Focal reducer question

[W0nderste]

Hi I'm still a relative newbie, so this maybe an obvious question to some

i have na F10, 5" SCT with focal length of 1250 mm.  I have 5/8/12/25mm EP's and a 2x focal extender.  I've had lots of fun looking at planets/moon and also taking a few pics with my phone.

i recently bought an ZWO ASI290 to try and capture some better planetary pics, but when I turned it on the Moon I soon realised I could only see about 1/3 of the moon in the frame.

so I assume that due to the long focal length of the STC, that I need a focal reducer to capture the moon?

what sized focal reducer do I need to capture the whole moon, and are any specifically recommended??

thanks

steve

[Alan64]

One focal-reducer I'm aware of for Schmidts is this one...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reducersflatteners/celestron-f63-focal-reducer.html

There is also the Meade...

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/meade-f63-focal-reducer.html

Both will reduce the focal-ratio from f/10 to f/6.3, and consequently the focal-length of your C5.  Both are quite possibly manufactured in the same factory in China.

[globular]

Even with a reducer you’re field of view is still very small when pointing at the moon.

[W0nderste]

4 hours ago, globular said:

Even with a reducer you’re field of view is still very small when pointing at the moon.

Thanks for the info.  
Probably won't bother then if I can't capture the whole moon

[Alan64]

1 hour ago, W0nderste said:

Thanks for the info.  
Probably won't bother then if I can't capture the whole moon

You do have an alternative, if it's only the Moon...

I took all of those with a point-and-shoot digital-camera.  A "smartphone" camera might do the trick, as you've done already, but perhaps not as well as the aforementioned.

Edited October 11, 2020 by Alan64

[W0nderste]

1 hour ago, Alan64 said:

You do have an alternative, if it's only the Moon...

I took all of those with a point-and-shoot digital-camera.  A "smartphone" camera might do the trick, as you've done already, but perhaps not as well as the aforementioned.

Thanks. My DSLR does't do video, but looking to get a new one, so will give that a try 

[M40]

On 11/10/2020 at 00:04, W0nderste said:

Hi I'm still a relative newbie, so this maybe an obvious question to some

i have na F10, 5" SCT with focal length of 1250 mm.  I have 5/8/12/25mm EP's and a 2x focal extender.  I've had lots of fun looking at planets/moon and also taking a few pics with my phone.

i recently bought an ZWO ASI290 to try and capture some better planetary pics, but when I turned it on the Moon I soon realised I could only see about 1/3 of the moon in the frame.

so I assume that due to the long focal length of the STC, that I need a focal reducer to capture the moon?

what sized focal reducer do I need to capture the whole moon, and are any specifically recommended??

thanks

steve

I have been going down exactly the same route as you in trying to get the whole moon and M31 in one picture, so I have also been looking at the FLO calculator plus doing a few of my own. The focal reducers needed to achieve what we want start becoming prohibitively expensive for me, so I looked at it from a different viewpoint. Have you considered a different telescope? I looked at the SW 102T and 120T OTA. Both of these together with the eyepieces I have seem a more cost effective solution🤔. Nothing is available at the moment including clear skies so plenty of time to think 👍