WO Game Changing Astrograph?

[Elp]

Seven lenses? Theyre turning into camera lenses.

[Andyb90]

I looked on Facebook and WO have said the Cat61 will have the same Petzval design as the Cat51. Focal length is 300mm.

Facebook link:

https://www.facebook.com/100063897040146/posts/641307854675777/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

Edited April 25, 2023 by Andyb90

[GalaxyGael]

Did I interpret correctly, that this WIFD moves the main objective lens cell, rather than the camera in a standard scope? At least that is what i saw on the schematic move representation.

Thinking about it, its a good attempt to stabilize mechanicals like a camera lens, but I wonder how the objective movement is guided to parallelism, since similar considerations were always important for drawtubes in classic focusers...

Edited April 28, 2023 by GalaxyGael

[Andyb90]

Here is a video of the scopes from NEAF.

The Pleiades scopes are 68mm and 111mm, but no focal length or f-ratio is given.

 

[GalaxyGael]

Interesting. I like this WIFD development, very clever solution to a genuine problem with focusers. The 7 element 111mm will be their version of the TS and Tecnosky flatfield 110 mm f/4.8 scopes. The tecnosky is the 7 element design, with front collimatable cell, and same overall construction as the TS CF APO (blue and white) and the tecnosky owl series, but at >3700 EUR. WO version with the WIFD in that scope I'll bet (with WO premium costing as usual) will be north of 4300 EUR.

[Andyb90]

Pleiades 68 is fl 258 / f3.8 from this facebook post:

https://www.facebook.com/1234907422/posts/10223535210508443/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

Pleiades 111 is fl 528 / f4.8 from this:

https://www.facebook.com/1014188687/posts/10225865268711085/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

Edited May 5, 2023 by Andyb90

[Elp]

Both look interesting, but 2024?!?

[Andyb90]

An unboxing of the Redcat 61.

 

[Albir phil]

Advantage with this design no stress on focuser . BuT as it as been said what's wrong with the normal focuser. I have two W O scopes a 103 and a 81mm and I have never had any issues with the focuser. I will wait for review results.

 

[Elp]

Depends on your imaging equipment. Its supposed to eliminate tilt, my Z61 struggles a little with the weight of my imaging train (you can feel it when doing fine focus adjustment), I'm sure it introduces tilt but I don't pay attention to it much.

[Dark Raven]

First rewiew is in

 

[Ouroboros]

Is electronic focussing possible? 

[Andyb90]

7 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

Is electronic focussing possible? 

Yes. It says the scope is compatible with EAF on the WO website.

[Elp]

On 05/05/2023 at 09:47, Elp said:

Both look interesting, but 2024?!?

Looking like there's a chance they'll be out end of this year.

[Elp]

On 17/04/2023 at 13:27, Elp said:

The blue and black looks rather fetching.

Temptation is prevalent in this hobby:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/william-optics/william-optics-pleiades-68-f38-astrograph.html

[Elp]

Pleiades 111:

https://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/william-optics-pleiades-111-f48-6-element-astrograph.html

[Laurin Dave]

These look very nice and I had considered swapping out my GT71 for something with a focuser with no droop, however Blur Exterminator  @$99 fixes all your telescopes in one hit..  

Dave

Edited January 25 by Laurin Dave

[Elp]

I know, not quite priced right are they?

[Elp]

This looks like one of the first WO Pleiades 111mm reviews, not so good at full frame from the looks of it:

 

[Stuart1971]

Very poor on full frame, and even APC-S was not perfect, he did not really zoom in that tightly about 1:1 which is not really a zoom at all, should have been more like 3:1 for a good view of the corner stars,  and for a scope like this that advertises full frame coverage, you would expect perfection on APS-C at least…🤔

[Elp]

Tbh full frame isn't that forgiving, even on camera lenses built for FF.

[900SL]

Looks like some trial and error required with backspacing. 

These are expensive and there's a premium being charged on the design, and name.  WO subcontract their scope designs so QC may vary. 

It's quire a complex 7 element assembly, is there any means of adjusting collimation? 

[Elp]

34 minutes ago, 900SL said:

adjusting collimation? 

I'd be surprised it can due to some of the glass maybe being on the internal moving WIFD part.

[Dark Raven]

Had similar issues with corner stars on full frame with my scope. 
Troubleshooting was cumbersome and took forever given my limited availability, clear nights for last six months.
Adding individual 1mm, 0.5mm and / or 0.3 mm rings (refers to unscrewing the camera adding ring and reattaching the camera), refocusing (on full frame), adding more rings, overshooting, correcting, overcorrecting. Add freezing temps and loosing clear nights on this just adds to the overall frustration. 
I bought Precise Tuning M54 Artesky Ring



Unfortunately, it rotated field of view so it was hard to make like for like comparison without spending even more time on rotating the focuser. But then light at the end of the tunnel just as I wanted to give up...

M54/M48 Backfocus Adjuster-Jiaxing Sharpstar Optical Instrument Co., Ltd. (sharpstar-optics.com)

Askar Backfocus Adjuster | First Light Optics

I can confirm that it works great! Got it sorted 90% in half an hour... Then clouds rolled in...





Went from this:


To this:


As mentioned still some fine adjustments to be done, but much better and so much faster.
 

Edited March 4 by Dark Raven

[Elp]

Haven't used mine yet and I've had it since launch. For the reasons you've outlined, its actual use is better as a tool to get the exact BF distance, much better than building and stripping the camera on and off constantly.