TeleVue 76


 Info  Votes  Messages  More Stats  Up One Level
image
Brand and Model:TeleVue 76
Price ($USD):1275 (OTA)
Type:Apochromatic Refractor
Attributes: un-checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:76mm (3")
f Ratio:f/480
Focal Length:36480mm
Finder:none
Electric Power:none
Mount:none
Tripod:none
Weight (lbs):5.1 lb lbs.
Dimensions (w/h/d):lenght: 14.5"
Description:Televue's TV-76 Page

Todd Gross's Review

Vote Highlights Vote
TeleVue 76
I bought this scope, which I have named Kermit the Light Thimble, from a person who purchased it a few months earlier. It is amazing. I sold my Stellarvue AT1010 (Mr. AT) to buy this scope. There is virtually no color, even on the brightest objects. The sun shows the thinnest ring of blue at the very edge, but that is it. Perfect star test on Vega, nice Airy disk with NO visible diffraction rings. The scope is extremely well-constructed with a lot of thought put into the design. It is built for the long haul and is very, very compact. Combined with the T6 13mm Nagler eyepiece, this is a killer scope. My views tonight of the Lagoon Nebula were nothing short of amazing, the Ring was tiny, yet eerily clear and the Dumbbell was more incredible than I have seen in any other scope. This might be regarded as hyperbole, but it is not. You will be stunned what a 76mmm refractor is capable of with this scope. It performed better on those fuzzies than my C5 has with a 35mm Ultima. My next goal? The Double Cluster with the 13mm Nag. I use this scope primarily for solar work, and it excels. On a Telepod head on a Bogen 3036 tripod, it is rock solid and very easy to use. This scope is used pretty much every single day and will likely be used for the next several decades.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=131437

Probably don't need to say this to most folks, but *NEVER* view the Sun through  a telescope (or binoculars) without a proper solar filter designed for the purpose. Not sunglasses, not a CD, not smoked glass which appears opaque but can transmit IR. 

>I bought this scope, which I have named Kermit the Light Thimble, from a person who purchased it a few months earlier.  It is amazing.  I sold my Stellarvue AT1010 (Mr. AT) to buy this scope.  There is virtually no color, even on the brightest objects.  The sun shows the thinnest ring of blue at the very edge, but that is it.  Perfect star test on Vega, nice Airy disk with NO visible diffraction rings.  The scope is extremely well-constructed with a lot of thought put into the design.  It is built for the long haul and is very, very compact.  Combined with the T6 13mm Nagler eyepiece, this is a killer scope.  My views tonight of the Lagoon Nebula were nothing short of amazing, the Ring was tiny, yet eerily clear and the Dumbbell was more incredible than I have seen in any other scope.  This might be regarded as hyperbole, but it is not.  You will be stunned what a 76mmm refractor is capable of with this scope.  It performed better on those fuzzies than my C5 has with a 35mm Ultima.  My next goal?  The Double Cluster with the 13mm Nag.  I use this scope primarily for solar work, and it excels.  On a Telepod head on a Bogen 3036 tripod, it is rock solid and very easy to use.  This scope is used pretty much every single day and will likely be used for the next several decades.

TeleVue 76
I have owned this scope for about a month now and I have to say I Love it!. I owned the Pronto first, sold that and bought the TV85. I sold the 85 to fund a dob project but after a while I missed the crisp views of a small refractor.
I liked the Pronto more then the 85 because it was so compact and lightweight and was easier to mount, but the 85 had much better color correction then the 70mm. The Pronto shows a fair amount of false color.
When I heard that TV was coming out with a 76mm Apo that was the same lens design as the 85 but it will be in the body of the Pronto I was thrilled!
I ordered one from High Point Scientifics(great guys to buy from) and as soon as I had first light I was in love.
The color correction was on par with the 85, very very slight amount of color on the brightest objects.
I think that TV is going to sell less Pronto's and 85's now that the 76 is here. The 76 is faster then the 85 and will give wider fov, it is lighter & smaller there for easier to mount and carry around, and it cost less. The 9mm more aperture of the 85 in my opinion is not worth the extra price, weight, and the longer tube.
I think Uncle Al hit a Homerun with his 2"capable, Ultra portable, color corrected, sweetheart of a Apo.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 8 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=67419


TeleVue 76
This is a wonderful little telescope. It's tiny but solid and may be the ideal grab and go scope.

The out-of-focus star test shows a little more color than an AP Stowaway, but less than a Tak Sky 90. This is very impressive performance in a doublet lens design.

Although this is primarily a widefield deep-sky instrument it provides satisfying views of the planets. It's also great on the brighter double stars, providing pleasing colors and nice, big Airy discs (because of its small aperture).

Mechanically it's very nice. The focuser is smooth and I've always like the TV mounting ring. The brass clamp ring on the focuser assembly is also better than a set screw (found on some other TV scopes) but not as nice as the brass ring on the AP scopes. The scope is also a little "back heavy," especially with a 2" diagonal and heavy eyepieces. You will need to compensate for this on alt-az mounts.

The difference in aperture between the TV76 and the TV85 is insignificant in real-world applications. If you're choosing between these two, the 76 is the one to get, based on size and price. This is a keeper.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 7 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=47418


TeleVue 76
Oh WOW!! What a telescope! This little refractor has more punch to it than my friend's Celestron 6" f/8 refractor! I placed an Apogee 30mm Wide Scan in it and I had the ENTIRE scabbard of Orion gently floating in space, and STILL SPLIT the Trapezium into 4 stars! Truly amazing. This telescope is absolutely bomb proof. The mechanics are tight and solid with absolutely no play in any working parts. Star test was done on Sirius with NO false color at all, all was below visual threshold, simply amazing. The diffraction rings were perfectly concentric when slightly out of focus and stars are perfect pinpoints of shining bone white. Mine is mounted on the Panoramic mount that I fnd absolutely rock solid. Eyepiece caddy is a MUST. M42 view through the 15mm Panoptic is absolutely amazing...gentle blue/green wisps with Trapezium nicely spaced into 4 perfect white shiny dots. Simply Gorgeous! Al Nagler...you really are an optical genius!!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 6 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=197424


TeleVue 76
The TV 76 is a fantastic scope. Very sharp optics for a fast doublet Apo. Can be used for low power views during the day or night and high power views of the Moon, planets etc. Built like a tank but still very easy to transport. One of Al's best IMO. Recommended!

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Mount:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=594883


TeleVue 76
This is one of the best refracting telescopes on the market. The special dispersion crown and flint index glass is far superior than the
ED glass of the Pronto and the Vixen and Borg models. The chromatic
abberation is below visual threshold and there is absolutely none noted
on lunar views or even the brightest stars. The telescope is rock solid
and had to give a 10 for the mount due to the Panoramic Mount I
purchased with the scope. Razor fine hairline features are seen
incredibly clear on the moon and increasing the power of the view is
done with absolutely no visual breakdown until x208 power is obtained.
I still have not been able to view under pristine transparency and
skies (i.e. the Arizona desert). The views at x160 resemble the same
sharpness and view (minus the added brightness and apparent size in the
eyepiece) of the Astro Physics Starfire 150, older model, that another
Amateur Astronomer owns in my club. The body is solid aluminum with a
screw on aluminum lens cap for ultimate objective protection. The
Objective is fully multi coated and the tube interior is fully baffled
for stray light depression. The 2" focuser is solid and smooth as silk
with the 99% light transmission Dielectric Everbrite diagonal, this is
a fantastic choice for the picky perfectionist. The scope comes with
tube rings, balance adapter, sliding dew shield, Everbrite diagonal and
the TeleVue 20mm plossl, another fine choice of EP to include in such a
great package. I cannot really say if the additional 9mm of aperture is
really worth it to purchase the TV85, I have also looked through this
fantastic scope, and found the views, both with a 15mm and 22mm
panoptic, to be the same as the TV76 in image size, clarity, sharpness,
contrast and color. So I settled on the TV76 and save the extra $400.
That will be $400 to start saving for the Truss Dob I dream of owning
:) ---The Review--- This scope reveals sparkling bone white airy star
disks from x24-x200, with premium Ep's for the higher magnification. No
false color noted on any stars at any time. The slightest hint of blue,
not purple, but blue hue was noted around an extremely bright Sirius.
The limb of the moon was razor sharp with shadows cast along mountain
ranges upon the lunar terminator. Saturn showed a razor hairline
Cassini Division and gentle color shading on the planet disk at x192.
Jupiter showed incredible detail with 6 bands of beige, orange and
cream noted with 4 minute disks all lined up in pairs of two on either
side of the planet. Globular clusters of course will not reveal great
structure due to the limited light gathering ability of this tough
performer, but all images revealed within the FOV when dealing with
Open and Globular star cluster was pinpoint and detailed for such a
small aperture. The Orion Nebula showed green and blue wispings at x32
with the 15mm Panoptic I own with 4 shining bone white airy disks
forming an uneven square, truly a beautiful and incredibly detailed
image for such a small scope. If you are looking for premium optics
with mechanics that never "cut corners" with plastic, then I suggest
you seriously decide upon the fine telescopes made by TeleVue, Inc

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=238288


TeleVue 76
Forgot to vote.

Definitley a 10. Superb instrument.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 2 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41423


TeleVue 76
The previous reviews prety much say it all. Having looked through a few Televue doublets I was most impressed by those served up by the TV76. It is a remarkable instrument for its fast focal ratio (F/6.3) and serves up first rate images in high contrast with no false colour by day or by night. Takes power remarkably well too. 80x per inch of aperture should be doable on a good night. Pricy but definitely worth the extra dollars paid out for it. A keeper!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=592597


TeleVue 76
The previous reviews pretty much say it all. I purchased this little wonder after a bad experience with pinched optics of a competitor at a much lower price.
I returned that scope and rather than "try another one" I got a refund and bought the TV76 without even looking through it. My experience with Tele Vue products ranging from the first Plossls, Type 1 and II Nagler eyepieces and various incarnations of refractor scopes of the last 25 yrs all the way up to the TV102 and 85 led me to believe that the TV76 would fullfill my requirements of excellent optics, build quality and grab and go size needs. Well, it exceeds those requirements quite handily. While it isn't quite in the same league as AP or TMB in color supression it runs them very close with build quality and overall optical quality at less cost per inch.
The moon is detailed and color free up to at least 180x. The planets offer very fine, sharp views at 150x or so.
And, large scale and brighter DSOs are offered up in stunning detail and contrast. I stared at M24 for an hour looking at all the dark nebula, star clusters and clumps it offers. as well as resolve M4 and M22 across their faces!
I can't say this is an inexpensive unit but while the Chinese and Taiwanese 80mm imports will save you money they are not the hierloom quality of this scope. Period.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Ease of Use:8 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=476617


TeleVue 76
Clear contrasty views; virtually no color; beautifully made; telepod mount difficult to achieve perfect balance--could use slow-mo controls; a little pricy considering some of the new APO's; would never part with it!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:8 Ease of Use:10 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=439805

[Click Here to Login]
Don't have a login? Register!