SW ED 66 Equinox

[lensman57]

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience with this scope for widefield DSO imaging?

Regards,

A.G

[Rossco72]

As you have no other answers I'll give you my own 2p worth.

It's not a direct comparison though as my 66 is a full triplet APO with colour correction to boot. At f7 it's also slower. However for wide field imaging its amazing with a great field of view. It does need a flattener and I suspect the equinox would too as all except the petzvals do.

It can get away with a lighter mount and you don't need to worry about light gathering as its fine. Just might need some longer subs.

Hopefully someone with the actual scope will pop up and give you a more appropriate comparison.

Cheers

Stuart

[swag72]

I bought this scope a while back as a widefield imaging scope. I never once used it as the connections from the focuser (SCT) to the imaging train was almost impossible to reconcile. I bought a Baader SCT-2" adaptor, but it was woeful and wouldn't hold anything square. I quickly gave up as I decided that I was flogging a dead horse if I couldn't connect it all securely together.

[Rossco72]

Ah. The William optics is the same. I bought a 2" feathertouch focuser for it and its just peachy....

That said, a rationalisation of scopes and cash squeeze means its currently for sale but not due to any fault of the scope......

Cheers

Stuart

[ollypenrice]

I have one as well. I used it as a way into imaging and it served me well. Mine's the doublet with dedicated 66 flattener and Ian King supplied an adapter which allows any CCD camera to go on the back, though I wouldn't use anything too heavy. I've used an Atik 4000 plus F/W on it. As a narrowband scope it is tack sharp. Stars are rather bigger in LRGB as you would expect from such a small optic. My first POW opn here was with this little scope;

I've resisted selling it because it has a similar FL to my Tak FSQ85 with reducer and I'd had it in the back of my mind to make a parallel rig using both our Atik 4000s. The 66 would have collected the Ha. I've ended up going down a different road so I guess I should sell it really.

Olly

[lensman57]

Many thanks to all of you for your inputs, I thought the price was attractive and the point about the weight or rather lack of it had occured to me too but it seems that to get reasonable short exposures it needs a FF/FR unit . I think that I'd better save up for the 80 mm as it maybe betterbuy in the long run.

Regards,

A.G

[tonedeaf]

i would say thry the ED80/600 from SW thats € ~100,- more for that...

but it´s a real DSO workhorse as many here will tell...