Problem with Celestron Ultima 80ED (1 Viewer)

I bought this scope and am VERY frustrated that I can't find an objective filter for it. I sent an e-mail to Celestron tech support, and they responded, "We really don't know what the filter size is - somthing around 87mm, maybe?"

I simply can't believe that the manufacturer of a decent quality optic doesn't know what size filter fits on their objective. I'm especially disappointed that a standard 86mm filter doesn't fit (it's too small.) I paid $100 for an 86mm Tiffen coated clear filter, and I can't use it. As far as I know, there is no such thing as an 87mm filter (even if that IS the right size for this scope.)

I've been taught by every photography expert I know that the first thing you do when you buy a new lens is protect it with a clear or UV filter, and I've always done this. It simply boggles my mind that it's so difficult to do with this scope.

Any suggestions from you experts on how to solve this problem?

Does anyone here have an 80ED that they've put a clear filter on?

And more importantly, does anyone even know what the real filter size is?

Thanks.

Am I needlessly worried? Do the rest of you use clear filters on your scopes?

I virtually never use filters on my scopes. They're more damaging to the image quality of telescopes at high magnification than they are to photographs. When you look through a telescope you're essentially using a microscope (the eyepiece) to examine the aerial image formed by the objective lens. In a really good telescope that aerial image may have resolution better than 200 lp/mm, finer than the output from any digital camera or film. Filters could still be a pretty good idea under very harsh conditions, like exposure to blowing sand and salt spray. It's also possible that the image degradation from a filter will not be noticed through a lower quality scope, especially at low magnification.

Thanks for sharing your opinion.