Scope for Canon 20D

Hey there everybody. I recently bought a 20D from here and would like to know what a good scope to use for birding would be. I just read a little about the Orion 80ED and Nikon D50 that had some really nice sample shots for us. I have a Meade 90mm f/11.25 that did a lot better that I though but abything white would have that really bad blue and purple glow to them. If anyone has use a 100mm TV I would like to know about that too. But lets start with the Orion class. The attached is from the 90mm f/11.25 scope. I had to do some Photoshop to clean it up a little and bring out some colors.
Any and all input would be great! Thanks in advance.

Nate
www.exposuretime.com

If you want a GREAT scope, a Questar field model with fast focus would be it. With the Questar extension tubes you would have a focal length range of 1300 to 1700mm. Needless to say the chromatic aberation would be zero and the resolution would be unequalled. Lotsa bucks but perfection doesn't come cheap. Oh, one more thing, this scope is under three pounds and only 10.5 inches long.

Hi Nate,
If you're looking for something relatively small to carry into the field, consider the Stellarvue SV80S, an apo refractor that has zero CA according to most users. At f-6, it can be used at prime focus (with a short extension tube) and should give you reasonable flexibility in most lighting conditions. The refractor design will not have the shadow of the secondary mirror that you see in your 90mm Meade Mak. As a bonus, several people are using the SV80S with fantastic results for astrophotography. It is considerably smaller than the Orion 80ED, which is longer (f-7.5) and uses a 100mm diameter tube, plus its triplet design has better performance than the 80ED which is a doublet.

Jim

Hi Nathan,

I used a 20D to at the prime focus of an Orion 80ED to shoot these Hooded Mergansers from about 100' away. I have nothing but praise for this scope.

Clear Skies,

Steve

Attached Image:

Well, you've had a lot of good advice already. If you can deal with the weight the 80ED should be great. I had a TV85 for a while and optically it was superb. As a birding scope I got tired of lugging it around. I now have a TV Ranger, only a few pounds. Visually it is a great birding scope. However there is a lot of annoying color in photographs. Its a strange thing, I've looked hard and never see it through the eyepiece, its nearly always there in photographs. So I suggest an APO if you go the refractor route.

I also have a Questar field model, suggested by someone else. It is superb in every way, but, the focal length is very long. To do wildlife photographs you need a bright sunny day and high iso setting.

Another non-refractor option is one of the fast Maks that were sold a few years ago under Orion and Pro Optic brands. A lot of people don't like maks for photos, weird backgrounds, but I've had good luck with a Pro Optic 90mm f 5.6. Very light, no false color.

And a final option, heavier than the others, a C5 with focal reducer.

So, having tried lots of things I suggest you avoid fast achromats, the color in daytime shots will annoy you. That leaves APOs and Maks/Cats of various stripes.

Jim

Nate, I would also recommend a Celestron C5+ OTA. Very light weight, color free, and nicely priced. I have had two of these and was not disappointed in either one. The short length of this scope will help limit vibrations.