Orion / SW ED80 , T-Ring , Adapter , FF/FR , Help please.

[Amajed]

Hi

I've been searching for a FF/FR for the Skywatcher Evostar 80ED or the Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor.

both are the same telescope , 80mm/600mm f/7.5

it seems that Orion stopped selling the FF/FR for there telescope , they now only sell ether FF or FR , can't have both. there must be a reason for that.

also its not easy to find these M48 adapters/ring things ,

for those who recently bought the ED80 , what did you buy with it ? do you really need any of the FF/FR ? or its OK to AP without them ?

I did not purchase anything (not even the telescope yet) I need more info before I buy anything

(I really hate getting each item from a different store , it tells me that item should not be for sell and those sellers are just trying to sell everything out..)

[Amajed]

Why there's no edit option here :/

anyway I forgot to mention that I have a Canon 1100D DSLR

and this is the telescope I'm going to get:

Orion Sirius ED80 EQ-G Computerized GoTo Refractor Telescope

[swag72]

With a DSLR and the large size chip that it has, I would absolutely recommend a field flattener. The corners of your images will be fairly dire without one and you will really notice the effects of field curvature. To reduce the speed of the telescope is also favourable, as the faster the scope, the more data that you can collect in any given time. Of course with a reducer you will also get a reduced focal length, but generally that's no bad thing either.

[kingboya]

Maybe this could help. I have not ever used an orion ed80, but this works with my Skywatcher ED80 and I have had some good results!

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reducersflatteners/skywatcher-focal-reducers.html

[Amajed]

Thanks swag72 , I might end up getting only FF if there's no FF/FR.

kingboya , yes this is the same as the Orion's that is no longer for sell. also it requires a M48 T-Ring for Canon which is not available any more in First Light Optics.

this whole thing is fishy and I need a proper explanation .

Thanks.

[swag72]

The teleview TRF2008 is another reducer / flattener that will suit an ED80 scope.

[Amajed]

Nice one , this doesn't require M48 T ring or a push-fit adapter . it will come up cheaper for me,

I already have the standard T Ring , do I need something like extension tube or any sort of adapter ? or it will focus just like that ?

also the quality , the Tele View or the Sky Watcher? which one perform better ?

Thanks swag72

[Lonestar70]

Hi Amajed,

The correct FF/FR for your scope would be the SW 0.85... it has been optimised for that scope.

The SW 0.85 FF/FR and the corect M48 - T adaptor for your camera are currently available from

http://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/Focal_Reducers.html

Both are showing as in stock and just as FLO they are a trusted company to deal with.

You will not require any additional extenders for this combination.

Hope this is of help.

Best regards.

Sandy.

[Amajed]

Lonestar70 , how do you install the reducer to the telescope ? does it thread into the 2" Crayford-style focuser ?

Thanks.

[Lonestar70]

Hi Amajed,

Yes it screws directly to the focusser tube when you unscrew the standard 2" eyepiece holder, however this makes using any additional filters tricky (other than the clip in versions for canon camera's.

What I do is leave the standard 2" eyepiece holder (standard fitting on the draw tube) attached, and use a 2" nose piece (available from FLO for use with this FF/FR) which has the facility for screw in 2" filters.

The whole FF/FR + t-ring and camera then become a single assembly... just like a normal 2" eyepiece.

Best regards.

[Lonestar70]

I forgot to add that the other advantage of using the FLO nosepiece is that you can easily rotate your camera for framing... not so easy with the FF/FR directly screwed in place.

Best regards.

Sandy.

[Amajed]

So , its ether I get:

Sky-Watcher FF/FR

T-Ring M48

FLO Nosepiece

OR

Only the TeleVue FF/FR ( I already had the standard T-Ring )

to be honest , I like the TeleVue more , unless its perform less that the Sky-Watcher FF/FR !?

Thanks Lonestar 70

[KnightTrader]

I purchased the Orion 8893 Field Flattener for my ED80 and am waiting to receive it.  I also got the Orion 5528 T-Thread Spacer Ring Kit, so I can adjust the spacing to optimize the performance of the FF.  Still waiting to receive them, and I hope they work out for the images I have been taking with M51 (Whirlpool Galaxy) later this week.

[Steve Ward]

I would stick with the Skywatcher FF/FR as it is specifically made for the scope in question , it works extremely well , anything else is not going to be optimised for it.

As far as filters , there's an adapter available from FLO that allows the use of Std 2" filters .... http://www.firstlightoptics.com/adaptors/flo-adapter-for-skywatcher-focal-reducers.html

[rob0971]

There is also the TS optics field flattener which works well with this scope.