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Scope upgrade is 100% done. October 08 After living with the VC lens for about a year and liking the increase in picture quality I wanted the full monty; a 117" scope screen, instead of the pseudo-54" screen the Panamorph lens gave me. I had done some research on lenses. It's the same everywhere; you get what you pay for. Unfortunately, I was on a budget. I almost pulled the trigger on a reconditioned UH-380 for $1,200. However, I found out about the HTB lens and sold my U85. The result was a cost to me of about $300. HTB also came out with a manual slide. The first step was to widen the screen. Since it was paint I just made it wider. I wanted to sand the old black border off, but my dad suggested Kilz, as sanding might gouge the surface. (It was also easier.) I didn't have enough topcoat to repaint the entire screen, so I primed the "ears" with Kilz after some minor patching. I then primed the ears with the Screen Goo base coat. Twice. After a final light sanding I painted the ears with two coats of Screen Goo CRT White topcoat. At this point it was apparent that the ears were a different color. It seemed the paint had yellowed a little since I first painted the screen almost three years ago. (This would imply that the paint is of low quality, but that is not the case. The manufacturer states that the paint takes quite a while to reach its final stage.) I then painted the entire area with the last of the topcoat. Once it dried I repainted the border. The result: All I can say is "wow!" I don't notice the ears being a different color while watching movies (even in sky/sea shots.) It is just the experience I wanted. As for the lens, I couldn't get rid of the pincushion, and the CA is noticeable, mostly on the right side. I suppose it makes the image a little softer, too. However, these shortcomings are most noticeable while watching test patterns, not movies. Eventually I'll get the ISCO III lens, but that's six grand! For now, I'm just enjoying scope movies. One last note, the manual slide is of very high quality, as is the lens. Its optics aren't perfect, but that's all you can do with at two-prism lens. HTB provides a good value.
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