Best 70-76mm refractor for imaging under £1200

[Northernlight]

Hi All,

I think i'm now onto plan version 3 of my Astro Imaging comeback / revival and the latest plan includes the purchase of a small light refractor that can also be used on my portable rig.  I've been looking at a few options, but wanted to get peoples opinions on the best 70-76mm refractor that can be bought under £1200.  I cant really go any larger than 76mm and i need to keep the weight down to around 3kg for the scope and rings etc or 3.5kg including a FF/reducer.

So far I've looked at the scopes listed below but welcome any other recommendations.  So far I've ruled out the sharpstar as I've seen several reports of chromatic aberration resulting in horrible blue halo's around bright stars, so that has put me off quite a bit.  So between the Askar and the WO, the WO GT71 seems like a better bang for buck as it's a bit cheaper and with the FF/Reducer it's quite a but faster and Winder than the Askar, so seems like a no brainer.

Any feedback or recommendations would be greatly welcomed.

 

Williams Optics GT 71 II Triplet

• Scope £895 + FF £209   - total = £1104
• 420mm @ F5.9   ( 336mm @ F4.4 with 0.8x FF)

Askar FRA400 Quintuplet

• Scope = £1259
• 400mm @ F5.6

SharpStar 76EDPH f/5.5 Triplet

• Scope £865 + FF £265 + Adapter £19   - total = £1149
• 418mm @ F5.5 (342mm @ F4.5 with 0.8x FF)

 

Many thanks in advance,

Rich.

[Elp]

I would be biased toward the WO because my Z61 performs so well with pretty much everything I've done with it (visual, imaging, dso, lunar, solar (WL and HA with appropriate filters)), being able to use different reducers also helps with framing choice.

More glass generally helps with the correction but adds to the weight.

Edited July 1, 2023 by Elp

[Northernlight]

Well  based on a sample of 1 I’m sold on the Williams optics 😂 

to be fair I’ve seen a few YouTube  videos  and they all said the same think that both sharpstar and Askar aren’t in the same league as WO for build quality

 

[Elp]

You can take a look at my latest galaxy image in the challenge, and that's with an aggressive 0.65 reducer (which is too much tbh, a 0.8x is probably the acceptable limit for full field). Tbh I have been looking for a longer FL WO, or the Askar PHQ, not really sure how much better something like a Tak would be in comparison (I also like a scope which has multiple mounting points for saddles for AP equipment, but all adds to the weight). For me if it hasn't got FPL53 as a minimum, maybe should be avoided (others will disagree and certainly get excellent results without), but I've used a variety of camera lenses and a similar thing applies, no ed glass, they're no good for astro (most imaging scopes have ed as a minimum anyway). Another option for you is TSs Photolines.

Edited July 1, 2023 by Elp

[Northernlight]

Many thanks ELP I’ll take a look. The WO GT71 will be a good companion for my little SW star adventurer GTI mount for now then next month when I buy a new obs mount, it will compliment either my 8” RC or my 10” Quattro.

heck if it guides ok on the little SA GTI mount, I might use that for wide field whilst working on galaxies / Dso’s on the main mount.

[900SL]

My GT71 is pretty good, I even used it on a tracker. The dew shield is wonky when not screwed down though. 

The TS CF APO 80mm is also worth a look, I have the 90mm and it is excellent. The extra aperture makes a difference

[Lee_P]

My previous telescope was an Askar FRA400, and I rate it highly. I wrote a review here, and there are lots of example photos if you go to my website's gallery and scroll down a bit. 

[Northernlight]

Hi Lee, this is very spooky, I had literally to finished reading your review when I noticed the notification pop up on my iPad. At first I had my doubts about Askar, but apparently a lot of the negative reviews are from early samples which have now been fixed.

I emailed FLO, and they said they were very good and shared the same opinion that it was the early samples that had a few issues and have now been resolved.

 

[Lee_P]

1 hour ago, Northernlight said:

Hi Lee, this is very spooky, I had literally to finished reading your review when I noticed the notification pop up on my iPad. At first I had my doubts about Askar, but apparently a lot of the negative reviews are from early samples which have now been fixed.

I emailed FLO, and they said they were very good and shared the same opinion that it was the early samples that had a few issues and have now been resolved.

 

My FRA400 was serial number #00012, so I figure it was one of the first! No really serious issues though, just what I flagged in my review. I imagine all the telescopes you listed would be good though. The main bonus about the FRA400 is not having to worry about backfocus (assuming you're not using the reducer), which makes things easier. I haven't used the other two telescopes so can't really give an informed opinion about them, but for what it's worth, if I were in the market for a wide-telescope again and I had the options you listed, I'd buy another FRA400. 

[Northernlight]

Pulled the trigger on the Askar FRA400.  Expensive little Bug*er though which my wallet is not thanking me for.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Northernlight

[iantaylor2uk]

16 minutes ago, Northernlight said:

Pulled the trigger on the Askar FRA400. 

Good option - I have the FRA 300 and love it