Televue Nagler Petzval 101


 Info  Votes  Messages  More Stats  Up One Level
Brand and Model:Televue Nagler Petzval 101
Price ($USD):around 3400
Type:Apochromatic Refractor
Attributes: un-checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:101mm (4")
f Ratio:f/5.4
Focal Length:540mm
Finder:none
Electric Power:none
Mount:none
Tripod:none
Weight (lbs):10lbs lbs.
Dimensions (w/h/d):25 3/4 in. long
Description:comes with case and retracting dewshield.

Televue's TV NP101 Page


Todd Gross's Review of the TV-101
Cloudy Nights' Review

Vote Highlights Vote
Televue Nagler Petzval 101
About 8-months ago, I sold my Televue 102 and purchased a Televue NP101. My reason for changing scopes was that I wanted the wider FOV’s possible with the NP101 as well as slightly better color correction. I definitely got what I was looking for!! This scope is superb. It has a perfect star test and virtually perfect color correction. I cannot see any color on Vega at 300x and I was really looking for it in my tests of this scope. In addition, Sirius is completely color free at 216x (2.5mm Nagler), both inside and outside of focus. I have mounted my scope on a Losmandy GM8 mount and this mount seems to be made for this scope. It is the perfect compliment to this excellent scope.

As for mechanics, this scope is built like a tank. It is very solid. The focuser is smooth as silk and the satin like finish to the focuser, dewcap, and tube ring are very impressive. This scope is as nice to look at as it is to look through. The scope comes with the same hardcase as my prior Televue 102, but since this scope is about 5 inches shorter in length, the case has an extra space for a 31mm Nagler eyepiece. I do not own this eyepiece but the case has a pre-cut circle for it as well as several other eyepieces. The hard case is very strong and it is nice to see that Televue includes such a high quality hard case with this scope when other companies charge several hundred dollars for one. Also, I own the Starbeam Finder and the scope fits in the case with the Starbeam attached as well as the Everbrite Diagonal, Tube Ring, and the DUPS Mounting Plate for my GM8 mount. This was very important to me, as now, I can just pull the scope out of the case, attach it to the mount, insert an eyepiece and I am good to go. When I am done viewing, I have nothing to remove from the scope to put it into it’s case. A real time and effort saver.

During the recent close approach of Mars, I viewed it often with my new TV-NP101. The results were very impressive. I was easily able to see the South Polar Cap as well as irregularities along its edges. In addition, I viewed many of the surface markings on Mars such as Syrtis Major and the eye of Mars. These features stood out easily and the contrast of this scope was very impressive while viewing them.

Saturn is a spectacular sight with Cassini’s Division visible all of the way around the planet as well as a light band and darkening at the top of the planet which is easily visible. I have also seen the A,B, and C Rings. Saturn holds up well at high magnification with this scope and I routinely view it at 270x & 338x, and have even gone higher on exceptional nights.

Jupiter looks very contrasty and detail in the bands is easy to see. In moments of good seeing, 6 to 8 bands can be seen. The 4-moons can plainly be seen as different sizes and transits are readily visible. I have followed the Great Red Spot as it appeared on the edge of the planet all of the way across the planet. I have also seen numerous swirls and irregularities in the North and South Equatorial belts.

The moon is amazing with this scope with superb contrast and sharp detail. I have never seen any false color on the edge of the moon regardless of the moon’s phase. I have seen 4-craterlets in Plato pretty easily with this scope which is a sign of a scope with good optics.

I have viewed several double stars with this scope but the one that has impressed me the most is Antares. I obtained one of the cleanest splits I have ever seen with this scope on a night of very good seeing. The bluish color of the secondary stood out nicely and the split was clean. I have had trouble splitting this double with other scopes but my NP101 really did the job. My prior TV-102 could barely split Antares. My NP101 has done it on more than one occasion and the split has been cleaner. This may be due to the better color correction which helps this scope hold up better at higher powers.

As for deep sky, even though this is only a 4” Scope, it’s superb contrast still provides very nice, wide-field views of deep sky objects. I have viewed many of the Messier Objects and the outstanding contrast of this scope shows them with sharp detail. Open Clusters have pinpoint stars and nebula’s stand out against a very dark background. Viewing M31, M32, and M110 in the same FOV of a low power eyepiece is a truly awe-inspiring site as is viewing the Pleiades at low power. One other sight that has really impressed me as how often I can see the 6-stars in the Trapezium of M42. This scope does as well as can be expected for a 4” scope.

Overall, I have been very impressed with my NP101 as it can go from extremely low powers with a wide FOV (13x with a 5 degree FOV using a 41MM Panoptic) to high power lunar and planetary views with superb contrast (up to 216x without a barlow using a 2.5MM Nagler). This scope is easy to set-up and is a pleasure to use. It may be expensive, but I feel it is well worth the price.

Clear Skies!

Jeff

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=351245


Televue Nagler Petzval 101
I too *THOUGHT* the NP101 was too expensive so last year I bought a competitor's 4.1" triplet Apo and lost money returning it. I have now had my NP101 for a year and here's why I like the NP101 better:

4” Apo’s aren’t cheap, so make sure you'll be happy with what you get. I made the mistake of thinking a $2800 Apo would be just as good. Then I needed a 2” dielectric diagonal, so now I was within $500 of the NP101.

The competitor’s mounting rings rubbed the tube putting a scratch on it. They claimed it was powder coat, but it scratched awfully easy. I fixed the rubbing, but now my scope was scratched and I knew the finish would scratch easily if I bumped it while mounting it in the dark. In comparison, the NP101’s powder coat is tough and does not scratch from those little bumps in the dark. It may not be as pretty as the finish on some scopes, but if you wish to keep your scope looking new for years to come, the TV finish is the better choice. TV quality means all the bugs have been worked out, you aren’t likely to have to fix problems.

The competitor was very heavy, about 14 pounds with rings, and most of the weight was in the triplet’s massive lens cell. The mounting rings had to be almost up against the dew shield to balance the scope. This not only looks funny, but makes the scope much less comfortable to use. The NP101 on the other hand is solid but not too heavy. It balances nicely with the clamshell about 2/3 of the way toward the eyepiece end making the scope a joy to use on a Gibraltar.

One area that no one pays much attention to is adding a dew heater. The NP101 does it right, with dew shield extended the heater strap is warming the lens cell directly. This requires less heat because you are applying warmth directly to the lens. The competitor, like many other refractors, had the dew shield covering the lens cell with a layer of felt in between, so it is difficult to warm the lens. The only options are to put the heater on the aluminum tube (about 6” away from the front lens) or around the dew shield (creates heat currents in front the lens). If dew is a problem in your area like it is in mine, the TeleVue design is far superior.

I mounted the competitor on my G-11 while shopping for an alt-az mount. I really loved the Gibraltar, but the competitor would not fit. After getting the NP101 I put it on the Gibraltar and love the combination. You really have to appreciate the way TV products work so well together.

The competitor was f/6.2 so it had almost as wide a field and the optics were superb. The NP101 is its equal in every way. I’m not going to make claims of seeing something in one that the other couldn’t because they were EQUAL and I never had the two side by side. With premium optics, seeing conditions will affect performance far more than differences in optical quality. The optics were not the reason I returned the competitor, but they were the reason I did not send it back the first day when the rings scratched the tube.

The competitor had a FeatherTouch 2-speed focuser, the best there is. At low to medium power the NP101 focuser is fine, but when trying to detect a difficult double star's faint companion or count craterlets in Plato, you’re never quite sure if you have perfect focus. I bought the TV focus lever but later found the Clear Skys Helical Fine Focus Adapter works much better and can focus the NP101 perfectly. The new FocusMate is probably the best solution, but I haven’t tried it yet.

In summary, the competitor’s scope fell short of my expectations and every day I noticed more little things that were poorly thought out. Fortunately I realized my mistake and returned the scope losing $200 for the scratched tube and another $200 in round trip shipping. So with an equivalent diagonal, my bargain Apo really ended up costing just as much as an NP101.

Did I spend another month doing research? No, I ordered the NP101 and have not regretted it one bit. You may not get it on sale, but with the NP101 you get a flawless telescope that will be a pleasant experience from day one and last a lifetime.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics: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=445810


Televue Nagler Petzval 101
Had a chance to spend a couple of hours with this scope at a star party. The Televue rep was there with the NP101 and the TV102 along with every Televue eyepiece available (if only my dreams were this good...). After a while it was just me, the rep and another guy using the scopes, so I was able to spend quite a bit of uninterrupted time with it. One word, impressive! Over the years I've built 5 reflectors, including grinding and polishing the mirrors. I say this to let you know that I do understand how to test optics, both on a bench and the star-test. Using a 3mm and 5mm Radian I'd estimate the figure on this NP101 to be 1/10 wave or better. The view through the 31mm Nagler was outstanding! Highly recommended, and yes I'm going to purchase one.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41280


Televue Nagler Petzval 101
Mechanically it’s very well built. The optics are also impressive. No spherical or chromatic aberrations. Mine arrived out of collimation so I had to send it back before I could really use it – Thanks Al!
For urban or suburban observers this scope is useful on the moon and planets forget all but a couple DSO’s - believe me I tried. After buying a large Newtonian or SCT, I would recommend this as a second scope. Because of its size, It’s easier to set up or take camping.
One overriding consideration is cost. In my case, the scope + finder + tripod = $4200. Anytime I take it out or move it I’m paranoid that I’m going to bump it into something causing the optics to go out of collimation.
Also, I’d like to add that people on this site consider these 4” refractors as “grab-n-go”. With a good mount they can easily weigh in at 40 – 50 lbs. In fact my np101 set-up is only 7 lbs lighter than my 8” SCT.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:6
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=589896


Televue Nagler Petzval 101
Excellent 'scope, but not quite as sharp as a Televue 102 under high magnifications on planets. Yes, the NP101 has a flat wide field, slightly better color correction, but the image just isn't as punchy as the TV 102 when maximum power is pressed into service.

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=578378


Televue Nagler Petzval 101
I will not go into test specs on this scope as most people know that the optics are more or less first class. I wanted to write something that a will help someone decide if this scope is for them, not a review like "great scope" or "I can't believe someone would pay..." ect ect. I bought this scope to strap on my hog when I head to the hills, so portability was a main issue. I also wanted a scope with a wide angle FOV that differs from the rest of my scopes. Fitted with a TV 31 Nagler it offers a FOV of about 4.5* something one needs to see. Although a 4" scope is not quite the aperture I want in a fairly lit area, at a dark site it preforms well. At 10 lbs and 26" long it fits well on my Harley (In a special bag) and is also (possibly) air line portable as carry on luggage, but after 911 I would check first. My OTA came with a everbright 2" diagonal, a 2" to 1.25" adaptor, a 20mm 1.25 plossl, an adjustable tube ring and a nice hard case that will not make it as carry on. The scope is off white and seems heavy for its size. It has a metal dust cap and dew shield that retracts over the front objective. With a fairly fast f-ratio at 5.4 and a focal length of 540mm it can be used for photography with the correct tripod. I run the scope on 3 different tripods, a Losmandy GM-8, a TV-gibraltar and a TV-telepod that has been modified to handle the weight. With the Televue tripods, the OTA ring mounts with 2 large poly wing nuts. This is a fast grab and go combo. I also purchased the encoders for TV-tripods so I could use a lumicon sky vector digital setting circle computer and lap top.The NP-101 does not come with a finder scope but with the 31 Nagler or TVs 55 plossl you almost don't need one. I installed one of Howie Glatter's laser pointers that really helps. When switching from a heavy EP like the 31-N to a smaller 1.25 EP you will have to purchase the brass 2" to 1.25" adapator to keep the scope balanced. The focuser is smooth but not a 2 speed type. Instead Televue offers a focus handle that snaps onto the side of one of the focus knobs. It is a fine addition, but I would still like to see Televue offer a 2 speed version. As far as optics go, this scope is first class. And no, I have not looked through 200 high end scopes to make this decision. Of the high end scopes I have looked through the differences are subtle, making the case for those super critics that claim it's over priced. But the wide views make up for the price in my opinion. Being able to see the Veil nebula as a single object is awesome. The scope makes wide wide objects appear in one pinpoint flat FOV that has to experienced first hand. Open clusters like M-45 and M-44 are fantastic. This year while Jupiter flew through the beehive, this scope provided a site I will never forget. The NP-101 excells on many objects that did suprised me. The virgo galaxy cluster was great as a wide view area, giving dimension to the area, although many other scopes can also deliver these views IMO. As far as most objects go, at high powers this scope produces fine views at a dark site similar to what my 10" SCT can do at a semi-light polluted area. When I carry a minimal EP set, I carry a 31 Nagler, a 22 panoptic, a 8 radian, a 5 Nagler, and a 1.25 2.5 powermate. I have had it up to 270X but that is pushing this little scope and I usually run high powers around 168X. The next EP will be in the area of 216X(a 2.5 Nagler). One thing that needs to be told to people that have never looked through a refractor is how good your eyesite is. In my case I have astigmatism and at low powers stars are not pinpoint and are elongated unless I wear glasses. I hate this, which has kept me away from short focal length scopes. I primarily stick with Maks and SCTs, but they don't fit too well on a Harley. Even with my glasses I could not get pinpoint images at low powers. I called Televue and talked with David Nagler for a solution (I thought there might be a problem with the scope) and he said that the glasses would have to be special made, one's that I will never be able to use for anything other than this hobby. IF ANYBODY KNOWS A COMPANY THAT SPECIALIZE'S IN EYEWARE PLEASE RESPOND. To sum it up a well built portable scope that provides primium optics that gives me a wide view was a great choice and what I needed. I called Sam at scope city, took the 2 hour drive to San Francisco, picked it up and home before dark. The only complaint other than my eyesite was the price and the focuser lacking 2 speeds. I will rate this scope for my own need.
Optics: (10) high power-(7) at low power because of glasses!
FOV: 10
Gibralter mount: 8 fast to set up.
Ease of Use: 10 point and look.
Value: 8 kind of high priced.
Overall: 9---------------------------Big Dave Turlock Ca

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=283668


Televue Nagler Petzval 101
This is one HELL of a scope.
This thing is built like a tank! The craftmanship is excellent. Man, the only thing that moves is the focuser, and that SMOOTH! Damn. It preforms like (actually, almost like) an AP, just that it costs less! Definitely recommended

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=95709


Televue Nagler Petzval 101
looks like sky & telescope really liked this scope, slightly out performing a TMB scope of similar aperture and focal ratio. i have not had the opportunity to use one, but all the comments this far would indicate it is a really great four inch scope. anyone out there own one?? comments would be appreciated.

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=88514


Televue Nagler Petzval 101
The perfect small scope!!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41295


Televue Nagler Petzval 101
This is the greatest 101mm apochromat out there!
No color flaw at all, at ALL!
Even with all the coatings this thing has it has good brightness
and the slightest of the slightest minor touch in vignetting.
Mounts are sold separately. Anyway I purchased the gibraltar
and voila! Great mount.



by daSentinel

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41293

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