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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Televue (1 Viewer)

Tord said:
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
Click to expand...

Take a look at these reviews from Cornell they are a little old but are very good.

http://www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?plain=TRUE&PREVIEW=TRUE&id=137

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/gear/scopes/sc_review

The TV 85 for birding use the 60 Degree 1.25" diagonal. Eyepiece the 24 Panoptic 25x and the 12mm Delos 50x work very well. hope this helps

Mike
 
Although TeleVue is a reputed astro material brand, their 85 and lower aperture telescopes are not the best value now and Asian clones do similar or better for much less money...
Instead of a TV60 a TS APO65Q would do better.
The TV85 is a good scope but the TS APO 804, as the one of Fernando Baptista, has similar or better image quality for a much reduced price and a more compact solution. As I do less photo and more cr-birding I opted by a TMB92 but was because I needed lower f ratio due to the erector/binoviewer http://www.pt-ducks.com/cr-telescopes.htm#CR-binoviewing . If I wanted more photo and similar aperture I would go for a TS APO 90/600 (also a triplet), that is cheaper.
If money wasn't a problem I would go for a Takahashi FSQ-106ED that is faster and more compact than a TV NP101is....o:) I was thinking on a Skywatcher ESPRIT 100 ED when read that this model has problems with easily go out of collimation. The lens 95 model of the new Swarosvky X line is my goal to test now...;)
There are new 80 models with 5 lens (eg. TS APO80Q) that I still don't know if also have collimation problems - the 4 lens 65Q hasn't! For the 80mm range the Takahashi FSQ-85 is the top quality alternative...

For image erector info see http://www.pt-ducks.com/cr-telescopes.htm#Test of image erectors

For eyepiece info see http://www.pt-ducks.com/cr-telescopes.htm#Test of 82º, 100º and 102º AFOV zooms For birding I think a zoom is a need, so a Baader zoom is the best value but you have Zeiss (3.75x zoom) and Leica (WA zoom) higher quality zooms.
 
Tord said:
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
Click to expand...

Thanks Tord. Yes, they were all taken at prime focus. A few of the older ones were taken on a tripod, but I only really use that now for long-exposure shots.

I use a 1.1x RPF-2804 field flattener, so the focal length is actually closer to 400mm. Unfortunately this item has been discontinued by Tele Vue; if I'd known they were going to do that I would have bought another one as a spare!
 
Not to be off topic, but I don't know how you get those shutter speeds for in flight photos, while using an astro-scope, as a fixed aperture prime lens. I saw my first Violet-green Swallow of the Spring yesterday, and they are SO lovely, I'd love to get a photo.

I found a TV 85 F7 Apo Refractor for 1200 US on Craigslist in Seattle. I'm very happy with what I have, scope-wise, but I'm always looking for a deal. Especially now, looking for eyepieces, and eventually a Televue Powermate 2" x2.

That's a lovely slide show, Mark. I live in Aerospace country and we love our Air shows.
 
SeattleDan said:
Not to be off topic, but I don't know how you get those shutter speeds for in flight photos, while using an astro-scope, as a fixed aperture prime lens.
Click to expand...

Using my home made focal reducer on the 600mm SW80ED I take it down to 360mm focal length f4.5. Daytime shutter speeds can be up to 1/4000 sec or more when using that.

Paul.
 
So, the Barlow I'm "wanting" to increase magnification when the light is good, is sometimes referred to as a "telenegative." Your home made telenegative decreases focal length, so you can increase shutter speeds. I've been shooting "aperture priority" letting the camera sense the aperture, and moving exposure and iso up and down a skooch, depending on light. In that scenario the camera's on board software, sets shutter speed. I'm ahead of myself because I still don't understand how a telenegative and a barlow are the same.

Nevertheless, if I'm understanding you, Paul, for in flight shots, you are either shooting manually, or shutterspeed priority? With my camera and a non-native lens, I'm not sure I can do the latter.

Yes, to Dan's mention of it, I am using a smaller, mirrorless camera, that doesn't have your auto-focus speeds, but it does have many dslr-ish features. I have noticed now, after some months of use, very high ISO's that this camera can do, are not actually available. The noise becomes un-correctable.

The "internet," oy vey. I had been reading a tech thread in an astronomy forum where more than one person said that a barlow was the same thing as a telenegative. I found these diagrams on Televue's site. http://www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=85 This explains a lot.

Televue is pricey. Still, I want to photograph Swallows with my scope. I'm all thumbs, so I should go find a deal on a telenegative element.

Thanks Paul.
 
Last edited:
The telenegative doesn't reduce focal length, my home made focal reducer does. Reducing focal length reduces magnification and therefore increases shutter speed. The telenegative increases the focal length, just like a barlow and they are very similar in their design. The Powermate is a different optical design, not worth the money, a very cheap telenegative will capture the same quality for next to nothing. On the scope I only ever use manual mode, I don't find the other modes accurate enough for exposure compared to doing it manually.

Paul.
 
The focal reducer is made using the objective lens from a Miranda 75-300 1 : 4.5 - 5.6 MC Macro lens. See photos for the exact model and mounting on this link. http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=2181610&postcount=7

All objectives from zoom lenses will work as focal reducers and I've tried about 15 different ones that I have here. The Miranda one is the only one though that I have which gives a perfectly flat image so that is the one I'd recommend.

Cango - from what I remember it allows you to focus a little closer than normal without changing the amount of extension. I don't have a camera to check this at the minute as mines broken. I found some samples where I was only using 50mm of extension to focus at around 4m or 13 feet.

All these were taken with the Miranda lens. It's a project well worth doing and gives a nice fast scope. The telenegative in that Miranda lens is quite good too, it gives just over 2X mag.

First series here are all flight shots from about 7m range, scope was pre focused on a tripod and just used a cable to fire the shutter.

http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=2141616&postcount=175

http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=2139682&postcount=171

http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=2140848&postcount=173

Paul.
 
It's possible. From what I know Dixons purchased the Miranda name and used it on Cosina lenses from the 1980's onwards. So the Miranda version is possibly a rebadged Cosina. That's about as much as I can commit myself. :)

Paul.
 
DanC.Licks said:
Ever try the front element from your Canon 100-200?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I tried every element I've got. Most are good and give a flat image apart from the four corners of the photo and you get a slight blurring in that area. The Miranda one is flat right into the corner on my 1.6X crop sensor. On a smaller 2X sensor I bet they would all be fairly good. They all give varying degrees of reduction too, generally in the 360 - 400mm on a 600mm scope.

Paul.
 
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