Back on the scopes (1 Viewer)

Musoman

PETE - Nikon/Sony Shooter

• Jul 3, 2014

• #1

Hope all you guys are ok - been popping in and out to see how things are going here, and looking at the setups and gallery.

Well, after a rather long hiatus, i've hopped back on the astro scoping wagon, and blagged myself a 102ED Triplet APO, f7 714mm. Its a Meade 5000 in a rather fetching white & blue trim, though would have preferred something in a dark colour, rather than white, but the 2nd hand scope market is not exactly brimming with refractors that i could afford.

The write ups/reviews seem to be very favourable, despite Meade using Japanese FCD1 and not FPL53 - maybe its just well put together and the ED element correctly matched to the others ?

Strangely, the MAX dslr mount appears to be in short supply because i tried to buy one in readiness for the scope being delivered from Poland, but found them out of stock, and no idea when they'd be in stock again. So not tried the scope out in anger yet

Its a big beast oh yes, but i decided to go for a triplet this time, just because i've never had one. Time will tell

Some shots of the blunderbuss

 

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Last edited: Jul 3, 2014

DanC.Licks

AKA Daniel Bradley

• Jul 3, 2014

• #2

Looks nice!

Tord has one about that size. Not too easy to hand hold
Should be good. Let's see some pictures...

 

Musoman

PETE - Nikon/Sony Shooter

• Jul 3, 2014

• #3

Hi Dan - yes not easy to hand hold at all. In fact i wont bother

I didnt hand hold at all when i had the SW 80ED, so wont be starting with this one, as its much heavier.

Soon as i can purchase a MAX dslr Nikon mount, i'll be out snapping something

 

Last edited: Jul 3, 2014

P

Paul Corfield

Well-known member

• Jul 4, 2014

• #4

Welcome back Musoman.

The scope should perform well. I shouldn't worry about the FCD1 glass in a triplet. As long as all three elements work together then it should be well corrected. FCD1 is the Hoya equivalent to Ohara FPL-51 so I'd only avoid it in a doublet if the scope was for photographic use.

Paul.

 

Tord

Well-known member

• Jul 4, 2014

• #5

Musoman said:

...

Its a big beast oh yes, but i decided to go for a triplet this time, just because i've never had one. Time will tell

Click to expand...

Hi Musoman,

I have one of that size (TS102 triplet FPL53 102mm F/6.8) and is fitted with a different focuser (3" improved Crayford, a bit overkill but allows use of heavy bodies). It's a bit heavy (6.5 kg if I recall) but once on the Gimbal head it's a pleasure to operate. I am very satisfied with it, it delivers crisp, punchy pictures, no CA, sharp to the edges.

Keep us updated, looking fwd to see some nice photos.

 

Musoman

PETE - Nikon/Sony Shooter

• Jul 4, 2014

• #6

Cheers Paul - thanks for the reassurance. I'm not sure of the Strehl ratio but i thought i saw some where that FCD was in the low to mid 90's.

Tord, yes i see you have the TS from Teleskop - i think we have similar weight. Mine has 2" focuser / dual speed 10-1 ratio. Its incredibly smooth and well weighted.

The only strange thing i found with this scope is that the dew shield has to be removed and turned round and then mounted via 2 lock screws, and for storage, must be turned round again and locked on with the same screws

I may have to make up a mount if cant find a MAX dslr

 

Last edited: Jul 4, 2014

Musoman

PETE - Nikon/Sony Shooter

• Jul 9, 2014

• #7

Meanwhile - just prepping the scope with the usual tape, though not ideal camo colours for woodland ( great for deserts )
but they were much cheaper than all the others on Ebay. Cheap enough to bother buying 2 rolls, and its the "clings to itself" type wrap, not the sticky back stuff.

Also, for some reason, I still had the dew shield cap from my old SW ST120, so have commandeered that for a stop down cap when shooting birds up close.

I dont like the yellow tape on the end, but it meant buying just a reel of camo just for that little bit.

 

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Tord

Well-known member

• Jul 10, 2014

• #8

Musoman said:

The only strange thing i found with this scope is that the dew shield has to be removed and turned round and then mounted via 2 lock screws, and for storage, must be turned round again and locked on with the same screws

Click to expand...

The TS102 has a retractable dew shield, nice feature. The fit is quite tight meaning some friction against the camo tape.

 

Musoman

PETE - Nikon/Sony Shooter

• Jul 10, 2014

• #9

Yup, i'm wondering why Meade didnt make the dew shield a sliding type. So much easier

 

Musoman

PETE - Nikon/Sony Shooter

• Jul 14, 2014

• #10

Think this should be in the setups section, so have asked Postcardcv to move it

 

Musoman

PETE - Nikon/Sony Shooter

• Jul 14, 2014

• #11

Nearly there ..

I've swapped the head on my Giottos tripod from the original to my much more manly Manfrotto 808RC4. Took a bit of faffing about, but was worth the hassle.
Removed the Meade dovetail bar, and used one that I kept from previous setups, as i found it to be just the right type. The one that came with the Meade is not so nice. The holes line up on the bar & scope rings now, but during tests, have found that when the camera is mounted ( adding some bits to account for the extension tube/mount which is at my pals for modifications ) it tilts backwards.

I have only 2 threaded holes in the Dovetail bar for the QR plate, and neither of those positions are good for balance. It means drilling and tapping more holes in the bar, and of course all my taps are metric and QR plates are either 3/8th or 1/2" thread. Typical !

 

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DanC.Licks

AKA Daniel Bradley

• Jul 14, 2014

• #12

So, how heavy is the whole rig?

 

Musoman

PETE - Nikon/Sony Shooter

• Jul 14, 2014

• #13

With scope on tripod and camera hung on, 10.5kg ( minus the extension tube )

Scope on its own, with clamps, dovetail bar, but no camera or extension tube, 5.5kg

I'm not sure how accurate my bathroom scales are. They used to weigh a bit more than the accurate scales at my doctor's surgery. But we are in the ballpark.