AP 130mm f/12 Superplanetary APO

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ariefm71
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AP 130mm f/12 Superplanetary APO

Post by ariefm71 »

Looking for an opinion, will a vintage (late 80's) Astro-physics 130mm f/12 superplanetary APO going to have similar color correction and contrast level compare to the more recent f/6 starfire models due to the much longer f ratio? both are triplets.

For those not familiar with these scopes, refer to http://voltaire.csun.edu/tmb/tmb1.html

cheers,
Arief
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ariefm71
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Post by ariefm71 »

no comment?

ok, i'm thinking of getting this: http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/de ... _id=367451

the price is about 40% of a brand new tmb 130mm f/6. will the performance similar?
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VinSnr
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Post by VinSnr »

ariefm71 wrote:no comment?

ok, i'm thinking of getting this: http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/de ... _id=367451

the price is about 40% of a brand new tmb 130mm f/6. will the performance similar?
My answer is not the same. The color correction of the older APs are not the same as the current ones.

BTW, dude, do you know how long is that thing.? How are you going to transport it?
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rlow
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Post by rlow »

BTW, dude, do you know how long is that thing.? How are you going to transport it?
...and don't forget your dry cabinet issue!
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ariefm71
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Post by ariefm71 »

almost 1.8m :-)
astroslew should be able to handle it.
i guess it needs a custom-made case-cum-drycab

but if the performance is not similar to the f/6 version (i thought the f/12 helps a lot), i'll probably forget about it.
perseid
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Post by perseid »

Arief,
Any reason why you want the scope? Is it just for planetary observation? Other than planetary, I think the scope is pretty "useless".
I think any telescope over F9 will be very, very difficult to use. It is better to get a new telescope, maximum F9 focal ratio or lower and use either ED or APO lens.
In my opinion, the ideal scope would be a 10" F7 reflector. For price, for aperture and contrast!

Just my 2 cents.

Regards,
CK
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VinSnr
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Post by VinSnr »

ariefm71 wrote:almost 1.8m :-)
astroslew should be able to handle it.
i guess it needs a custom-made case-cum-drycab

but if the performance is not similar to the f/6 version (i thought the f/12 helps a lot), i'll probably forget about it.
Bro..1.8 meters..........don't think you can fit it into cars or cabs. Unless you stretch it from front seat to back seat. Certainly not easy to transport it safely.

Like what perseid says, this scope is only good for planets. Nothing much else. Astroslew can handle, but you need a very tall tripod.

I have seen one of these back in the old days. Very impressive looking back then. But the owner came with a small lorry. I am not kidding.
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VinSnr
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Post by VinSnr »

perseid wrote:Arief,
Any reason why you want the scope? Is it just for planetary observation? Other than planetary, I think the scope is pretty "useless".
I think any telescope over F9 will be very, very difficult to use. It is better to get a new telescope, maximum F9 focal ratio or lower and use either ED or APO lens.
In my opinion, the ideal scope would be a 10" F7 reflector. For price, for aperture and contrast!

Just my 2 cents.

Regards,
CK
at f/7, I am afraid most people will need to stand on something
MCYM
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Post by MCYM »

Hi Arief

I have to admit having a soft spot for AP gears. But from a pragmatic point of view, it’s between 50-60" in length thus few vehicles are able to accommodate it without sacrificing in human carrying capacity or cargo space.

IIRC, this is should be an oil spaced triplet of ‘81 vintage. Keep an eye out for leaks. There are some papers online describing Christen Triplets that might be of interesting read.

If you are pressing on, I have a picture of ‘81 advertisement depicting the similar series. Drop me an email or give me a ring in the evening to discuss.

Regards,

Matthew
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ariefm71
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Post by ariefm71 »

hi all,

thanks for all the comments, really appreciate it.
matthew, i'm in taiwan at the moment. this is actually one of the last 5" f/12 (not sure whether this is one of those famous "NASA" objective (see TMB doc above), the original owner bought it in 1990. Recently inspected by D&G optical, the coating and cell still look pretty good.

cheers,
arief
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