TS-Optics Imaging Star 100 mm f/5.8 Quadruplet Apo with field flatener - with optical test

TSQ-100ED Quadruplet Apo with permanently built-in field correction

The 100 mm f/5.8 quadruplet of the TS Imaging Star line is highly appreciated by astrophotographers. The telescope is an interesting alternative to the Takahashi FSQ-106ED. Due to the air-spaced FPL53 objective, the image is free from chromatic aberration and provides outstanding contrast. Through the integrated corrector the field is perfectly flattened. You will get perfect stars in the field right from the beginning, without the exhausting search for correctors and the right distance.

Despite the apo was optimized for astrophotography, it will offer very good performance also visually. The stars are pinpoint and are imaged without chromatic correction. The image stays sharp and contrasty up to 300x magnification.

The photographic 4" rack&pinion focuser:

The CNC focuser is optimized for photography and can handle a payload of up to 8 kg. The travel of the drawtube is carried out via rack and pinion. The construction of the focuser is similar to the Starlight Feather Touch and the mechanical stability comes very close to that of the Starlight Feather Touch. In addition to 2" and 1.25" receptacles, an M78x1 thread is also available for screw adaptations. Suitable adapters, e.g. for the M68x1 thread, are of course available.

Features and advantages:

Excellent FPL53 triplet objective (glass from Ohara, Japan)

Integrated flattener with factory-set optimized distance to the objective for optimal sharpness in the field

4" CNC rack and pinion focuser with male M82x1 connection thread - payload up to 6 kg

The system is free from annoying reflections

Objective and corrector are adjustable - but are already delivered optimally adjusted

Each quadruplet apo is checked before shipping and the optical system is tested

A first-class apochromat for astrophotography:

Our goal was achieving imaging quality on the axis AND in the field without compromises, and also without additional flattener or correctors. The corrector has to be built-in permanently and, obviously, in the optimal distance to the objective. This is almost unobtainable by using an optional flattener. Furthermore, the apochromat has to be mechanically solid and easily to adjust. This has been made possible with the flatfield apo.

The focuser has to be stable and, in particular, designed for heavy cameras. With the rack and pinion drive, even heavy accessories can be used. Locking is safely achieved by blocking the adjustment unit.

Connection of cameras with a flange focal distance of 55 mm

The easy way is via the 2" connection. With the TSFA240 adapter you get a T2 connector and with the TSVF230 adapter you get an M48 connector for cameras with larger sensors. You can focus without any problems.

Many amateurs prefer a screw mount. The apo offers a M82x1 male thread for this. We recommend the following adaption for a comfortable focus position. With the adaption you do not go too early on the M48 thread and avoid shadowing with large sensors.

M82i-M68a - length 10 mm

TSVM6840 - M68 extension - length 40 mm

M68i-M48a - length 5 mm

Astrophotographic results obtained with this telescope on Astrobin

Here you can find some astrophotographs made with this telescope model: Link to Astrobin

Visual observation through the apo:

The 100 mm Quadruplet is optimized for astrophotography. However, it will also give very good results for visual observation and allows magnifications up to about 250x with good contrast imaging. The tight focus position only allows the use of 1.25" accessories. For a 2" mirror diagonal the focus distance is too short.

This is how we hand over the apo to the amateur:

Every single TSAPO100Q is checked in our technical department before it is put into storage, in order to guarantee a consistently high product quality.

The mechanics are tested and the focuser is optimally adjusted.

The lens is cosmetically checked and cleaned. We also check that all counter screws are correctly tightened. These often loosen during transportation.

The optics are collimated and the result is checked on the optical bench. The telescope is given a serial number.

An optical test is carried out, which is enclosed with the telescope (star images and ronchi image on the optical bench in autocollimation).

Only then are the telescopes handed over to the warehouse and prepared for dispatch.

The objective of the 100 mm f/5.8 Imaging Star Quadruplet:

The apochromat uses a classic air-spaced triplet APO objective which is mounted adjustable. The cell is temperature compensated, so even low temperatures will not change the images of the stars. The main glass is FPL53 from Ohara, Japan. All air-to-glass surfaces have the best coating the manufacturer offers.



Optical power on the axis:

The 100 mm quadruplet has not only an excellently corrected field, it also offers true apo performance on the axis. The images correspond to a magnification of around 250x and show the well defined imaging power and the absence of chromatic error of this objective (at left outside of the focus, at right in focus).

Prior to shipping, each 100 mm quadruplet apo is tested in our technical department - thus it is ensured that any optics including yours will eliver maximum performance at the starry sky.


TS Imaging Star 100 mm f/5.8 Quadruplet Flatfield Astrograph - featured product in BBC Sky at Night Magazine

The TS Imaging Star 100 mm f/5.8 Quadruplet Flatfield Astrograph was tested very well at BBC Sky at Night Magazine (Issue 120, May 2015) and got the 4 star badge for this result.

Technical Information

Teleskop-Service has collected a lot of helpful information about refractors and provided it in English as a PDF file: refractors.pdf

Astrophotographic results obtained with this telescope on Astrobin

Here you can find some astrophotographs made with this telescope model: Link to Astrobin

Photographic results with the ImagingStar 100 mm f/5.8 Quadruplet Apo:

IC 1396 with ImagingStar 100 using Moravian G3-11002 full-frame size camera

Made by: Jürgen Kemmerer

Exposure time: 9 hours (L-RGB + H-Alpha)

Camera: Moravian G3-11002 CCD Camera

Guiding: ZWO ASI 178mm-Cool + TS 60 mm Mini Guidingscope

M 31 through ImagingStar 100 with SBIG ST 11000 full-frame sensor camera

Made by: Bruno Stampfer / Rainer Eisendle

Exposure time: 130 min luminance, 180 min RGB, 20 min H-Alpha

Camera: SBIG 11000 CCD camera

Location: Emberger Alm ITT 2015

Lagoon and Trifid Nebula with Nikon D810A DSLR

Made by: Christoph Kaltseis

Exposure time: 7x 360 seconds

Camera: Nikon D810a full-frame sensor DSLR

VDB152 through TS Imaging Star 100 mm Apo - Atik 11000

Made by: Wolfgang Ransburg

Exposure: 380 minutes luminance and RGB

Camera: ATIK 11000 full-frame sensor MONO CCD Camera

Location: Toskana

NGC7000 through TS Imaging Star 100 mm Apo

Made by: Jürgen Kemmerer

Exposure: 36x10 minutes with H-Alpha filter

Camera: FLI 16803 MONO CCD camera

Mount: Skywatcher AZ-EQ6

Autoguiding: ASI120MM CMOS camera

Heart Nebula (IC 1805) with TSQ-100ED Apo

Made by: Andreas Tofahrn

Telescope: TSQ-100ED 100 mm quadruplet apochromat

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

Motor focus: ZWO EAF

Imaging camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro (APS-C)

Exposure times: 45x 180 s (2.25 h) RGB at full moon, 21x 300 s (1.75 h) dual narrowband (Optolong L-eXtreme) at half moon

Sky quality: Bortle Class 5

Guiding camera: ASI120MM Mini

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro

Polar scope: ALCCD QHY PoleMaster

Controller: ZWO ASIair Plus

Soul Nebula (IC 1848) with TSQ-100ED Apo

Made by: Andreas Tofahrn

Telescope: TSQ-100ED 100 mm quadruplet apochromat

Filters: Antlia LRGB filter set 36 mm, ZWO 7 nm narrowband filter set 36 mm

Motor focus: ZWO EAF

Imaging camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro (APS-C)

Exposure times: 17x 120 s für RGB each (1.7 h), 110x 60 s (1.8 h) for L, 60x 300 s for [O III] (5 h), 67x 300 s for [S II] (5.6 h), 55x 300 s for H-alpha (4.6 h), sum 18.7 h

Sky quality: Bortle Class 4

Guiding camera: ASI120MM Mini

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro

Controller: ZWO ASIair Plus

Elephant´s Trunk Nebula (IC 1396) with TSQ-100ED Apo

Made by: Andreas Tofahrn

Telescope: TSQ-100ED 100 mm quadruplet apochromat

Filters: Antlia LRGB filter set 36 mm, ZWO 7 nm narrowband filter set 36 mm

Motor focus: ZWO EAF

Imaging camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro (APS-C)

Exposure times: Je 44x 120 s for RGB (4.5 h), 74x 60 s (1.2 h) for L, 7x 600 s for [O III] (1.2 h), 7x 600 s for H-alpha (1.2 h), sum 8 h

Sky quality: Bortle Class 4

Guiding camera: ASI120MM Mini

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro

Controller: ZWO ASIair Plus

In the meantime, Andreas Tofahrn has completed a special project, called a "normalized Messier catalogue". This can be found, along with an explanation of what that is exactly, on his corresponding webpage.

Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443)

Made by: Andrea Dievernich

Telescope: TSQ-100ED Quadruplet (TSAPO100Q)

Imaging camera: Canon EOS Ra

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme 2"

Location: Hafenlohr, Germany

Mount: Sky-Watcher HEQ5

Guiding: Lacerta MGEN-3 with guiding scope TSL502DEL

Rosetta Nebula (NGC 2237)

Made by: Andrea Dievernich

Telescope: TSQ-100ED Quadruplet (TSAPO100Q)

Imaging camera: Canon EOS Ra

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme 2"

Location: Hafenlohr, Germany

Mount: Sky-Watcher HEQ5

Guiding: Lacerta MGEN-3 with guiding scope TSL502DEL

Elephant´s Trunk Nebula (IC 1396)

Made by: René Bondo Hoffmann (Denmark)

Telescope: TSQ-100ED 100 mm quadruplet apochromat

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

Motor focus: ZWO EAF

Imaging camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro (4/3")

Guide scope: William Optics 50 mm (M-G50WRII)

Guiding camera: ASI120MM Mini

Mount: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro

Controller: ZWO ASIair Plus

Iris Nebula (NGC 7023)

Made by: René Bondo Hoffmann (Denmark)

Telescope: TSQ-100ED 100 mm quadruplet apochromat

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

Motor focus: ZWO EAF

Imaging camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro (4/3")

Guide scope: William Optics 50 mm (M-G50WRII)

Guiding camera: ASI120MM Mini

Mount: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro

Controller: ZWO ASIair Plus

Pinwheel Galaxy (M 101)

Made by: René Bondo Hoffmann (Denmark)

Telescope: TSQ-100ED 100 mm quadruplet apochromat

Motor focus: ZWO EAF

Imaging camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro (4/3")

Guide scope: William Optics 50 mm (M-G50WRII)

Guiding camera: ASI120MM Mini

Mount: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro

Controller: ZWO ASIair Plus

M 81 (Bode´s Galaxy) and M 82 (Cigar Galaxy)

Made by: René Bondo Hoffmann (Denmark)

Telescope: TSQ-100ED 100 mm quadruplet apochromat

Motor focus: ZWO EAF

Imaging camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro (4/3")

Guide scope: William Optics 50 mm (M-G50WRII)

Guiding camera: ASI120MM Mini

Mount: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro

Controller: ZWO ASIair Plus

Tadpole Nebula (IC 410)

Made by: René Bondo Hoffmann (Denmark)

Telescope: TSQ-100ED 100 mm quadruplet apochromat

Filter: Radian Triad Ultra Quad-Band Filter

Motor focus: ZWO EAF

Imaging camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro (4/3")

Guide scope: William Optics 50 mm (M-G50WRII)

Guiding camera: ASI120MM Mini

Mount: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro

Controller: ZWO ASIair Plus

Wolf-Rayet Star 134 (WR 134)

Made by: Sébastien Cuany (Switzerland)

Telescope: TSQ-100ED 100 mm quadruplet apochromat (TSAPO100Q)

Motor focus: ZWO EAF (ZWO-5V-EAF-A)

Filters: Optolong L-Ultimate (L-ULTIMATE1), IDAS LPS-D1 (LPS-D1-28.6)

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro (ASI2600MC-P)

Off-axis guider: ZWO OAG (ZWOOAG)

Guiding camera: ASI120MM Mini (ASI120mini)

Mount: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro (EQ6-R)

Controller: ZWO ASIair Plus (ASIAIRPLUS)

Ghost Nebula (IC 63)

Made by: Sébastien Cuany (Switzerland)

Telescope: TSQ-100ED 100 mm quadruplet apochromat (TSAPO100Q)

Motor focus: ZWO EAF (ZWO-5V-EAF-A)

Filters: Optolong L-Ultimate (L-ULTIMATE1), IDAS LPS-D1 (LPS-D1-28.6)

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro (ASI2600MC-P)

Off-axis guider: ZWO OAG (ZWOOAG)

Guiding camera: ASI120MM Mini (ASI120mini)

Mount: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro (EQ6-R)

Controller: ZWO ASIair Plus (ASIAIRPLUS)

Lion Nebula (Sh2-132)

Made by: Sébastien Cuany (Switzerland)

Telescope: TSQ-100ED 100 mm quadruplet apochromat (TSAPO100Q)

Motor focus: ZWO EAF (ZWO-5V-EAF-A)

Filters: Optolong L-Ultimate (L-ULTIMATE1), IDAS LPS-D1 (LPS-D1-28.6)

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro (ASI2600MC-P)

Off-axis guider: ZWO OAG (ZWOOAG)

Guiding camera: ASI120MM Mini (ASI120mini)

Mount: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro (EQ6-R)

Controller: ZWO ASIair Plus (ASIAIRPLUS)

Wizard nebula (NGC 7380) with TSQ-100ED Apo

Made by: Andreas Tofahrn (Germany)

Exposure: Total time 19.48 h

Telescope: TSQ-100ED 100 mm quadruplet apochromat (TSAPO100Q)

Filters: Antlia LRGB filter set 36 mm (LRGB-V36mm), ZWO 7 nm narrowband filter set 36 mm (ZWONBSET36)

Electronic focuser: ZWO EAF (ZWO-5V-EAF-A)

Imaging camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro with APS-C sensor (ASI2600MM-P)

Guiding camera: ASI120MM Mini (ASI120mini)

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro (HEQ5skyscan)

Controller: ZWO ASIair Plus (ASIAIRPLUS)

Question:
How do I adapt a camera with a large sensor (full frame size format) without vignetting and without clamping?

Answer from Teleskop-Service:
A too early reduction to the M48 thread would cause vignetting in full frame size format. If you don´t want to go over the 2" receptacle and want to screw everything together, we recommend the following adaptation:

TSVM8230 30 mm extension with M82 thread

FTSM82-M48 transition adapter from M82 to M48

M48a-M48a reverse adapter for the M48 external thread

This gives you a working distance between 55 mm and 105 mm from the M48 thread onwards, depending on the position of the focuser. So you have enough space for filter holders or off-axis guiders.

Of course, you can also screw the TSVM8230s into each other to further shorten the distance.