Hi all,
I've decided to sell my new Stellarvue SV105 triplet apo refractor. I will make it available to anyone in the CAAS/RRAC/AOAS clubs who is interested. It is a really crisp focusing, great little scope. The Starlight focuser will easily handle any large 2 inch eyepiece and 2 inch diagonal you want to put on it, even Naglers, Panoptics, Ethos, etc...., as well as a normal sized CCD or DSLR camera. At about 6 lbs, you start to exceed the abilities of the focuser which is why I'm selling it. It just can't handle my camera size and length.

Here's a product link for those interested:
http://www.stellarvue.com/sv105.htm

(Mine is the white, CNC machined aluminum version, not the dark carbon-fiber tube).

I'm changing over to a Takahashi TSA-102 refractor that has a beefier focuser and more back-focus so that it will handle my camera better.

Here are the specs:
1) 2009 Stellarvue SV105 triplet apo in like-new condition. 105mm aperature/735mm focal length (f/7). Was $2295 new (regular price will be $2695 for future new ones).
2) Stellarvue SFF7-2 dedicated field flattener for imaging. (Was $265 new).
3) Stellarvue padded carry bag for scope. (Was $90 new).
4) Included focuser is 2 inch Starlight Instruments Feathertouch crayford focuser.
5) Objective lens is a triplet apochromatic assembly with O'Hara FPL-53 glass, temperature compensating lens cell, and has user-collimatable push-pull adjustment screws on the lens cell.

2 inch to 1.25 inch eyepiece adapter and front/rear dust covers included. OTA-mounted Deluxe F-2 laser finder included. Factory crating and owners manual included.

Everything is in like-new condition. This is the refractor that I displayed at the Mulberry Mountain Star Party last month.

I will let the whole thing go for $1795 ($2650 value if purchased new). This is less than you would pay for many brands of similar aperature doublet refractors that don't have nearly as good of color correction or laser-crisp focus as this triplet apo has.

Let me know if anyone is interested in this scope before I put it on Astromart.
I can demo it live at the CAAS club property for any interested shoppers who want to try it out first before deciding.


Thanks,
Wade Van Arsdale
CAAS Member
Little Rock

Hi Wade -

I think you'll like that Tak TSA-102. It's a great scope for the money.

I am curious about what camera equipment you've been using that would overload the Starlight Instruments focuser.

Is that a 2" focuser on the StellarVue or a larger one? I know Starlight makes focusers as large as 3.5".

Hi Dave,
The imaging train I use is:
ST-2000 CCD camera
AO-8 Adaptive Optics (not need at the SV105's focal length, but it is a pain to mount and dismount it off the camera so I leave it on there whether
I activate it or not for an imaging session.
SBIG CF8WA color filter wheel.

(The above uses 125mm back-focus length and weights 5.7 lbs). If I add robotic focusing (I use a JMI Smart-Focus digital focuser on my SCT and a
larger refractor), this adds another 78 mm of used back-focus or 203mm total back-focus used.

The Tak focuser will insure I can use ALL the above, and without any focuser sag with its larger 2.7 inch focuser and 230mm available back-focus.

The Starlight 2 inch focuser is good up to about 5 lbs of payload, but over that, you get sag and elongated stars unless you bungee the
camera or put a bracket under it to stop flex. Too much trouble to mess with, IMO.

The 3.5 inch Starlight focuser is a tank and will hold all the above easily with no slip or flex.

I think I will keep the SV105 for a little while and run some side by side comparisons of it and the Tak before selling the SV refractor. I may
even keep the SV105. It is a great little refractor and gives some really laser-sharp, pleasing views through the eyepiece. It will be interesting to compare it with the Tak TSA-102.

Cheers,
Wade

Wade, thanks for the details on the camera gear you're using. I understand now what he issues are. It's amazing how quickly the weight starts to add up when you get the camera, filter wheel, and focus motors, etc all mounted.

I'd sure be interested in a side-by-side review of the TSA-102 vs the SV105. They're both great scopes. If you're not going to sell the SV105 right now, we'll want to hear which one you ultimately decide to go with. (or maybe make one the guide scope.. and the other the main imaging scope.)

I appreciate all he info as it helps me decide which route i ultimately want to go. I'm torn between the great views I get through a big dob and the potential gorgeous images I could be getting from a refractor/GEM setup. Like you, the ophthalmologist has already said I'm going to need cataract surgery some time in the coming years, and I've noticed my visual acuity has dropped dramatically in the last 4 years or so. As Lawrence (Diedrich Bader) says in the movie Office Space. "Bummer dude!"

Yup, I'll probably do a shootout between the two. Should be interesting.

I hear you on the cataracts. One of the "joys" of getting older.

Cheers,
Wade

Hi all,
I did do a comparison of the two refractors. It's a little bit apples to oranges but for those interested, here you go:
Images:
SV105: http://www.compubuild.com/astro/m16.htm
TSA-102: http://www.compubuild.com/astro/m56.htm

Advantage Goes To:
Backfocus: TSA-102 (230mm vs. 140mm)

Focuser Quality: SV105---Starlight 2 inch dual-speed vs. Tak single speed rack and pinion. Even with the Tak MEF-3 microfocuser, performance advantage went to the Starlight, especially when carrying heavier camera payloads. The Tak microfocuser slipped at 6 lbs payload, the
Starlight did not.

Build/Finish/Look/Appearance: SV105. Better looking finish and looks "quality" more than the Tak OTA finish.

Objective Lens Cell: SV105. Has user-adjustable collimation built-in. The Tak TSA-102 uses a fixed, non-adjustable cell. Texas Nautical
Repair guarantees perfect collimation for all Taks they ship. Mine was in very good collimation right out of the box and produces round stars out
to the edges. The SV105 was not in good collimation from the factory and I had to collimate it myself. Here's the optical analysis for both
scopes. Here you can see what went on with getting the SV105 right:
SV105: http://www.compubuild.com/astro/SV105/
TSA-102: http://www.compubuild.com/astro/TSA102/

Price: SV105 wins by over $400. There is not $400 difference in performance between these two scopes overall. So this makes the SV105 a great deal for the money.

Airline Portability: Advantage to the SV105 because the focuser threads off the back-end of the scope. The Tak focuser cannot do this, and
the Tak has a longer focal length of 816mm vs. 735mm for the Stellarvue. However, I like the slightly longer f.l. of the Tak and it helps result in slightly better field contrast and tighter focus than I get with the SV105.


Subjective Optical Opinions:
Advantage to TSA-102. Both visually and on test images, to my eye the TSA-102 appears to have slightly better color correction, slightly crisper focus, better color correction and less spherochromaticism. But the differences in the two scopes on all these factors are hair-splitting at best. They are both two very fine scopes that give really pleasing views visually, and perform very well for imaging.

If I had to choose just one of these scopes, I would have to go with the Takahashi TSA-102 due to much more available back-focus for long imaging payloads and binoviewer use, as well as its optical performance. But the SV105 has an advantage on other factors, so it just boils down to the end-user as to which factors are the most important ones. So ultimately, the choice comes down to personal preference, because the two scopes are very close overall in features and performance.

Clear skies,
Wade Van Arsdale

Wade are you still have? i am interesting in it

Hello,
The SV105 was sold shortly after the original post. You may want to call Stellarvue directly and talk to Vic Maris about it. Sometimes they have consignment models in for resale at a lower price. They might have that model in stock currently.

Wade