William Optics Zenithstar 81 APO Reviews?

[mcro89]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy my first refractor scope for imaging. My current scope setup is the Skywatcher 200pds with HEQ5 pro mount and Canon 70d dslr. I have been fairly happy with the results of this set up and I have recently started doing more guided imaging with a recent purchase of a ZWO mini guide cam which I plug into the finder scope. My only nagging annoyance with this set up is the size! So I'm looking at getting a slightly more portable setup.

After lots of research into refractors I have narrowed down to Willam Optics and mostly leaning towards getting a Zenithstar 81 APO. However I have not found many reviews or youtube video reviews about this particular scope. So my question to you all is can anyone point me in the direction of any good reviews or can anyone who owns one give us a their opinion on it?

I have seen a fair amount online about the Zenithstar 73 especially from Trevor Jones on Astrobackyard as he has used it on a number of videos. I also seen a fair bit about the RedCat however I don't really want to go this widefield hence why I am leaning towards the Zenithstar 81.

 

Anyway please let me know your thoughts and if anyone has the 81 let me know how you find it!

Thanks,

Matt

 

[newbie alert]

Personally I'd never buy a William optics scope again.. aftersales service is quite shocking,  no help what so ever, all they want to do is sell new scopes and dish out freebies to the u tube wanna be's

So I'm not impressed..

[mcro89]

Intresting! 

What sort of "aftersale service" were you seeking?  What would you recommend instead then? 

 

[fifeskies]

I find my Equinox 80 (which is very similar to the current Skywatcher ED80DS pro) to be a very nice imaging scope. I use a Televue 0.8 reducer with it.

I had been considering a Zenithstar 81 when the Equinox came up for sale 2nd hand , mine is fitted with a rather nice Moonlite focuser which seems to be far superior to the stock focuser.

 

The ED80pro is much more affordable than the WO model even budgeting for a moonlite upgrade., but you will struggle to find either in stock anywhere at the moment.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by fifeskies

[Adam J]

4 hours ago, mcro89 said:

Intresting! 

What sort of "aftersale service" were you seeking?  What would you recommend instead then? 

 

I dont know about WO after sales, though I suspect that much depends on who you purchased it off.

I think the bigger issue with WO is that they cant seem to settle on a scope design. You could see it as constant inovation I suppose but to me I would rather see something that just works and doent change every year like the Esprit range for example.

If you are put off WO then I have always found TS Optics to be very responsive when problems occure, just not nearly as flashy.

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p8637_TS-Optics-Doublet-SD-APO-80mm-f-7---FPL-53---Lanthan-Objektiv.html

Adam

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by Adam J

[mcro89]

2 hours ago, Adam J said:

I dont know about WO after sales, though I suspect that much depends on who you purchased it off.

I think the bigger issue with WO is that they cant seem to settle on a scope design. You could see it as constant inovation I suppose but to me I would rather see something that just works and doent change every year like the Esprit range for example.

If you are put off WO then I have always found TS Optics to be very responsive when problems occure, just not nearly as flashy.

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p8637_TS-Optics-Doublet-SD-APO-80mm-f-7---FPL-53---Lanthan-Objektiv.html

Adam

 

Im not put off by WO. I have heard lots of good things about them and the build quality of their scopes look really good.  Actully the current designs of the scopes they currently have are one of the main things that drew me in to thinking about getting one.  I like the little things like the handle bar mount for finder/guider scope and built in Bahtinov mask i think a great little details. 

 

[Adam J]

13 minutes ago, mcro89 said:

Im not put off by WO. I have heard lots of good things about them and the build quality of their scopes look really good.  Actully the current designs of the scopes they currently have are one of the main things that drew me in to thinking about getting one.  I like the little things like the handle bar mount for finder/guider scope and built in Bahtinov mask i think a great little details. 

 

all vaild, just remember the most important thing is the optics, which should be solid being a doublet.

Edited November 11, 2020 by Adam J

[rl]

I don't know the particular model you are considering but I've owned several WO scopes over the years...ZS61, ZenithStar 80 mk2, GT81 MK1, Megrez 72...all bought secondhand. All have had excellent optics. The astro-bling comment is valid, as is the criticism about the rate of change of models. There is only so many ways you can repackage an 80mm lens and make it look exciting and original by changing the paint job but they keep trying. But, Pandora bling apart,  they are basically very good small scopes optically. 

Not all the focusers have been so good....as you're looking to use it for AP I'd steer clear of the Crayford-equiped models from experience. The rack-and-pinion scopes seem to take a camera weight much better. 

The GT81 is one scope I'd probably take to the grave with me (along with my CT8 newt...and a 6" refractor..)

Edited November 11, 2020 by rl
spelling

[wormix]

I love my Meg72 - Great views and bombproof build quality, not had any issues with the focuser (Crayford) either at this point using a DSLR. 
 

 

[sloz1664]

I have had two WO scopes, one I still have and they have been top notch scopes. I also have an Altair Astro 80 APO triplet which is also excellent. Have look at the TS Optics TSQ 80 Quadruplet it's a true APO and you would not need to buy an additional field flattener. Also, you don't really need to worry about the back focus issues incorporated with field flatteners/reducers.

Steve

[newbie alert]

On 11/11/2020 at 11:07, mcro89 said:

Intresting! 

What sort of "aftersale service" were you seeking?  What would you recommend instead then? 

 

Sorry for not answering sooner, it was the focuser on my aniversary ZS80, sent various emails to W/O but they just wasn't interested, they said it was a discontinued line so won't have the parts... a friend had a look, it was a easy fix as it was just a bearing, Nick from Altair was really helpful .. So along with celestron, William optics won't ever see another pound of my hard earned ever again..

[Simon Pepper]

Hi all

I too am looking at the WO 81 and having the same issue. No reviews? I want to stick with WO as I have the Redcat and that has been a dream to use. Did the OP settle with this scope or did the above opinions put you off? The GT looks good as well and is an option, but the shorter focal length is putting me off a little... Any recommendations for other scopes around the 550mm?

Thanks 

Edited February 17, 2021 by Simon Pepper

[Adam J]

33 minutes ago, Simon Pepper said:

Hi all

I too am looking at the WO 81 and having the same issue. No reviews? I want to stick with WO as I have the Redcat and that has been a dream to use. Did the OP settle with this scope or did the above opinions put you off? The GT looks good as well and is an option, but the shorter focal length is putting me off a little... Any recommendations for other scopes around the 550mm?

Thanks 

Esprit 100 is 550mm and a fantastic scope. 

[KP82]

WO like to add 1 extra mm of diameter to the final spec of their refractors for marketing reasons and paint their OTA in flashy colours to distinguish them from the competitors. Many of their scopes are essentially the same as Altair, TS Optics, AT, etc. counterparts. Those reviews on the other brands are often equally valid for the WO equivalents. This is not to dismiss WO. I owned a Megrez 90 before (bought 2nd hand) which was solid and I do love some of their latest innovations such as the Redcat and the saddle handle (I bought one for my Altair 72EDF). But personally I wouldn't pay extra for some of their scopes only for the 1mm extra aperture and flashy colours when I can get the same model quite a bit cheaper from another brand (e.g. £599 for Altair Starwave 80ED-R as opposed to £799 for WO ZS81).

 

 

[mcro89]

Hi All, 

Thanks for all your replies. I spent alot of time watching and reading some more reviews (mainly for the Zenithstart 71 as that seems to be more common).  I got an email the other week from FLO saying they finally had some stock of the ZS81 and in the end i decided to bite the bullet and ordered one.  Im really happy with is so far, the build quality is great and i just love the design. The size also really surprised me, its tiny!! (Compared to what im use to with the Skywatcher 200pds)

Still early days and have not had a chance to get outside with it yet so i will keep you posted on how it performs.