2" Star Diagonal

[craigb1970]

Thinking of changing to a 2" star diagonal for my Celestron 8SE which is on a AVX mount, possibly to a Williams Optics. I have several 1.25" eyepieces and I sometimes use a f/6.3 focal reducer, I will also be doing a bit of imaging.  My other option is to upgrade the standard 1.25" star diagonal, again to a WO.  Also, if I change to a 2" star diagonal I think I will need to change the VB?  I'm not really sure what the best option is and would appreciate any advice.

[Ben the Ignorant]

Hi.

Some diagonals screw onto the visual back. I and a couple friends compared four GSO diagonals, a Sky-Watcher diagonal and a William diagonal (all dielectric, some in 2" format, some in 1.25" size), the latter was the softer of the bunch. We could see no difference in brightness or sharpness between the GSO's and the Sky-Watcher. Some GSO's are rebranded, but if they have the same housing, they are the same thing, and they are advertised as 1/12th wave when William declares only 1/10th wave.

Another advantage of GSO's is they cost less.

[Dave In Vermont]

I have 4 WO 2" Diagonals - 2 for Refractors and 2 for CAT's, SCT and MCT. Love 'em! But if I need another to replace one, I plan to try a 2" GSO. I have a 1.25" GSO and love that, too! So I'd opt for the GSO 2" next time.

Last Analysis: It's a coin-toss to get a WO or GSO for your situation in my view. Either should be an excellent choice - quality-wise.

Dave

[newbie alert]

Sounds like you're be after dso rather than planets..if so you won't need a diagonal  for imaging..just a t ring and canon or Nikon adapter..

 

[craigb1970]

Thanks for the responses which are very helpful.