New telescope

[Mirrorgirl]

Hi there guys

I have a 800 pound budget and I want to get a new scope I was think William optics any ideas?


Rhoda

[Lady Fraktor]

Which WO are you considering?

[Thefatkitty]

Hey Rhoda,

I recently bought a WO Zenithstar 61mm lightly used, and as a company they make a good scope, at least to me. The "fit and finish" is impeccable, and the R&P focuser is so precise and solid.

The optics are very good as well; it's a FPL53 Doublet APO. I'm very happy for my $500CDN

All the best,

[helicon]

I second Mark. Those scopes (zenithstar) are quite high quality with sharp views due to the doublet design. Should be able to get one for less than 800 £

[Thefatkitty]

Hi again Rhoda,

Not to "run amok" with your post, but to say I really like my WO scope, if you can get a good deal I'd say go for it.

I have yet to have a clear night since I bought this just over a month ago, but there has been some clear days and I get off work at a decent hour. Hence the daytime shots....

I'm a DIY'er, here's the wee beastie on my mostly pipe mount equipped for solar with my Canon EOS 550D.

The resulting image from July 29th; I consider that very good on Solar for an f/5.9 scope. Planets to scale...

For the Moon in the daytime, I think it did really well, especially since there was some haze from all the humidity. You'll notice the dewshield is extended from the previous solar setup:

This is a full frame pic; the dark blur in the upper right is the leaves from my tree.

I can pick it up so equipped with one hand using the handle on top of the scope. It's the handle that comes with the WO RedCat. Speaking of felines, this scope is according to OPT, "Bright and colorful yet smaller than a house cat". And yes, it is, and it weighs a lot less too!

The furball comes in at about 8.5kg, while the scope is about 1.5kg. Minus the tail, she just under the length of the scope with the dewshield extended. The scope is much easier to pick up, but it doesn't purr....

All that being said, I have had no time visually with it at night. The Solar filter I made for it is 3.8OD film (photo only) and the daytime Moon is meh at best. Still, I expect it will perform quite well.


Hope this gives you some info to make a good decision

All the best,

[Mirrorgirl]

Hi again Rhoda,

Not to "run amok" with your post, but to say I really like my WO scope, if you can get a good deal I'd say go for it.

I have yet to have a clear night since I bought this just over a month ago, but there has been some clear days and I get off work at a decent hour. Hence the daytime shots....

I'm a DIY'er, here's the wee beastie on my mostly pipe mount equipped for solar with my Canon EOS 550D.


002.JPG



The resulting image from July 29th; I consider that very good on Solar for an f/5.9 scope. Planets to scale...


Sun_07-29-2022s.jpg

wow thats a very nice setup i really hope you get some clear skys soon...and yes i think i'm going for this scope thank you


Rhoda



For the Moon in the daytime, I think it did really well, especially since there was some haze from all the humidity. You'll notice the dewshield is extended from the previous solar setup:


001.JPG

Moon_08-02-2022_02.JPG



This is a full frame pic; the dark blur in the upper right is the leaves from my tree.


Moon_08-02-2022.JPG



I can pick it up so equipped with one hand using the handle on top of the scope. It's the handle that comes with the WO RedCat. Speaking of felines, this scope is according to OPT, "Bright and colorful yet smaller than a house cat". And yes, it is, and it weighs a lot less too!

The furball comes in at about 8.5kg, while the scope is about 1.5kg. Minus the tail, she just under the length of the scope with the dewshield extended. The scope is much easier to pick up, but it doesn't purr....


scope_cat.jpg



All that being said, I have had no time visually with it at night. The Solar filter I made for it is 3.8OD film (photo only) and the daytime Moon is meh at best. Still, I expect it will perform quite well.


Hope this gives you some info to make a good decision

All the best,

[Mirrorgirl]

Hi again Rhoda,

Not to "run amok" with your post, but to say I really like my WO scope, if you can get a good deal I'd say go for it.

I have yet to have a clear night since I bought this just over a month ago, but there has been some clear days and I get off work at a decent hour. Hence the daytime shots....

I'm a DIY'er, here's the wee beastie on my mostly pipe mount equipped for solar with my Canon EOS 550D.


002.JPG



The resulting image from July 29th; I consider that very good on Solar for an f/5.9 scope. Planets to scale...


Sun_07-29-2022s.jpg

wow thats a very nice setup i really hope you get some clear skys soon...and yes i think i'm going for this scope thank you


Rhoda



For the Moon in the daytime, I think it did really well, especially since there was some haze from all the humidity. You'll notice the dewshield is extended from the previous solar setup:


001.JPG

Moon_08-02-2022_02.JPG



This is a full frame pic; the dark blur in the upper right is the leaves from my tree.


Moon_08-02-2022.JPG



I can pick it up so equipped with one hand using the handle on top of the scope. It's the handle that comes with the WO RedCat. Speaking of felines, this scope is according to OPT, "Bright and colorful yet smaller than a house cat". And yes, it is, and it weighs a lot less too!

The furball comes in at about 8.5kg, while the scope is about 1.5kg. Minus the tail, she just under the length of the scope with the dewshield extended. The scope is much easier to pick up, but it doesn't purr....


scope_cat.jpg

And really love the moon images thank you

Rhoda



All that being said, I have had no time visually with it at night. The Solar filter I made for it is 3.8OD film (photo only) and the daytime Moon is meh at best. Still, I expect it will perform quite well.


Hope this gives you some info to make a good decision

All the best,

[Mirrorgirl]

Which WO are you considering?

Its the william optics new super zenithstar 81 f/6.9 doublet apo refractor

thank you

Rhoda

[Lady Fraktor]

It should be a good refractor, one of my favourite refractors is my Stellarvue 80mm f/6.9

[Bigzmey]

Rhoda, you already have SW 80ED doublet. From what I hear they also have good reputation. So, AP people, would WO 81 be that much better to justify the purchase?

[JayTee]

So, AP people, would WO 81 be that much better to justify the purchase?

Wide field with low surface brightness, no. Objects (like m45) with point sources of light, then yes because this object will bring out the CA.

[Bigzmey]

So, AP people, would WO 81 be that much better to justify the purchase?

Wide field with low surface brightness, no. Objects (like m45) with point sources of light, then yes because this object will bring out the CA.

So, JT if you already had SW 80ED would you buy WO 81, or save money for something different?

I know for visual I would keep SW and save money for 102ED, but AP is a different game.

[Greenman]

Always worthwhile looking here:

Second hand Astronomy gear UK. Need to be a member.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2403914 ... ?ref=share

Most second hand gear is well cared for, available off the shelf and great for stretching funds

[Lady Fraktor]

Rhoda, after comparing the specs of both the WO 81mm and the Orion 80mm this seems more a sideways move than a upgrade.
Is there something specific you are looking for with the WO 81mm?

[chris_g]

Hi there guys

I have a 800 pound budget and I want to get a new scope I was think William optics any ideas?


Rhoda

Hi Rhoda,

I've seen all the posts and what you're comparing. I recently bought a WO Zenithstar 73, the FOV is comparable to the ED80 I have but slightly bigger and supports a full frame camera, that would be a decent upgrade reason, imho...Not sure about the price conversion but should be in your budget. Not sure where you'd order from though, link provided for specs...

Hope this helps,
Chris

https://agenaastro.com/william-optics-s ... r-red.html

[JayTee]

Rhoda, I'm with Gabrielle on this. You still haven't told us if this purchase is for AP or visual.

[sdbodin]

Also sound like a sideways move, nothing gained. Maybe look at short tube 6 or 8 inch astrographs, more photons collected dimmer targets seen or shorter exposures on bright ones.

Just a random thought, I don't know UK prices on this kind of OTA.
Steve

[Mirrorgirl]

Rhoda, I'm with Gabrielle on this. You still haven't told us if this purchase is for AP or visual.

sorry its for astrophotography.

[Jockinireland]

If your SW 80ED is anywhwere near as good as my one I dont think you would see much benefit from that change. Remember you would need, for AP, to add in the flattner which is another £180 and which will pull the FL down to 447mm i.e. a bit smaller than your SW80ED (510mm with the reducer) but not small enough to make it a significantly different FOV, So really, as already stated, this would be a sideways move without giving you much difference in FOV.

I think there would be options that would give you more flexibility in terms of appropriate targets etc..

Earlier this year I got a Sharpstar 61 EDPH II. With the dedicated flattener reducer this comes in at under £700. Its a triplet rather than a doublet so has (at least in my one) no noticable CA. With the flattner it has a FL of 275mm which allows for some great widefields. its a fantastic partner for my 80ED.

On the other hand, if you wanted to go up in FL, within that budget you could be looking at the Skywatcher Quattro f4 Imaging Newtonian. That would almost double your FL to 1000mm which would become useful for smaller targets. But newts are a bit more difficult because they bring in the need for collimation - which I do and hate doing with my SCT!

In truth, I'd be saying that the 80ED is a fine scope for where you are at just now and, if you are still using your DSLR as your imaging camera, you may to better to put the £800 into cooled dedicated astro camera rather than a new scope. The Altair Hypercam 533C Colour Camera (equivalent to the ASI 533 which is a fantastic camera) is available at £799. I believe you would see much much more improvement in your images by taking that route than in spending the same money on a different scope.

Just my tuppence worth.

David

[OzEclipse]

Hi Rhoda,
I tend to agree with the other opinions expressed that going from an ED80 to a WO80 won’t be a good use of funds. The WO is a higher spec refractor but the aperture is nearly identical and the improvement would be marginal. Stars might be a little tighter and colour a little better corrected.

I would suggest you go up in aperture and I have always found that double the light gathering ( one astronomical magnitude ) is not that noticeable visually nor worth the investment. For your 80mm, a 100mm represents less than a 2x increase. I would be looking at jumping to 6-8” aperture. However astro photography is a juggling act between optics and mounting and drive systems. You will see an improvement photographically but it will be small and some 100mm APO refractors can get quite heavy.

I see from your signature that you have an EQ 35M mount. This mount has a 10kg stated payload which probably means that you shouldn’t put more than 5-7kg on the mount for astronomical photography. This is the load in total OTA, guidescope, cameras, and mounting bracket’s. Maybe someone with experience using this mount for AP with heavier payloads could jump in and confirm my thinking but I don’t think the mount could hold an 8” f4 astrographic reflector.

So as I see it, you are squeezed between a mount that places an upper limit on payload, and already owning a capable optic that suits your mounting. I have a suggestion. It’s above your stated budget, but take a look at the Sharpstar Hyperbolic astro graphs. 6” f2.8. Not sure how much they cost in your part of the world. The retail price in Australia converts to about UKP 1800 so you would have to wait and save up for the extra expense. The OTA weighs about 4.5kg and with camera and small guider would sit well on your current mounting. This is probably the biggest aperture astrograph you can place on your mount and carry securely for AP.

Best of luck with your decision!

Joe