Just an update:
With Trump’s tariffs and Canada’s 25% tariff retaliation, $CDN to $US at nearly 45%, shipping, basic import GST purchasing any astronomy items from the USA is extremely prohibitive. Have to look for Canadian opportunities.
More CN input would be appreciated concerning the following 2 options (again only visual) from my existing TV SDF for basically the same price:
Both are available for in person pickup within reasonable driving distances, so no issues with possible mis-collimation due to shipping.
1. TeleVue TV101 OTA (single rate focuser) with case/TV 2” Everbrite star diagonal + Gibraltar mount
or
2. TeleVue NP101 (single rate focuser) with case only
I am leaning to option 1 for the following reasons:
I don’t need the 2” Everbrite star diagonal or the Gibraltar mount.
Both can be sold to reduce the cost of purchase of TV101.
Do a shootout between the TV 101 and my current TV SDF.
(My current SDF easily does 200X without breaking a sweat).
The TV101 should be the better scope optically.
Any thoughts or input would be appreciated.
Thx,
Gary
I'd by the NP101 simply because it's 4" shorter than the TV102, and I like convenience.
But, why do you want a Petzval refractor at all? You're talking about high power in the posts above, and you already have a Tak FS102.
I use Petzval refractors for wide field / rich field observing, and I want to see as much low power detail and faint stars as possible and I want to be able to detect faint DSOs even at the edge of the wide field. Increasing contrast by removing CA and field curvature makes more things visible at low power - especially in a quality scope that minimizes light scatter. That's why I use a Petzval APO. I purchased the "is" version of the NP101 for visual even though it's mainly an imaging scope just to be sure I have the largest fully illuminated field possible at the widest views.
I've never looked through the SDF, but what I read says that there is a noticeable difference between the SDF and the NP regarding chromatic aberration, and that the TV102 is somewhere between. So, what is your opinion of "good enough"? If your main use is high power with only a casual and occasional wide-field use, then I believe you've already answered your own question with your compliments about your SDF.
Have fun either way, because both would be fun to compare to your other scopes.
Gary
Edited by GGK, 20 March 2025 - 09:07 PM.