Lomo Astele 70 Telescope
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- Optical Diameter: 70 mm
- Max Useful Magnification: x 140
- Mount Type: Equatorial
- Focal Length: 925 mm
- Optical Design: Catadioptrics
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Russian optics?
Pros
Optical/image quality. Superb!
Cons
Cooldown/warmup, but that is a given. Adapter required, but that is understood.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Buy! This product is a sleeper. I am purchasing a 7" LOMO Maksutov because of the 70mm Mak quality.
With 40 years of photography experience I still do not own a truly long lens for 35mm work. After a long period of time I finally decided I simply could not afford any of the best Japanese 500s to 1000s. There is nothing wrong with these fine lenses, just sticker shock.
I purchased a Meade 125mm Maksutov and discovered what all these mid-sized catadioptric telescopes can do. There is a real WOW factor for a first time user of these telescopes. But the Meade is 1900mm f.l. It is too long and heavy for any sort of mobility with a camera. I have taken some great pictures through the Meade but it is not what I needed for general birding photography. I also tried another Mak of 1200mm f.l. and discovered that stability, even on my old Bogen, is a problem.
I began to hear of LOMO optical products from Russia. Russian optics? Never heard of them. So after a few checks on the company I ordered the little 70mm f10 Mak to see what it would do. The LOMO 70 arrived well packaged with a lens cover, lens shade, mirror 90? diagonal, 'T' adapter tube, generic 2500 Plossl eyepiece and a detachable dovetail mount. There were all sorts of small surprises in the package! (Note that LOMO changes telescope packages, (items included), from time to time and the current packaging shown on websites may not be accurate.)
Everything about the telescope and accessories appears to be made of the best materials. All aluminum tubes, extensions, mount and lens shade. The mirror diagonal is generic as is the 25mm Plossl. But I could never tell the difference if these accessories were 'high end' with my eyesight.
Where the rubber meets the road....
Knockout optics. Almost no focus shift. Colors recorded on Kodachrome are fantastic. Focal length is handled well by stout tripods. Sharp image to the edge of the field. Oh, did I say knockout optics? Optics to die for! And the price, that's also a WOW, but because it is on the low end. Street prices range from $200 to $225 so shop around.
I purchased a Meade 125mm Maksutov and discovered what all these mid-sized catadioptric telescopes can do. There is a real WOW factor for a first time user of these telescopes. But the Meade is 1900mm f.l. It is too long and heavy for any sort of mobility with a camera. I have taken some great pictures through the Meade but it is not what I needed for general birding photography. I also tried another Mak of 1200mm f.l. and discovered that stability, even on my old Bogen, is a problem.
I began to hear of LOMO optical products from Russia. Russian optics? Never heard of them. So after a few checks on the company I ordered the little 70mm f10 Mak to see what it would do. The LOMO 70 arrived well packaged with a lens cover, lens shade, mirror 90? diagonal, 'T' adapter tube, generic 2500 Plossl eyepiece and a detachable dovetail mount. There were all sorts of small surprises in the package! (Note that LOMO changes telescope packages, (items included), from time to time and the current packaging shown on websites may not be accurate.)
Everything about the telescope and accessories appears to be made of the best materials. All aluminum tubes, extensions, mount and lens shade. The mirror diagonal is generic as is the 25mm Plossl. But I could never tell the difference if these accessories were 'high end' with my eyesight.
Where the rubber meets the road....
Knockout optics. Almost no focus shift. Colors recorded on Kodachrome are fantastic. Focal length is handled well by stout tripods. Sharp image to the edge of the field. Oh, did I say knockout optics? Optics to die for! And the price, that's also a WOW, but because it is on the low end. Street prices range from $200 to $225 so shop around.
