Premium optics -- at a premium price

The APO version of the Televid claims to be truly "apochromatic." That is, it says it introduces no false color at all to the image you see through it. I don't know if that's really true, but dang is it sharp and clear.

Aside from the different objective, APO scopes are identical to the normal Televid. A few letters on the sun shade and the side of the scope are the only other difference. They feature the same rugged, carefully thought out design, the same beautiful eyepieces, and so on. I've reviewed the non-APO version here too. The only con I offered there was the limited eyepiece selection. See that review for details about the Leica's close focus, potential alternatives, and stuff like that.

I've compared the non-APO and APO versions side by side at length. Hoping to convince myself I didn't need the pricey one, I tried them at the height of a sunny day, when the fluorite lenses' light gathering advantage theoretically didn't count for as much. Trying for the same details on the same subjects, though, I was always able to get a better, cleaner image with the APO model. The difference wasn't as subtle as I'd hoped it would be, for my checking account's sake. Not that the non-fluorite lenses on the regular version are any slouches, believe me. The APO was just that much better.

One main reason you'd want an APO model, unless you're that rare professional whose job might depend on seeing things just so, would be for photography. There's another price bump there, too. The Televid's camera adapter costs $300-$400 U.S., which is a lump of money. Altogether you'll be paying $400+ difference on the scope and another $300 for the camera extension. Would $700 buy you a really nice lens on your SLR? Yes, it would. The Televid acts as an 800mm, F10.4 (not sure of that decimal) lens. That 800mm is a nice figure, but 10+ is a smaller aperture than you'd get in a professional's 500mm+ lens made for your camera. (Scopes don't seem to do much better than F10 as lenses, incidentally. If you want to concentrate on clean photos, you need the real thing I think. For confirming an ID, though, scopes are great.)

It comes down to price. The non-APO version will be something like $745 to $800, assuming you don't risk "gray market" shops. The APO is priced at $1295 or so. Is a view just that *measure* sharper worth $400? Is the potential for snappier picture taking, and for somewhat better dusk and dawn performance, worth it? I've seen them side by side for a while, and the answer is... maybe. Once you've looked through the APO critically, you have trouble getting anything else. I do, anyway.