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CN Reports: NEAF 2007 (Part 1)
May 01 2007 05:18 AM |
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NEAF 2007:
Misadventures at RCC
Or
how to lose a bunch of money
in only 48 hours....
Part 1 Ah, NEAF. For me, NEAF
signals the beginning of the star party season. It's a call to
arms, a time to witness everything new on the astronomy scene.
You never know what you're going to see, and more importantly, you
never know what you're going to come home with.
If you have the slightest gear head tendencies, the annual NEAF pilgrimage is an absolute must. Tele Vue's blem sales are legendary, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. The deals, the gear, the presentations - it's a fantastic time.  Gary and I in the NW lounge preparing for takeoff, toasting the prospect of being first in line for the Nagler Blem table. Yes, we foolishly thought we would be in the air and enroute in an hour....  One grounded flight later found us in the Detroit Westin for the evening, and a rebooked flight out at 6:25am in the morning. No Nagler Blems for us!!! (sob...)  This classic sight is the American Airlines terminal at La Guardia in New York (as seen from the rental car lot).  Finally, we arrived, and were immediately greeted by friends who pointed us to Tele Vue's new product launch - the Ethos. Industry leader Tele Vue has done it again. This thing makes the 82 degree field of a Nagler look decidedly plosslish.  A little longer than the 20t5, the only word to describe the 13 mm Ethos eyepiece is "Spectacular!".  Now I just have to figure out how to restructure my line up to fit. The Ethos has the magnification and apparent contrast of the 13t6, with about the same true field of view as the 17t4. And yes, it's in a 1.25" barrel w/ a 2" sleeve. Gack! Tele Vue always succeeds in siphoning the money right out of my pockets!!  The views were wonderful.
The first time I used a nagler, I found the scope simply
disappeared. Later, after I'd learned to take in the whole 82 deg
fov, I lost a little of that immersion factor - but the Ethos brings it
all back.
A few of us were worried that a 100 deg field would be wasted - I mean, really, who has compound eyes? But - we were wrong. After just a few minutes, I was easily able to see the entire field. The field seemed flat, and the views very white. I can't wait to get one of these under the stars. Alas, there are only 5 prototypes in existence, and I was unable to pry one out of their hands. Seems I'll have to wait a bit longer. The eyepiece is 4-6 months out, and price is currently unknown. The first focal length out of the gate is 13 mm. A terrific choice. I've GOT to get one of these.  David, Paul and Al - Paul was the lead designer on the Ethos. Kudos Paul and Tele Vue, you've ushered in a new era for the visual observer!  Not content with just the Ethos, Tele Vue had a slew of other new products and accessories - mainly for imaging and the imaging system scopes.  Here David gives me some insights into the new focus master auto focus system for Tele Vue scopes. Gary and I were very privileged to spend some time with Al, David and the Tele Vue family Monday after NEAF at the Tele Vue facility - you can look forward to some details from that tour later on this month.  Remember the MPT that was up for auction? Here it is. I'm happy to report that it's new owner is lovingly restoring it. These are wonderful scopes.  Chaos!!  So much stuff!!  Can't you hear the money vanishing out of amateurs pockets?  I missed Craig Weatherwax's superman debut!!  The Pentax line of refractors is sold exclusively by Pentax in the US. (And yes, that EZ touch is screaming for help....)  Tom Bisque from - you guessed it - Software Bisque.  And here's why I told you to bring your Tak's! Rocky, the Tak designer, made the trip from Japan for the show this year. It was a real honor to meet Rocky - I don't think anyone would argue if I say he's designed some of the best astro gear on the planet..    Scopes - everywhere!!! And everything for sale!!! (Except the Ethos, dang it!!!)   Mike Fowler from the new Vixen, was only to happy to show me this new mount - everything's internal, capacity is 50 lbs, retail is around $2700 with Starbook for goto. Most impressive!  Stephen O'Mera was doing several book signings at the show.  I have to admit, he's a snappy
dresser.
 PJ admiring some of the new mount
offerings....
  Plane Wave instruments
demonstrating a truly spectacular telescope.
 Pentax was there with the sport
optics division.
 The name Rob Gendler is known to many - the photos are even more spectacular in person!  I had a chance to spend some time
with Thomas Baader - what a wonderful individual.
 Barry Christ showing off his 2" f6 WORKING reflector. This thing was too cool!  The InfiniTees booth had a nice selection of apparel.  Bob Black from Skies Unlimited extolling the benefits of Tele Vue to an unsuspecting amateur. Careful there - once you start down that road, you don't come back!!  It was good to see Howie Glatter again.  Jeff from Great Red Spot Astronomy Products sells a really cool "shaker" red led flashlight. While there are some "fake" shakers out there, I can personally attest these work great!  These were some intriguing mounts.  I finally got a chance to meet Brian from ProtoStar - what a nice guy!!  Mr. Yeir from Vernonscope has been a fixture at NEAF for many many years.  Vic Maris from StellarVue cradles one of his babies.  Vic's newest baby. The low cost "upsized" 4" version of the NHNG. I was really disappointed that I couldn't look through this little guy.  The SV5 - a very pretty telescope.  Larry from Universal Astronomics demoing his mount to some interested, potential customers.  Normand Fullam - a true artist. These look even more interesting in person. If Gandalf was an amateur astronomer, this would be the telescope he'd use.  Mark from Teton Telescopes - a great guy to talk to. He's got me seriously thinking about a new Mak-Cass.  Daniel Mounsey from Woodland Hills showing me that he really does like Naglers.   The crew from A&M. That 6" would disappear by the end of the show....  Markus Ludes from APM.
 Gary Hand from Hands on Optics - if you can't find it anywhere - check with Gary!  And finally - Russ from Denkmeier mugs for the camera. Whew - what a show this year, and we aren't even close to being done!! Although neither Gary or I went with a loot list, the show just siphoned the money out of our pockets. It's a gear heads dream. Tele Vue certainly stole the show this year - I can't wait to get my eyes on one of those new Ethos for an in-depth test drive. Stay tuned - there's far more to come:
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