Novosibirsk TAL 1 Newtonian Reflector

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The Review

This is one of the highly regarded TAL telescopes that are made in Russia. They are produced at Novosibirsk. They make a range of telescopes : Newtonian Reflectors (3 Inches to 6 Inches), a 4 Inch Refractor and 6 and 8 Inch Klevsov cassegrains (Modified Maksutov cassegrains). All of the TAL scopes have excellent optics and are built to a very high mechanical standard. 

First Impressions

Instantly the solid build quality of the telescope is apparent. The optical tube is made of very thick aluminium, which is the toughest of all tubes I have seen on telescopes this size. The telescope is supplied with a strong equatorial mount on a very stable pededsial. It comes with a fair collection of accessories which include: 

25mm Plossl eyepiece 
10mm Kellner eyepiece 
3x Barlow Lens 
5 filters (Red,Green,Blue,Yellow and a moon filter) 
Camera mounting plate 
Solar projection screen with a aperture stop down cap to place on the end of the OTA when solar 
projecting. 

The TAL also has a very good 30mm finderscope and a solid rack and pinion focuser. 

Test

This was my first telescope, so my first look through it was a wonderful experience. I like most people when they get their first scope I pointed it at the moon first. It was great with the 25mm plossl the whole moon just fitted in the field of view. The detail was instantly detectable. When the weather improved I was able to view some planets and deep sky objects. The planets I viewed were Saturn and Jupiter, both which where great through the TAL. At about 96X Jupiter’s could belts were visible and at 36x Saturn’s rings were also visible in all their glory. A truly unforgettable moment. Deep sky objects were a treat too. The Andromeda Galaxy and the Orion nebula were easily seen and were surprisingly bright. 

Verdict

Apart from a one or two minor quirks I can easily say that this telescope is a great small scope. From the build quality I have seen on rival 4.5 Inch newtonians , I would say the TAL shines above the rest. The strange thing is that in the UK this scope is one of the cheapest 4.5 Inch reflectors available and is one of the most easily available. This is a true testament to the great achievements of the TAL Novosibirsk Factory. In the UK they outsell most of the leading rival brands of the same type. 

This is truly a great little scope.