Tele Vue 0.8x Reducer-Flattener for 102 Scopes

Capture More Signal with 0.8x Focal Reduction

The core of the RFL-4087 is its 0.8x focal reduction lens system. This design shortens the native 880mm focal length of a TV-102 telescope to a wider 704mm. This change converts the telescope from f/8.6 to a faster f/6.9 system, concentrating the same amount of light onto a smaller area of your camera sensor.

This increase in optical speed is a significant advantage for deep-sky imagers. It allows you to capture the same level of detail and signal in about two-thirds of the time, reducing demands on your mount's tracking accuracy and letting you gather more data on faint nebulae and galaxies in a single night.

Achieve Pinpoint Stars with a Flat-Field Design

Refractor telescopes naturally produce a curved focal plane, which results in slightly elongated or bloated stars at the edges of an image. The RFL-4087 incorporates a dedicated flattener optic that precisely counteracts this curvature. The result is a uniformly flat field of view, critical for astrophotography with modern sensors.

When you use this corrector, stars remain tight and round from the center of your image all the way to the corners. This optical correction allows you to use your entire sensor's real estate without having to crop away distorted stars, preserving the full expanse of your wide-field images.

Optimized Throughput with Full Multi-Coatings

Every air-to-glass surface in the RFL-4087 reducer-flattener features Tele Vue's proprietary multi-layer anti-reflection coatings. These advanced coatings ensure that more than 99% of the incoming light passes through the corrector to your camera sensor. By minimizing internal reflections and ghosting, these coatings deliver a high-contrast image with deep black backgrounds and vibrant colors.

An Imaging Experience on the Andromeda Galaxy

Using the RFL-4087 with a TV-102 on a 35mm sensor transforms your ability to capture large celestial showpieces. An object like the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) can be framed in its entirety, including its satellite galaxies M32 and M110. The f/6.9 speed allows you to resolve the faint, subtle dust lanes spiraling out from Andromeda's core with shorter individual exposures.

The flattener ensures that the countless foreground stars of our own Milky Way appear as sharp points across the whole field, adding depth and clarity to the final image. This is the capability that moves your telescope from a visual instrument to a serious imaging tool.

The Critical 60.98mm Back Focus

This corrector is designed to provide optimal performance when the camera sensor is placed at a distance of 60.98mm from the reducer's rear flange. this distance is easily achieved by attaching a Tele Vue Imaging System T adapter to the RFL-4087: CWT-2070 for Canon EOS or NWT-2073 for Nikon F, or our TRG-1072 Standard T-Ring Adapter followed by the T-Ring for the camera.

Choosing Your Imaging Path: RFL-4087 vs. NP101is

For imagers considering a Tele Vue instrument, the choice often comes down to upgrading a TV-102 or investing in a dedicated astrograph like the NP101is.

• Tele Vue-102 with RFL-4087: This combination creates a highly capable f/6.9 imaging system from an excellent visual telescope. It is a cost-effective pathway for current TV-102 owners to get into serious, flat-field astrophotography.
• Tele Vue NP101is: This is a premium, integrated solution. Its 4-element Petzval design provides a native flat field at a faster f/5.4 without any external correctors. It represents a higher investment but offers ultimate performance and convenience for dedicated imagers.

The RFL-4087 provides a bridge, allowing the legendary visual performance of the TV-102 to be fully realized in a photographic capacity.