Astro-Physics ... Madness??

[Hans Tucker]

The US second hand Astronomy Gear Market never really fails to surprise me in particular when Astro-Physics scope come up for sale. Astromart is selling off gear from what I believe might be a deceased estate and one scope in the inventory currently up for auction is a Astro-Physics 180 f/7 refractor .. current top bid of$24K USD with still over 1 week to go. Now when compared to the TEC line of APO refractors this has surpassed the price of a TEC APO180FL F/7 @ $19K and heading towards the price of a TEC APO200FL F/8 @ $29.6K. Could the price reach what a TEC APO250VT F/8.8 is .. will report back in a week.

[strongmanmike]

....I need one for Eagleview! :prey2:

:lol:
Mike

[AnakChan]

The out of production Takahashi FSQ130ED went for USD$31,762 (AUD$42,465) at the end of May on Yahoo Auction.

[Hans Tucker]

:eyepop: incredible. Clearly there still is a demand for these scopes. I don't know why Takahashi just doesn't do a limited run every 2 years maybe.

[DavidTrap]

Peanuts compared to the Canon 1200mm lens!

[alpal]

I went here:
https://astromart.com/classifieds/astromart-classifieds/telescope-refractor/show


I have an old account with astromart -

but they want me to pay a minimum of $15 to see the advert.


There wasn't a box I could tick saying - no thanks.

[Peter Ward]

Just so we are clear on how I feel about Astro-Physics products…..

I have an AP92, AP130GTX, AP155 (4” focuser and flattener), AP305RHA.

As to whether madness or some affliction prevailed when I acquired these instruments matters not, as from a sheer $ perspective,
I can sell (well… maybe not on IIS classifieds…markets do actually extend beyond our COVID locked shores) each of these ‘scopes for somewhat more than I paid for them.

But regardless of price, each of these instruments have and still provide me with sheer lack of fuss and delight while using them and in many cases,
have produced award winning images (more due the fact the optics are as good as the laws of physics allow, rather than my AP Journeyman skills).

All I can say if you have an AP ‘scope, enjoy it.

If you don’t, still enjoy it! .....But, perhaps, don’t expect the market rule of supply-and-demand to appreciate its sale value.

Regardless of the 'scope you use have fun with it....as after 80 odd orbits around the Sun most of us will have priorities that rate esoteric optical quality as a fairly low concern.

[Hans Tucker]

What ... no 254mm F14.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain to complement you AP collection

I have is a AP130GTX and it's a keeper. Still reckon my APOMAX 130 f12 was a precursor to the AP 6" f12.

[Peter Ward]

I didn't mention the AP130 F6.0 I foolishly sold.

Hey, Scaglietti only sculpted a hand-full of Ferraris.

They don't go faster than the modern variants...but that's not the point ;)

[AnakChan]

Dang Peter. That must have hurt. But it's hard to tell what would stick and what would stay.

5 - 6 yrs back I had a choice of selling off the µ250CRS and upgrade to the FSQ130ED, or pick up the Pentax 125SDP and keep the µ250CRS. I picked the latter thinking that the Pentax would be a nice "investment" choice as it was out of production and was quite sought after at that time.

However it seems the obsolete 125SDP has lost its popularity 6 years later (now) whilst the FSQ130ED has gone up dramatically.

[gregbradley]

An older AP 180 F7 for US$24K does seem a bit overexcited.

I had a TEC180FL F7 for many years and it was a fine instrument. Perhaps the AP will perform a bit better in the red channel otherwise the TEC would be hard to surpass.

A 180 scope is large and heavy and a bit unwieldy really. It would need dark skies to shine.

Personally i think 160 is the maximum useful APO aperture. Above that you're best off with a compound scope and go even more aperture.

US$24K gets you a 14 inch CDK or IDK and the AP whilst lovely and nice tight stars would be hard pressed to match that aperture. Perhaps even a 17 inch.

But Roland's products are amazing and his perfectionism is reflected in his work and that is worth a premium just like any premium product does.
What that is worth to you would vary.

Greg.

[Hans Tucker]

Isn't it all about location, location, location. I would think local seeing conditions would dictate the size of scope. Personally I love the simplicity of refractors .. would love to have a TEC APO200FL F/8 but would that be practical in suburbia.

[alpal]

For observing:

I've been to many star parties and the ultra high quality refractors
combined with top eyepieces always won against reflectors on
low contrast objects such as planets.
Mars would be a furry red ball on the reflector but you could make out
an ice cap and some surface detail with a refractor.
The exception to that was the
0.5 m Edith Winstone Blackwell Telescope (EWB) which
is a classical Cassegrain reflector (f/13.3) manufactured by Carl Zeiss of Jena in Auckland NZ.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stardome_Observatory
The best view of Jupiter I've ever seen in my life.


However - if you want to see faint galaxies then the large reflectors win.

[Kal]

Could be a few more bids to come, a search of past sales and you will find one passed in at auction in 2004 with a $27100 bid (https://astromart.com/auctions/astromart-auctions/telescope-refractor/show/astro-physics-180-f7-55) (buy now price of $37000), and another one which did sell in auction in 2004 for $36600 (https://astromart.com/auctions/astromart-auctions/telescope-refractor/show/astro-physics-180-f7-731))

[anj026]

Looks like it went for $26250 USD so relatively good value!

[AnakChan]

That definitely is, for the winning bidder! A little surprised it went for that.

[Hans Tucker]

A bit of frantic bidding between 3 members on the last day.

Funny .. a auction for a similar scope was turned in at $27100 Reserve Not Met ... owner wanted $37000 and we are talking USD people.

[Nikolas]

down the bottom there was a link
no need to pay

[alpal]

Thanks - I can see it now too.


It ends today at US$26250.00 for now. :eyepop:




cheers
Allan