Do I need at BinoVue Prism Compensator?

I see Anacortes has TeleVue's new Prism Compensator advertised at http://www.buytelescopes.com/search.asp?s=1&q=newtv&quicksearch=1.

I'm on the verge of taking the plunge and getting a binoviewer (very close race between the Televue, BWOptik, and Denkmeier units) and expect to be able to use without barlow on my 8" SCT.

Now I see this unit advertised for "correcting prism aberrations"! Would this be necessary for the TeleVue unit only? If so, the TeleVue unit is now $1220 vs the BWOptik $490!

I guess my basic question is "what abberations does it correct?". For example, a little chromatic abberation doesn't bother me near as much as astigmatism.

I'd appreciate any help here, since I don't have access to all three of these binoviewers and various correcting lenses to "try before I buy".

Bruce Housey.

No, you will not need to purchase it as it comes with the BinoVue. It will not be needed on your SCT anyway, as it is mainly to help reach focus with Newts and refractors. The TV unit also comes with a short hollow barrel that you put on the BV in place of the corrector when using it on your SCT.

Doug
Midway, FL

I strongly urge you to read the binoviewer review on CloudyNights.com. Here's the link:

http://www.cloudynights.com/accessories2/binoviewers.htm

I've spoken with the author at lenght and the maker of the Denkmeier unit. That unit was just upgraded to include baffling to reduce glare to near zero.

The review basically puts the Denkmeier unit a bit above the TeleVue and at over $400 less. You will not need anything additional to use it with an SCT.

Dave