4″ F/8.6 Doublet Apochromatic Refractor, Ivory & Black Finish Optical tube with case.

4″ F/8.6 Refractor Ivory & Black finish Complete Kit with 2″ diagonal, 1.25″ adapter, eyepiece and case $2,635.

TeleVue Renaissance 102 Brass Refractor with 2″ Everbrite Diagonal, 2″ – 1.25″ adapter, Ring Mount, 20mm Plossl, Hard Shell Case $2,900.

TeleVue Telescopes – This is the newest refractor, and is without a doubt one of the best designs. Simply designed and very well constructed mechanics makes this a popular telescope among astronomers. Unlike most other TeleVue telescopes, this one is offered with no diagonal, no tube ring, you do get the high quality hard plastic carry case. But if you want the extras expect to pay $2,635 which is still a good price for a high-end Apochromatic.

The telescope is around 33″ long and weighs a little under 10 lbs, very light. I was curious to test this telescope because I also own and love the TeleVue 85mm. My TeleVue 85, at f/7, is able to achieve apochromatic performance with only minor false color noted. However, if you raise the aperture to 102mm it will increase the amount of color unless the focal ratio is lifted as well. And apparently that is just what TeleVue have done.

The TeleVue telescope with its f/8.6 focal ratio has certainly done the trick. The star test showed very little color in or even out of focus. I found no color when viewing the moon or on Vega except at highest magnifications. The star was excellent and only slightly under corrected.

I had the TeleVue up against the Astro-Physics. The first object in my sights was M13 which was beautifully resolved. We mated magnification on M57 and both the telescopes performed superbly, if there was any difference it was simply not worth mentioning. I went on to view M81 (Bode’s Galaxy), M82 (Cigar Galaxy), M20 and M22 with great satisfaction.

Mechanically the TeleVue telescope is a joy to use. The two inch focuser is as smooth as silk, and identical to the focuser on my TeleVue 85.

TeleVue Telescopes Recommendation

 This is a superb TeleVue telescope and I can highly recommend it to anyone who wants the best. Again in TeleVue tradition they have produced a telescope that is easy to use, lightweight, and portable. Adorama has the full range of the TeleVue 102 plus many other TeleVue telescopes and look out for the (used) TeleVue which appear from time to time at great prices.