scope. It is longer though, and the dewcap is not retractable. It comes with a simpler Crayford focuser. The price should be in the 500€ range.

/Tord
 
Tord said:
Hi Kurakura

I quite recently bought myself a TLAPO 804 (80mm F/6) FPL53 triplet, with 2" improved Crayford, splitable tube. With dewcap retracted the scope is 35 cm long, so it qualifies for being a short tube. I bought it from another source than the one that Dan pointed at, though, if I remember correctly the price was around 800€

If you have budget constraints the Skywatcher 80 F/7.5 (doublet FPL53) is a good performer, great bang for bucks, sharp although somewhat less contrasty pictures than the triplet. Quite many people on this forum use this scope. It is longer though, and the dewcap is not retractable. It comes with a simpler Crayford focuser. The price should be in the 500€ range.

I'm quite happy with my purchase and it gives me a very nice low cost alternative to a big white lens.
/Tord
Click to expand...

I have a SW80ED Black Diamond and yes, it is long and contrast is low under bad light conditions, sometimes too low for keepers. The non retractable sun shade in a pain in the... if you want to carry the scope in a backpack. But the price is right and it is very sharp indeed with no or very little CA.

The Black Diamond model comes with a dual speed focuser that can be reversed to have the dual knobs on the left hand side, a nice feature. Dual speed allows for very precise focusing when you have enough time for it.

Being a long tube at 600mm, the extra reach over a short tube is nice because, in birding, there is never enough reach. It also performs well with a 2X ED barlow and a 1.5X home brewed TeleNegative.
 
Reason why I am looking for a short tube is that I do most of my birding while travelling/working in Asia, so I need something relatively easy to carry with me while on the move. I also have a 300mm f4, and a 100mm f2.8 IS. I use a Canon 7D body.

So to be perfectly sure besides the scope I will need the eos T-ring and T-adaptor 2"
Or is there a better solution???
 
kurakura said:
Reason why I am looking for a short tube is that I do most of my birding while travelling/working in Asia, so I need something relatively easy to carry with me while on the move. I also have a 300mm f4, and a 100mm f2.8 IS. I use a Canon 7D body.

So to be perfectly sure besides the scope I will need the eos T-ring and T-adaptor 2"
Or is there a better solution???
Click to expand...

I was using this adapter with my 50D. It is nice to use only one adapter. Look for the True-2 adapter on their site.
http://www.cncsupplyinc.com/

Regards
Jules
 
Last edited:
DanC.Licks said:
No, that is not what you need. This:
http://www.teleskop-austria.at/shop...508-508&skod= 28&om=Eyepiece-side accessories
You will need 80mm extension between the focuser and your T2 adapter.

I would forget about the chip unless the 7D has really good focus peaking. Not worth the bother.
Click to expand...

Dan is right about both the focus chip and the 80mm extension tube. I bought one of those for my 50D and was never able to make it work reliably. I did a lot of research about those and I think it is not really worth trying.

On the Telescope Adapters Web page, they say they ship airmail anywhere outsite the US for 12$. I ordered twice from them and had the adapters shipped to Canada - it worked fine.

Good luck with your purchases
Jules
 
kurakura said:
Nice one Jules... Will try to source something like that in Europe

With regards to the extension tubes could I just go for this set

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AF-Confirm-...ltDomain_0&hash=item56402f96d4#ht_6022wt_1363

...or would you recommend something else??? seems like this one have AF confirm chip (dandelion clone) build in.


last but not least...http://www.ebay.com/itm/IRIS-DIAPHR...ltDomain_0&hash=item2eb3ef5ba4#ht_3028wt_1363

maybe not a bad idea :D
Click to expand...
Hi Kurakura,

I use the same adapter as Jules, and can recommend it. CNC supply ship using regular airmail, it was delivered to me after a week or so. Have made two purchases, both to 100% satisfaction.

AF confirm chips have a limited application area. Since the depth of field of the scope is shallower then the accuracy of the chip you cannot rely on it for 100% focus. I used one in the beginning but quit using it. Better practice focusing skills using the OVF and fine tune using Live View on the LCD (if you have time, that is).

And 80mm extension tube should be OK, that's what most people here are using. I read that some scopes cannot be focused at infinity with 80mm though, it depends on the scope/focuser and the DSLR adapter used (how much length it adds). The CNC Supply adapter adds minimal length so likely you will be able to focus at infinity (if that is important for you). The alternative is 50mm length but then you will probably have issues focusing at closer range. How far/close are the subjects you plan to photograph? Anyway, extension tubes are cheap.
 
The AF focus chip for my 50D didn't even focus most of the time and, when it did, it was not accurate. I also tried to purchase one for my OM-5 and the manufacturer told me he could sell me one if I really wanted one but without any warranty because they were not reliable.

Besides weight, Live View on the LCD only is the other reason that made me switch from Canon to Olympus. Focus is so much easier in the electronic viewfinder where you have WYSIWYG and the magnify option. The good news is that accurate focus is still possible with DSLRs as many photographers on this forum regularly demonstrate.

Good luck with your purchases and welcome to our group.
Jules
 
JGobeil said:
Hi Paul,

As it happens often here in Canada with eBay, the first link doesn't work. I find the second adapter less interesting because it cannot lock the extension tube with the compression ring.

Have a good day
Jules
Click to expand...
Jules,
To you mean not having the "undercut"? If so I agree, that feature is a cheap insurance. The first link refers to an adapter similar in appearance to the Teleskop-Express one.
 
Yeah I suppose it's safer. Never an issue for me because I just stick the camera into the scope to take photos but never lock up any screws as I always hand hold. When I've finished taking photos the camera just hangs round my neck.

Paul.
 
Paul Corfield said:
Yeah I suppose it's safer. Never an issue for me because I just stick the camera into the scope to take photos but never lock up any screws as I always hand hold. When I've finished taking photos the camera just hangs round my neck.

Paul.
Click to expand...
Well, I would definitely say it is safer, and worth the extra 10. I often move around in the terrain with the setup, tripod over shoulder and it feels reassuring knowing the camera will not slip from the adapter - even if camera is pointing down. If you have access to a metal lathe you could probably manufacture an undercut quite easily.
 
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