Can anyone recommend a decent scope for travel (able to take on an aeroplane too).
I have a Williams Optics Z61 which is nice and compact but the only problem is I need to bring my tripod and mount as well so the package starts to become a little big and bulky to take.
I'd say it trumps anything on the current "travel" market (also pictured is my former FSQ85 which, in a moment of madness, I sold )
My new squeeze is however a AP92 Stowaway, which neatly fits into an airliner overhead locker compatible camera bag....but has yet to sit under the shadow of the moon.
The lightest and smallest I have is actually a Galileoscope on a cheap tripod with ball head. It's cheap & expendable yet for my astro needs beats 50mm binoculars by a big margin. Next, there is the FS-60/FC-76. For that, I use the Manfrotto 055 tripod and 410 geared head when travelling. Not everyone's cup of tea as the controls can be a bit stiff, but a rock-solid undercarriage for the light refractor(s), and the "setting circles" are great for locating stuff that's not readily seen. I've been a happy user for almost 10 years now. If tracking is needed (almost exclusively for wide-angle photos), I put the Sightron Nano Tracker on top. The complete kit, plus a DSLR, travelled with me by plane just this month trying to escape the weather down here for a look at Venus when it was near the sun. I did not check any bags, the whole thing went as carry-on. To go a bit bigger, but still portable of sorts, I have a C6 that rides on a Vixen Porta and a surveyor's tripod. The C6 in a padded bag still fits hand luggage dimensions, the rest has to be checked of course.
The Z61 would make a fine travel scope I expect. I wouldn't worry about a few more mm of aperture when portability is key.
I already have a Star Advenutuer as well and I agree my Z61 would make a great travel scope.
The only problem I see with the gear I want to take is finding a padded bag good enough to house it all.
I am thinking
- Z61
- Finderscope
- Field flat
- Canon 1200D body
- Canon batteries and remote control
- Skywatcher Star Adventurer
- Portable mini tripod (this one folds up really nicely!) https://au.kentfaith.com/KF09.047_tm...on-dslr-camera
- Eyepieces and a diagonal for visual
2 things to watch out for with these tripod-ball head combos if you intend to use the scope at high powers (speaking from experience here):
- make sure the interface between the tripod legs and the head is wide and rigid, e.g. the "flanges" you find on some - this one appears to have a narrow "neck" between them. This will produce flex which is inconsequential for photography but a major PITA for keeping a telescope on target
- The bigger the ball, the smoother the operation - this one looks to be on the small side.
My nomination for the best travel scope would be a good spotting scope, preferably an ED one. These scopes have improved substantially over the past few years, most coming with excellent zoom eyepieces, with focal lengths of around 460mm, and apertures of 80-100mm. Celestron make some very nice ones at a reasonable price, and you can still use them for nature photography. Oh and I need to mention that they come with a DSLR T-thread adaptor, that screws onto the eyepiece (so an eye piece projection system). Mine works great, with very little vignetting (edge of corners only). Stick them on a cheap tripod and you have a good little travel setup. The Celestron's come with a fitted padded travel bag. Worth considering. BTW, you want a Pan head tripod, ball heads are too flakey.
My nomination for the best travel scope would be a good spotting scope, preferably an ED one. These scopes have improved substantially over the past few years, most coming with excellent zoom eyepieces, with focal lengths of around 460mm, and apertures of 80-100mm. Celestron make some very nice ones at a reasonable price, and you can still use them for nature photography. Oh and I need to mention that they come with a DSLR T-thread adaptor, that screws onto the eyepiece (so an eye piece projection system). Mine works great, with very little vignetting (edge of corners only). Stick them on a cheap tripod and you have a good little travel setup. The Celestron's come with a fitted padded travel bag. Worth considering. BTW, you want a Pan head tripod, ball heads are too flakey.
Another comment re ball heads - while not ideal and not my preference because they weren't built for that purpose, the better ones can make fairly useable AltAz mounts for small scopes - if they are used with the stalk sideways sitting in the notch, effectively using the ball for altitude movement only. Azimuth is done by panning the whole head at the base, so it needs that function to work properly. With the stalk in the upright position, i.e. ball movement for all directions - forget it. One advantage of the ball heads I've seen in use is their smaller form factor, even of the bigger ones. If astro was the main or only use of it, I'd use something else though, perhaps a dedicated AltAz mount that connects to a standard 3/8" tripod thread.
On my intial trip to Europe I took a modified pair of 18X80 binoculars in my carry-on bag, which I could hand hold without great difficulty over there. Later I solved the problem by buying a 5" reflector there, and just left it there with relatives.
As far as I'm concerned, for a decent travel telescope anything will do - from a small William Optics one like yours to a collapsible dob designed for suitcase travel (like a member at my local society has) - but one needs two suitcases (unless one is an extremely light traveller). If travelling to the USA or between various countries in Europe with non-budget airlines, one can take two pieces of checked-in 23kg suitcases. For travel to many places from here, one can join Qantas Club and also take two pieces of checked-in suitcases when travelling economy. The extra suitcase usually isn't a problem when flying Business class (but the ticket usually costs three times the price of an economy ticket).
Unfortunately, paying for the extra suitcase as excess baggage on budget and numerous full-service airlines can be pretty horrendous - one would have been better off just buying a telescope over there, and dumping it when leaving.
Regards,
Renato
Sharpstar in China has released this 72mm F5.6 quintuplet and I am looking to buy one of these, for when I go visit my parents on long weekends and Easter etc.
I haven't decided on what mount to get for it at this stage, still planning.
It only weighs 2.5Kg, and an optional F3.9 reducer is also available, the US retail price is $1099.
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