Your opinions on TV Powermates and Meade Tele-Xtenders please

janoskiss (Steve H) · #1 04-11-2005, 04:37 PM

Post-starcamp astro-buying bug is biting and I am thinking of completing my for-keeps EP set (at least the mid-to-high mag range) with a 9mm T6 Nagler and a 2.5x Powermate. (Giving me effective FLs of 19, 13, 9, 7.6, 5.2, 3.6mm with my existing 13 & 19mm EPs.) I should have thought to hassle someone for a look through their powermates at Star Camp but was too busy having fun with other things. I have two questions for you good people:

1. Is there much difference visually between powermate+EP combo and a dedicated short focal length EP? Eg. 13mm T6 Nagler in 2.5x Powermate vs 5mm T6 Nagler on its own.

2. Are the Meade Tele-Xtenders the same sort of thing as the Powermates?

rumples riot · #2 04-11-2005, 06:19 PM

Steve as you know I currently own a 2.5 and 5x powermate. I did have the TV 3x Barlow and the Meade tele 2x.

While the later two were fine barlows they did have their shortcomings. In particular they tended to be a little too bright in my scope and the lack of baffling sometimes produced unwanted ghosting.

From my own point of view I have been very happy with both of the Powermates, although I find that I can rarely use the 5x on the 10" scope due to the large focal length this produces. They are beautifully made and help produce some of the best images of Saturn and Jupiter I have ever seen through and EP. They are also pivital to my imaging of the planets and I would not be without them for this reason alone.

The Meade tele-extender is not a powermate. The Powermates are a different optical design, and produce better images.

They are expensive but well worth the outlay as far as I am concerned.

Hope this helps.

RB (Andrew) · #3 04-11-2005, 06:26 PM

Yes excatly,

Go with the Powermates.

janoskiss (Steve H) · #4 04-11-2005, 10:27 PM

I had an inkling that the Tele-X is to the P-Mate as the 5000 UWAs are to Naglers. So Powermate it is then.

Paul, from what you're saying about how planets look through them, I take it there is not much diff between using a short FL EP and an equivalent longer FL EP + P-Mate combo...

rumples riot · #5 05-11-2005, 01:44 AM

Steve you will always get image break down at some point with any EP powermate combination. Its worth considering whether you just want the smaller EP or a larger one and the Powermate. If your like me I got both, just because I like the little extra versitility that comes with owning the lot.

Best of luck with your decision.

Robert_T · #6 05-11-2005, 08:54 AM

Steve, I've been wondering the same thing re difference between Meade Tele-extender and TV powermate. A dealer explained to me that the tele-extender was not optically like a barlow, but he couldn't tell me if it was like a powermate either (which is definitely not like a barlow). That aside, for visual I can't help but think that there has to be some trade-off the more bit's of glass you put between yourself and the stars so I've always opted for individual eye-pieces. For imaging, with no eyepiece in the optical train, I think is where the high quality image amplifiers like powermate really excel.

Paul/Rumples- I've been procrastinating over getting a TV power-mate for months, but have been put off as the 2.5x seems a tad shy and the 5x too much amplification (I'd have similar focal length to yours). I thought I'd seen references to a 4x powermate - do you know if these mythical beasts exist?

cheers,

Robert_T · #7 05-11-2005, 09:03 AM

just did a google and answered my own question re 4x powermate - there the 2in barrel offering (along with 2x)...

Steve - here's a link to the TV blurb on what powermates can do for you that barlows just can't
http://www.televue.com/engine/page.asp?ID=42

cheers,

rumples riot · #8 05-11-2005, 10:37 AM

Yeah the 2.5 produces the image scale I use the most. My jupiter shots are with a 2.5. The 5x is just too big. Pity they don't make a 3x powermate. That would be cool. I would sell my 5x then. Still might if someone is interested.

Robert_T · #9 05-11-2005, 11:24 AM

Paul - just a thought, but if you decide to upgrade to one of the monochrome cameras with bigger pixel size - such as the Lumenera - you might find that 5x useful. Chris Pellier uses f69 when the seeing permits with his lumenera, but would only use ~f40-50 with the Toucam.

Sorry Steve - bit off topic...

cheers,

janoskiss (Steve H) · #10 05-11-2005, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rumples riot

Steve you will always get image break down at some point with any EP powermate combination. Its worth considering whether you just want the smaller EP or a larger one and the Powermate.

Hmm, no free lunches, huh? I knew it was too good to be true.

But the Powermate definitely sounds like the "barlow" to get (even if it's not a Barlow).

The only other option I'm considering is getting a couple mid-priced short FL wide-views instead of the Powermate for a similar price. Looking at the Orion Stratus EPs ATM. Any thoughts on this alternative?

bird (Anthony Wesley) · #11 07-11-2005, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert_T

Paul - just a thought, but if you decide to upgrade to one of the monochrome cameras with bigger pixel size - such as the Lumenera - you might find that 5x useful. Chris Pellier uses f69 when the seeing permits with his lumenera, but would only use ~f40-50 with the Toucam.

Sorry Steve - bit off topic...

cheers,

exactly.

Bird

ausastronomer (John Bambury) · #12 08-11-2005, 03:45 PM

Steve,

I have used numerous barlows over the years albeit for visual work only. I currently own a 2.5X TV Powermate, a 2X Orion Shorty Plus and 2" 1.6X Antares APO barlow. I have previously owned several other barlows including a 1.8X Televue, a 2.8X UO Klee and a Meade 140 APO barlow. The 2.5X TV Powermate is simply the best barlow I have used. It is as close to using a shorter focal length native eyepiece as is possible IMO, effectively it disappears and you don't know its there. With all other barlows regardless of quality, you always have the impression "something else is in there".

The meade tele-extender I believe is designed more for photographic use and is not such a "dual purpose" accessory as is the TV Powermate. I would be grabbing the 2.5X Powermate in a flash.

CS-John B

janoskiss (Steve H) · #13 08-11-2005, 05:05 PM

Thanks for your input John.

For the moment, I have decided to spend my money on a set of four Orion Stratus widefield EPs (as I said in this thread). After I've given them a good workout, I'll either be selling them or the Televues. Trouble with the Stratus and Powermate combo is that at 2.5x I'm just going to double up, and a 2x unit would be ideal (Stratus FLs are a factor of 1.6 apart). But if I decide to keep my TVs, then the 2.5x Powermate + 9mm Nag will be perfect.