Posts Made By: Bernard Kean

Hi Ricardo
I'm with Randy on the Oberwerk line of binos. I have a pair of their 11x70's and I found them to be very easy to use and hand holdable. Brand new they are well within your budget. I'm considering the their 15x70's with a Unimount I already have. I had a pair of Fuginon's but couldn't justify three times the cost.

http://www.bigbinoculars.com/1570.htm

Hope this helps
Buck

Hi Steve
While I've never used a TV102 I have used the TV85 and have now a TV101, so I think I can answer a few of your questions. First off I've heard nothing but outstanding comments from owners and users of the TV102 and I would expect it to be every bit as good as the TV85 I used to own and my current TV101, excellent optics as well as fit and finish. I believe the focuser is the same on all TV scopes now, and I never have had any problem knowing when I'm in focus with the TV scopes I've had...buttery smooth. However if you want to add a micro focuser there are two that I know of and all reports say they are easy to install. I have the Starbeam and like it. It is very stable and accurate once aligned and it stays that way. I've only tweaked the alignment once since mounting it about two years ago, and still haven't changed the battery. Adding an 8x50 should be easy depending on your mount bracket. Part number QRB-1002 will take the usual two screw and spring pin Quick Release Bracket found an many scopes and TV makes several other brackets. The mount ring that TV uses has two slots to mount such items. And last, Yes the Losmandy Dovetail, as well as the Starbeam, can be left on and will go in the case nicely.
Hope this helps
Buck

Hi Allen
Old eyes here too, and I fully understand your situation. I use the cross hairs to get me in the ballpark but then I insert a laser to hit the primary center spot and also use the return beam to hit the 45* face for roughing in the primary. I switch to the cheshire and make primary adjustments then on to an autocollimator. At this point I usually only have to make very slight adjustments to the secondary to get the stacked donuts and I'm good to go. However, sometimes if I have a lot of trouble getting the donuts to stack I may have to make very very slight adjustments to the primary then retry the secondary adjustments again. In my f/5.47 this works fine, but I've been thinking of going to the barlowed laser method instead of the cheshire, which I hear is more accurate. In your f/4.5 this accuracy is even more important.
Hope this helps
Buck

Hi Aaron
Check out the Manfrotto/Bogen 475. They are lightweight, fold down short, and priced decent at various online stores.
Hope this helps
Buck

I'd be very interested in a good quality pair of 15x70's in that price range. Weight no problem, with my bad neck and at 15x I can't hold them still anyway so I use a UniMount Light. I'll take a pair on your recommendation.
Buck

Humm, not a bad idea. Personally I have the SM11 4 pole type and I simply pull the shroud down to meet the box then pull the few inches of extra slack back up and blouse it and it covers the edge of the box so I do not have this problem.
Buck

John
Allen pointed out the main differences. Eye relief would go to the 22 and weight would go to the 20. The 20 has one less element so some would argue that it should have better light thru put, however I doubt most folks would be able to tell the difference. Personally I have never looked thru a 22, but I do have a 20T5 and it is awsome in both my scopes. I dought you would go wrong with either.
Buck

Chuck
My vote is the 20T5. Awsome eyepiece.
Just my $.02
Buck

Hi Ed
Mine does. It is a red dot finder just like red dot rifle scopes. The red dot is projected on a flat clear lens, so if you can see the target you just set the red dot in it and shoot or look. I guess if the target were very bright or red it might be hard to pick up the dot, but I've not had any problems.
Buck

Hi Ronald
Read up on collimation and get some good collimation tools would be a good start.
Buck