Diagonal's

[Barry-W-Fenner]

Hi all,

I am looking to upgrade my Bresser AR102s. I currently have the stock diagonal and was thinking of the William Optics dura bright when back in stock.  The reviews seem very positive on this model but I am open to similar priced diagonals. Is it a worth while upgrade over the stock unit?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/diagonals/william-optics-125-dura-bright-dielectric-diagonal.html

Cheers

Baz 👍

Edited March 22, 2021 by Barry-W-Fenner

[Barry-W-Fenner]

I think with all the good sky conditions last night all thw pros were out observing and not on here!  A little bump with my question is needed 😁

[jambouk]

I suspect the stock diagonal is basic so in terms of replacement I also suspect the proposed diagonal would reflect more light, but whether that results in a noticeable increase in brightness for you is an unknown - I suspect the view won’t look significantly brighter / clearer.

I suspect getting non-stock eyepieces would be more likely to improve brightness and clarity of views.

I also think that maybe you should think long term. Investing in a nice diagonal will be helpful if you subsequently get another refractor or a catadioptric. As such, if your existing scope will take 2” eyepieces, I’d think about getting a 2” diagonal. And if you are happy to wait a few weeks, I’m sure a nice one will come up on astrobuysellUK for about the same price or cheaper than the proposed 1.25” new version. Else put a wanted advert on ABS-UK.

James

P.s. keep the stock diagonal and eyepieces with the scope in case you ever want to sell it all - it would make it a more appealing purchase for someone.

[Jiggy 67]

I have had the WO durabright for a couple of months on my SW 100ED. It’s a lovely diagonal and a step up from the stock diagonal supplied but whether it’s a significant step up is debatable, it’s certainly lighter and makes balancing a lot easier. However, I have since upgraded (?) again to the Baader Click Lock diagonal, just because I wanted to make all connections click lock....this is a really good diagonal, though 2 inch with a 1.25 click lock adapter. This has been a more significant improvement, it’s heavier but click lock is the way forward in my view.....far safer, as I found with diagonals, they are prone to slipping 

[wibblefish]

I replaced my diagonal a little while back from the stock primarily to gain a compression ring to hold my eye pieces. I am pretty sure there is a slight improvement over stock but its not a massive step up (still every little helps?).

I bought this one from Altair which was slightly cheaper but still feels quite premium  

https://www.altairastro.com/125in-lightwave-premium-dielectric-diagonal-red-765-p.asp 

[Barry-W-Fenner]

1 hour ago, Jiggy 67 said:

I have had the WO durabright for a couple of months on my SW 100ED. It’s a lovely diagonal and a step up from the stock diagonal supplied but whether it’s a significant step up is debatable, it’s certainly lighter and makes balancing a lot easier. However, I have since upgraded (?) again to the Baader Click Lock diagonal, just because I wanted to make all connections click lock....this is a really good diagonal, though 2 inch with a 1.25 click lock adapter. This has been a more significant improvement, it’s heavier but click lock is the way forward in my view.....far safer, as I found with diagonals, they are prone to slipping 

Hi Jiggy

Thank you for the advise. I know what you mean about the Baader click lock system, they certainly reassure you that them morpheus eps are safely in place.  I have the 1.25 click lock which I use in my dob. I wonder if I could utilise this in a 1.25 WO durabright - Are you keeping yours or are you considering selling? If so drop me a pm as I would be interedsted.

 

Thank you

 

Baz

[ollypenrice]

I've tried a variety of diagonals from very basic to very good and found the difference remarkably unremarkable.

I'd be tempted by the clicklock because compression ring systems are a nightmare. There is no industry standard and so one EP can snag in another's diagonal or drawtube just as you are taking out. Please don't ask how I know this or whether I was a the top of the stepladdzer using a 20 inch Dob at the time...

Olly

Edited March 23, 2021 by ollypenrice
Typo

[Jiggy 67]

18 hours ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

Hi Jiggy

Thank you for the advise. I know what you mean about the Baader click lock system, they certainly reassure you that them morpheus eps are safely in place.  I have the 1.25 click lock which I use in my dob. I wonder if I could utilise this in a 1.25 WO durabright - Are you keeping yours or are you considering selling? If so drop me a pm as I would be interedsted.

 

Thank you

 

Baz

I have found the click lock system to be game changing.

 I swapped out the OTA housing (can’t remember the proper name) for a click lock, then the Baader 2” click lock diagonal and the a 1.25” click lock adapter. As is typical of Baader (I’m a big fan as you probably know from our previous chats 😃) everything works perfectly. I’m undecided about the WO at the moment, I’m tempted to keep it as a back up. I would recommend a 2” diagonal though, you never know when you might want to use a 2” ep....even the Morpheus as a 2”. You can always step down to 1.25 but you can’t step up. Or does your scope only accept 1.25?

Edited March 24, 2021 by Jiggy 67

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Personally I would make the most of the 102's strength i.e. its widefield capability and choose a 2" diagonal. Iirc Barry you have a dob with 2" eyepieces? 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/diagonals/stellamira-2-90-di-electric-diagonal.html

Or keep an eye out for a used 2" and not get too hung up on the brand. I was perfectly happy with a Sky-Watcher 2" dielectric in my ST120.

There's a few 1.25" and 2" used dielectric diagonals on Ebay at the mo'.

I do only use a 1.25" Sky-Watcher dielectric with the f7 however that telescope's a different beast and due to the AZGTI mount, prefer to keep weight down to a minimum.

Edited March 23, 2021 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Louis D]

The WO 1.25" diagonals have a constriction in the eyepiece receiver that causes vignetting for widest field 1.25" eyepieces.

I have one I use with my binoviewer (22mm clear aperture, so doesn't impact me), so I can confirm this constriction.

I use GSO/Revelation 2" diagonals with my refractors and even my 127 Mak with a 2" visual back.  They allow me to use my extensive collection of 2" eyepieces in them.

[AllanK]

As a complete newbie I must admit I’m not sure I can add much to the conversation. I did however replace the stock 45 diagonal on my C5 with this.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08QZ873PC/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_G4MEBZE8TC4Q1NMY18Q1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

To my untrained and inexperienced eye I have to admit I can see a definite improvement but how much better is hard for me to say.

Edited March 24, 2021 by AllanK

[Barry-W-Fenner]

Thanks for all your advice and input folks. I am definitely going to look for a 2" diagonal now instead. The Baader models look very nice but are big bucks. Any other suggestions

Edited March 24, 2021 by Barry-W-Fenner