But still, it makes an obvious difference. My only real comparison is with my SW80, and of course I now have over 25% more light, so that’s to be expected. Overall the view was very impressive, and bright. Moving up to Betelgeuse, it’s orange-red brilliance was very pleasing, and again I was able to make out some of the fainter surrounding stars. Stars were tight and there was no obvious chromatic aberration. Despite the less than great seeing, the view was impressive. The upper half (the rest was below my sightline from home) of Canis Major was easy to see, with several of the background stars also visible. Brilliantly bright, as expected, and a blue-ish white colour. Sirius was an obvious target to the south, and an easy hit. I was using the scope with one of the two removable sections in place (this is how it is stored in the supplied case) and was able to achieve focus with a 2" diagonal without having to rack out excessively. I’m using this on the SW AZ-Gti mount, and a Manfrotto tripod I had already, so it’s very easy to pick up and take outside. And when I say set-up, I mean just carrying everything outside. The Baader Zoom I also treated myself to for my travel use is frustratingly still not dispatched. However, my ambitious setup to allow for cooling paid off and I did manage a few minutes of actual use with a SW 28mm eyepiece. The following evening (9th March 2019) was less rainy, but much the same for cloud, all but for about 30 minutes of relatively clear sky, interrupted regularly by patchy cloud. But I did manage a pretty decent look at my neighbours TV aerial and chimney stack. Predictably enough, first evening with a new telescope and it’s raining. OK - this barely counts, but I was impatient. I might be exploring these options later, but for now, this is going to be for visual use. The TS website details the specific configurations using their recommended equipment which provide a faster f/4.9 option for sensors up to 36mm, or a full frame flat image at the standard f/6.6. This also allows for multiple reducer/flattener options for imaging use. The idea of having additional tube segments is that you don’t have to rack out the focuser so far, and so improves stability. The focuser body also incorporates a finder shoe, but if you wanna finder then you have to supply your own as there’s nothing included. As it happens, this takes the overall length down to 450mm which was the very top end of my acceptable range in order to meet my ‘travel’ requirement. The dew shield is held in position with a single thumbscrew, and whilst it’s retractable credentials are clearly warranted, it only seems to extend a couple of centimetres. I’m not going to be testing the stated 6kg payload any time soon, but I can easily believe it will be able to handle it. The focuser is very smooth (compared to my SW ED80) and feels pleasingly solid. The finish is powered coat white, which looks and feels very nice. At just over 4kg (without diagonal, eyepiece, or finder) there are definitely lighter options available, but it’s hardly a heavyweight. The scope itself feels very well made, and is what I’m choosing to refer to as ‘reassuringly weighty’. Things get a little easier if you loosen the tube rights slightly, allowing for some tube rotation, and a longer term fix will be some straps to aid lifting the scope out vertically. It’s actually mildly difficult to get the scope out of the box. Inside, the foam fit is precise bordering on tight. Whilst it’s described as a ‘transport case’ the supplied storage box is sturdy and well made. Multiple focus positions thanks to removable tube segmentsĢ.5” rack and pinion focuser, rotatable, dual speed controls, 6kg payload, with printed scale £1035 as of but who has any idea how this might fluctuate). I bought this second hand, but it was almost untouched, and a relative bargain to boot.
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