APO Help Needed

Hello Everyone.

I'm seeking a 5" APO and wanted to get user input on any of the following scopes. My main interest is visual, but I’ll be doing imaging too. My main concern is I want a scope that will be false color free to my eye and yield minimal false color in digital images.

I currently have an AP-152 F/9 Star Fire (which I believe I have sold, I’m waiting on payment), so I want to downsize a bit on size and weight.

Mt current list consists of the following (in on particular order):

TAO-130
TMB 130-SS
Stellarvue SV5
TEC-140
NP-127
AP-130 (Recent production run. If I could ever find one, it would be my first choice).

Also, if you have any thoughts on other 5” scopes please let me know about them too.

I greatly appreciate your feedback.

Thanks Again.

Joe

The TMB 130 F9 is about as color-free as you can
reasonably get. Makes a nice visual instrument.

There are a number of 5 inch APOs tested at
http://homepage3.nifty.com/cz_telesco/refracter_test.htm
If you are unsure which test is which scope, you
can save the test image and then look at the file name.

You forgot the APM/TMB scopes, which are the TMB designed scopes that made TMB's reputation in the amateur community for optical excellence.

There are two scopes from this line, the 130 f/6 and 130 f/9.2. The 130 f/6 is the closest available scope to the Astro-Physics 130EDF.

You could also consider the William Optics FLT-132 which is similar in price and construction to the TMB-130SS but has the virtue of being available, i.e. not on back-order.

If I were looking for a 5" class APO right now, I would choose the Tele Vue NP-127 as it's light weight, short focal length, flat field and high quality excel at low power wide fields and high power planetary/double star viewing. If I wanted the closest analog of the AP 130EDF I would get the APM 130 f/6. If this were to be my "big gun" APO, I would upsize to the TEC 140.

Philip

Hello Everyone.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm finding it really hard to narrow down the choices. I started to make phone calls to talk with the various dealers, and posted on a local group to see if anyone has any of these telescopes that I can look through.

So far I’m impressed with the APM scopes for two reasons: price/features, and availability. Has anyone used the sliding draw tube that houses the focuser (on the 130 f/6 LW tube), I’m wondering if there will be any play/slop that might cause issues with the focal plain.

I wish I have an extra $40K to buy them all and compare, but seeing I only have $39K ;-) I’ll have to do more research. I think my best approach is to try to find fellow astronomers who own these scopes and actually use them. I do plan to take my time and make the best decision I possible can. For me, this next purchase most likely will be my last refractor purchase for the next 5~10 years, maybe longer.

Any other input is greatly appreciated. Again, thanks for the feedback thus far!


R,

Joe

I certainly would not replace the 6" f/9 Starfire with a 5" f/9 APO of any make. I have a 6" f/9 Starfire and with the photovisual telecompressor it works at about f/6.5. Yhe mount is substantial and it is not what I consider portable. If you are considering a smaller scope, I hope it is because of portability or mount capability, rather than any expected appreciable gain in imaging performance. i.e. go for a 5" f/6 or f/7, given these reasons for changing scopes.

Dom Q.

Attached Image:

how about a meade 127 ed apo