Borg 55 Fluorite telescope

[Wilso]

Hi all,

Just acquired my new telescope. The BORG 55 fluorite apo f4.5
It has 2elements in two groups made by cannon, has a 60mm tube diameter and a focal length of 250mm.

Over all fit and finish is excellent as you would expect from Japan , comes with a helical focuser (18mm range) and draw tube with 38mm of travel and 60/20mm interchangeable tubes so you can easily change from visual to photographic if the need arises.
Got a package deal from Ted at Hutech and added the Borg tube ring, Arca Swiss mount, a visual 31.5 adapter and a m42 ring for my Nikon adapter.
Highly recommended Hutech, very prompt and helpful through emails, and dispatched the next day :thumbsup:

Originally bought this for a finder scope, but has so many other applications it can be used for this could easily become my most used telescope/lens.
Any input or comments about this scope is most welcome !

Cheers

[FlashDrive]

Nice .... Borg has a good reputation for their quality Scopes.

Col...:)

[AstroApprentice]

Congrats Wilso...and welcome to the Borg!
Ted is super helpful and appears to sleep on his keyboard as he answers questions so quickly.
You may have read some of the great reports on Cloudy Nights about the 55FL, particularly with the 0.8x reducer/flattener (#7880) - it’s a quadruplet and you’ll pay for all those lenses. Despite the $$$, some over there consider the 55FL with reducer the ultimate portable imaging scope. Anyone interested can search for the scope on CN and enjoy the reviews, Astro images and pics of some impressive, super portable setups. Way too good for a finder! ;)
I’m not sure if you’re aware that K Astec make some great accessories for your scope including a Micro focuser that would help when imaging:
http://www.kyoei-osaka.jp/SHOP/k-astec-mfa55fl.html
Enjoy!

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup: What a little beauty ! Darren top quality there .

If it performs as well as the specs look you will be more than happy and like my little LP 60mm triplet it will give nice sharp , ( razor ) contrasty views , I like the way a small quality refractor shows stars , perfect ;) .

Brian.

[Wilso]

First light.

Overall outstanding little scope. Ultra light weight.
Able to fit in Orion's Belt and sword in whole using my Tak Le 30 with a 52deg field of view.
No CA on stars and the partial moon using Le 5 and 7.5, nice crisp and sharp views. I think the le's provided a more pleasant view than my 13mm Nagler , a bit brighter image and appeared a bit crisper.
Stars at the edge of field appeared nice and round in both types of eyepieces.
Might have to invest in a couple more Le's though.

Cheers :thumbsup:

[ab1963]

Screams quality

[Wilso]

Hi,

I thought I would include a list of parts that I used for this scope set up that suited me for visual /photo in case someone else req the same.
It can be a bit daunting at first, but I recommend you contact ted with your own requirements so he can suggest other options.

Telephoto lens set 6255 includes:
55 fluorite objective 2555
M57/60 tube 20mm 7602
M57/60 tube 60mm 7604
M57 dx helical focuser 7758
M57 draw tube 7205
T thread adapter 7522 (swapped out included 7000 to suit my camera adapter m42 and also suits eyepiece adapter below)

Added:
M42 31.5mm eyepiece adapter 7317
60 series mounting ring 7065
Arca Swiss mounting block 8992
M57 rear metal cap 7357

I used USPS express.

Cheers
Darren

[FlashDrive]

Darren ... stop showing off :P

[N1]

Looks a cracker Darren. Interested to hear how much power this thing can handle before the image breaks down. Also interested in its photographic performance on full frame. Still on the lookout for a decent telephoto that can double as an ultra portable scope for quick looks.

Does that say "Mini Mini Drawtube" on there??? :lol:

[Wilso]

Hi Mirko,

I probably can't help you out too much there.
The highest magnification of the scope using the Le 5mm = 50x and I don't own a barlow or powermate at the moment either.
I only have a D5300 crop sensor camera as well, so that doesn't help you.
Try looking on CN for more info on their threads and the Borg catalog (if your good at Japanese ) :question:

Sorry

[bigjoe]

Looks sooo cute ..too good for a finder!
Canon flourite glass can't beat it! You'll run out of light before the image breaks down at high powers.

bigjoe.

[N1]

Hi Darren that's alright. If/when you do use it for shooting with the D5300 let us know what the corners are like (vignetting if any, star shapes etc). But most of all - enjoy

[Wilso]

Hi Mirko,

I've only coming to grips with the camera at the moment for terrestrial use as I only purchased it late last year. My astrophotography use is very very limited!
I forgot to mention there is astrograph units available as well, f3.6 from memory, 6 elements in 5 groups but $$$
Bigjoe is right any further mag and you'll soon run out of light unless your looking at the moon.

Cheers

[AstroApprentice]

HI Wilso,
The astrograph & your visual setup share the same objective and many other parts - you’ll just need the reducer/flattener, a shorter tube section and a t-thread adapter and then you’ll have the best of both worlds - that’s the beauty of Borg! As Roger Vine of Scopeviews.co.uk aptly stated ‘Borg is Meccano for scope nerds’ ;)

[Wilso]

You are correct Jason it is the same ota with the Quadruplet reducer/flattener!
Just as a package deal.:thumbsup:
With the long weekend I managed to make the adapter plate to match the Tak quick release bracket and the Arca Swiss mount.
Needed extra height to clear the focuser housing anyway.
Only fixed using 1 screw until I align it with my TSA ( may have to face the adapter for alignment and then I'll add the second screw.)
Simple.
I thought I should add a photo just for Col :lol:

[FlashDrive]

Aren't you thoughtful :thumbsup:

Col...:D

[Wilso]

A bit left of centre!

I've decided to mount the Borg scope to the side of the main scope. Using it as also a counter weight going from eyepiece heavy 31 nagler to eyepiece light 7.5 Le.
Needing 55mm of aft travel of the Borg scope to adjust weight to equalise balance. Have in the past adjusted the dew shield or tightened the mount to suit the eyepieces.
Used a 200mm macro photography rail which gives me 120mm of adjustment including micro 1 rotation = 1.06mm .
Includes push button for fast adjustment and lock down knob.
You could also use a dovetail with a small saddle clamp which would achieve the same outcome without the micro adjustment.
One multi-use telescope - visual/imaging/finder/and now counter weight ;)

Cheers

[nicosk]

They do make excellent finders ;)

[AstroApprentice]

It seems Vixen have released a competitor to the Borg 55FL:
http://www.apm-telescopes.de/en/telescopes/refracting-telescopes-ota/apochromates/vixen-fl55ss-fluorite-refractor-telescope.html

[axle01]

Hey Darren I have one also and it’s a f3.6 so I’m sure if you check yours is also,,,,not a f4.5

Al

[AstroApprentice]

Hi Alan,
You must have the 0.8x reducer attached (#7880).

[axle01]

Yeah, ok then that reduces it to f3.6

Al

[Wilso]

I don't think it looks as good Jason , but I'm biased!
Has a similar price tag though ;)