
Solarscope SF70
Started by
asaint
, Jun 27 2008 06:11 AM
11 replies to this topic
#1
Posted 27 June 2008 - 06:11 AM
#3
Posted 27 June 2008 - 12:56 PM
Good article Jeff. Thanks for writing it.
#4
Posted 27 June 2008 - 03:28 PM
Great article, WONDERFUL sketches.
I like your wife's advice "to get something that 'you know will meet your expectations. I don't want to listen to you complaining if it doesn't.'" I thought I was taking her advice when I got my DS SM40, instead of an "entry level" PST...but perhaps I should have reached a little farther....(in any case, I have a 60DS Lunt on order; I guess I'll figure out soon enough if THAT's a big enough quantum jump for me....)
Thanks for a great review.
Sunny skies,
Jim
I like your wife's advice "to get something that 'you know will meet your expectations. I don't want to listen to you complaining if it doesn't.'" I thought I was taking her advice when I got my DS SM40, instead of an "entry level" PST...but perhaps I should have reached a little farther....(in any case, I have a 60DS Lunt on order; I guess I'll figure out soon enough if THAT's a big enough quantum jump for me....)
Thanks for a great review.
Sunny skies,
Jim
#5
Posted 27 June 2008 - 04:09 PM
Great review of the best HA filter currently available...
until they release the 100mm
Brian
until they release the 100mm

#6
Posted 27 June 2008 - 07:22 PM
Thank you Jeff, very well written and informative.
#7
Posted 28 June 2008 - 06:33 AM
Thanks, everyone! (I'm travelling right now but I'll check back in Monday.)
And if anyone wants to send me the 100, I'll be happy to do a compare. I give no guarantees on which one I'll send back, though....
Cheers,
-- Jeff.
And if anyone wants to send me the 100, I'll be happy to do a compare. I give no guarantees on which one I'll send back, though....
Cheers,
-- Jeff.
#8
Posted 28 June 2008 - 08:09 PM
Great review! Your sketches are almost like B&W photos.
How does the Pronto perform optically?
How does the Pronto perform optically?
#9
Posted 29 June 2008 - 06:17 AM
Jeff,
A fine article--thorough, fun to read, and informative. Nice illustrations, too.
A fine article--thorough, fun to read, and informative. Nice illustrations, too.

#10
Posted 29 June 2008 - 09:10 AM
Excellent review!
Fred
Fred
#11
Posted 29 June 2008 - 09:41 AM
Clinton --
I was surprised at how much I liked the Pronto. The mechanical construction is better in the flesh than it looks in pictures.
That being said, I did no more than 15 minutes of observing in full-spectrum light (to work out what spacers I'd need with various Barlow/OCS/bino-viewer combinations). During that time I certainly noticed that the image was considerably better off-axis than my Nikon 18x70s, but then you'd expect that. I was also left with a slight impression that the contrast was less than I'm used to in the Tak FC-100, but I didn't do a side-by-side so it remains just a weak impression.
With the Solarscope filter, the performance is excellent. But, I'm only using a single wavelength, and I'm viewing mostly on-axis (the lowest power I use shows a field less than 3/4 of a degree, which for a 70mm f/6.8 is not very far off-axis). So while I'm quite happy with it, I'd be somewhat uneasy about extrapolating into more general viewing conditions -- simply because I have very little data there.
Cheers,
-- Jeff.
I was surprised at how much I liked the Pronto. The mechanical construction is better in the flesh than it looks in pictures.
That being said, I did no more than 15 minutes of observing in full-spectrum light (to work out what spacers I'd need with various Barlow/OCS/bino-viewer combinations). During that time I certainly noticed that the image was considerably better off-axis than my Nikon 18x70s, but then you'd expect that. I was also left with a slight impression that the contrast was less than I'm used to in the Tak FC-100, but I didn't do a side-by-side so it remains just a weak impression.
With the Solarscope filter, the performance is excellent. But, I'm only using a single wavelength, and I'm viewing mostly on-axis (the lowest power I use shows a field less than 3/4 of a degree, which for a 70mm f/6.8 is not very far off-axis). So while I'm quite happy with it, I'd be somewhat uneasy about extrapolating into more general viewing conditions -- simply because I have very little data there.
Cheers,
-- Jeff.
#12
Posted 29 June 2008 - 08:54 PM
Thanks Jeff. May you have many fine days under the sun.