Stu1smartcookie

Have to say , I absolutely love WO stuff .. it’s quality through and through . I’m waiting for an ADM saddle for my AZ-GTi because I don’t want to Mark the dovetail lol ( these scopes need to be cared for lol)

Hi Tony ZZZZ lol ive just bought this and noticed the little handle in the case/bag ... unbelievable . ( message to self ... LOOK ) lol Thanks for the reply . Stu

Brilliant , Nik ... certainly a nice challenge .

Nice image ... the Moon is a great target

Reviving this thread after a couple of months ,... i have just repurchased a ZS73 ... Can someone please advise me if i can mount a finders shoe on the scope ( there are two pairs of Allen headed screws that i can install it ( on the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock position ) Hope that makes sense Stu

I looked at a Gekeeto tripod as it has a 8kg payload and it’s a reasonable 55 pounds now .

Nice ,KP... there are so many positive reports on here , of course I knew about WO stuff being quality . All I need is a clear sky .. missed out last night when the sky was sooooo clear but all my gear was packed up ready for selling today . And tonight ... zzz cloud . What tripod do you use ?

Honestly I am really happy with this scope , just unboxed . Good quality , reassuringly weighty .

I went for Red .. I’ve had a gold zs61 in the past which I liked but I felt like MR T when I went outside with it ! The red is nice because when I get the WO wedge it will match . Looking forward to when this lockdown officially ends . Your dob or a Mak is on my list ( wife permitting )

Nice comments Mike .. thank you . You really inspired me ( albeit after I have bought it , er, to buy it lol) I only read the replies once I was home and on the way home I stopped off at the widescreen centre and bought it . It haven’t even unboxed it yet lol .. I also bought an az gti ( yep honestly this is my 5th one !!!! Don’t worry I will see a GP about this obsession) but I need a tripod . Fortunately @steviedvd is helping me out there . It’s such a portable mount . I now need the flattener , which I will pick up in a few weeks . Oh and an AdM replacement clamp , oh and a WO wedge . But they can wait for a while . Does anyone else hate putting marks on their dovetails ? I do .. so the clamp is a necessary purchase for me .

Hi . Well as you know I am looking at another , er , larger scope for visual . . But for now .. it’s all I need .

Hi .. Today I will be in the enviable position of being able to purchase another scope . Don’t worry it’s not another “what scope shall I buy “ thread . I am looking at a lightweight , portable refractor to put on a lightweight portable tracking mount . So I am limited by weight .. up to say 3-4 Kgs for the scope . I have my eye on the WO ZS73 . It’s a well built scope and it’s a scope that’s actually in stock . I like to set up in a hurry and I like goto features , so , i will use either an Az-GTi or a star discovery mount the scope fits the bill. If I am honest here I usually like looking at stuff rather than looking at a camera that’s looking at stuff , so I will be using the scope for a fair bit of visual . Now I know what some of you are thinking at this point ... “ crazy guy looking at planets through a 73mm scope” .. well , yep .. I get that the image of planets will be small , even bumping the mag up to a max 140 power but I also think the views will be very “clean” at say 100 x mag . ( thoughts on this please ) .But this scope is a great wide field scope and coupled with my 2”aero 30mm and my 2”GSO superview 50mm I hope it will excel . ( thoughts welcome please ) Of course I will be adding a dslr and a flattener to this scope at some point .. it would be rude not to use it for a spot of photography but , as someone living under bortle 6 skies it’s nice to have the option to pack up a really portable rig and just plonk it down basically anywhere. The scope , for me , is not a cheap one and I have done some research on it , but nothing beats first hand experience offered by people such as on this site ( bigged you all up there) I look forward to your comments either in total praise of my decision or to criticise my ( admittedly at times ) bad judgement Thanks for reading Stu

Very good point ... I bought a photo tripod that takes around 7kg and used it with a Star Adventurer... it was about 24" when completely folded down and so light weight but with a fairly good payload

It would be ok but you have to know its limitations ..bright stars will have a blue halo as the light in an achromat doesn't reach a focal point , especially on the short focal length scopes . If CA bothers you it may be a deal breaker . But , yes you could certainly image with it .

lol I feel like i am a shop sometimes

Glad you are happy with the mount , Neil .

Simon there is a guy selling a st102 on the for sale section

Great spot .

Yes i saw that ... i really do not know why scopes are sold with these screw clamps .

Sorry to ask another question ... did you ( or even , could one ) change the focuser ?

OMG ... FLO has just confirmed the F15 is now in stock ... maybe its selling time for me again ... the scopetech F15 really looks the part . John , what is a comfortable magnification for this scope on , say Jupiter ?

So , whats the next scope , Chris...lol ? In the short while i had that scope i was really happy with it . Its all about knowing the limitations and strength of the equipment . You , quite rightly for your observing situation , chose wisely . The ST80 is a great Wide field scope ... when Gas Giants are visible in the night sky this summer you may want something with a bit more scope (pun intended) and higher magnification capabilities , so , maybe a small Mak to complement it . Remember , the expense never ends

And , in a nutshell ... that is the REAL problem lol for most of us .

Nice report , Nick . Clear from 7pm in my location ... set up time + 30 mins , including first use of a pole master ( seems a bit of a luxury tbh ) .. wind picked up , temperature dropped ... it was an uncomfortable evening, to be honest. But , i used the time to slew to some lovely star clusters and a few doubles . I so wanted to see the sunflower but it was hidden behind my house and my proximity to the house where i set up . Nice to read your report . Stu

Its a British illness ... a necessary evil ... the problem is it soon starts affecting your mood lol ... and i find myself gazing out the window in the office , in the middle of the afternoon.