Star Adventurer First Telescope

[Zowlyfon]

Hi, I've been looking for a telescope for a star adventurer pro mount.

I've been doing a lot of research into this over the past couple of weeks and the following seem to be the best options:

• Skywatcher EvoStar 72ED
• William Optics Z61

There's also the WO RedCat, however it would be a big stretch with my budget of around £500 - £600 for a telescope and accessories (Not including the mount).

I would like to be able to use the telescope visually too along with my 7x50 binoculars, which is why the EvoStar 72ED stands out to me, however there seems to be some controversy in the other posts I've read whether this would be suitable with the star adventurer without guiding.

Also I've seen that skywatcher may have some quality control issues with their field flattener for the 72ED.

Any advice or input would be highly appreciated,

Thanks

 

[Victor Boesen]

Hi, I sometimes use my Evostar 72 on my star adventure with a Nikon d3300 DSLR. If you're not rushing polar alignment you should be able to get about 1 minutes of exposure time and perhaps more depending on where in the sky you're capturing. I've noticed that balance is VERY important to get longer exposures!!

With regards to the field flattener. I'm very happy with my OVL field flattener which is a lot cheaper than the skywatcher flattener and it does a REALLY good job!

Here's an image I've taken with the setup. Unfortunately I don't remember the total exposure time but I think it consists of 1min subs at a Bortle 4 location(notice the star shapes in the corners since it's taken with the flattener)

[Stu1smartcookie]

1 hour ago, Zowlyfon said:

Hi, I've been looking for a telescope for a star adventurer pro mount.

I've been doing a lot of research into this over the past couple of weeks and the following seem to be the best options:

• Skywatcher EvoStar 72ED
• William Optics Z61

There's also the WO RedCat, however it would be a big stretch with my budget of around £500 - £600 for a telescope and accessories (Not including the mount).

I would like to be able to use the telescope visually too along with my 7x50 binoculars, which is why the EvoStar 72ED stands out to me, however there seems to be some controversy in the other posts I've read whether this would be suitable with the star adventurer without guiding.

Also I've seen that skywatcher may have some quality control issues with their field flattener for the 72ED.

Any advice or input would be highly appreciated,

Thanks

 

I have owned the z61 and now own a 72ed .. personally i think they are both superb . Williams optics gear has a build quality second to none , but , you do pay for it ! .. I think there is a z61 MK2 out now and its in excess of 400 pounds ...add the dedicated Field Flattener to it and you are looking at almost £600 , which is almost taking you into Redcat territory ( of course you dont need a Field flattener with the Redcat) . If you want to do a little visual as well as imaging the 72ed also has the advantage of a bit more aperture . I too bought the ovl flattener which is £ 100 cheaper than the dedicated one for the 72ed . I posted about the quality issues with the latest batch of skywatcher field flatteners ... it put me off buying another one as mine was faulty. In truth you cant go wrong with either scope .. but the saving you get with the 72ed and the great results which are on par with the z61 swung it for me in the end .

[Stu1smartcookie]

23 minutes ago, Victor Boesen said:

Hi, I sometimes use my Evostar 72 on my star adventure with a Nikon d3300 DSLR. If you're not rushing polar alignment you should be able to get about 1 minutes of exposure time and perhaps more depending on where in the sky you're capturing. I've noticed that balance is VERY important to get longer exposures!!

With regards to the field flattener. I'm very happy with my OVL field flattener which is a lot cheaper than the skywatcher flattener and it does a REALLY good job!

Here's an image I've taken with the setup. Unfortunately I don't remember the total exposure time but I think it consists of 1min subs at a Bortle 4 location(notice the star shapes in the corners since it's taken with the flattener)

lovely photo .

[Zowlyfon]

Thanks for the replies, that's a great photo @Victor Boesen

The SW ED72 looks like a solid option then. My main concern with it from reading other posts is it's focal length and weight might be quite hard to get accurate tracking with, but that seems to not be the case?

I'm currently living under Bortle 4 skies (Will be Bortle 6 when I go back to University). I was able to take the following using 800 x 1 second exposures with my EOS 650D and a vintage 135mm lens. Can't wait till I get the star adventurer and a telescope

[Victor Boesen]

5 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

lovely photo .

Thanks!

[Victor Boesen]

5 hours ago, Zowlyfon said:

Thanks for the replies, that's a great photo @Victor Boesen

The SW ED72 looks like a solid option then. My main concern with it from reading other posts is it's focal length and weight might be quite hard to get accurate tracking with, but that seems to not be the case?

I'm currently living under Bortle 4 skies (Will be Bortle 6 when I go back to University). I was able to take the following using 800 x 1 second exposures with my EOS 650D and a vintage 135mm lens. Can't wait till I get the star adventurer and a telescope

I don't think the focal lengh would much of a problem if you're just thorough with the polar alignment and if mount the star adventure on a decent tripod. If you want to guide the star adventure in the future I could imagine you would also be able to reach 2 minutes exposure without star trailing. Good luck with your setup!

You're very fortunate to live under bortle 4 skies. I live in bortle 7-8 skies but luckily I have grandparents who live at a bortle 4 location;) That's a surprising photo considering it's only 1 second exposures!