The most widely used research telescope on earth now comes with the most advanced optical system in space. Meade’s all new LX200R brings Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien optics within reach of aspiring astronomers everywhere. Nearly every observatory reflector in the world is a Ritchey-Chrétien, including NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Now you can own what the professionals own. The LX200R includes all the field-proven features of the LX200 including GPS, Primary Mirror Lock, Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser, Oversized Primary Mirror, SmartDrive™, Smart Mount™, AutoStar® II and more. Plus, the LX200R comes with observatory-class optics crafted in Irvine, California, and a Series 5000 26mm 5-Element Plössl eyepiece. The new LX200R. It’s the biggest news in astronomy since, well, the LX200.
traditional Ritchey-Chrétien (RC) is a type of reflector that delivers a coma-free, flat field of view via hyperbolic primary and secondary mirrors. RC telescopes (from a variety of manufacturers) are found in most of the world’s top observatories and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Because the mirrors in these telescopes have always been very expensive to make, few amateur astronomers could enjoy them. Fortunately, Meade engineers developed a radical new Advanced Ritchey-Chretien design by combining a hyperbolic secondary mirror with a corrector-lens-and-spherical-primary-mirror combination that performs as one hyperbolic element. This Advanced version of the traditional RC design produces a coma-free, flat field of view that rivals traditional RC telescopes at a fraction of the cost. The design even eliminates diffraction spikes and improves astigmatism, both of which are inherent in the traditional RC design.
Specifications:
Power Source: Battery
Battery: 8 X C cell
Brand: Meade
Usage: For the Enthusiast
Weight Complete: 90 lbs.
Finderscope: 8×50
Lens Coating: UHTC
GPS: Yes
GoTo: Yes
Good for Astrophotography: Yes
Telescopes Series: LX200R GPS Advanced Ritchey-Chretien Telescopes
Optical Design: Advanced Ritchey-Chretien
Aperture: 10 Inches
Focal Length: 2500mm
Focal Ratio: f/10
Mount Design: Alt-Azimuth Fork
Battery Included: No
Eyepiece 1: SP26mm
Highest Useful Magnification: 500X
Limiting Magnitude: 14.5
Resolution: 0.46 Arc Seconds
Resolving Power: 0.46 Arc Seconds
Star Diagonal: 1.25 Inch
Barska Tactical 1×30 Rifle Scope
Barska Optics is proud to release the Barska 1×30 IR M16 Electro Sight AC10984. The Barska Electro Sight Rifle scopes are
ideal for numerous firearms, from slug shotguns to advanced combat guns such as M16 or AR-15. Made with superior quality optics, unlimited eye relief and outstanding performance, Barska 1×30mm AO SKS Electro Sight AC10984 is revolutionary for instant and accurate target acquisition. This newly expanded Barska 1 x 30 IR M16 Electro Sight AC 10984 line-up was specifically designed for your specific shooting needs. Electrify your sighting experience!
Specifications:
Model Number: AC10984
Description: 1×30 M16
Magnification: 1x
Objective Lens (mm): 30
Reticle: Tactical
Field of View: (ft@100yds/m@100m): 54/18@1x
Exit Pupil (mm): 23
Eye Relief (inch): Unlimited
Finish: Black Matte
Weight (oz): 13.1
Length (inch): 6.0
The Night Storm 4 is a comercially developed waterproof night vision scope designed for boating, camping and other recreational uses. Generation 3 performance in a robust exterior shell makes Night Storm equally ideal for Homeland security and outdoor applications. ATN Night Storm 4 features all-glass six-element lens system with ATN proprietary IR sensitive coating, a single simple to operate switch, Infrared Illuminator for total darkness and silent power supply for stealth operation. ATN Night Storm is excellent nigh vision scope and night vision binoculars alternative. High resolution filmless and autogated 64-lp/mm minimum Generation 4 performance in robust, floatable exterior shell makes Night Storm 4 equally ideal for Law Enforcement, Corporate Security and Government and Defense operations and agencies like Combat Search and Rescue, Airborne units or Military Police.
The NightStorm is the latest in technology and the newest addition to the ATN line of night vision products. Strict standards and precision manufacturing have brought to you a rugged, yet lightweight, waterproof night vision device, which provides superior optical calibration at an economical cost.
Revolutionizing the night vision market was one of our top priorities. We accomplished our goal by combining a 6-element, F1.2 50mm, heavy-coated glass lens with the ability to be submersed under water. We also were able to include a number of other options to make this unit even more superior than it was already. The sleek body, with contoured finger rests, houses a powerful high-resolution first generation intensifier tube which allow a 35,000 max light amplification. Once you enter a completely dark where no ambient light is to be found, you can take advantage of our built-in Total Darkness Technology which our infrared illuminator will provide. The unit also has an optional camera adapter, which will allow you to turn a regular household camera into a night vision camera.
If optimal picture is what you are in the market for, the NightStorm will satisfy you needs. The unit’s diopter adjustment of +5 and 1″ to infinity range of focus will allow you to focus in on any object in range. If that?s not enough, the unbelievable 64 lp/mm makes the NightStorm one of the most accurate imaging devices on the market at a reasonable price.
Specifications:
Total darknes: Standard
Magnification: 3.5X
Intensifier Tube: 4th Gen. Autogated/Filmless
Detection range: 325 m
Recognition range: 275 m
Lens systems element: F1.2,50 mm
FOV: 18 deg.
Diopter adjustment: +/- 5
Resolution: 64-72 lp/mm
Signal to noise ratio: 24-30
Power supply: Autogated
Range of focus: 1′ to infinity
Controls: Direct
Battery life: 10-20 hours
Dimensions: 170×58x94 mm
Weight: 14.5 oz
Sony’s new a700 (officially known as the DSLR-A700) displays the evolution of the Maxxum SLR camera line after Sony’s acquisition of Konica-Minolta technologies in 2005. The a700 is based on the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D yet expands that camera’s capabilities with a myriad of new ideas from Sony. I suspect Sony and Minolta fans will be very excited by this camera.
The a700 dSLR (that “a” is the Greek letter alpha) features a 12.24 megapixel Exmor™ CMOS sensor, Sony’s “Creative Style modes”, high-speed shooting, Super SteadyShot® image stabilization, Eye-Start® Autofocus system and Sony’s innovative Anti-Dust Technology to provide the photographer abundant new technology packed into a familiar, durable, magnesium alloy body that is dust and moisture resistant.
The alpha 700 accepts Minolta a-mount lenses, Sony’s “G” Series lenses with motorized auto focusing and Sony’s wide-aperture zoom lenses. A new APS-C size, CMOS imager with on-chip noise-canceling provides the quality you need to make the most of all those high-performance lenses. Sony’s line of accessories include a new vertical grip. Equipped with buttons and switches to control most functions, it offers the same ease of operation as when shooting vertically. It even houses two InfoLithium® batteries. And you can choose from a long list professional-quality flash units and system accessories to suit every photographic requirement.
Sony’s Super SteadyShot® stabilization technology moves the image sensor in response to camera shake, enabling every lens to benefit from automatic blur reduction. This technology can facilitate sharper images even in lower light or hand-held shots that would normally require a tripod. And the 40-segment honeycomb sensing system provides multi-pattern measuring for superior exposure control accuracy in a wide range of lighting conditions.
The alpha 700 uses the Sony Bionz™ Image Processor. Utilizing hardware-based Large Scale Integrated (LSI) circuitry, Bionz improves camera response time, handles Dynamic Range Optimization processing and prolongs battery life. The combination of the Bionz engine, a quick-response coreless motor to drive the shutter, and dual mirror stoppers to prevent mirror bounce all enable the alpha 700 to capture scenes at 3 - 5 fps, even shooting at full 12 megapixel resolution. Sony has optimized the Bionz processor to quickly process picture information and reduce noise in the RAW data stage, before final image compression and encoding. The results are high-resolution, detailed images with rich tonal reproduction.
A newly developed, auto-focus system features 11 wide-area sensors, including a center dual cross sensor comprised of two horizontal and two vertical line sensors for exceptional AF precision. An F2.8 line sensor leverages the brightness of fast aperture lenses for even greater precision. The alpha 700 utilizes both a static-free anti-dust coating on the imager’s filter and a anti-dust vibration system that automatically shakes the sensor to dislodge dust each time the camera is turned off.
The a700 uses Memory Stick Duo™ media cards compatible with the Memory Stick PRO-HG™ high-speed data transfer standard, and CompactFlash™ Type I/II media cards. The memory slots are compatible with the Ultra Direct Memory Access standard for up to 300x write speeds. Sony has introduced new 300x high-speed CompactFlash™ memory cards, ideal for high-end photographers requiring fast write speeds. The new models, available in 2GB or 8GB capacity, expand Sony’s current line of CompactFlash cards that also include 66X and 133X speeds, with capacities ranging from 1GB to 4GB.
On the subject of image preview, Phil Lubell, director of marketing for digital cameras at Sony has said “We … expect that this new camera will re-define the post-capture experience with HDMI™ output for high-quality playback of images on high-definition televisions.” Imagine viewing your 12 megapixel images in full resolution on a HDTV! You don’t have to wait, Sony provides this ability right now. You can even use the included Wireless Remote.
The DSLR-A700 camera body’s MSRP is $1,399.99.
DSLR-A700 Features:
Rugged Magnesium Alloy Body
Sony a Alpha/Minolta-A bayonet lens mount
12.24 MP Exmor™ Imaging Sensor
Bionz™ Image Processor
Super SteadyShot® Image Stabilization
Continuous 5 Frames-Per-Second Advance at 12.24 MP
Eye-Start® Autofocus System
11-Point Center Dual Cross AF Sensor
Easy-to-Use Exposure Mode Dial
Anti-Dust Technology
XtraFine™ 3.0”1 LCD Screen with 921k Pixels
PhotoTV HD Viewing with HDMI™ Output
Wireless Remote Control
Powerful Supplied Software
Dynamic Range Optimizer
Advanced Pentaprism Viewfinder
40-segment Honeycomb Sensing System
Up to 650 Shots with NP-FM500H InfoLithium® battery
Uses CompactFlash™ Type I/II media, Memory Stick Duo™ or Memory Stick PRO Duo™
Exif Print, Print Image Matching III, PictBridge, DPOF compatible
ATN Ranger Eye 1500The Ranger Eye 1500 is an advanced laser range finding system that rapidly provides an accurately measured distance out to 1500 yards.
The Ranger Eye 1500 is an advanced, yet simple to operate optical device that combines a 7X binocular with a laser distance-measuring instrument – a Laser Rangefinder. It is intended to observe and measure distance of a specific (non transparent) object.
The Ranger Eye 1500 is equipped with an eye-safety laser. The Ranger Eye 1500 features four different modes of operation as well as an automatic shut-off switch. Optically, The Ranger Eye 1500 is a 7X25 binocular with a built in LCD in the field of view. When activated, the LCD will display a viewfinder for aiming and other relevant data for adjustments and readout output data.
The Ranger Eye 1500 can take measurements up and beyond 1500 yards; most users will find it most useful and accurate for readings within 1200 yards.The Ranger Eye 1500 can be used for a wide range of sport activities such as hunting, golf, archery, target shooting as well as for industrial, topography, safety, and tactical applications.
Specifications:
Effective Range: 15-1500 yards
Tolerance: +/-1yard
Indicating time: 15 s
Magnification: 7x
Objective dia.: 25 mm
Field of View: 8 deg.
Power supply: DC9
Weight: 422g
Celestron’s new 8-inch CPC Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope offers new alignment technology, advanced engineering, and a bold new design at a low price! In fact, Celestron’s Professional Computerized (CPC) Series scopes with revolutionary SkyAlign Alignment Technology redefine everything that amateur astronomers are looking for. They offer quick and simple alignment, GPS, unsurpassed optical quality, ease of setup and use, advanced ergonomics, enhanced computerization and, most important, affordability. The 8-inch CPC truly has it all!
The CPC Series internal GPS receiver automatically downloads the date and time from orbiting satellites and pinpoints its exact location on Earth. This eliminates the need for you to enter the date, time, longitude, and latitude manually.
Once the CPC’s internal GPS has established the telescope’s position, alignment is as easy as 1-2-3! Simply locate and manually point the telescope to three bright celestial objects. You do not need to know the names of the stars; you can even pick the moon or bright planets! Celestron’s NexStar software technology will then model the night sky to determine the position of every star, planet and celestial object above the horizon. Once aligned, the remote hand control allows direct access to each of the celestial catalogs in its user-friendly database.
The new CPC Series telescopes, like the acclaimed Advanced Series and premium CGE Series telescopes, feature meticulously matched and hand-figured optical systems manufacturered in Celestron’s facilities in Torrance, California. In addition, the CPC is available with optional StarBright XLT high-performance optical coatings. With the introduction of the CPC series, Celestron has produced a telescope family that provides superior quality to go with unsurpassed ease of use and high value.
The CPC 800 comes with premium XLT coatings. These use state-of-the-art, thin-film, vacuum-deposition technology. To ensure consistent optical coatings of the highest quality the process is tightly monitored and controlled by highly trained technicians. The result is image clarity so stunning it must be seen to be believed.
The CPC series telescopes include the NexRemote software so the telescope can be set up and operated remotely from a PC or laptop! NexRemote duplicates all of the functions and features of the NexStar software on the standard NexStar Hand Control plus much more!
Specifications:
Brand: Celestron
Usage: For the Professional
Finderscope: 50mm w/quick release bracket
Lens Coating: StarBright XLT
GPS: Yes
GoTo: Yes
Good for Astrophotography: Yes
Telescopes Series: CPS GPS Telescopes
Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
Aperture: 203mm
Focal Length: 2032mm
Focal Ratio: f/10
Mount Design: Dual Fork Arm
Eyepiece 1: 40mm Plossl (51x)
Highest Useful Magnification: 480x
Limiting Magnitude: 14
Resolution: .68 Arc Seconds
Resolving Power: .57 Arc Seconds
Star Diagonal: 1.25 inch
Weight Optical Tube: 48 lbs.
Weight Tripod/Mount: 29 lbs.
Olympus has finally announced their long-awaited flagship DSLR camera, the E-3. Billed as a pure pro camera, the Olympus E-3 is really more comparable to the cameras by Olympus’s competitors that we’ve been categorizing as semi-pro, such as the Pentax K10D, Canon 40D, and Nikon D200. Whatever you call it though, there’s no question that the new E-3 represents a sizable leap forward in technology and sophistication for the Olympus SLR line.
With the E-3, Olympus introduces their first new autofocus sensor in years: an 11-point array, each point consisting of twin cross-type AF sensors. They’re claiming this is the fastest AF system on the market. Combined with greater 1.15x magnification in the E-3’s viewfinder, framing and focusing with this Four-Thirds camera is a lot easier than past Olympus models.
A new shutter mechanism in the Olympus E-3 delivers 1/8,000 second speed, and 1/250 flash sync, and an expected lifetime of 150,000 cycles. Mirror blackout time is also said to be low, but there are no official numbers yet. Three dedicated processors handle three separate functions: one for image stabilization, one for autofocus, and the TruePic III for image processing. A UDMA-compatible CompactFlash slot promises fast write times, and the additional xD-Picture Card slot adds extra storage.
Body-based image stabilization is built into the Olympus E-3, taking advantage of the company’s Supersonic Wave Drive motor technology to drive the anti-shake system. A separate motor drives the Supersonic Wave Filter to remove dust.
Though the Olympus E-3 has a 10-megapixel sensor like the E-510 and E-410, the new sensor has been improved to support the faster read speed to help enable five-frame-per-second continuous shooting. Metering options include 49-zone ESP metering, Spot, Center-weighted, and a new Highlight/Shadow spot metering mode.
Another major highlight to the Olympus E-3 is the articulating LCD on the camera back, which makes Live View mode so much more valuable. It’s not the first such design to appear on a digital SLR, that distinction goes to the Panasonic Lumix L10, Olympus’s Four-Thirds partner, but it’s an incredibly versatile design, with the ability to face up down, left, right, and even forward, toward the subject.
Built on a magnesium alloy frame the Olympus E-3 feels solid, and is sealed against dust and splashes. Connections include a USB 2.0 high-speed jack, an AC power jack, video out, remote control, and an x-sync terminal. The introduction also includes five new optics and two new flashes that can be remote controlled from the Olympus E-3’s onboard flash in three groups. A new battery grip works with the E-3 to double capacity, and duplicate key controls for vertical shooting.
The E-3 is exactly the camera Olympus needs to break into this prosumer SLR market, which is already dominated by Canon and Nikon, with Pentax, Sony, and Panasonic starting to fill in the gaps. Expected to retail for about $1,700, the Olympus E-3 is slated to ship in November 2007.
Bushnell Northstar 127MM Telescope
The Bushnell Northstar 127mm is a good first telescope for an individual or family. Many scopes at the low end of the price range, known as first time scopes, are poorly designed, cheaply manufactured and have poor optics. The Northstar 127 doesn’t suffer from any of these pitfalls.
The Maksutov-Cassegrain design uses a folded light path that reflects off two mirrors before being passed to the eyepiece. This reduces the length of the tube that’s needed, resulting in an easily portable scope. The mounting system that Bushnell uses, referred to as Kinematic, is actually a one-arm version of an alt/azimuth mount that is motor controlled to allow full star tracking and computerized go-to capabilities. One-arm mounts are known for having some shake, especially when the mount is being moved by motors for star tracking, but we didn’t notice any shaking with this scope, and its tracking was quite good.
One of the big attractions of this type of scope is its computerized control, which allows you to select an object from an included catalog and have the telescope automatically swing around to put the object in view and then track its movement. The Northstar 127 has a large catalog of stellar items, including planetary objects, stars, deep space objects, nebulas and galaxies. In order for the go-to functions to work, the telescope must be aligned each time it is taken out for use. The Northstar’s alignment procedure requires centering two stars within the scope’s eyepiece. Once the stars are centered, the computer system will rate the alignment, with five stars as the target rating. If your alignment racked up fewer than five stars, you can choose two different stars to align.
The optics are quite good for this price range, although we found that the 4mm eyepiece produces too much magnification, resulting in muddied views. The 25mm eyepiece is good for general use, but you may want to add a wider-view eyepiece later.
The Bushnell Northstar 127 Maksutov-Cassegrain offers a number of attractive features, as well as a budget-friendly price, making it a good choice for a first telescope.
Specifications:
4mm and 20mm eyepieces
Erect image diagonal mirror for land viewing
“Go To” computerized tracking technology
Red Dot LED finderscope
Remote Hand-held control module
Camera adaptable
Quick release tripod
Kinematic mount
If you want the best in Night vision binoculars available then look no farther than the ATN Night Scout These binoculars come with a high resolution 1st generation intensifer tube, which give you a light amplification of 35,000 max. The computerized proximity sensor, when activated turns the unit on when in viewing position and off when not. The heavy coated 90mm optics glass allow for optimum clarity and distance. The best part is that if thre is no light to amplify , with the help of the infrared illuminator, you can cut through even the darkest darkness.With aluminum alloy construction the ATN Night Scout is the choice for rugged reliable night vision binoculars.
PLEASE NOTE: There are many variables which influence the distance one sees with night vision devices-amongst them the object’s size, the level of detail being sought and the observation conditions. Night vision devices detect much further under a full moon and clear skies than they will under a new moon and cloudy skies. Many different formulas are used to determine the statistic of maximum viewing range and this varies by manufacturer, so ultimately the generation of the intensifier tube is much more relevant than any quoted statistic when determining the maximum viewing range.
Specifications:
Total darkness tech. Standard
Microprocessor Phillips
Magnification 5X
Intensifier tube high res. 1st.GEN+
Detection range 150m (250m)
Recognition range 100m (175m)
Light gain 35,000 max
Lens system 6/9 el., 90mm,F1.2
FOV 20 deg.
Diopter adjustment +/- 5
Resolution 40 lp/mm
Power supply 2×3 volt lithium
Range of focus 20′ to infinity
Controls Digital
Battery life 10-20 hours
Dimensions 225×150x60 mm
Weight 1.5 kg
Rigel 2500 Binocular Review
Specially manufactured for long range observation, the Rigel 2500 Night Vision Binoculars offers the highest possible magnificationin a 1st Generation handheld night vision device. High powered 5.0 mgnification lenses make the Rigel 2500 night vision binoculars ideal for hunters, wildlife enthusiasts and security personel who demand to see clear details from beyond 200 yds.
The Rigel 2500 also features 2 infrared IR illuminators for the viewer to choose from; the 15Mw built-in IR illuminator allows the user to view in total darkness at short distances and the 120Mw high power diode IR illuminator mounted on the top of the night vision binocular for use on demand that gives the user the maximum viewing distance in pitch black environments. The Rigel 2500 also includes a protective overlight auto shut off sensor, and extra sensitive image tube for bright images, with power and IR light indicators.
PLEASE NOTE: There are many variables which influence the distance one sees with night vision devices-amongst them the object’s size, the level of detail being sought and the observation conditions. Night vision devices detect much further under a full moon and clear skies than they will under a new moon and cloudy skies. Many different formulas are used to determine the statistic of maximum viewing range and this varies by manufacturer, so ultimately the generation of the intensifier tube is much more relevant than any quoted statistic when determining the maximum viewing range.
Specifications:
FOV: 10 degrees
Tube: Gen. 1+(v-8S)
Eye Distance: 65+-5 mm
Dimensions: 10.2×5.1×3.2 in.
Weight: 2.8lbs