However, I noticed immediately that the Antares had a bit more of an heft to it, giving it a solid feel the Celestron didnt possess. Take control of your telescope! If used before or beyond the working distance, unwanted image distortion may result. For both imaging and visual observing, these reducers also improve image sharpness at the edge of the field by correcting for coma and field curvature. Even though they may have been slightly dimmer, galaxies were a bit easier to tease out of the urban light soup I deal with. Clearly cost is a big factor for satisfied users. GSO, for example, has a 0.75x reducer for RC scopes with a back focus of 80mm, which is usually enough room for a wide range of astronomy cameras and accessories and spacers as needed. OPT Product Number: AE-SCTFR specifications Warranty 2 Year Warranty Works as advertised! Regardless, the difference was miniscule and is more than adequate on both and exceeds a 8 or 6 SCTs baffle tube diameter. Generally, views through the Antares seemed a little more transparent and brighter. Check out our 2022 telescope buying guide here! Is there likely to be any differences in performance between using these on an 8 or something smaller like my 6SE? This innovative software solves the time-consuming problem of trying to pinpoint the North Celestial Pole. The faster f/ratio allows you to use slower film or shoot in lower light level situations and still properly expose your subject. For example, with a 0.8x focal reducer, a telescope with a focal length of 800mm will operate at 800 x 0.8 = 640mm when the reducer is placed at the working distance specified by the manufacturer. Meade once made an f/3.3 focal reducer for SCT scopes. Some faster refractors with a focal ratio of f/6, for example, only require field flatteners and not focal reducers. looks virtually identical, except for the lettering. Getting the proper back-focus for your imaging camera is a vital step in getting the best data possible out of your telescope imaging/research rig. CPWI has an extensive object database, employs PointXP mount modeling, and more. The equations and argument in the Appendix of this article shows the relationship between the working distance and the reduction factor. This article explained the basics of how focal reducers work with various kinds of telescopes and how their working distance affects their reduction factor, and it provided sufficient detail to help amateur astronomer choose and use the right focal reducer for a particular application. There may have been an almost imperceptible difference, but the Antares and Celestron were producing precisely the same reduction. The brightness, shape, and distortion of specific stars in the exact same position at the edge of the field was precisely identical in both reducers. Very helpful, thanks a lot for this article! The Best Dedicated Astronomy Cameras for Beginners, Astronomik OIII 12nm CCD Filter - T-Threads, Pegasus Astro Dual Motor Focus Controller, 10 Micron 12kg (26.45lbs) Stainless Steel Counterweight- GM 2000, I would like more information regarding stock availability dates. Explore Scientific Keys to the Universe Sale, Antares f/6.3 Focal Reducer for Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes, Skip to the beginning of the images gallery. Best evidence would by obtained by using a camera and evaluating the image both by eye and with a computer analysis. This award-winning optical system reduces visual defects like field curvature and coma, creating an ultra-flat field for pinpoint stars all the way to the edge of todays largest imaging sensors. The Antares f/6.3 Focal Reducer for Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes is a low-price option for reducing the focal length of your Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope from f/10 to f/6.3. Reviews. The most popular accessories for your new telescope! Much to my surprise, swapping back and forth between the two correctors using all three diagonal configurations, I also could detect absolutely no change in reduction between the two reducers. If the reducer is placed elsewhere, at a position called the operating distance, the focal reduction factor will not be as advertised. Many Ritchey-Chretien telescopes available today are made by GSO. Michael 1 ronin Members That said any comparison reviews are helpful. We only send interesting emails and will never sell your data. No idea what the issue is. The most commonly available focal reducers for SCTs are the f/6.3 reducers from Celestron and a similar f/6.3 focal reducer from Meade. Your price: $579.00. The Celestron is both a corrector and focal reducer and the Antares is just a focal reducer. Obviously bright objects like Jupiter or The Moon show the reflections. But when not in the box or on the telescope, there is no cover for the other end. The working distance (backfocus) of the Celestron f/6.3 reducer is specified to be 105mm from the base of the male SCT thread on the camera side. Hence, there is a chance that you may not be able to thread your SCT diagonal or other SCT accessory on to this reducer for these or for any other brand. The Antares f6.3 focal reducer screws directly to the visual-back thread of all popular SCTs and converts f10 instruments to f6.3. Since 2008, Brian has taught astronomy to tens of thousands of stargazers through his websites OneMinuteAstronomer.com and CosmicPursuits.com. Clean, fun jokes the tradition continues - Page 106 No experience with the Antares reducers, but I haven't personally seen a difference between Celestron and my current pair of made in Japan Meade reducers. Some manufacturers will specify the working distance from the middle of the rear lens surface, and this number must then be converted into a practical working distance number by subtracting the amount by which the rear lens surface is recessed in its housing. Sign up to receive sale alerts, news about upcoming celestial events, and telescope tips from our experts! Reducer Lens .7x - EdgeHD 800 Unique focal reducer and field corrector lens accessory Reduces the focal length and f/ ratio of your Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope by 37% Provides a dual focal ratio instrument, without sacrificing image quality Compatible with all Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes (see compatible list in description) Share Customers Also Purchased Description StevieDvd Members 1,182 1,812 Location: Stevenage, UK Posted March 9, 2021 (edited) Don't know but your welcome to try out my Meade 6.3 sct reducer next time you are passing. Stars in the corner of the image frame are indistinguishable between the Antares and the Celestron. As mentioned in Section 2 of this guide, the reduction factor of a focal reducer depends on its position in the optical path relative to the eyepiece or camera. Stars had a tiny bit more sparkle and pop. More aggressive reduction, or using these reducers with larger sensors, will result in aberrations and distortions near the edge of the image. Stock focusers in an SCT move the mirror of the scope to change the position of the focal plane, and they have sufficient travel to accommodate a focal reducer. A focal reducer does just the opposite of a Barlow lens or focal extender. Fumbling around in the dark, fine threads might be a problem. A little longer light path with a 2 Baader click-lock, low profile 1.25 adapter, and the 1.25 diagonal; Great report and verifies what I had thought all along, Fortunately, my neighbors are not out in their backyards at 11 pm, or they may have thought I was torturing a small mammal. Some third-party vendors also make reducers for SCT scopes. You cannot, for example, use a 0.63x focal reducer intended for a standard Celestron or Meade SCT and use it on a Celestron Edge HD or a Meade ACF. It was also a little brighter in the center of the field with subtle darkening in the outer 20% or so. It was used strictly for imaging, not visual observing. Sign up for our newsletter to get exclusive deals, observing tips, and new product announcements. It can also be used with any other small chip CCD camera having a 1.25" nosepiece, such as the Celestron NexImage, Meade DSI . The lens that the ZWO comes with give a perfect wide angle image of what is in front of it. Thanks. I have had the Japan unit on the back of my C5 since 1994 or thereabouts. You also wont be unhappy spending the few extra bucks on the Celestron for the pretty orange lettering, particularly if you can pick one up used, as I did. 2.2 Using a Focal Reducer at the Working Distance, 2.3 Adjusting the Reduction Factor of a Focal Reducer, 3.3 Focal Reducers for Compound Telescopes, 3.5 Focal Reducers for Ritchey-Chretien and Field Flattened Scopes, 3.6 Focal Reducers in 1.25" and 2" Barrel Formats, 4. Yellow and orange members of open clusters stood out a bit more as the various stars displayed their individuality. Celestron Focus Motor for SCT, EdgeHD & 8" RASA, Celestron C6 0.63 reducer/flattener back focus. I have the Antares and am not unhappy with it, but for AP I would want more back focal distance if those numbers are accurate. To further factor out my natural astigmatism (I normally wear glasses while observing), I did the tests with my regular progressive lenses, single vision glasses I use when observing, and naked eye. All Rights Reserved. If the reducer is placed closer to the eyepiece or camera than the distance D, the reduction factor decreases. With this telescope and this focal reducer, it does not help to move to a 2" eyepiece and a 2" diagonal as the visual view will be akin to looking through a porthole within the larger apparent field of view of the eyepiece. Antares Click Lock Visual Back - Cats & Casses - Cloudy Nights To calculate how much back focus spacing you need to add, take the thickness of the filter and divide it by 3. Completely stuck, completely frustrated. Hi - most interesting - may I ask .. the brighter guys - "if a camera sensor is too small for a n adaper, will a focal reduer allow me to get greater use from the camera? Some refractors such the TeleVue Nagler-Petzval (NP), the Takahashi "FSQ", and the William Optics Redcat/WhiteCat 51 have inherently flat fields because of internal optical elements. The Buyer's Guide To Eyepieces at the top of the Eyepieces forum has a column for this spec. No difference. I wont bother with differences in packaging, caps, etc. They are reported as identical. Because of their distinct optical design, slower Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes (SCT) with focal ratios of f/10 require a different design of focal reducer compared to refractors. Reducer Lens .7x - EdgeHD 800 Learn More. I even lost track of which reducer I was using. This is very impressive performance given how hard this problem is to mitigate in general. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. That includes, for example, a 1.25" eyepiece with an apparent field of view of 68 and a focal length of 24mm (eg. It's usually specified in millimeters. The Antares is supposed to be pretty comparable. We have corrected # (iii) after equations 6 & 7. Overall, this reducer does a phenomenal job at preventing gradients due to internal reflections from the camera sensor back to the glass in the reducer, as I suffered with the Antares reducer. Start here to find the perfect telescope for you! Celestron Solar Safe filter technology is GUARANTEED SAFE for direct solar observation and has been independently tested by SAI Global Assurance Services. Never noticed any anomalies with this unit. This filter threads on to the rear cell of your Celestron or Meade SCT telescope. In every configuration, there were essentially parfocal, requiring only a tiny fine focus adjustment when changing correctors. The working distance of the GSO 0.5x focal reducer with 1.25" barrel and the GSO 0.5x focal reducer with 2" barrel is about 51mm to 53mm, approximately, from the middle of the metal cell that holds the lens. This was most noticeable on the eyepiece end of the RC, where the metal rim surrounding the lens was about 1mm thicker than on the Celestron. But I am rusty, can you condense a bit for me please? As a result, the smaller tube may cut into the light cone and effectively reduce the working aperture of the telescope. Place the plastic covers on the lens when not in use to reduce the dust collection.
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