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Help me decide btw TS Optics or William Optics


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Hi!

So i have just ordered a sw adventure pro 2, now i need a small refractor for it. Im gonna use a DSLR for the imaging part. 

So it stands between these three alternatives, i cant decide wich will be the best scope for taking nice shots:

TS Optics Apochromatic refractor AP 72/432 FPL53 Photoline OTA https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/ts-optics-apochromatic-refractor-ap-72-432-fpl53-photoline-ota/p,56139

William Optics Apochromatic refractor AP 61/360 ZenithStar ZS61 II OTA: https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/william-optics-apochromatic-refractor-ap-61-360-zenithstar-zs61-ii-ota/p,67480

TS Optics Apochromatic refractor AP 80/560 Photoline OTA: https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/ts-optics-apochromatic-refractor-ap-80-560-photoline-ota/p,52328#tab_bar_1_select (maybe to heavy for the mount...)

 

Or is there any other small refractor that get me more bang for the buck? :) its around 800 Euro i guess is max. (wife is already mad) ;)

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I've been using a star adventurer with camera lenses for some time and I was contemplating the same decision recently, I can offer a few comments on the scopes you have linked based on my limited knowledge.

  • You will need a field flattener (more or less specific for each scope) unless you buy one that already comes with it, such as the TS Optics EDPH 61/274, so budget that in as well
  • I have seen some good results from people shooting at focal lenghts over 300mm on a star adventurer, but keep in mind that your polar alignment will have to be spot on every time, the lengths of your subexposure will be limited without autoguiding and you will probably have to discard a significant portion of your frames due to wind and periodic error. I think that using an 80mm refractor could get very frustrating.
  • A good knowledge of the night sky (aided by software like Stellarium) is necessary to frame targets manually, you may want to look into platesolving solutions to make life easier

I ended up buying the Samyang 135mm f2 lens rather than a telescope because pretty much every refractor I considered in the €800 range didn't strike me as of particularly great value for the money (if you are patient and wait for good second hand deals that's a different story). 

The cheapest option for a telescope might be the Skywatcher Evostar 72ED, you can buy it new with a flattener for about €500 but (based on what I read) I'm not sure I would recommend it without autoguiding (€200 or so for a cheap guidescope and camera). 

Edited by AnonymousAnimosity
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Currently I use a William Optics Zenithstar 61 with my Star Adventurer (guided). It’s a good combination but I have just ordered a Samyang 135mm F2 lens after seeing the amazing images people have produced with it and the possibility of being able to capture multiple DSOs in the same frame! 😀

I wouldn’t put anything bigger than a Zenithstar 61 on a Star Adventurer. You will lose field of view because of the longer focal length but you won’t gain any extra resolution because the mount won’t guide accurately enough. Even with my set up, I downscale my images to sharpen them up. 

If you do decide to go for a small refractor rather than a fast lens, be sure to budget for a guide scope and camera.

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8 minutes ago, Kyle Allen said:

Currently I use a William Optics Zenithstar 61 with my Star Adventurer (guided). It’s a good combination but I have just ordered a Samyang 135mm F2 lens after seeing the amazing images people have produced with it and the possibility of being able to capture multiple DSOs in the same frame! 😀

I wouldn’t put anything bigger than a Zenithstar 61 on a Star Adventurer. You will lose field of view because of the longer focal length but you won’t gain any extra resolution because the mount won’t guide accurately enough. Even with my set up, I downscale my images to sharpen them up. 

If you do decide to go for a small refractor rather than a fast lens, be sure to budget for a guide scope and camera.

I had my thoughts on the Samyang also (looking for a second hand one) the images is great as you say. But with the Zenithstar isnt that one delivering better images then the samyang?

What kind of guidescope and camera are you using?

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32 minutes ago, AnonymousAnimosity said:

I've been using a star adventurer with camera lenses for some time and I was contemplating the same decision recently, I can offer a few comments on the scopes you have linked based on my limited knowledge.

  • You will need a field flattener (more or less specific for each scope) unless you buy one that already comes with it, such as the TS Optics EDPH 61/274, so budget that in as well
  • I have seen some good results from people shooting at focal lenghts over 300mm on a star adventurer, but keep in mind that your polar alignment will have to be spot on every time, the lengths of your subexposure will be limited without autoguiding and you will probably have to discard a significant portion of your frames due to wind and periodic error. I think that using an 80mm refractor could get very frustrating.
  • A good knowledge of the night sky (aided by software like Stellarium) is necessary to frame targets manually, you may want to look into platesolving solutions to make life easier

I ended up buying the Samyang 135mm f2 lens rather than a telescope because pretty much every refractor I considered in the €800 range didn't strike me as of particularly great value for the money (if you are patient and wait for good second hand deals that's a different story). 

The cheapest option for a telescope might be the Skywatcher Evostar 72ED, you can buy it new with a flattener for about €500 but (based on what I read) I'm not sure I would recommend it without autoguiding (€200 or so for a cheap guidescope and camera). 

Ok thank you for the input, i had the similiar thoughts. Maybe im thinking the wrong way, that a small refractor gets me "better" images then a samyang. All input as im new to this is appreciated! :)

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