Is the TV 102 the perfect scope? Maybe - if you like flawless optics and mechanicals. At f 8.6 its a great aperture/speed combination. Resolved M13 outer stars down into core. Not as good as a 12 inch Meade SCT, but stars were sharper in TV 102. M31 - very bright and big. M81 and M82 were not just faint fuzzies - from a dark site they were observable; you could study their structure. Orion Nebulae was simply spectatular. Put in a wide field 32mm or 40mm 2 ep and get sweeping views of open clusters like The Double (the one Messier missed). Its just the perfect combination of aperture and focal length, with enough aperture to allow true observing and study. And, its not too heavy. Works well on a WO EZ Touch mount. I highly recommend this scope - you will NOT be disappointed!

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:54 PM

Beautiful sharp views with this scope.  The only complaint I could make is with the focuser.  With a Feathertouch added, its perfect.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:49 PM

Im a huge fan of televue eyepieces, but was dissapointed with the TV 102.
The build of the Televue was to perfection,and the case was a nice addition, but the optics I felt were less than what they could have been.
Televue took back the sample I had and felt it was up to their standards. I found that hard to believe, and ended up with an FS102 which Im extremely happy with.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:41 PM

Rating this scope for what it is, rather than what I hoped it would be, I must give it a 9 both mechanically and optically.  Views are crisp & clear without color. Contrast is very good.  Mechanical construction is substantial & well finished while being relatively low in weight.  The focuser is silky smooth without mechanical slop.  The focuser housing has no built-in provision for mounting a finder so the TV tube ring or some other arrangement must be used.  In most cases this will put the finder well forward of the focuser; which is OK for a red-dot finder but inconvenient for an optical finder.

However, for a beginner who is hungry to see as much as possible, this scope has been an expensive disappointment.  4 aperture isnt enough.  Although it does very well on Open Clusters, double stars, planets & the moon; it falls noticeably short of even ETX125 performance on Globular Clusters, planetary nebulas and galaxies.  Ive concluded its a scope for the following:
1)bright local objects
2)astrophotography  
3)experienced observers who have been there-done that
4)an observer who already has a big-bore Dob or SCT and wants an easily set up 2nd scope for wide field viewing.
5)optical excellence fanatics who are more concerned with optical perfection than observing.

Another Caveat:  Consider how you will mount this scope.  For me the Gibraltar was too clumsy & imprecise for any magnification beyond 100x.  I ended up putting it on a GM8--which is VERY nice.  But for the money invested, Im not far from a 12 LX200.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:37 PM

Through the years I have owned many telescopes large and small from newts to SCTs to refractors. The Tele Vue 102 in my opinion is the perfect all around telescope. Its f/8.6 880 FL is a perfect balance to allow not only widefield viewing but high power Planetary observing without having to add as much glass at the diagonal as you would with a shorter scope. The quality of the 102,(Well its a Tele Vue!) Outstanding! Focuser smooth as butter, and the star images tack sharp. I use my 102 for observing an atrophotography, it performs outstandingly for both.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:37 PM