Televue Nagler Petzval 101

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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)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=445810

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)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=578378

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:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=589896

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