akhael
Junior Member
Posts: 18
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Post by akhael on Nov 10, 2014 16:17:15 GMT -5
Hi everybody, a few words about me : I live in the south west of France and I have a very dark sky (if not always steady) above my head. I have been in astronomy since Halley's comet visited us back in 86. My main instruments are a good 12" F5 Dobson and a SW 150 F5 refractor (the most used of the 2 I must say, I really love it despite the obvious CA). I also use an old 127 F9 achromat for solar observation (norrowband only since CA is quite bad). When on the move I bring an old 80 F6,25 achromat with me. You can guess I am a refractor boy ! So when I stumbled on Istar Optical, looking for a lens to build my next refractor I was quite impressed by all the praise I could read about your stuff.
So I am planning in a near future (depending on lens availability) to build a first 100 F12 with a TCR-like frame as a grab-and-go scope. Next I will have to decide between upgrading my 150 F5 with a R50 or building a 150 F15 (can't do both) or even wait longer and save more money for a 180 F12...
I went to the lens page and clicked on the "add to car"t button which brought me directly to Paypal... what about the shipping costs and the import taxes ? What's the procedure to order ?
Thanks for your help and good sky to all
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Post by Ales - iStar Optical on Nov 10, 2014 21:16:17 GMT -5
Hello Akhael, Thank you very much for your interest in iStar R35 lens. I can strongly suggest to go with the 180mm lens, it gathers so much more light compared to any 150mm doublet.
Regarding your question, the shipping is charged separately based on the actual shipping cost at the time of shipping.
We do not charge any import or export taxes, those are your own responsibility at the country of destination. So in your case, the French customs will inform you about where and how much to pay. We declare each item in US dollars, most EU countries charge approx. 20 percent VAT and between 5 and 15 percent import tax on top of the invoiced value. Please call your local customs office to get detailed information about how to proceed in the case you purchase a lens in USA. Have a wonderful day and please stay in touch, best regards,
Ales
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akhael
Junior Member
Posts: 18
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Post by akhael on Nov 11, 2014 2:04:28 GMT -5
Thanks Ales for your answer. Do you have a 100 F12 lens in stock at the moment ? So I understand you will charge the shipping cost after the original order on the website. Any clue about the amount for the shipping to France ? About the 180 F12, it's my dream scope but the problem is I only have an HEQ5 and a Giro IIDX as mounts so I guess i will have to build a bigger mount for such a long light cannon, so it pushes the project even more in the future... but I am not in a hurry, stars are here to stay ! As a side note, you might start a thread about Istar Scopes near medieval castles, this is the castle in my village : www.castelnaud.com/fr/presse/vue-chateau-beynac.jpg Have a nice day.
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Post by Mike on Nov 14, 2014 21:48:46 GMT -5
Hello Akhael, this very popular lens in not in stock. By the time we get our shipment from production they are all sold. If you want a lens you must preorder it. Even if a new batch of lenses is just being started it only takes about 8 weeks. The charge for this lens to France is about $65 via USPS Priority International. Let me know and I will send you an invoice with payment instructions.
Mike
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akhael
Junior Member
Posts: 18
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Post by akhael on Nov 19, 2014 16:05:43 GMT -5
Hi Mike, as you may have noticed looking at your e-mails, payment was sent through Paypal ! I have already gathered some of the stuff I needed for the tube assembly. I will post some pictures of the process. Now waiting for the news about the delivery… Have a nice day.
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Post by Mike on Nov 20, 2014 9:47:50 GMT -5
Hey Chris, we have about three orders for that same lens. The usual turnaround on standard achromatics is about 8 weeks. Most lenses are custom ground per order.
You sure have some great Istar company there in France. Philippe Tosi got his image on spaceweather.com today.
We're looking forward to your build progress. Do you need a lens cell drawing to get your project going?
Mike
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akhael
Junior Member
Posts: 18
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Post by akhael on Nov 20, 2014 12:41:33 GMT -5
Hi Mike, thank you, I was about to ask you for the lens cell drawing in order to prepare the end piece of the scope. The baffles are being cut this week by a friend on a CNC and I already have the aluminum bar for the structure. I saw on the website that the lens with its cell is weighting around 1 kg, is it correct ? I am planning a TCR like structure in two parts, assembled with bolts in the middle, that can fit inside a relatively small case for transport. If everything works as planned I will hopefully build a larger one in the future… Chris
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Post by Mike on Nov 20, 2014 16:20:51 GMT -5
OK Chris, look for the email with the drawing. Istar wants to help ATMers by providing technical drawings. However, it must be understood that Ales has hundreds if not thousands of hours in CAD drawings. The drawings we send to the customer are still the property of Istar. They are to be used ONLY for the purpose of building your personal scope. They are not to be shared, faxed, emailed, duplicated or posted on any web site or forum.
Mike
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akhael
Junior Member
Posts: 18
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Post by akhael on Nov 21, 2014 1:22:03 GMT -5
Thank you Mike, drawing received. Don't worry, I understand very well the importance of intellectual property, it won't leave my desk. I just come back from an hour and a half under the stars, trying to get something out of my 12" Dob on Jupiter... what a pain, at times I wish I had taken my 5"F9 refractor out instead even if it's old and full of CA, at least turbulence and collimation is not a problem ! Chris
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