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OpticsBlog – Thoughts and reviews of binoculars, telescopes, scopes, sights, and much more - birdwatching, astronomy, target shooting - pretty much anything related to optics, nature, and life!Wednesday, November 26, 2008Best buy on a Meade telescope
What's the best deal in a computerized telescope for the holiday season? My vote is the closeout telescope version of the Meade DS-2114 telescope called the Meade DS2114 ATS-TC. We purchased the last of these older model Meade DS-2114 telescopes from Meade in volume which allows us to offer these computerized telescopes at a price that is only half the price of the current version of the Meade DS-2114 LNT telescope. It even includes two eyepieces. That makes it one of the best buys ever on a Meade telescope. No, the Meade DS2114 ATS-TC will not fit in a stocking, but it will fit under most trees.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008Meade ETX-80 versus Meade ETX-90
From the name, the Meade ETX-80 telescope and the Meade ETX-90 telescope would seem to be very similar telescopes. Both good telescopes, of course, but the ETX-80 is only half the price of the ETX-90. Is there a difference in these two Meade telescopes? Oh, yeah. Big difference. The ETX-90 PE telescope is a much higher grade telescope in three ways. First, the ETX-90 comes with a better built and sturdier mount than the low priced ETX-80. Second, the ETX-90 has the higher grade Meade Autostar 497 computer, the same computer used on Meade's most expensive telescopes. The ETX-80 has the lower performing Meade Autostar 494 computer. Lastly, the ETX-90 is a high grade Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope with superb optics. The Meade ETX-80 may look like a Mak telescope, but it is, in fact, a lower quality refractor.
Monday, November 24, 2008Bushnell Northstar Mak 90 versus Meade ETX-90
Is the Bushnell Northstar Mak 90 telescope as good as a Meade ETX-90 telescope? This is a question I get due to the much lower price of the Bushnell Mak 90. Now some people will dismiss any Bushnell telescope out of hand, as being much inferior to any Meade telescope. I do not agree with this. Let's take optics, for instance. Yes, the ETX-90 will deliver better image quality, but the Bushnell Mak is actually quite good and it surprised me the first time I tested one. Tube construction is also quite good on the Bushnell Mak - minimum of plastic and it focuses, nicely. So why the lower price on the Bushnell Northsat Mak 90? The mount and the computer. The Bushnell Mak Northstar mount is certainly not as good as the Meade ETX-90, but I would still rate it as adequate. It does the job. The Bushnell Northstar computer, however, has a long way to go to catch the Meade ETX Autostar computer. If you are depending on a computer to get you started, I suggest you spend the money on the Meade ETX-90 telescope. On the other hand, if you can live with a somewhat low capability computer, the Bushnell Mak 90 will deliver, optically, but only as long as you upgrade to better quality eyepieces. Try the Vixen eyepiece kit or the Celestron eyepiece kit. You will need an eyepiece kit, too, for the Meade ETX-90, since it only comes with one eyepiece.
Friday, November 21, 2008First choice in a cheap telescope
Nearly all telescopes under $100 feature a high percentage of plastic parts. That's typical at this telescope price point and one reason I do my best to get customers into better quality telescopes. There is one exception under $100, however, and that is the Bushnell 3" reflector. Minimum of plastic parts on this model, making it my first choice in a cheap telescope. This cheap beginners telescope gets my vote as the one "most likely to survive" a rough encounter with children and stay with them if they sustain an interest in astronomy.
Thursday, November 20, 2008New Meade telescope, Meade ETX-LX
For years, one of the things that has most frustrated users of computerized telescopes is the need to first align the computer and the telescope so that both are pointing at exactly the same place in the sky. In the early days, this alignment procedure was often a complicated and time consuming task, requiring a lot of hands-on user intervention. The good news is that telescope alignment has been getting quicker and easier these past few years, but even the best computerized telescope system still requires some hands-on tweaking to get it right.
A lot of us have dreamed of fully automatic telescope alignment. Wouldn't it be nice to just set a telescope up and then tell the computer to do all the work while you have a cup of coffee? Just a dream so far … or is it? Rumor has it from the Meade telescope think tank that a new Meade telescope is on the way that will do just that. Meade is calling it the Meade ETX-LS. If true, this ETX-LS will allow even the most computer challenged beginner with no knowledge of astronomy to be up and observing, instantly. Now that will be quite a trick. If Meade can pull this one off with the ETX-LS, it will be the greatest advance in telescope computers since computers were added to telescopes. Stay tuned. Wednesday, November 19, 2008ETX Mak telescopes
One of the things I love about Maksutov-Cassgrains (Maks, for short) telescopes is the great image quality. A good Mak is second only in this respect to a very expensive APO refractor. The best Mak telescopes on the market are the ever popular Meade ETX-90 PE and the larger ETX-125PE. Doesn't get much better than an ETX 90 or 125. Have had an ETX-125 at 200x, here in the city, on Saturn and Jupiter and the image was as good as it gets on these planets. Best of all, an ETX-125 is not so heavy that I cannot pick it up and move it, myself. Nice not to have to call a guy for help with the heavy stuff.
Tuesday, November 18, 20088" Schmidt-Cassegrain
The 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope has been long regarded as the entry level telescope for serious amateur astronomy and for good reason. An 8" SCT (Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope) is large enough to see a great many of the fainter deep-sky objects and it is always a good choice for planets. In fact, a Schmidt-Cassegrain can be accessorized to do almost any job in astronomy and do it well. One of the best values going in an 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain is the Celestron Nexstar 8SE. No way you will get into a computerized, portable, 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain at such a nice price and in a very portable, easy to use package to boot. For the serious astronomer, this would make the perfect holiday gift.
Monday, November 17, 2008Leica M
Had a visit from our excellent Leica camera rep to bring us up to speed on the Leica M camera, which we have recently added to our website. In a way, I really wish he hadn't come, or, I should say, I almost wish he hadn't brought those Leica M cameras for me to ooh and ahh about. Now I am thinking an almost impossibel fanatasy of carrying a classic Leica camera, just as I always dreamed of owning a Leica R back in my SLR days. For a pursit like me, it was almost too much, especially when I saw some of the photos taken with that camera. Wow!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008Birding lifestyle
I told a friend the other day that I don't go on birding trips too often. She was shocked, of course, and asked what was wrong. Was I sick? Guy problems? I smiled, and then explained to her that I was having a little fun at her expense. What I should have said is that birding is something I do on a daily basis and something I assimilate into my daily routine. Birding has become such part of my lifestyle that it no longer gets set aside for a specific time or day. I can't pedal down a street or go shopping without keeping one eye open for birds. That's why I always carry a binocular or at least a monocular. I typically bird on my commute home after work every day. I watch out the window for birds as I eat meals. In fact, I can't remember a day that didn't have birding in it.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008Telescope that is just right for you
There is so much to decide when choosing a telescope that even basic articles like my How to choose the right telescope can still be too much in one bite. Wouldn't it be nice if a beginner could narrow it down to only two questions at the start and then go to a basic article for more information? You can! Just in time for the holiday season, I wrote Telescope First Questions. Once you answer the two questions discussed in this article, you can follow up with fine tune it with How to choose the right telescope to get that telescope that is just right for you.
Monday, November 10, 2008Telescope eyepieces
Okay, you bought a new telescope and are wondering what to buy for your telescope in the way of accessories. First thing you should always add when buying a telescope is more eyepieces. Serious telescopes are never supplied with more than one eyepiece - the manufacturer assume you will want to choose the eyepieces that best suit your observing needs and you definitely need more than one eyepiece to cover all the bases in astronomy. Even if you bought a beginner's telescope, adding better eyepieces is the quickest and most cost effective way to upgrade performance. That's why I recently wrote an article on telescope eyepieces for our website. For your favorite telescope eyepiece questions, see Ten Telescope Eyepiece Questions
Wednesday, November 05, 2008Black duck SLR photo
Some things you expect in the natural landscape and some you don't. This weekend was a good example for me. When I cautiously peered over the edge of a culvert and scanned a tiny puddle of water, I was not too surprised to see a female Black Duck in my binocular. It's exactly the type of habitat I've found this species to use, before. Now that would have been a nearly perfect photo with a 300mm lens on a good SLR camera, as this is one species of puddle duck where the females are nearly as strongly colored as the males. The bird was about 15 yards away and perfectly framed against the cattails. What I did not expect this weekend, was to hear crickets. The weather was unusually warm for November, to be sure, but the chirping of crickets is not a sound I normally associate with November. Of course, the natural world does not really care what I expect. Life, as always, is boundless.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008Sparrows in the binocular
Saw my first flock of Tree Sparrows, last week, so the parade of winter birds is moving through my area. Started, as it usually does each year, with Juncos in early October. I always enjoy seeing both species in a binocular, common as they are, because they really are attractive in a simple, non-flashy way. Okay, I admit it, sparrows are my favorite songbird group in a binocular. No doubt a result of my prairie roots, but hey, no warbler neck, either. Craning my neck upward all day to follow warblers in the top of trees with my binocular is not easy on the neck. How considerate of sparrows to stay at a more comfortable level for viewing!
Monday, November 03, 2008Virgo telescope and binocular memories
Pedaling to work in the pre-dawn darkness may sound like an effort to those who do not commute on a bicycle, but to me there are benefits that go beyond the many wonderful advantages of a life without a car. For the last couple of weeks, the constellation Virgo has been my guide as I pedal east before the sun rises. Spica, of course, is the star of the show, but as say hello to Heze, Vindemiatrix, Porrima, Auva, Zania and Zavijava. I am also feel a connection with the ancient astronomers who named these stars. I also nod to the realm of the galaxies near Vindemiatrix and it brings back memories of wonderful nights under a dark western sky with both a telescope and a binocular. By the time my ride is over and I arrive at work, I feel recharged and energized. How many commuters in a car can say the same?
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