· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar CN Feedback and Vendor Announcements >> Vendor and Group Announcements Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 | 2 | (show all) wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Firefly 85mm telescope       #5283680 - 06/22/12 11:33 AM Attachment (73 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   The 'Firefly85' telescope is now available! It is the lightest 85mm apochromatic telescope in the world at a mere 29 oz. (810g), thanks to the carbon fibre body and advanced optical system. Full details are on our web site: www.firefly85.com Because of the light nights in the UK, astro photos will have to wait until late July. Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5286704 - 06/24/12 12:45 PM Attachment (47 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Image taken through the telescope using a hand-held compact camera; the caravan site is about 4 miles distant. Quite a lot of heat haze, but you can see the lack of chromatic aberration and flat field. I hope to get some lunar images in the next few days - assuming that the skies are clear. A rarity in this neck of the woods! Post Extras:       Crayfordjon Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 06/17/09 Loc: UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5286797 - 06/24/12 01:51 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   That is fantastic for such a lightweight telescope, amazing.I had no part in the development of this scope. Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5287865 - 06/25/12 05:15 AM Attachment (48 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Up at 7:00am today and got some better terrestrial images, sharp to the edge - some ca due to atmospheric refraction and turbulence. Cloudy last night, so no Moon images. Post Extras:       Tapio Pooh-Bah Reged: 09/24/06 Loc: Tampere, Finland Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5287882 - 06/25/12 05:38 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   What's the focal length ? Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Tapio]       #5287893 - 06/25/12 05:59 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi there. Focal length is 480mm, and the 2 images shown here are taken with a 3x zoom on the camera. Post Extras:       Tapio Pooh-Bah Reged: 09/24/06 Loc: Tampere, Finland Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5288026 - 06/25/12 08:38 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Why do you call it "apochromatic telescope" when it is in fact , if I understand it correct, a mirror scope ? Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Tapio]       #5288042 - 06/25/12 08:47 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Tapio, the mirrors have nothing to do with the optical design. It is not a catadioptric - it is pure refractor. All the mirrors do is to fold the light path to make it more compact. It works perfectly well without these flat mirrors, but is then a lot longer. Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5288050 - 06/25/12 08:52 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I forgot to add that the term 'apochromatic' has nothing to do with the actual design. Any telescope that has a Strehl ratio of greater than 0.94 can be termed 'apochromatic'. There are many other ways of deciding whether a telescope is apochromatic or not, but I won't go into that. The major thing is that there is no detectable chromatic aberration across the field of view, and after all, it is optical performance that matters, not numbers. I hope that this helps. Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5289539 - 06/26/12 03:53 AM Attachment (44 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Moon image, taken while Sun low down. Moon about 25 degrees high, and considerable turbulence. Hope to get better soon. Post Extras:       Wes James Postmaster Reged: 04/12/06 Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5289685 - 06/26/12 08:28 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Very nicely executed folded refractor!! Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Wes James]       #5289777 - 06/26/12 09:30 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks for your kind comment Wes. The work is not even half done, however. Marketing it is the hardest job. It would be nice if we had a rich uncle!!! Post Extras:       Wes James Postmaster Reged: 04/12/06 Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5289873 - 06/26/12 10:26 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I had a rich uncle once.... didn't do me any good.... Post Extras:       Crayfordjon Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 06/17/09 Loc: UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Wes James]       #5289930 - 06/26/12 11:02 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I had a rich uncle he did me hellava lot of good. Post Extras:       Crayfordjon Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 06/17/09 Loc: UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Crayfordjon]       #5289944 - 06/26/12 11:10 AM Attachment (36 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Did a bit of fiddling with the magic electic box. Post Extras:       Crayfordjon Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 06/17/09 Loc: UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Crayfordjon]       #5289945 - 06/26/12 11:11 AM Attachment (31 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   also Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Wes James]       #5289977 - 06/26/12 11:29 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I had a rich uncle 25 years ago, and when he died, all I got was a pair of his shoes. Hahahaha! Post Extras:       Crayfordjon Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 06/17/09 Loc: UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5294661 - 06/29/12 10:56 AM Attachment (31 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Moon at near 1st quarter, this is not a greyscale image, the Firefly is a winner!!. Post Extras:       Mark9473 Postmaster Reged: 07/21/05 Loc: 51°N 4°E Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Crayfordjon]       #5294799 - 06/29/12 12:27 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   What are we supposed to see on those lunar images other than fuzzy detail and a ring of colour at the edge? Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Mark9473]       #5295096 - 06/29/12 04:04 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   The image is the best I could get by hand-holding a compact camera against the eyepiece and taking single shots. By stacking a multitude of images and Registax processing, there would be a much better image. The small amount of colour is due to atmospheric refraction - the Moon was very low down at the time. Post Extras:       Houdini professor emeritus Reged: 07/13/07 Loc: Europe Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5295317 - 06/29/12 06:48 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   You're not doing yourself any favors by publishing hand-held single shots to illustrate the quality of a $1000+ scope. Post Extras:       Crayfordjon Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 06/17/09 Loc: UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Houdini]       #5295850 - 06/30/12 03:42 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I am afraid that a lot of people go under the illusion that an Apochromat is completly colourless, not so, only a reflector holds that distinction, even then there is some colour intoduced by the eyepiece. An apo corrects the secondary CA in an ordinary achromat, leaving tertiary CA, this is so small that it usually is unoticeable, but it is there, to cure this with more lenses up front only produces exponential returns, and you can keep this up forever. Sometimes this tertiary colour shows up as avery faint fringe but you have to seriously look for it. Post Extras:       Mark9473 Postmaster Reged: 07/21/05 Loc: 51°N 4°E Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Crayfordjon]       #5296125 - 06/30/12 10:09 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I don't mind a bit of colour as long as the image is crisp not this fuzzy stuff you're showing. It might very well be an excellent scope but you're not showing off its qualities here. Post Extras:       Crayfordjon Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 06/17/09 Loc: UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Mark9473]       #5297291 - 07/01/12 03:05 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Fuzzy eh, Hummmm! perhaps an appointment with the optician is in order mate! Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5298914 - 07/02/12 05:20 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Until the end of July 2012, we are able to offer our Firefly 85 telescope at a price of US$950, plus $50 delivery to non-business customers in the USA. Stocks are limited, so hurry to catch this wonderful offer! Post Extras:       Whichwayisnorth professor emeritus Reged: 07/04/11 Loc: Southern California Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5299985 - 07/02/12 11:06 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   You are more than welcome to send me one to test for you. Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Whichwayisnorth]       #5300516 - 07/03/12 11:31 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I appreciate your offer, but I could lose an awful lot of telescopes that way. You are more than welcome to buy one to check out yourself. Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5311174 - 07/10/12 10:26 AM Attachment (30 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Rendered view of the 45 degree version to be in production soon. The eyepiece head can be rotated. Post Extras:       Crayfordjon Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 06/17/09 Loc: UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5311200 - 07/10/12 10:41 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   This scope has an anti gravity lift device. Better than a goto. Post Extras:       Wes James Postmaster Reged: 04/12/06 Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Crayfordjon]       #5311387 - 07/10/12 01:58 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hahaha!!! I'll bet the mount's action is as smooth as can be!! Wes Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: Wes James]       #5311466 - 07/10/12 02:34 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   It's helium filled, so you need to tie it down. Post Extras:       StarStuff1 Carpal Tunnel Reged: 04/01/07 Loc: South of the Mason-Dixon Line Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: wiseone]       #5333449 - 07/24/12 04:54 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Are there plans for an astro version? Such a lightweight/compact scope with decent aperture would be a very nice option for campers, motorcycle riders and owners of very small cars (I have a Miata). Not to mention travelers on commercial aircraft. It need not even have to have a diagonal as most amateurs already have one or more. A 2-inch focuser would be almost a necessity. Post Extras:       wiseone Vendor - Zerochromat Reged: 01/07/08 Loc: North Wales, UK Re: Firefly 85mm telescope [Re: StarStuff1]       #5334180 - 07/25/12 05:01 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi StarStuff1, we do have plans for astro versions of the Firefly - from 90mm aperture up to 205mm or even larger. All have 2 inch Crayford focusers. The 90mm f10 will be around 26 inches long, weigh in at 1.5lb, and will be around US$1200, depending on the volume of sales. Diffraction-limited on-axis, with a 2 degree field of view. Lowest power is 30x, going up to 200x. Can be used terrestrially as well, with closest focus about 50 feet. Post Extras:       Pages: 1 | 2 | (show all) Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 4 registered and 9 anonymous users are browsing this forum. 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