Sky and Telescope - November 2015 - 57

created through a collaboration between Tele Vue Optics
and Finger Lakes Instrumentation (FLI). Comprising a
special model of Tele Vue's NP127 apo refractor coupled
with FLI's Altas Focuser, Centerline Filter Wheel, and
ProLine 16803 CCD camera (other models are also compatible), the setup tipped the scales at 38 pounds, including my ADM dovetail mounting bar and guidescope. A
hefty load for a 5-inch imaging system, but one that on
paper should be a good ﬁt for the MyT.
Proof came after only a few nights of testing. This
setup works superbly as a system, and people at Software
Bisque, FLI, and Tele Vue have also recognized this.
They are informally discussing the possibility of marketing the setup as a package deal. Someone even ﬂoated
the idea of including a small, dedicated computer with
all the necessary software preloaded and conﬁgured - a
truly novel concept for a high-end, deep-sky astrophotography setup. Time will tell if this happens, but regardless, it put an interesting perspective on what began as a
review of just the mount.
This gear is premium equipment, which is priced
accordingly. As I've mentioned in the past, the bar is set
very high when it comes to my expectations for this kind
of equipment, and in this case I wasn't disappointed.
After months of testing and hundreds of exposures
made with the system used both as a portable setup
and on a ﬁ xed pier in my backyard observatory, I am
extremely impressed with how everything performed. I
can comfortably endorse all of this equipment as a package as well as individual pieces. So, end of review? No. At
least not if I want to walk away with a clear conscience.
But I'll save my reservations for later in this story. For
now, let's take a closer look at the equipment.

The Imaging System
The Tele Vue NP127ﬂi is a dedicated imaging version
of the company's 5-inch apo refractor reviewed in this
magazine's July 2007 issue. It has no provision for visual
use with eyepieces. The original telescope's focuser has
been replaced with a rigid adapter that provides a strong,
ﬂexure-free connection to the FLI imaging train and permanently maintains the system's optical alignment. The
scope also includes Tele Vue's Large Field Corrector lens
properly positioned at the rear of the adapter to deliver
optimal star images across the ﬁeld of FLI's large-format
CCD cameras. This lens slightly increases the scope's
nominal 660-mm focal length to 680 mm, yielding an
f/5.35 focal ratio and a ﬁeld of view a bit more than 3°°
across with the ProLine 16803 camera I tested.
The Truesense KAF-16803 CCD in this camera has a
square imaging area measuring 36.8 mm on a side. The
scope provides 100% illumination across a ﬁeld slightly
more than 20 mm in diameter, beyond which the
light falls oﬀ smoothly to 88% at the edges of the chip.
The illumination 25 mm from the optical axis, which

WHAT WE LIKE:
Excellent combination for deepsky imaging
All ﬁrst-class equipment that
worked ﬂawlessly
Equally well suited for portable
use or for unattended remoteobservatory operation

WHAT WE DON'T LIKE:
While especially attractive as a
"plug & play" imaging system,
it can have an extremely steep
learning curve for people new
to CCD imaging or those lacking
ﬁrsthand experience with similar
equipment.

Above: The 34-pound
MyT equatorial head
(sans counterweight
shaft) and its custom
19-pound tripod (a
$1,350 option) can
easily be carried
short distances in a
single trip.
Right: Because of
power requirements
mentioned in the
text, as well as those
for his laptop computer and autoguider,
the author did his
"portable" testing
at the end of an
extension cord in his
suburban-Boston
driveway.

Sk yandTelescope.com November 2015

57
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Sky and Telescope - November 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky and Telescope - November 2015
