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Posts Made By: Paul Gustafson

July 26, 2002 11:01 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Thousand Oaks Type 2 filter

Posted By Paul Gustafson
Get the Baader film instead. I've owned both, and the Baader was noticeably better than the TO in every way. There was always detail visible in the Baader that was not seen in the TO. The regular window glass TO uses limits its performance.

Paul Gustafson

August 14, 2002 11:11 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

New AstroGear at Stellafane

Posted By Paul Gustafson
Dave,

Thanks for the report.

Phil noted in his latest Starware that the Zeiss 15x60's had better optics than the Fujinon 16x70's. I've owned both and agree. I tried the Zeiss 15x60's just before Zeiss took them off the US market a couple of years ago and I bought them immediately. Extensive side-by-sides with my beloved Fujinon 16x70's resulted in the sale of the Fujinons.

A couple of things to consider. Zeiss has since reintroduced the 15x60's to the US market. The Zeiss and the Zeiss Jena are two _very_ different animals, the Zeiss being the better optical instrument by far. The latest iteration, the Zeiss 15x60 B/GA T*, is the one to get, in part due to its better eye relief over previous versions. It's pretty impressive that they could put optics like that into a body about 7 inches long, 8 inches wide -- hand holdable for me, unlike the monster Fujinon 16x70's. Its center focus is a plus for birding and marine use, too, although close focus isn't its strong point.

I can't wait for the 24 Pans. Sounds like a great replacement for my 22 Pans in the binoviewer.

Paul Gustafson

September 1, 2002 04:53 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Binoviewer edge performance?

Posted By Paul Gustafson
I have both those eyepieces and find no deterioration in edge performance when used in the AP/Baader/Zeiss binoviewer.

Not sure about the design specifics of your binoviewer, but it's possible that the corrector is needed. In the AP the 1.25x corrector is designed to eliminate slight chromatic aberration introduced by the prisms. In a slow scope, I see little difference with or without the corrector, but in fast scopes it makes a more noticeable difference.

Gus

September 26, 2002 02:44 AM Forum: Binoviewers

favorite bv eyepieces?...

Posted By Paul Gustafson
If one can find (and afford) them, the limited edition Zeiss Abbe orthos are the best binoviewing eyepieces available. They are my primary bv observing eyepieces. However, the short eye relief on the 6mm and the 4mm make them a bit uncomfortable to use. For wide field bv observing, I use 22 Panoptics (soon to be replaced with the new 24 Panoptics), 16 Naglers t5, 13 Naglers t6, 9 Naglers t6, 7 Naglers t6, Radians 5 and 3. I will probably add the 19 pans and replace the 5 Radians with the 5 Naglers.

As Dave Barry said, "There is a fine dividing line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness.'"

Paul

October 4, 2002 05:41 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

19mm or 22mm panoptic

Posted By Paul Gustafson
The 22 has a bit more "wow" factor, but the 19 is physically smaller. Other than that, it's a toss-up.

Paul

October 6, 2002 02:57 PM Forum: Off Topic Discussions

New group?

Posted By Paul Gustafson
Lunar and planetary observing.

Paul

October 12, 2002 09:58 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Laughable telescope ads?

Posted By Paul Gustafson
Not sure about the copy, but the Meade girl in this ad appears to be offering something more than telescopes:

http://www.laservet.net/public/meadgirl.jpg

Paul Gustafson

October 28, 2002 11:27 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Tele Vue Day at Highpoint Scientific

Posted By Paul Gustafson
>>I also had the opportunity to compare an interesting (and surprising) new Tele Vue prototype to a Thousands Oaks version of the same through Dave's telescope.<<

A new prototype what, if I might ask?

Paul

November 4, 2002 03:16 PM Forum: Off Topic Discussions

Dilated pupils?

Posted By Paul Gustafson
Next time you have your pupils dilated at the doctor's office, notice how horrible your visual acuity becomes.

Paul

November 17, 2002 07:01 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Buy New 24mm Panoptic?

Posted By Paul Gustafson
Nice size, quite a bit smaller than the 22 Pan.

Paul Gustafson

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