EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 14732
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
|
|
APM America announces 150mm binocular telescope available in July
Not a lot of specifics, but from the ad copy it looks like 3 sizes of eyepieces (proprietary?) 25x, 30x, 35x.
These are big guns, serving a small market. Not sure we'll see to many of these bought, reviewed, taken apart, reviewed again. Perhaps this is one of those items it would just be a pleasure to look thru, rather than look at.
edz
--------------------
Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
|
edwincjones
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 5671
|
|
I also saw the announcement, and am trying to compare it to my fuji 25x150 MTsetup:
my fujis with G11 tripod, UA Siuius mount, case cost $8000 in 2002;
this 150mm binocular with tripod and mount is $4000
my fujis weigh 41#, this one 47#
I have fixed ep, straight through; these have interchangeable eps at 45 degrees
how much quality of optics and construction is needed to justify 2X price of the fujis now?
edj
--------------------
n w arkansas
|
APM M.Ludes
Vendor (APM Telescopes)
Reged: 05/01/03
Posts: 392
|
|
I have the first sample by hand :-)
the big advantage : it takes 2" eyepieces and you can screw in filters to the normal 2" eyepieces. We will switch from original eyepieces to better 70° widefield eyepieces
here some specs from the real sample:
case dimension : 820 mm long x 530 mm wide x 260 mm height , weight of empty alu case 12.5 kg
Binocular :
- dimensions 750 mm long include eyepieces, 350 mm wide , largest diameter at front is about 175 mm
- weight without eyepieces : 22.0 kg
- field stop diameter of glas in focuser 34 mm
- focallength : 824 mm
- clear aperture : 150 mm
- fully multicoated achromat
- eye distance from 62 mm minimum tp 76 mm maximum
- original eyepiece 25 x = 32 mm 65° with no filter thread. I would like to switch to the SWA 32 mm 70°, so we getting maximum FOV 2.8 degree and we can use UHC or O-III Filters, the backfocuse distance is big enough for such
Forkmount and adjustable metal tripod : weight 12.4 kg
detailed infos and pictures going to the webside tomorrow
thanks
Markus Ludes
|
RichD
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/08/07
Posts: 567
Loc: Derbyshire, UK
|
|
nice, seems good value too
--------------------
Clear skies
Rich
|
Tony Flanders
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/06
Posts: 3469
Loc: Cambridge, MA, USA
|
|
Quote:
- eye distance from 62 mm minimum tp 76 mm maximum
For what it's worth, that rules it out for me (interocular distance 57 mm) and a significant fraction of other people. But I commend you on publishing the statistic, something that most manufacturers fail to do.
--------------------
Tony Flanders
First and foremost observing love: naked eye.
Second, binoculars.
Last but not least, telescopes.
And I sometimes dabble with cameras.
|
EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 14732
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
|
|
Quote:
eye distance from 62 mm minimum
that is rather wide for a minimum IPD. That would just work for me, I'm 62mm. But my brother is also a 57, so it would be out of the question for sharing the view with him.
edz
--------------------
Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
|
Wes James
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/12/06
Posts: 3460
|
|
Durn... my IPD is 66.6mm... was hoping I could use that as an excuse for ruling one out for me! Oh, well... the $$$$$'s will do that... nice looking, though!
--------------------
Wes
Atlantic Beach, FL
Some bino’s from Miyauchi 5x32 Binon's up through Garrett 20x110 Signature's,
Some telescopes from a Stellarvue 80mm NHNG up through a couple of 8” reflectors…
And a wonderful 4.25" Delmarva Shiefspiegler!
Some good friends, made here on C/N.
Oh- several cats and a wonderful wife!
Anyone want a cat???? :-O
"When your work speaks for itself- Don't Interrupt" -Gamble Rogers
|
RichD
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/08/07
Posts: 567
Loc: Derbyshire, UK
|
|
62mm is rather wide. I'm 61 so i'm out!
--------------------
Clear skies
Rich
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
I´m receiving a pair too here in Colombia since I´m planning on distributing those also. The Chinese said that they'll send only 25x eyepieces since 2" eps out there are better than theirs, so 30x and 35x are out. They also said about the IPD, fortunately I have 64mm, so I would be enough, but very close, not everyone will be using those. For the set I ordered, they are going to include a pair of 2" to 1.25" adapters to widen the posibilities of EPs used, since 2" eps may work but wont leave enough space for the nose... I just ordered a pair of 21mm Denkmeier eps.... hope those work
As EDJ said, I'll be testing those compared whit my Fuji's to state differences, we'll see...
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
Rich V.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/02/05
Posts: 1395
Loc: Carson Valley, Nevada, USA
|
|
Quote:
As EDJ said, I'll be testing those compared whit my Fuji's to state differences, we'll see...
Andres, your side-by-side will be the one we'll be waiting for; few others will be able to make any kind of comparison.
After all the posts of QC problems with the same manufacturer's 100mm 45° binoculars it will be interesting how the 150mms fare vs. Fujinon quality.
I'm also curious how the standard 25x 33.6mm 65° AFOV eyepiece works out as it should have about a 38mm field stop looking down onto a 34mm focuser window. Will there be noticeable vignette?
It's interesting to note that the 2" eyepiece feature is really only aimed at achieving 25x-32x with the limited number of WF 2" eps available in the appropriate focal lengths (26mm-30mm). Wider FOV eyepieces will have a field stop much larger than the focuser aperture. A pair of 2" 26 Naglers could give a pretty spectacular view at 32x with the max. 2.5° FOV! The 1-1/4" 24 Panoptic will provide 34x and 2° FOV.
Looking forward to your comparison!
Rich V
--------------------
Binoculars:
33/50/75/150x100 Saturn III, 16x70 FMT-SX, 10x50 PCF-V, 10x43 DCF-SP, 10x35 E2, 7x35 E, 8x30 E2, 7x26 Custom, 8x23AS Diplomat, 8x23 Travelite
Scopes:
C9.25, 6" f8 reflector, SV80S
|
Mike Hosea
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/24/03
Posts: 3960
Loc: "Metrowest" Boston
|
|
Quote:
A pair of 2" 26 Naglers could give a pretty spectacular view at 32x with the max. 2.5° FOV!
Unfortunately, the diameter of the 26mm Type 5 is (listed at) 2.8", corresponding to an IPD of just over 71mm. The 20mm Type 5 and 22mm Type 4 should work for more people.
--------------------
Mike
Stuff that I use:
- 7" f/6.7 home-built Newt and equatorial platform
- 6 eyepieces and a Barlow
- 120mm f/8.3 home-built grab-n-go Newt
- Canon 15x50 IS and Eagle Optics 12x50 Ranger binoculars
|
Rich V.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/02/05
Posts: 1395
Loc: Carson Valley, Nevada, USA
|
|
You're quite right, Mike! Another consideration to take in when choosing 2" eyepieces for a binocular! 
Rich V
--------------------
Binoculars:
33/50/75/150x100 Saturn III, 16x70 FMT-SX, 10x50 PCF-V, 10x43 DCF-SP, 10x35 E2, 7x35 E, 8x30 E2, 7x26 Custom, 8x23AS Diplomat, 8x23 Travelite
Scopes:
C9.25, 6" f8 reflector, SV80S
|
Mr. Bill
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/09/05
Posts: 3149
Loc: Just passing through.....
|
|
I found the nosebridge clearance on my Fuji 150s to JUST fit even though my IPD is 65mm, so how "fat" the ocular barrel's maximum OD is also critical in considering whether or not these will work.
--------------------
10x50 Fujinon binos + 16x70 Fujinon binos + UA UniMount
Oberwerk BT100 45 degree +24mm Pans + Hercules fork mount
120mm f/5 Orion achromat + Moonlite focuser
130mm TMB 130SS f/7 APO refractor
140mm f/5.7 Vixen NeoAchro Petzvel refractor
150mm f/8 homemade achromat
8 inch newt with f/5 Swayze mirror
10 inch f/4.7 Orion newt + Paracorr
15 inch f/5 Discovery "Galactic Cannon"
Member IDA
|
Mike Hosea
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/24/03
Posts: 3960
Loc: "Metrowest" Boston
|
|
I don't have any experience with this to speak of, but it seems obvious that, even when the barrel diameters are equal, you would rather have something with a volcano-style top (e.g. a 20mm Type 5 Nagler) rather than something more nearly cylindrical.
--------------------
Mike
Stuff that I use:
- 7" f/6.7 home-built Newt and equatorial platform
- 6 eyepieces and a Barlow
- 120mm f/8.3 home-built grab-n-go Newt
- Canon 15x50 IS and Eagle Optics 12x50 Ranger binoculars
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
thats why I've been searching for a pair of 2" oculars that have a barrel size equal or less than 2.1" and whit long ER so you don't have to sink your nose against them.
In my search, I found the 17mm Vixen Lanthanum, not too wide and 20mm ER, but where not totally convinced. Fortunately, before I did that purchase, the company sending me the binoculars said that they were sending a pair of 2" to 1.25" adapters, so I went for the 21mm Denkmeiers, hope I made a good choice..  I also liked that those were send paired for binoviewing and whit nice winged style eyecups...
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
boydd
sage
Reged: 12/07/07
Posts: 237
|
|
Quote:
thats why I've been searching for a pair of 2" oculars that have a barrel size equal or less than 2.1" and whit long ER so you don't have to sink your nose against them.
In my search, I found the 17mm Vixen Lanthanum, not too wide and 20mm ER, but where not totally convinced. Fortunately, before I did that purchase, the company sending me the binoculars said that they were sending a pair of 2" to 1.25" adapters, so I went for the 21mm Denkmeiers, hope I made a good choice.. I also liked that those were send paired for binoviewing and whit nice winged style eyecups...
An exciting time ahead for you. It is always fun to start someting new.
Binoculars are in general wide field instruments as stated by many. At first blush, it seems counterproductive to be channeled into using 1.25" ep's in an instrument designed for 2" ep's. A 2" ep shows a bigger TFOV given the same focal length in a 1.25" ep which is what wide field viewing is about.
Dave Boyd
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
Yes, it is! I´m certainly in it for the fun!:)
We'll see how those Denks do; their specs state 65ş AFOV. At first I wanted to go for the "best" so I went for a pair of ethos... fortunately I read many things before buying (not what I usually do!) and became aware that I cant take more than 70ş AFOV at a time, then choices became less and ended whit the Denks and the supplied 1.25" adapters.(It saved me some dollars too  )
As Mr Bill said, the Fuji's are exactly in the limit for a person whit my IPD (64mm) since designers of those two giants forgot that people have noses! I thought I had a very small IPD, but differently from that, It appears that many people have less than that, even 57mm. I´ve also been interested in higher magnifications, around 40x, to get better contrast (blacker sky) and some extra detail... and also to see something similar as the 40x Fuji´s.... I don't think I'm going to miss the ED glass (I´ve never have ED glass), since except for the moon, I´m not a bright object observer, and especially now whit the 45ş EPs...
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
beachchairbill
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/06/08
Posts: 509
|
|
Wow, 46lbs without the mount and tripod. Any one have a crane and very very deep pockets.
Beachchair
|
edwincjones
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 5671
|
|
Quote:
Wow, 46lbs without the mount and tripod. Any one have a crane and very very deep pockets.
Beachchair
they are not for the faint of heart
edj
|
Mr. Bill
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/09/05
Posts: 3149
Loc: Just passing through.....
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
Wow, 46lbs without the mount and tripod. Any one have a crane and very very deep pockets.
Beachchair
they are not for the faint of heart
edj
Or a bad back.....OTOH, they do have a handle so picking them up and mounting should be much easier than the Fuji 150s. Still, not exactly "grab and go."
--------------------
10x50 Fujinon binos + 16x70 Fujinon binos + UA UniMount
Oberwerk BT100 45 degree +24mm Pans + Hercules fork mount
120mm f/5 Orion achromat + Moonlite focuser
130mm TMB 130SS f/7 APO refractor
140mm f/5.7 Vixen NeoAchro Petzvel refractor
150mm f/8 homemade achromat
8 inch newt with f/5 Swayze mirror
10 inch f/4.7 Orion newt + Paracorr
15 inch f/5 Discovery "Galactic Cannon"
Member IDA
|
Mr. Bill
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/09/05
Posts: 3149
Loc: Just passing through.....
|
|
This brings to mind earlier discussions as to the purpose of binoculars which IMO are rich/richest field instruments with large exit pupils for the brightest possible views. My use is maximum contrast Milky Way starfield sweeping of bright/dark nebulae.
Because of the limitations of 1 1/4 eps in field stop size (27mm) and the ergonomic issues of 2 inch eps, it would be great if someone could come up with interchangable eps specifically designed for binoculars in the range of 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches.
This would allow exit pupils greater than 4mm and large fovs and good eye relief and moderate IPD with BT class instruments which are f/5 and over.
I guess we're stuck with the situation as it seems unlikely the market share of such specialized instruments would justify a new ep size.
--------------------
10x50 Fujinon binos + 16x70 Fujinon binos + UA UniMount
Oberwerk BT100 45 degree +24mm Pans + Hercules fork mount
120mm f/5 Orion achromat + Moonlite focuser
130mm TMB 130SS f/7 APO refractor
140mm f/5.7 Vixen NeoAchro Petzvel refractor
150mm f/8 homemade achromat
8 inch newt with f/5 Swayze mirror
10 inch f/4.7 Orion newt + Paracorr
15 inch f/5 Discovery "Galactic Cannon"
Member IDA
|
cruxhsu
member
Reged: 09/04/06
Posts: 41
|
|
It looks the same as the 150BT from General Hi-T
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
Mr Bill, It exists in the Oberwerk BT 120mm, I don't Know exactly the EPS diameter, but it is less than 2" and bigger than 1.25". Those come whit adapters for standard 1.25" eps and the few I tried do come to focus. Unfortunately, its a feature that its not commercial as you want.
Unfortunately, the ER as not much and as I told before and I had to reduce the EPS diameter in my lathe a few mm.
It is strange how the Fuji's have bigger EPS, but because of a longer ER it doesn't bother me and my nose. Its strange because those instruments were designed later than the Fuji's so one would expect no such things....
And yes, Cruxhsu, those are the same and are the only ones whit 150mm objectives different from the mythical Fuji's.
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
APM M.Ludes
Vendor (APM Telescopes)
Reged: 05/01/03
Posts: 392
|
|
Today a scilled Binocular Observer came to my shop and loaned it for the weekend, while I am in Tucson. That person has like myself experience with 150 mm Fujinons and he also own a APM Apo Binocular 175/1400 and he obsering now only with binoculars. he has all kind of eyepieces and will try everything.
The original 25 x eyepieces have a smaller fieldstop , I tried today at daytime the 32 mm SWA 70° with a 40 mm fieldstop and we both could not see any darkening at the field stop edge . The 2" eyepiece holder is also deep enough to accept the Ethos line without touching the glas from the 1.25" barrel and the 20 mm T5 Nagler works superlative good.
With the Ethos 8 mm we have had little above 100 power, colorcorrection still looked good
I self have a Fuji 25 x 150 ED at home with front mounted O-III and UHC full 6" size, so next weeks I will do a side by side observing. As a vendor I cannot report here what is my result, but you can contact me offline and I give you my honest impression.
What we like to so far very much :
- very robust build
- high transmission
- enough backfocuse to use most 2" eyepieces with 2" filter screwed on
- Ethos can be used
- Forkmount and tripod are ok
we will deliver that binocular in future with the SWA 32 mm modified , because we like the image quality better.
So Far we guess the bino will be a superb performer for magnifcations between 20 x and 80 x
Markus
|
Mr. Bill
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/09/05
Posts: 3149
Loc: Just passing through.....
|
|
Quote:
Mr Bill, It exists in the Oberwerk BT 120mm, I don't Know exactly the EPS diameter, but it is less than 2" and bigger than 1.25". Those come whit adapters for standard 1.25" eps and the few I tried do come to focus. Unfortunately, its a feature that its not commercial as you want.
Unfortunately, the ER as not much and as I told before and I had to reduce the EPS diameter in my lathe a few mm.
It is strange how the Fuji's have bigger EPS, but because of a longer ER it doesn't bother me and my nose. Its strange because those instruments were designed later than the Fuji's so one would expect no such things....
What is your opinion of the edge correction and contrast and sharpness of the eps that are included with the BT120s? I was not impressed with the supplied eps with my BT100s and assume that the optical quality of the BT120s eps are similiar.
The 24mm Pans are hugely superior in all respects to the stock eps and transform what was IMO a mediocre binocular into an impressive one that betters my former Fuji 150s in edge correction and field flatness. That's how important quality eyepieces are, and that is where Chinese binoculars seem to cut corners.
Also, you are still limited to a 4mm exit pupil and as you say, the eye relief suffers.
I don't see that you are gaining much over the BT100s except an increase from 25x to 30x with a corresponding decrease in real fov.
My "dream BT" would be a 150mm f/5 45 or 90 degree that is lighter than the Fuji 150, has 1 3/4 inch 30mm and 20mm interchangable ep sets (with 0III and UHC filter sets) and 20mm usable eye relief.
--------------------
10x50 Fujinon binos + 16x70 Fujinon binos + UA UniMount
Oberwerk BT100 45 degree +24mm Pans + Hercules fork mount
120mm f/5 Orion achromat + Moonlite focuser
130mm TMB 130SS f/7 APO refractor
140mm f/5.7 Vixen NeoAchro Petzvel refractor
150mm f/8 homemade achromat
8 inch newt with f/5 Swayze mirror
10 inch f/4.7 Orion newt + Paracorr
15 inch f/5 Discovery "Galactic Cannon"
Member IDA
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
Quote:
What is your opinion of the edge correction and contrast and sharpness of the eps that are included with the BT120s? I was not impressed with the supplied eps with my BT100s and assume that the optical quality of the BT120s eps are similiar.
Mr Bill, you are right, the supplied Eps in my opinion are definitely the quality shortcut taken by the Chinese. I observed trough a BT100 that a friend owns and I can say the BT120 eps are better, but not much... Definitely you have to get different Eps to get sharp to the edge images, but that elevates the price so it may not be what consumers are looking. It is really nice to know that you can make your bts perform excellent even if you have to buy new eps.
The 120's are simply a 20% bigger 100Bt, I don't think they have any difference in quality... since they had to do new eps and those are wider, maybe thats why those perform better, but only something 10% to 15% better....
I'm no expert and I´m not sure, but as long as I don't use a very wide EP that vignettes the FOV, I don't think I'm going to miss 2" Eps quality since I´m going for 35x to 50x, maybe If I end liking lower power views....
For that I have to say that huge objectives really need very good and dark skies or you'll end whit gray backgrounds so magnification is well received in this giants...
Another important thing: As I told before here, I decided to import binoculars to Colombia. Even that I wouldn't want to consider myself as a vendor here in CN (my market is in a different country and other things to consider), the truth is that I have become one, and there are rules for vendors and I cannot report here reviews on "my" products, so my impressions if anyone interested, must be off line in PMs. I´ll post when those arrive.
By the way, the bt120's are not part of the products I'll be selling
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
milt
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/13/04
Posts: 556
Loc: Arizona
|
|
Quote:
The 24mm Pans are hugely superior in all respects to the stock eps and transform what was IMO a mediocre binocular into an impressive one that betters my former Fuji 150s in edge correction and field flatness. That's how important quality eyepieces are, and that is where Chinese binoculars seem to cut corners.
Bill, I view this as a good thing on a BT to the extent that the money they saved on the eyepieces went into the objectives. Ep's are a lot easier to change than objectives. Perhaps they should sell the BT's without any ep's at all, something we wouldn't question when buying a telescope.
Milt
|
Gordon Rayner
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 971
|
|
The right angle Fuji from the 1980's weighs about 65 lbs. The straight model I Fuji weighs 60-65 lbs (with trunnions, depending upon the year (more/less brass)). Those were/are no fun to lift, but it can be done.
Markus, you said that the 45 deg inclined Fuji shows some roof spiking around bright stars. Do you still say that, and do these Chinese 150 show it? Are they roof prisms? What are the prisms?
Is the 45 deg. Fuji still available? With ED? Japan only?
Nowhere?
Is not this eyepiece changing from various manufacturers a suboptimal situation? Ideally, the designer balances the system aberrations as a whole. How are these new Chinese binocs balanced? Are the prisms large enough to cover a wide field with acceptable vignetting, say 50% at the field edge, a common rule of thumb to keep prism size within accepted bounds? There was some noticeable dropoff in illumination in the 25 x 150 right angle vs. the straight version. There was not enough room for a bigger pentaprism, while retaining the standard body casting and/or they had the size which was used conveniently available from a Japanese armored vehicle sight program.
|
Jeff Young
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/04/05
Posts: 4123
Loc: Ireland
|
|
Quote:
I don't have any experience with this to speak of, but it seems obvious that, even when the barrel diameters are equal, you would rather have something with a volcano-style top (e.g. a 20mm Type 5 Nagler) rather than something more nearly cylindrical.
Indeed; I've a 62mm IPD and deep-set eyes. I can comfortably use 19mm Pans; 25mm TV Plossls (with no volcano top) are right on the edge; and I can't use 32mm TV Plossls.
I'd be curious to see if a pair of 24mm Pans in these new APM binos would fit my face....
Cheers,
-- Jeff.
--------------------
Nikon 18x70s / UA Millennium Colorado:
Solarscope SF70 / TV Pronto / AP400QMD Coronado SolarMax40 DS / Bogen 055+3130
APM MC1610 / Tak FC-100 / AP1200GTO Tak Mewlon 250 / AP600EGTO
|
Mr. Bill
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/09/05
Posts: 3149
Loc: Just passing through.....
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
I don't have any experience with this to speak of, but it seems obvious that, even when the barrel diameters are equal, you would rather have something with a volcano-style top (e.g. a 20mm Type 5 Nagler) rather than something more nearly cylindrical.
Indeed; I've a 62mm IPD and deep-set eyes. I can comfortably use 19mm Pans; 25mm TV Plossls (with no volcano top) are right on the edge; and I can't use 32mm TV Plossls.
I'd be curious to see if a pair of 24mm Pans in these new APM binos would fit my face....
Cheers,
-- Jeff.
Me too...
--------------------
10x50 Fujinon binos + 16x70 Fujinon binos + UA UniMount
Oberwerk BT100 45 degree +24mm Pans + Hercules fork mount
120mm f/5 Orion achromat + Moonlite focuser
130mm TMB 130SS f/7 APO refractor
140mm f/5.7 Vixen NeoAchro Petzvel refractor
150mm f/8 homemade achromat
8 inch newt with f/5 Swayze mirror
10 inch f/4.7 Orion newt + Paracorr
15 inch f/5 Discovery "Galactic Cannon"
Member IDA
|
EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 14732
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
|
|
Please limit your questions to Markus to his products only. Otherwise you draw Markus into the position of responding about other competitor's products which, for a vendor, is against the TOS.
edz
--------------------
Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
|
CESDewar
GorillAstronomer
Reged: 01/16/05
Posts: 2069
Loc: Morganton, GA, USA
|
|
Quote:
Wow, 46lbs without the mount and tripod. Any one have a crane and very very deep pockets.
Yes, this is... uhhh.. quite heavy.....
I have been looking with interest at really big binos, but I'm not sure that anything I've seen recently is going to get me open up the checkbook.
22Kg - vs. just 5.9kb for my Saturn III's with 100mm Objectives. Almost four times the weight for a 2.25x increase in light-gathering - and possibly not the stunning optics of the Saturn III's either. Not to mention the great increase in weight of the mount and tripod as well...
I'm really sorry to see Miyauchi go by the wayside. I think Miyauchi could have made a fine set of say 125mm binoculars at well under 20lbs and that would have been one VERY interesting set of binos!!!
--------------------
Edited by CESDewar (05/07/09 12:05 AM)
|
Rick
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/12/05
Posts: 3050
Loc: Tokyo, Japan
|
|
Quote:
I also saw the announcement, and am trying to compare it to my fuji 25x150 MTsetup:
my fujis with G11 tripod, UA Siuius mount, case cost $8000 in 2002;
this 150mm binocular with tripod and mount is $4000
Well, I still don't get the value in these giants. If I was ready to spend $4k on an astro binocular I'd have a custom binocular telescope made with the 6" achro scopes of my choice and the Matsumoto EMS-L 2" mirror oculars. No worries about IPD either.
cheers,
Rick
--------------------
www.japanastro.com
|
KrisZ
member
Reged: 03/29/09
Posts: 32
Loc: Ontario, Canada
|
|
WoW, Perfect!!!! I still haven’t made my mind yet as what to buy refractor or binocular.... Perfect bino, price and weight + size:)
I have almost made my mind to go with refractor, but now I’m back to this forum, again!
Perfect!!!
--------------------
Kris
12x56 Monarch
|
beachchairbill
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/06/08
Posts: 509
|
|
Mr. Bill,
Ok when I was 17 thru 25 and full of p&v now I know better. So what does 150 give me over 100 for the price. 50 more light for $3,000.00. And which country makes these
|
beachchairbill
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/06/08
Posts: 509
|
|
Mr. Bill,
Ok when I was 17 thru 25 and full of p&v now I know better. So what does 150 give me over 100 for the price. 50 more light for $3,000.00. And which country makes these GIANTS?
BB
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
china
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
beachchairbill
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/06/08
Posts: 509
|
|
So lets play a game: So what do we get?
So what do we get - 50 more objective light - so what does that improve?
So what do we get - ep's -how low can we go?
So what do we get - 46 + lbs vs 13.4 + lbs - interesting?
So what do we get - price $4,000.00 vs $1,000.00 - both made in China?
Any more - So what do we get?
BB
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
Bigger apperture should let you, in good conditions, get to see more stars = higher magnitudes, so in equivalent TFOV's, you should be able to have bigger star counts = starry images... that applies also for the rest DSO's, = better details observed in dimmer nebula, galaxies, etc...
The abilities of such big instruments at low powers are what comet hunters seek also.
Of course that comes whit more weight and other inconveniences including more $$$$$, but that depends on the different consumer needs and possibilities, that is also why there are so many different binoculars whit so many different price tags among other things.
Of what we'd talk about if there was only one "perfect all purpose" binocular?
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
APM M.Ludes
Vendor (APM Telescopes)
Reged: 05/01/03
Posts: 392
|
|
Gordon
my modern Fuji 25 x 150 ED-45° shows some roof spiking around bright stars , yes they do !.
The chinese I have tested yet at daytime only, night time testing follow next week
Markus
|
edwincjones
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 5671
|
|
note to all,
If I were starting over, with megabucks to spend, no big binoculars,
I would go for the Kowa Highlander and 3 sets of eps
for portability and optics
but Kevin's 90 degree 141mm miyauchi would be hard to resist
edj
miyauchi 20x100
fuji 25x150
--------------------
n w arkansas
Edited by edwincjones (05/07/09 06:01 AM)
|
edwincjones
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 5671
|
|
Quote:
So lets play a game: So what do we get?
So what do we get - 50 more objective light - so what does that improve?
So what do we get - ep's -how low can we go?
So what do we get - 46 + lbs vs 13.4 + lbs - interesting?
So what do we get - price $4,000.00 vs $1,000.00 - both made in China?
Any more - So what do we get?
BB
more detail in Comets,
fainter galaxies,
more star counts,
more pain with setups,
If we applies this reasoning to scopes,
everybody would have a 4-8" telescope and no light buckets
edj
|
edwincjones
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 5671
|
|
Quote:
note to all,
If I were starting over, with megabucks to spend, no big binoculars,
I would go for the Kowa Highlander and 3 sets of eps
for portability and optics
but Kevin's 90 degree 141mm miyauchi would be hard to resist
edj
miyauchi 20x100
fuji 25x150
but, in the real world, where money is limited,
the BT100 seems like the best value.
edj
|
RichD
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/08/07
Posts: 567
Loc: Derbyshire, UK
|
|
How are the fuji 10x50's going under those great skies you have there Mr Bill?
--------------------
Clear skies
Rich
|
boydd
sage
Reged: 12/07/07
Posts: 237
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
So lets play a game: So what do we get?
So what do we get - 50 more objective light - so what does that improve?
So what do we get - ep's -how low can we go?
So what do we get - 46 + lbs vs 13.4 + lbs - interesting?
So what do we get - price $4,000.00 vs $1,000.00 - both made in China?
Any more - So what do we get?
BB
more detail in Comets,
fainter galaxies,
more star counts,
more pain with setups,
If we applies this reasoning to scopes,
everybody would have a 4-8" telescope and no light buckets
edj
EDJ,
None of the above is correct if we stick to the wide field these binos are made for. Wide field scopes are not detail oriented for most of us.
Dave Boyd
|
Rich V.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/02/05
Posts: 1395
Loc: Carson Valley, Nevada, USA
|
|
Quote:
None of the above is correct if we stick to the wide field these binos are made for. Wide field scopes are not detail oriented for most of us.
Dave, won't a 150mm binocular with a 2.5° FOV go deeper and show more detail on faint objects than a 100mm binocular with a 2.5° FOV??
I think that's the whole idea behind a 150mm bin that has bigger prisms and works with some 2" eyepieces.
Whether that's worth the extra $$$ and weight I don't know.
Rich V
--------------------
Binoculars:
33/50/75/150x100 Saturn III, 16x70 FMT-SX, 10x50 PCF-V, 10x43 DCF-SP, 10x35 E2, 7x35 E, 8x30 E2, 7x26 Custom, 8x23AS Diplomat, 8x23 Travelite
Scopes:
C9.25, 6" f8 reflector, SV80S
|
cruxhsu
member
Reged: 09/04/06
Posts: 41
|
|
Quote:
Well, I still don't get the value in these giants. If I was ready to spend $4k on an astro binocular I'd have a custom binocular telescope made with the 6" achro scopes of my choice and the Matsumoto EMS-L 2" mirror oculars. No worries about IPD either.
cheers,
Rick
Matsumoto has supplied what you want.
http://www.page.sannet.ne.jp/mazmoto/f5bino-e.htm
However, the price is over 500,000yen (about $5000.)
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
"no worries about IPD either"
I think the problem is whit the barrel diameter of the EPS and their ER, rather than the design of the instrument. Of course, I think that the minimum IPD for this giants is to much, but still works for most of us.
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 14732
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
None of the above is correct if we stick to the wide field these binos are made for. Wide field scopes are not detail oriented for most of us.
Dave, won't a 150mm binocular with a 2.5° FOV go deeper and show more detail on faint objects than a 100mm binocular with a 2.5° FOV??
I think that's the whole idea behind a 150mm bin that has bigger prisms and works with some 2" eyepieces.
Whether that's worth the extra $$$ and weight I don't know.
Rich V
I agree Rich
in fact I agree with everything in EdJs post
more detail in Comets,
fainter galaxies,
more star counts
I can't agree that None of the above is correct
edz
--------------------
Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
|
APM America
Vendor - APM America
Reged: 11/07/05
Posts: 2779
Loc: Madison. NJ. USA
|
|
Just an update:
a few people have asked for a little bit more technical data and I am in touch with the manufacturer to get what I can.
As soon as I have something more to add to what has been posted by APM I will do so here.
Given the number of hits on the website and the emails and calls we have had: these are definitely capturing the imagination. I love it when there is excitement about a new product.
--------------------
Morris Bagnall
Sales Manager
www.apmamerica.com
A whole room full of APM refractors......
Seymor Rosin F/4.5 Astrograph in the making
|
Tamiji Homma
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/24/07
Posts: 1092
Loc: California, USA
|
|
Quote:
but Kevin's 90 degree 141mm miyauchi would be hard to resist
Is that you who bought the last one, Ed?
It is sold out...
Tammy
|
Rick
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/12/05
Posts: 3050
Loc: Tokyo, Japan
|
|
Quote:
Matsumoto has supplied what you want.
http://www.page.sannet.ne.jp/mazmoto/f5bino-e.htm
However, the price is over 500,000yen (about $5000.)
Yes, I have been in contact with Matsumoto-san several times over the years and am well aware of his products. But the price of his 150mm F5 binoscope alone is 438,000. That's why I suggest if you have $4k to spend, his binoscope might be a better product. If you live in the USA, I think he wants you to go thru Joe Castro though.
Rick
--------------------
www.japanastro.com
|
edwincjones
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 5671
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
but Kevin's 90 degree 141mm miyauchi would be hard to resist
Is that you who bought the last one, Ed?
Tammy
No, not me; but it is sold?
I was waiting for a new 45 degree at 75% off.
edj
|
beachchairbill
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/06/08
Posts: 509
|
|
Now find the ep's that fit and the ep's that come to focus and you need two of each. $$$$
Beachchairbill
|
cruxhsu
member
Reged: 09/04/06
Posts: 41
|
|
Quote:
Yes, I have been in contact with Matsumoto-san several times over the years and am well aware of his products. But the price of his 150mm F5 binoscope alone is 438,000. That's why I suggest if you have $4k to spend, his binoscope might be a better product. If you live in the USA, I think he wants you to go thru Joe Castro though.
Rick
However, you will get the BT150/45 with bracket and tripod after paying $3990. Besides, using BT150/45, you don't have to refocus after changing the interocular distance.
|
edwincjones
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 5671
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
Yes, I have been in contact with Matsumoto-san several times over the years and am well aware of his products. But the price of his 150mm F5 binoscope alone is 438,000. That's why I suggest if you have $4k to spend, his binoscope might be a better product. If you live in the USA, I think he wants you to go thru Joe Castro though.
Rick
However, you will get the BT150/45 with bracket and tripod after paying $3990. Besides, using BT150/45, you don't have to refocus after changing the interocular distance.
this could be a hard choice-
binoculars if you want the wide field view,
binoscope if you want higher magification
or go with a light bucket and binoviewer
edj
|
beachchairbill
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/06/08
Posts: 509
|
|
By the way who is the Manuf. in China?
BB
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
United Optics
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
cruxhsu
member
Reged: 09/04/06
Posts: 41
|
|
mmm...
United Optics plays the same role as General Hi-T
|
binocs77
member
Reged: 04/08/09
Posts: 37
|
|
Quote:
I also saw the announcement, and am trying to compare it to my fuji 25x150 MTsetup:
my fujis with G11 tripod, UA Siuius mount, case cost $8000 in 2002;
this 150mm binocular with tripod and mount is $4000
my fujis weigh 41#, this one 47#
I have fixed ep, straight through; these have interchangeable eps at 45 degrees
how much quality of optics and construction is needed to justify 2X price of the fujis now?
edj
WOW! and.....OUCH!
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
No, United Optics is the manufacturer and many brands of binoculars ask them to manufacture those. Also UO also sells to retailers as General HIT or APM among others (you can't buy directly from them), and also those retailers usually by their binoculars from other sources too, to compliment their offered binocular lines.
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
beachchairbill
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/06/08
Posts: 509
|
|
Take a look at their add, they say nothing about haveing interchangeable ep's - Wow.
Take a look at their add for their BT 100/45 - standered 1.25's don't come to focus - What is with that?
BB
|
cruxhsu
member
Reged: 09/04/06
Posts: 41
|
|
Quote:
No, United Optics is the manufacturer and many brands of binoculars ask them to manufacture those. Also UO also sells to retailers as General HIT or APM among others (you can't buy directly from them), and also those retailers usually by their binoculars from other sources too, to compliment their offered binocular lines.
OK, Let me modify what I expressed.
As I know, United Optics doesn't "produce" telescopes or binoculars by itself. It just orders the products from factories directly.
Edited by cruxhsu (05/09/09 01:03 AM)
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
No, United Optics IS the factory
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
far as I know, of course
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
edwincjones
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 5671
|
|
I would very much like someone to give a summery of the China binocular factories-how many, names, who makes what for whom?
China binocular is generic, but there must be many different makers with many different qualities.
Inquiring minds want to know,
edj
--------------------
n w arkansas
|
EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 14732
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
|
|
Only a part of the
Who's Who of Chinese Optic Manufacturers
as for who makes what for whom?
In some cases, distributors don't really want you to know that much information, so it is not always shared. While some are forthcoming, some are not. As you may see from the previous link, manufacturing in some cases may be a conglomerate, and there may be several Chinese wholesalers of the same product. Furthermore not all models carried by a distributor come from the same source, so it's not always a one-to-one relationship.
edz
|
edwincjones
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 5671
|
|
edz,
thanks for the information, but it is hard to sort out
edj
--------------------
n w arkansas
|
Mr. Bill
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/09/05
Posts: 3149
Loc: Just passing through.....
|
|
I too eschew obfuscation....
--------------------
10x50 Fujinon binos + 16x70 Fujinon binos + UA UniMount
Oberwerk BT100 45 degree +24mm Pans + Hercules fork mount
120mm f/5 Orion achromat + Moonlite focuser
130mm TMB 130SS f/7 APO refractor
140mm f/5.7 Vixen NeoAchro Petzvel refractor
150mm f/8 homemade achromat
8 inch newt with f/5 Swayze mirror
10 inch f/4.7 Orion newt + Paracorr
15 inch f/5 Discovery "Galactic Cannon"
Member IDA
|
cruxhsu
member
Reged: 09/04/06
Posts: 41
|
|
Quote:
far as I know, of course
As far as I know the 150BTs are manufactured by a small factory in Yunnan, China. Of course, who produces them is not important. The important part is if they are good enough.
|
edwincjones
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 5671
|
|
Quote:
Of course, who produces them is not important.
Only because we lack knowledge of the difference factories.
edj
|
cruxhsu
member
Reged: 09/04/06
Posts: 41
|
|
BTW, as far as I know, 150BTs ,RA100s(seem not for sale in the U.S.) and RA88s are manufactured by the same factory, Garrett and APM 100/45 degrees are from the other.
|
cruxhsu
member
Reged: 09/04/06
Posts: 41
|
|
Sorry every buddy, my friend just told me that 150BTs are made by United Optics. I apologize for those incorrect informations I have posted.
|
beachchairbill
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/06/08
Posts: 509
|
|
Hi everyone,
Here is another question regarding the 150BT/45: Does this BT come with interchangeable ep's or not? Their web does not confirm that this is the case.
BB
|
Rich V.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/02/05
Posts: 1395
Loc: Carson Valley, Nevada, USA
|
|
Bill, my impression from Markus Ludes' description on the first page of this thread is that the BT150 is designed to work with standard 2" eyepieces.
Which 2" eyepieces depends on what will work with the 34mm prism aperture under the eyepiece. Longer FL 2" eyepieces will vignette. Max FOV looks like about 2.6°. The 2" eyepieces will also have to be small enough to fit the user's eyes/nose. Which will come to focus? There are a lot of variables to consider. Time will tell.
Hopefully the use of 1-1/4" eyepieces with adapters will work as well. Not everybody is looking for the widest FOV possible and a lot of 1-1/4" eyepieces will be useful.
Rich V
--------------------
Binoculars:
33/50/75/150x100 Saturn III, 16x70 FMT-SX, 10x50 PCF-V, 10x43 DCF-SP, 10x35 E2, 7x35 E, 8x30 E2, 7x26 Custom, 8x23AS Diplomat, 8x23 Travelite
Scopes:
C9.25, 6" f8 reflector, SV80S
|
APM America
Vendor - APM America
Reged: 11/07/05
Posts: 2779
Loc: Madison. NJ. USA
|
|
The binoculars will work with a 2" to 1.25" adapter and thereby 1.25" eyepieces (I am informed by the manufacturer).
Markus has used the 13mm Ethos pairing and they worked fine for him (I can't tell you much about his nose other than it is in the usual place).
We will be supplying the binoculars with a set of APM 32mm SWA eyepieces as Markus feels they are more suited and of better quality then the 25mm ones that are supplied as standard.
--------------------
Morris Bagnall
Sales Manager
www.apmamerica.com
A whole room full of APM refractors......
Seymor Rosin F/4.5 Astrograph in the making
|
beachchairbill
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/06/08
Posts: 509
|
|
Rich V.
Thanks for the quick update and yes time does tell all.
Morris, I would think that you should add the additional info to your web as an additional selling point.
You should also ask Markus to test and comment on the use of the adapters and the use of 1.25 ep's.As you might or might not know some 1.25 ep's do not work in the GBT 100/45 and again others brands do not come to focus. Also, does the APM150/BT have a restriction on how low a mag. you can use as suggested by the seller of the GBT. In other words how low can you go. You should also note that in the GBT 100/45 not every Tele Vue Ethos came to focus. You might have Markus test different mag's.
BB
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
Post deleted by Andresin150
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
pcad
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/17/05
Posts: 1768
Loc: Connecticut
|
|
A 6" RA binocular? Sounds great. Looking forward to seeing what they look like. Thanks.
--------------------
Peter
Telescopes 25 - 318 mm
Binoculars 15 - 88 mm
Microscope 50x - 1000x
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
Post deleted by Andresin150
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
Post deleted by Andresin150
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
Post deleted by Andresin150
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
ThomasM
journeyman
Reged: 04/19/09
Posts: 9
|
|
Hi,
a 150 mm binocular is certainly very intersting. On the other hand, why is it so heavy? Who can handle more than 20 kg? I own a 115 mm apo bino with 12 kg total weight, this is already a lot.
I would guess that many people are interested in large binos. The following points seems to me important:
- weight less than 15 kg, 12 kg is even better
- interchangable eyepieces
- good color correction
- perfect aligenment
My personal view, either take a smaller bino or spend more money.
Presently I am trying to construct a 160 mm apo bino with interchangable lenses making use of the Matsumoto EMS system. It will will give wide field views like the 150 mm Fuji bino, nice planetary views, show globular clusters niceley resolved and spiral structure in near by galaxies. At least that's what I hope. Hopefully the weight will be below 15 kg. I am at the very beginning with the project and will keep you informed on the progres.
all the best
Thomas
|
KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 12915
Loc: Lancashire UK
|
|
Another interesting project .
Good luck , Thomas ! :-)
Kenny
--------------------
If everyone is thinking the same thing , no-one is thinking - General George S.Patton
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
|
Gordon Rayner
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 971
|
|
Why did Andres delete those pics of the right angle 150mm? My printer was down. I should like to see those again. What is going on??
Is not United Optics a three way partnership, one of whose members is Kevin Busarow?
Those pics via Andres looked very similar to the 150mm Fuji right angle from the 1980's. There were several Chinese who worked in Japan at Fuji and/or in the Omiya, Saitama area. They are only allowed to stay six years, I am told, then must leave Japan. Japan had/has a labor shortage. Those people were probably doing higher level work than recent immigrant Mexicans and Filipinos assembling Chinese/Japanese parts in North America. So they would be able to transfer some of the experience gained in Japan to the benefit of Chinese industry.
Fewer than 15 Kg for a 160mm binocular? Very doubtful if that could be done with an aluminum casting body of any reasonable toughness . Perhaps magnesium, or carbon fiber , perhaps with titanium fasteners? There is always the temptation to reduce the prism size, which is bad for good illumination of a wide field at low magnification, which is, after all, the area in which binocular vision has outstanding advantages over monocular telescopes.
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
Sorry Gordon, I deleted those because as I talked whit the UO sales person, it is still a product in development and soon it will be available, but not yet. Not even prices or anything else yet, but in my opinion it should be very similar in every aspect to the 45ş. So I had to delete it in order to not affect other vendors (don't know exactly how I could affect them, since in fact I thought I would benefit them by creating expectation for the new product in the market) but it was decided that it was the best thing to do.
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 14732
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
|
|
Quote:
Is not United Optics a three way partnership, one of whose members is Kevin Busarow?
Oberwerk - Kevin Bussarow is not in partnership with United Optics. He is in partnership with Yunnan Optoelectronics, and has formed the company YunAo Optics Co. Ltd. They are the exclusive supplier of the Oberwerk BT models, which are noticably different from these other BT styles, for instance, the larger prism aperture (32mm in my BT100) and the non-rotating helical focuser.
Oberwerk still gets some of its other model binoculars from other sources.
edz
--------------------
Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
|
KrisZ
member
Reged: 03/29/09
Posts: 32
Loc: Ontario, Canada
|
|
I could not resist it:)
My first real bino
|
KrisZ
member
Reged: 03/29/09
Posts: 32
Loc: Ontario, Canada
|
|
Markus,
How did they compare against Nikon 20x120 (the one you have reviewed here). If you could not post because of your dealership status, could you please pm?
Thanks,
--------------------
Kris
12x56 Monarch
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
I heard that those have perfect color correction, whit special glass, so those would be compared whit the ED versions but whit slightly lower magnification. Proportionally, those have equal specs (6mm EPD) for comet hunting.
Of course, cant say for sure since I have never used, or even seen one.
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
KrisZ
member
Reged: 03/29/09
Posts: 32
Loc: Ontario, Canada
|
|
Sounds good,
Here garett has them too now
http://www.garrettoptical.com/Garrett-150mm-Binocular-Telescope-p/gt150-45.htm
--------------------
Kris
12x56 Monarch
|
EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 14732
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
|
|
minimum IPD of 62mm could pose some limitations for a lot of people.
edz
--------------------
Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
|
beachchairbill
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/06/08
Posts: 509
|
|
Here we go again - watch out for those red spots on your hands - $4,000.00 for the GBT 150/45 in this economy - WOW.
Can't wait for first light on this heavy weight.
BB
|
KrisZ
member
Reged: 03/29/09
Posts: 32
Loc: Ontario, Canada
|
|
Quote:
minimum IPD of 62mm could pose some limitations for a lot of people.
edz
I'm 66mm ipd and I'm on-board
BB Heavy = Solid 
--------------------
Kris
12x56 Monarch
|
Rich V.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/02/05
Posts: 1395
Loc: Carson Valley, Nevada, USA
|
|
My biggest concern would be quality control on these binoculars.
I've seen QC issues with the 100mm bins from this mfgr. in this forum and before I spent $4000. on their 150s I'd want to actually SEE them in person. At this price range I would not accept shoddy mechanics or obstructed prisms. I know these are not Miyauchis but I'd be disappointed if I had to put up $4K and still have issues with them.
I would also want to know how well the 150mm f5.5 objectives are corrected for CA.
Looking forward to some "hands on" experiences.
Rich V
--------------------
Binoculars:
33/50/75/150x100 Saturn III, 16x70 FMT-SX, 10x50 PCF-V, 10x43 DCF-SP, 10x35 E2, 7x35 E, 8x30 E2, 7x26 Custom, 8x23AS Diplomat, 8x23 Travelite
Scopes:
C9.25, 6" f8 reflector, SV80S
|
Mr. Bill
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/09/05
Posts: 3149
Loc: Just passing through.....
|
|
Quote:
My biggest concern would be quality control on these binoculars.
I've seen QC issues with the 100mm bins from this mfgr. in this forum and before I spent $4000. on their 150s I'd want to actually SEE them in person. At this price range I would not accept shoddy mechanics or obstructed prisms. I know these are not Miyauchis but I'd be disappointed if I had to put up $4K and still have issues with them.
I would also want to know how well the 150mm f5.5 objectives are corrected for CA.
Looking forward to some "hands on" experiences.
Rich V
Rich....if you give these the "okie dokie", Mr. Bill just might be on board. They would correct the two things I didn't care for in my Fuji 150s....straight through optics and fixed eps. The coatings are going to be hard to match, though.
--------------------
10x50 Fujinon binos + 16x70 Fujinon binos + UA UniMount
Oberwerk BT100 45 degree +24mm Pans + Hercules fork mount
120mm f/5 Orion achromat + Moonlite focuser
130mm TMB 130SS f/7 APO refractor
140mm f/5.7 Vixen NeoAchro Petzvel refractor
150mm f/8 homemade achromat
8 inch newt with f/5 Swayze mirror
10 inch f/4.7 Orion newt + Paracorr
15 inch f/5 Discovery "Galactic Cannon"
Member IDA
|
boydd
sage
Reged: 12/07/07
Posts: 237
|
|
I'm 66mm ipd and I'm on-board
BB Heavy = Solid
Solid does not always imply heavy. My balanced BT 120/45 (refer to terminology guide back in Nov-Dec 2008) does not reach adequate stability until mounted on a G-11 heavy duty tripod and a 12" Helix fork. My Giro 2 with needle bearings and Tech2000 Dob Driver is even better than the Helix fork, but substancially more dollars. The pictures of the new 150/45/90 potend to instability in the fork and tripod.
"On-board"? We await your R&D trials. The GT 100/45 retired me from the disposable income, R&D ranks. Better yet, go to the new APM store and look for yourself.
“Only your eyes can make the right decision for you; because it works.”
Dave Boyd
|
beachchairbill
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/06/08
Posts: 509
|
|
Rich V,
You make a great point - test before you purchase at this price.
BB
|
GlenM
Vendor
Reged: 05/20/07
Posts: 1742
Loc: Lancashire UK
|
|
These new 150's are sadly out of my price range.
The first light report should prove interesting.
--------------------
Glen
www.lyraoptic.co.uk
|
Gordon Rayner
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 971
|
|
Re: Andres, post 3124498
To which binocular did you refer, when you spoke of "perfect color correction? Did you mean the Nikon 20 x 120. I have used and repaired the 120 Nikon, models I, II, and III . There is no ED glass in the doublet, airspaced objective, to the best of my knowledge. Nor would there be much use for ED and only 20x.
Perhaps you are referring to some other binocular. But the reference you mean is not clear.
|
Andresin150
sage
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 305
Loc: Bogotá - La Calera / Colombia
|
|
Gordon, I was referring to the Nikon 20 x 120 II and III, but you are saying there is no ED or something special about them. I just read that those had an excellent image, something similar to an Apo corrected one, but you must know better... maybe their image correction is because their low magnification as you suggest... who knows, proportionally is the same as a Fuji 25x150, but in my MT version in can clearly see CA in bright objects... so I thought the Nikons where better but at 20x...
--------------------
25x150 MT
30-50x120's
Ultra 15x70's
GOTO NEX Planetarium
1 Macaw, 1 Toucan, 1 parrot and many other little ones...
And the nicest greenhouse!
|
Gordon Rayner
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 971
|
|
They do have an excellent image. I have not made measurements other than a visual impression but it seems likely that there is slightly more color error in the Fuji. It is 150mm. vs 120mm in the Nikon, and we know that color error increases with aperture, nonlinearly, as I recall. Both are f/5 sirspaced doublets, almost certainly BK 7 and F2.
In the Japanese Tenmon Guide magazine, someone boosted the Nikon to about 40x, using eyepieces from a handheld binocular. Let use not forget that we are using a system, in which the aberrations of the objectives, prisms, and eyepieces have(hopefully) been balanced against each other by the designer.
Could it be that the use of eyepieces from another binocular, rather than eyepieces made for use with mirror telescopes or highly corrected refractor telescopes, without prisms, would work better in magnification boosting?
The aberrations introduced by prisms are discussed by Hopkins in Mil Handbook 141, available on this forum. He discusses balancing the aberrations of a telescope with eyepiece, prisms, and objective.
As I have said before, I wasted time adapting Tele-Vue Wide Angle eyepieces to the WW II Busch design 10 x 80/45 deg inclined. I should have done more pre-thinking. They are f/3.5, with a long glass path through a Schmidt roof prism. The result was far below the original. Better results were had from the Ploessl type, which has a narrower field. Improved results probably could be obtained by cannibalizing another binocular for its eyepieces. During the war, some were boosted to 20x.
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
[Re: 
