On Tue, 30 Sep 2003 15:02:43 +0900, Trane Francks wrote:

snip

Can anybody with binoviewer experience offer some comments on the
idea? How about the Zoom Televue EPs in a binoviewer? That would
seem to be a natural place for them, IMO. Any comments about how
dim planetary images appear when using a 4" scope with a
binoviewer? I tend not to hunt faint fuzzies unless the
transparency happens to be amazing -- a rare thing here in Tokyo.

Thanks.

trane

Hi trane,

While I haven't used the TV zooms (except for the nagler zoom, I haven't
really used a zoom I'm all that fond of - but that's a personal issue) I
can make some comments about using a binoviewer with a small scope. I've
used several different ones in my 4" APO, and had good results on lunar
and planetary with most of them (including the denkmeier standard, FMC, II
and TV Binoview). DSO's are something of a mixed bag. Some show
well, others cry for more aperture. Planetary (and lunar) images don't
dim much at all. In fact testing LM with and without the binoviewer (a
denkmeier standard in this case), I find I only lose around .2-.3
magnitudes. Some folks have reported more, and some less so obviously
ymmv. Planets and the moon look simply fantastic in the binoviewer and
honestly, one look at luna would be enough to convince me to get one if I
didn't already have one.

Hope this helps.

Tom T.