Borg telescopes

[Delpheo]

Hi all,

Firstly, Happy Chinese New Year!!

I've been following the other posts on singastro for some time, but this is my first time posting. I've been using my DSLR and camera lens for imaging for a few months now, together with a Vixen Polarie. I also have a Vixen GP2 mount, but to be honest, I haven't used it yet. Long story short, due to financial reasons, I'm sticking with the Polarie for now as I have to remain 'lightweight' as much as possible.

Right now, I'm thinking of getting a refractor (~$1K), and it has to be below 907g/2lbs (it's really 907g after calculating) because of the Polarie's payload. Which doesn't really leave me a choice (only Borg?) hahaha. And also this refractor can double up as a finder in future when I get the bigger ones

But I'm hopelessly lost with the Borg parts' list Deciding between the miniBorg 45ED II and the miniBorg 50, and there seems to be soooo many combinations on the internet. I've seen some examples on this forum, but I still cannot get a hold of the exact parts needed

Just need someone to point me in the correct direction. Thanks in advance!

[maguro77]

Happy New Year to all!

Welcome to the world of Borg!

The resources which i use to figure the various combinations are as follows:

1) Borg 2010 parts catalogue - Although dated, this is in english and gives you an overall picture of the various adapters (for the latest components, i usually check Kyoei, a japan telescope online shop)
http://sciencecenter.net/hutech/catalog ... g-2010.pdf

2) The Hutech website is also a good reference source - http://www.hutech.com. Astro hutech is the US distributor for borg parts.

3) Borg's manufacturer Tomytec japan website - http://www.tomytec.co.jp or
4) Kyoei online website for borg products has info as well. http://www.kyoei-osaka.jp. Click on the Borg logo.

The two websites 3 and 4 are in japanese (use a web translator to navigate around the website) - they are likely to contain similar information but i use Kyoei more. Usually there is a pdf chart of the parts needed for a particular combination.

5) lastly, my trusty and reliable Borg supplier Peter Tan in Hong Kong has a pdf file showing the various focal length and aperture with different objectives and reducers.
http://www.tan14.com/images/Borg%20table.jpg. This table is my starting point - what focal length and aperture do I want to achieve - then I choose the various parts a) lens objective b) main body tubes c) reducer or flattener d) focuser e) attachment to camera or ccd. His website shows the various scopes - and he will usually provide the PDF illustration of the tubes/focuser supplied for each combo.

As aside - just wondering why dont you use your camera telephoto lens - the Vixen Polarie is rated for 7 lbs (around 3 kg). I understand that it was revised upwards because of Ioptron Sky Tracker. If you already have a short telephoto, you probably should try it out on the Polarie. I personally feel that the Polarie is limited by the focal length rather than the weight issue. Buying a Borg 45ED for photography is great as there is practically no color but to use it as a finderscope later - quite an expensive finder. Just my two cents worth.

Hope this helps. cheers

[Delpheo]

Wow. Definitely helped get a clearer understanding of the Borg system. Thanks maguro77

I always thought the Polarie's payload was rated at 2kg (4.4lbs). But now that you mentioned it's 3kg (7lbs), maybe I could go for slightly larger refractors. Borg is definitely still in consideration though

I've already tried using a Tamron 70-300mm, as shown in the picture, so I was thinking maybe it's time for the next step up

[Gary]

Hi Delpheo. Congrats for coming out of lurking mode!

Nice Orion Nebula! Do make use of free online photo albums and share with us your photos in higher resolution and bigger size.