TeleVue 85

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TeleVue 85
Star test is excellent, tack sharp image quality. Extremely sharp planetary, moon, and double star images easily rivaling or exceeding much larger scopes. Starbeam finder is worth the extra money. I would recommend going with either the Panoramic or Gibraltar mount over the TelePod unless portability is your primary concern. The TelePod is wonderful, but is somewhat shaky when trying to focus at high powers (over 150x). The 27mm panoptic, 19mm panoptic, 7mm nagler, and TeleVue 2x barlow are an ideal set of eyepieces for the scope. Comes with a very nice padded case. Absolutely the best portable / easy setup scope on the market, period.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39123

TeleVue 85
If you want a wide field of view, this is the scope to get. Sure makes finding stuff a lot easier. Alt azimuth mounts are
also highly convenient. I can pick up the scope and mount and
move it to the other side of where I am sitting to view the other
part of the sky. Talk about easy to use. The eyepiece caddy is worth
getting. Great for doubles and clusters in light polluted areas.
One advantage of a premium refractor like this one is little or no cool down
so you are observing right away.

I would also recommend the book: Messier Marathon by Harvard Pennington.
Really good way to learn the constellations and makes finding objects to
look at a cinch. Once you know where they are, its a lot easier to find them
again. Great star hopping system. Go strait to it.

The sky tour computer would be a great addition as well for learning the
night sky with this telescope.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 4 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39124

TeleVue 85
My application for the TV-85 was a little different ... it was mounted on
an observatory telescope as a finder. It's a little over-the-top for this
purpose, but it makes an unbelievably good finder, especially with the TV
31mm Nagler or 35mm Panoptic eyepieces. For straight-through viewing, a
3.5" extension tube allows you to reach focus, but barely. Star tests,
practical view, fit and finish, smoothness of operation ... in a word,
flawless.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39125

TeleVue 85
Q: I own a Pronto now and am considering selling it. Should I replace it with
a TV-85 now or put my name on the waiting list for an AP Traveller and be
patient like a good little boy??? Please advise.

Overall Rating: No Vote
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TeleVue 85
Purchased as a portable scope to complement a 10" SCT. Fills this niche perfectly. Color correction is excellent. Star test as well. Routinely use 200X on planets with this scope. The Telepod mount is a bit shakey at this high of magnification, but passable. At a dark site, gives spectacular wide field views. I prefer a 22mm Panoptic to the 35 in this scope. Well designed package. Quik Point is okay, but dew prone and kind of dim.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39127

TeleVue 85
I can't imagine anything more that could be expected in an 85mm scope. The images are extremely sharp with little if any color. Stars are pinpoints at low power and become tiny disks with faint diffraction rings as power increases. I have used mine regularly at 240x and get an excellent image. Great for planets and double stars at high power. I was able to view a 1.3 arc second double at 240x. Even though there was no clear split, the two stars showed up as small overlapping disks, with evident color. Also great for wide field objects like open clusters at low power (with a 35mm Panoptic eyepiece). Got this as a portable scope to augment my Meade 10" LX-200. The 10" produces brighter images and can see fainter stars, but anything that is bright enough looks as good as, or better, in the TV-85 than it does in 10". I use a Telepod head on a heavy duty photo tripod. It's not overly steady, but is adequate. The Telepod head requires frequent rebalancing when changing eyepieces. Mechanically the TV-85 is extremely solid and well built. Expensive, but worth it!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39128

TeleVue 85
Excellent Optics. My first telescope. Took it to a star party and the view of the Orion Nebula was better than some guys 18 inch dobsonian. This was told to me by several people.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39129

TeleVue 85
Read my comments re:Celestron G-3....I then gladly emptied my bank account to buy the TV-85 and have never looked back. Amazing scope...agree with all the above comments. Superbly made, superb views, superb service and access to Televue. I have personally spoken 1 on 1 with Al Nagler...such service I have never seen before (try that with Celestron or Meade...those guys don't even know where half their stuff is made much less the technicals). I have compared with a G-3, G-8, lx-50,astroscan, starsplitter 12 (collimated). I am so amazed with this machine....point your little starbeam and wham....there it is...clear and quick on a Gibralter mount. My grandchildren will beg for this when I'm old! I have matched it with a 17,12 and 7 Nagler with a 4 rad. All that's left is deciding on a very low power widefield.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39130

TeleVue 85
I've sold all my telescopes except for the TV85 (that group included an AP Traveler, which is also an outstanding instrument). In my opinion, the 85 is _the_ perfect all-purpose instrument. Optics are flawless as is the entire package and execution. I use it on a Great Polaris mount or the Telepod. My Losmandy would have been overkill (it was sold with the Traveler). Though larger and heavier, it's just as convenient as the Pronto (which I also sold). I've owned many instruments in this size class. While the price on the 85 is high in absolute terms, it is a relative bargain. Especially considering the current supply situation of certain other refractors.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39131

TeleVue 85
Excellent focus and clarity. Built like a rock. Highly portable. Absolutely no fringe color at all. Lunar views are breathtaking. Highly satisfying instrument.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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TeleVue 85
An amazing scope. Take it on the plane as carry on to your dark site. I use the telpod w. a bogen tripod that also fits in soft luggage. I did find however that I prefer to use a red dot finder instead of the scope itself w. a 50mm plossl ep.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39139

TeleVue 85
I have my Televue 85 for over a year now a side from that I also owm a Tak 102 and to me I consider the 85 the best scope because it gets use a lot very portable superb optics easy set with my Telepod with Sky Tour wonderful scope I'm happy. Clear Skies

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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TeleVue 85
This is such a great scope! I purchased to complement my 6" Tal-2m newtonian. It goes to dark sites in soft-luggage. I use the Telpod w. a Bogen tripod. That's fine for me. I also prefer to use a red-dot finder to a 50mm plossl.

Breath-taking orion and lagoon nebulae.

Cheers

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39148

TeleVue 85
I wanted a portable, quality apo and the televue 85 is it! This telescope is the perfect solution.I loked at the lunar limb at 171x and saw no secondary color at all. The views are very three dimensional during the day.This telescope screams quality. Very pleased with this portable package wich packs alot of punch.
David S.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39150

TeleVue 85
My first scope since childhood. As a beginner, with limited scope experience,
my rating probably doesn't hold much value. But I do know quality when I see it,
and this scope is just spectacular. I was astounded to find that every paper document in the package was personally signed by Al Nagler himself. It certainly
increased my confidence in the quality of the product. Who signs the scopes at Meade?

My First Light experience with the scope, in the heavily light polluted Bay Area, was great. Clear night, so-so seeing, but I was able to find Andromeda, Jupiter and four moons, Saturn, and I even found the moon! :-) Beautiful views, and I hope to have many years of great star hopping with this scope. It will make a great scope to pass along to my son too.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39151

TeleVue 85
I've waited a year before rating this scope - although I had been using binoculars for some time, this is my first scope. My intent was to have a scope that would help me learn the night sky...having no barriers to viewing was my criteria, and so ease of use and portability was critical. Planets, double stars, and nebula were to be my primary targets.

The TV 85 has been flawless, and has provided outstanding views of a wide range of targets, such as the Veil (on a very dark night with an O3 filter), the whirlpool galaxy, and Rasalgethi (my favorite double, in Hercules).

At star parties I've compared the views to many great scopes; AP's, large SC's, and haven't been envious of anything but aperature for galaxies and faint clusters - and unless we're talking about 10" or more, I wouldn't be interested in the difference.

My next scope will be a homemade or commercial large dob, but I've seen nothing under 10 to 12 inches that showed me more than the TV 85.

Bill Z.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39154

TeleVue 85
Superb scope. I have had it several months now piggy backed to a Meade LX200 10" and it is an awesome combination. The 85 provides superb wide field views with tack sharp stars to the edge of field with good ep's. I use the TV Radian 4 and 6 mm on planets and small bright deep sky objects. This combination offers excellent contrast with black backgrounds. A Meade UWA 14mm offers a beautiful view of all three of Orions scabbard star regions including M42. This must be seen to be believed. The Panoptic 35mm offers gorgeous wide fields of objects like the Double Cluster, M45 and the Beehive. The scope is rock solid and a model of true first rate construction and materials. I have looked through a lot of APO's that cost a lot more and nothing comes close.

Clear Skies.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39155

TeleVue 85
After over a year and a half of waiting for a certian other telescope with no end in sight, I bought a TV85. I just walked into my dealer, paid by VISA and walked out! Having owned a Pronto in the past I was familiar with the quality of Tele Vue scopes, but bought this one on the strength of the reviews. I am not disappointed. This is a terrific scope! Fast cool down and excellent portability allow me to go out for a quick look on cold Canadian winter nights! Fabulous images with no detectable colour. My 10" Dob is getting pretty dusty!
I use it on a Manfrotto tripod and video head, a set up that is marginal but o.k. at low-medium power. Looks like a Panoramic/Gibraltar is in my future! Eyepieces I use with it:22 Nag, 14 UW, 9 Nag and 3mm Radian. The limiting factor with the 3mm is the seeing and my mount, not the scope! I just got the Radian and it has exceeded my expectations by a large margin. I will get a couple more of these!
In short; exquisite optics in a very portable format. Gets used a lot!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39156

TeleVue 85
This scope is everything it is supposed to be. Build and optical quality are top notch. Comes with a nice case. The Telepod mount is too light for this scope at high powers.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39157

TeleVue 85
I had the great pleasure of some extended and diverse viewing through this scope at a recent star party (see http://www.ihwy.com/~barbour/jeff/astro/mar-01-reports.html#9). Truly this is one mechanically beautifully-crafted, excellently figured optically, scope! The owner fitted it nicely with some wonderful eyepieces and the UWF views were breathtaking. Color correction, unsurpassed. DSO/field contrast superb. Could go on and on. I can see how many of the previous owners mentioned they intended their TV-85's as heirlooms for the next generation of astronomers. Based on my experiences with this scope (and my own excellently figured though mechanically deficient ShortTube 80), I for one have become an afficianado of optical excellence over aperture. Scopes like this are the only possible antidote to "Aperture Fever". Time to coin a new phrase "Optical Fervour".

(This from the owner of an MK-67 MCT.)

BTW: The only reason I rate this scope a "9" is the fact that the one I used came on an altazimuth mount. This seriously limited the scope's usability at high magnifications (when resolving brighter globular clusters and showing planetary detail).

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39158

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