For the information of those with aperture fever, I have just received a free mailout from Obsession Telescopes (requested by email only 1 week ago!) that has blown me away, and convinced me that an Obsession is the way I ultimately want to go.
Included in the mailout is a DVD that runs for almost 2 hours, with interviews with owners, demonstrations of setting up and cleaning the mirror, how the Servo-cat and Argo Navis operate in conjunction with the scope, how the scope and mirrors are manufactured, and importantly, images that give a real life impression of how big each of the scopes in the range actually is, and how they are used in practice.
I should warn that the sound quality and editing is somewhat amateur. That did nothing, however, to deter my drooling!
I should warn that the sound quality and editing is somewhat amateur. That did nothing, however, to deter my drooling!
Hi Rod,
When I quizzed Dave K. about the topic of post production, he said
that he prefers this "raw" quality in his video. So from the director
himself, it is intentional. Dave just pulls out his camera without
warning and says "Start talking!" No rehersal, no second takes, no editing.
Perhaps it conveys a sense of honesty in as much as "what you see is what
you get". It certainly is a style that pre-dated the popularity of reality TV.
Every Dob owner should also have on their bookshelf a copy of Dave K.
and Richard Berry's book, "The Dobsonian Telescope". It can be ordered
through Obsession. Oriented from the perspective of how one can
construct an Obsession-like scope, it nevertheless provides a remarkable
insight into the science and solid engineering principals that underly
their design. From elastic deformation in truss poles, to mirror cell
mechanics, to mechanical properties of wood, to how to stitch a shroud ...
it's all there, again with this raw honesty about it. In a way I feel it says,
"these scopes are the way they are, not through accident, but because
of these design principles".
When I quizzed Dave K. about the topic of post production, he said
that he prefers this "raw" quality in his video. So from the director
himself, it is intentional. Dave just pulls out his camera without
warning and says "Start talking!" No rehersal, no second takes, no editing.
Perhaps it conveys a sense of honesty in as much as "what you see is what
you get". It certainly is a style that pre-dated the popularity of reality TV.
I agree, it does have a raw honesty about it.
BTW, congrats Gary on your part of the DVD, you did well to come up with such detailed commentary in such an unscripted situation.
BTW, congrats Gary on your part of the DVD, you did well to come up with such detailed commentary in such an unscripted situation.
Thanks Rod,
That's most kind. I had tracked into Charlotte N.C. the day before and picked
up a bug somewhere enroute. That night, I was really under the weather.
I roll-up the following day and Dave pulls out the camera and says,
"Start talking!" I wasn't the brightest that day, but I tried as best I could.
I then say to Dave, "You're going to edit that thing, right?" He says,
"Nah, I like my video raw". I figured, "well, there's always the Fast Forward
button".
Dave K. graced our shores last year and we are expecting him to come again in 2007.
Thanks for the heads up Gary. I have just joined (subject to moderator approval). Could be a final and fatal move.....
I think it was one of Tony Buckley's quotes, which I like, that would appear in some
of the U.S. Sky & Telescope ads where it said, "I'm bloated with photons".
That really are just the nicest of scopes.
You work hard. You deserve one. And let's face, life really is too short.
Anyway, feel free to try those lines on Nina and see if it gets you anywhere.
To further consolidate my Obsession obsession, I had the opportunity to observe with Hector (a 20" clone obsession) last night. Thank you Andrew Murrell for the opportunity, and also to John Bambury and Gary Kopff for teaching me the basics of using Hector with Argo Navis.
What a blast! What stands out the most in my mind is the detail I could observe in well known galaxies, that I had never thought possible from visual observing. M83 was simply extraordinary. I could see a core region as a bright condensed ball, and very clear spiral arms, just like in the asto mags. Similarly, M104 had a very sharp and bright ball-core, and much detail was evident in the dusty lane.
Hector worked beautifully with Argo Navis. It was the first time I had ever had a really good play with Argo Navis, and I am now soundly converted to its merits over Meade's Autostar suite. I was very productive hunting down all sorts of prey.
I have built three mirror cells for 16",17.25", and 18" from the obsession book, and my scope is also a clone of an obsession.and Peter Robbins original 20" scope was an obsession, and it was just brilliant.
Free 2 hour Obsession Telescopes DVD
Dave just pulls out his camera without
