We are authorised dealers for Ba'ader, Celestron, Ferrari, Guan Sheng Optical, Long Perng, Lumicon,  Saxon, Skywatcher, Tasco, William Optics and many other brands...and we have far more stock than any other telescope or binocular dealer in Australia...for your convenience!

We have recently negotiated lower road-freight rates for road-freighting large/bulky telescopes within Australia. Please call for quote.

           We are happy to discuss your telescope requirements in detail.
      We stock many hundreds of telescopes and thousands of accessories!
          Why wait weeks or months elsewhere - only to pay far, far more?

                We mail order worldwide - contact us now to order!

Telescopes and Spotting Scopes

Andrews Celestron Ferrari Guan Sheng LP Orion Skywatcher William Optics

Telescope Accessories and Eyepieces

Andrews Ba'ader Celestron General accessories Guan Sheng LP Orion Skywatcher William Optics

Used and Surplus Stock

Used and Surplus Stock

                                                  REFRACTOR BASICS

A single objective lens is the most basic lens for a refracting telescope.

Most refractors have a "compound" (two lenses grouped together) objective lens and these will provide improved image quality with reduced optical aberrations (e.g. chromatic aberration, in particular) than a cheap single lens.

A "doublet" (two lenses spaced apart) objective lens refractor performs better than a compound lens refractor.

A "triplet" (three lenses spaced apart) objective lens is the best lens system for a refractor.

"ED" means "extra-low dispersion" of light. ED lenses reduce light scattering, resulting in improved contrast.

There are several grades of ED lenses - the best being FPL-53 which is the highest grade of fluorite ED lens. FPL-51 is a more common, lower cost but slightly lower grade ED lens. Incorporating a ED lens into a triplet lens design is generally regarded as providing the best possible optical performance in a refractor.

APO = apochromatic = colour free.
OTA = optical tube assembly.
 
Magnification is simply the focal length of the telescope divided by the focal length of the actual eyepiece in use.

A Barlow lens effectively reduces the focal length of the eyepiece in use, therefore increasing the magnification. Barlow lenses can reduce some optical aberrations.

Low quality telescopes often advertise high magnification levels on their boxes - beware of them!

                                                      Lee's blog

If you are considering the purchase of a OTA (optical tube assembly) then you should check which inclusions will be supplied (if any) - as OTAs are often sold without a diagonal, eyepieces, finderscope, rings and flat/wedge bar by "dodgy" competitors!

Of course, some OTAs are normally supplied by factories without these inclusions. However, OTAs are often supplied from complete telescope packages, so all items above the telescope's mount should indeed be supplied to you - not just the telescope tube. We always supply all such items above the mount when the OTA is taken from a complete telescope package! Don't you be ripped off elsewhere!!

Subservient competitors are often forced to pay greedy importers "top-dollar" for telescopes. Only true competition forces those importers to reduce their prices. It seems some competitors simply couldn't be bothered discounting RRP prices, either!!

Why support those who charge FOUR (4) times ex-factory telescope pricing?? E.g. an ex-factory price may be about US$80, say A$125 and the RRP in Australia may be set around A$500!! Are you happy to pay four times the ex-factory price?? I think not. Greedy competitors often say they "hate" us for reducing their excessive margins...and they won't stop their never-ending whingeing to suppliers, either! Compete or perish!!!

We have been instrumental in significantly reducing the pricing of most telescopes and accessories in Australia. E.g. Taiwanese-made 10" Dobs. were around A$2,000 RRP and now they're around A$600-A$800. Yes, it's no longer an "old boys club" where dealers often bragged about how much they ripped off their poor, hapless customers!! 

Beware of a Queensland competitor who has for many years falsely claimed to import Pyrex mirror fitted Dobsonian telescopes from a major Taiwanese manufacturer. That manufacturer has repeatedly confirmed to us in writing that no such Pyrex mirror fitted Dobsonian telescopes were ever shipped to that competitor. Don't you be ripped off!!

When we export goods we automatically deduct Australian GST (10%). Beware of those who "generously" claim to deduct 10% off for New Zealand customers when no Australian GST is payable by overseas customers for goods sent overseas, anyway!

We continually export to New Zealand and many other countries and, in fact, also sell our goods in New Zealand personally by regularly visiting field days there! We also have an outstanding New Zealand agent, ensuring our New Zealand customers enjoy excellent product support. Oh, RRP refers to recommended retail price.

   

Mr Lee Andrews with Mr Jim Sheng of the world famous Guan Sheng Optical Company on Lee's second visit to the GSO factory in Taiwan