115 replies to this topic

[james7ca]

What is the weight of the scope with diagonal? Ali states 120g, but that can't be right.

My scope is current configured with both tubes for imaging/guiding tests and with the scope, the clamshell rings and Vixen rail (mount that comes with the scope), and lens cap and eyepiece plug it weighs about 550g. However, it would be somewhat less than that without the 75mm long M48 tube and the lens cap and plug (which would be the working configuration when using a diagonal). Right now I don't want to detube and dismount the scope so I can't give the weight with the shorter configuration (using just the 50mm tube, see __HERE__ for the different configurations). To change configurations you have to remove the clamshell rings.

Edited by james7ca, 09 May 2021 - 10:15 PM.

[ihf]

Thank you very much for checking!

[james7ca]

I've finally been able to weigh the scope without the 75mm extension tube and it comes to just over 18 ounces or about 510g. This is with the focuser, the 50mm long optical tube, the objective cell, and the mounting rail and rings. This is the configuration that would most likely be used with a star diagonal and an eyepiece. Without the mounting rail and rings it comes in at 14 ounces or about 400g.

 

It's probably also worth mentioning that since the focuser ends with a MALE M48 thread you'll probably need a gender changer (female-to-female) to mount the focuser on the end of anything else (like another scope, which would most likely also end with a male thread). 

[james7ca]

Here is a link to a post that shows how I've mounted the Laida scope to my NP127is for use as a guide scope.

 

  https://www.cloudyni...3#entry11115805

 

You can use standard M48 extension tubes with the optical tube to adjust the backfocus so that the focuser has very little extension or overhang when used with a camera.

[james7ca]

I had a few breaks in the clouds tonight and so here is a shot of the May 21, 2021 gibbous moon using the Laida Optics Store 50mm, f/4 scope with a ZWO ASI290MM camera. This is a mono image using a luminance filter and is a stack of the best 256 of 1024 frames as captured with SharpCap and processed in AutoStakkert!, Registax, and Affinity Photo. This had no tracking, I was shooting from a fixed tripod and just let the moon drift through the frame.

 

I'd say that this approximates the detail I saw on the realtime display from within SharpCap as I was just able to detect the central peak and a bit of detail in the rim of the crater Copernicus using the laptop's display. Focus was very critical and the 1X Crayford focuser was probably a little coarse for exact focus (but made more difficult with the untracked, drifting image of the moon).

 

Since this is a fairly fast achromat I'm sure you could get a better image with a stronger filter, either a Baader Semi-APO or Fringe Killer or with a red filter to limit the effects of chromatic aberration. And, tracking would help with determining the best focus.

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[Terra Nova]

I used to have the Stellarvue Li’l Rascal 50mm F4 and it was a fun little tiny-traveller! I guess the biggest reason I didn’t continue down this road is that I just found that at this aperture I found binoculars easier and more rewarding.

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[Astrojensen]

I used to have the Stellarvue Li’l Rascal 50mm F4 and it was a fun little tiny-traveller! I guess the biggest reason I didn’t continue down this road is that I just found that at this aperture I found binoculars easier and more rewarding.

I have a 40/240mm hand-held RFT and while it doesn't show as faint objects as my 8x40 binoculars, when it comes to large deep-sky objects, it does shockingly much better on small objects - and in particular on double stars. It's also much more comfortable to hold, and I can not only hold it more stable, I can also hold it for much longer, since I don't need to lift it above my head. I can use it up to 24x hand-held.

 

So, a tradeoff, I suppose. The bino goes deeper on select objects, while the 40/240 shows smaller objects, that the bino doesn't even hint at. In a country sky, the bino is overall the winner, in a suburban sky, the RFT is far superior, since it excels at precisely the objects that come best through light pollution. 

 

Ideally, I bring both! 

 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

Edited by Astrojensen, 26 May 2021 - 11:55 AM.

[Maciek_Cz]

My two ATM RFTs, one hand 50mm f/3.6 and one finger 30mm f/4.6

 

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[jcj380]

This discussion makes me want to pull the 9x50 RA finder off my ST120, plug in a different EP and see what I can see.   

[Astrojensen]

This discussion makes me want to pull the 9x50 RA finder off my ST120, plug in a different EP and see what I can see.  

Try it. The difference between 9x and 15x, for example, is quite dramatic and will show a lot of objects. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

[james7ca]

Here is a link (on CN) to another image done with the Laida Optics Store 50mm scope, this time the May 25 gibbous moon using a 3X barlow:

 

  https://www.cloudyni.../#entry11127816

 

I also imaged the double-double in Lyra with both pairs detected (IMO) and with the split on the wider, 2.41" set quite apparent. A few days ago and when viewed visually at 111X (4.5mm Tele Vue Delos with 2.5X barlow) I suspected detection of the 2.41" pair and the photo confirmed that this is indeed possible (Dawes' limit is 2.32").

 

And here a link to the image that I did of the double double:

 

  https://www.cloudyni.../#entry11128515

Edited by james7ca, 27 May 2021 - 12:07 PM.

[james7ca]

Another image that I made using the Laida Optics finder/guider. This time an RGB of the globular cluster M13.

 

  https://www.cloudyni.../#entry11130608

 

I think I'm about done with my reports on this little scope, my conclusion is that it's worthy (but I do hope that the focuser holds up, it seems fine thus far).

Edited by james7ca, 28 May 2021 - 11:10 AM.

[Bowlerhat]

This discussion makes me want to pull the 9x50 RA finder off my ST120, plug in a different EP and see what I can see.  

There's actually a helical focuser attachment to convert regular 9x50 to a mini scope.

 

I've been experimenting with my 6x30mm objectives-they're handy.

Here's one converted into a monocular scope..I use this when travelling. It's really light too.

 

And this one as a mini scope. I used the aspherics, they're quite good. I imagine it'll be easy to make an adapter by 3d printing nowadays.

[Yourjones]

I should probably note the following for anyone who may be thinking about buying this scope.

 

[IMPORTANT]
The shaft on the Crayford focuser that rides against the metal draw tube is made of hard, stiff plastic (see attached photo). As previously noted, the tension for the focuser can be adjusted by four small allen/hex head screws that hold a metal plate that presses against a plastic half bushing that then contacts the plastic shaft which then turns against the flattened part of the aluminum draw tube. Whether or not this kind of design will hold up over a long period of use is unknown. It could be a good design or something that will fail after some use. If the shaft is made of really hard plastic like Delrin then it may be more than just okay (like in pretty great), but I kind of doubt that the shaft and bushing are made from that material (more likely a cheaper and easier to obtain alternative).

 

Thus far I've only had a little over two days of use and after the initial tension adjustment the focuser still seems fine. It's consistently smooth and well-tensioned over its full range of travel and it easily handles the loads I've used and it's tight enough that you can pull and push on the end of the scope and the focus does not slip. Plus, there is absolutely no wiggle or detectable sag when the focus draw tube is fully extended. I guess only time will tell (but, it's probably fair to note that even my expensive Astro-Physics Mach1GTO mount uses one plastic gear, in this case almost certainly made of Delrin).

 

So, given the scope's low price and the quality of the other components (which seem quite good) I still consider this to be a good buy.
[/IMPORTANT]

 

Lastly, I had made a mistake on how I described the male and female threads on the scope in post #46, I've now corrected that error.

Hi James

 

So in order to lock and loosen the focuser, an allen wrench is needed every time?

 

Lu

[james7ca]

Hi James

 

So in order to lock and loosen the focuser, an allen wrench is needed every time?

 

Lu

There is no lock, just a tension adjustment. But, if you want you can make the tension very tight but that makes the focus knob pretty stiff and a bit hard to turn. You don't need to adjust it every time and I don't think I've touched the four screws that can be used to adjust the tension since right after I got the scope.

 

There are also screws (Allen head) that secure the focus knobs to the shaft and unfortunately one of those seems to be partially stripped, but thus far it hasn't affected the operation of the focuser and the knob still seems secure. It could be that the knobs are also glued or press fit to the shaft, I don't know since as soon as I felt the screw loosen on its threads I stopped doing anything to it (the knob was never loose itself, I was just making sure that those screws were reasonably tight to begin with).

Edited by james7ca, 05 June 2022 - 06:28 AM.

[PrabhaKaran]

I came across the Laida optics 50mm refractor on aliexpress while looking for a small refractor to do a full disk imaging of the sun with my daystar quark, upon checking this thread and few other in CN I decided to purchase it along with my other Christmas gifts (from my wife), it got delivered in 9 days, I bought it on a promotion for $134.25 which is good deal I guess. After opening the package I found one of the securing screws was slightly bent but I straightened it by hammering it. It works very well with my daystar quark chromosphere and Player one Apollo M-Max camera, I intend to use an aperture mask to reduce the f ratio to f6.6 in the coming days nevertheless even at f4 it met my expectations, attached are the pictures of the setup and the stacked image(50% from 9000 frames) of the Sun. I also tried visual observation by removing the central barrel to add the diagonal, it worked as well.

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[joelin]

Does anyone know if it’s possible to make a binocular telescope with two of these? Would also like to have the diagonals in place for comfortable viewing.

[Far Star]

TS offers the same refractor and claims that it is equipped with an ED lens:

 

https://www.teleskop...ekte-Optik.html

[grjsk]

TS offers the same refractor and claims that it is equipped with an ED lens:

https://www.teleskop...ekte-Optik.html

Strange, it looks exactly as the Laida, and that is not an ED. Has anyone actually tested the TS version?

[james7ca]

A version with an "ED" objective, that's kind of interesting. However, the price (even without VAT or shipping) is just over $200 U.S. so you should be getting something for your money relative to the standard version which cost me $145 in April 2021 (with free shipping). I think the standard achromat performed fairly well although it did have a whopping amount of chromatic aberration. But, you could still take surprisingly good images, particularly with RGB filters ( __EXAMPLE__ ) or something like Baader's Semi-APO filter (which I think cost more than the scope itself).

 

Although the single-speed focuser is pretty nice for such a cheap scope I found it a little touchy to achieve accurate focus. But, an ED scope with a Crayford focuser for around $200 isn't really that bad (if the optics are notably better than the original).

 

I purchased mine for use as a guide scope, so I'm not sure it would warrant the extra cost for the ED version.

[grjsk]

Strange, it looks exactly as the Laida, and that is not an ED. Has anyone actually tested the TS version?

I contacted TS-Optics, and they confirmed that their version indeed have an ED element. 

[GOLGO13]

I have one of these on the way.

[Max2206]

very cool.  AE has some interesting things.  

TS has a version with an ED element

 

https://www.teleskop...ekte-Optik.html

 

/\/\ax2206

[Max2206]

Which Flafield can we use on this scope ?

The ones that are being user for the Evoguide 50ed ?

 

/\/\ax2206

[GOLGO13]

OK...got my TS 50mm F4 ED in. It's got to be the cutest little scope ever. Optics seem very good and fit and finish also good. Can't test CA much other than what I saw during the day through a window (too cold out). Seemed like CA isn't too bad especially in focus.

 

I'm looking to use it as a finderscope in general (getting some adjustable rings). And use it as an extreme wide field/portable scope. Will give it a go with Night Vision also.

 

Focuser is pretty nice. But my Baader 1.25 diagonal has a helical focuser which should help. The focuser is certainly good enough to use as is.

 

Weight with the diagonal and a 18.2mm Delite is 2 pounds 1.9 oz

 

Field curvature is there of course, but it didn't seem too bad with nice eyepieces. I'm sure it would bother some folks who are sensitive to that. 

 

 

 

Edited by GOLGO13, 13 January 2023 - 02:35 PM.