Clown Sid Posted Wednesday at 15:57 Share Posted Wednesday at 15:57 Hi I'm new to the forums and a complete noob when it comes to telescopes/astronomy. I just received my first ever scope today, a Svbony SV503 ED 70mm refractor and very nice it looks too once I opened it from the box. Problem is I cannot get focus to work when looking through the eyepiece, so I'm wondering if it's arrived faulty. Anyone who has already bought the Svbony SV503 70mm brand new will know it comes bare bones with no accessories, so knowing this I pre purchased a Svbony SV131 32mm Plossl eyepiece in preparation for the scope. It's a 1.25 inch fitting and I placed it in properly and can see a blurry image through it, however I try and get focus using the focus rings and nothing, just stays very out of focus and blurry. Am I missing something simple here? Any ideas?? TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornelius Varley Posted Wednesday at 16:01 Share Posted Wednesday at 16:01 Does the telescope have a diagonal ? Without it, the telescope might not be able to achieve focus. A photograph of your telescope set up might also help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clown Sid Posted Wednesday at 16:03 Author Share Posted Wednesday at 16:03 Hi Peter, no diagonal included in the box. Here is a link to the scope https://www.svbony.com/sv503-70f6-ed-astronomy-telescope/ sorry not with the scope right now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornelius Varley Posted Wednesday at 16:06 Share Posted Wednesday at 16:06 2 minutes ago, Clown Sid said: Hi Peter, no diagonal included in the box. Here is a link to the scope https://www.svbony.com/sv503-70f6-ed-astronomy-telescope/ sorry not with the scope right now. You will need one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clown Sid Posted Wednesday at 16:10 Author Share Posted Wednesday at 16:10 Okay thanks. I will send a photo of the set up when I get home to be sure, but I don’t understand why it comes without basic kit to at least be able to look through the scope once opened! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosun21 Posted Wednesday at 16:13 Share Posted Wednesday at 16:13 As said above you will need a diagonal to reach focus with an eyepiece. It's not broken it's just that the point where focus is reached is actually further out than what the focuser can reach. A diagonal provides this distance and also places the eyepiece in a position that won't be uncomfortable. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted Wednesday at 16:25 Share Posted Wednesday at 16:25 13 minutes ago, Clown Sid said: Okay thanks. I will send a photo of the set up when I get home to be sure, but I don’t understand why it comes without basic kit to at least be able to look through the scope once opened! The description of that particular scope says "for astrophotography". A camera fitted to the drawtube of the scope probably would come to focus. It's when it is used visually that the diagonal is required to allow an eyepiece to reach focus. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroKeith Posted Wednesday at 16:25 Share Posted Wednesday at 16:25 (edited) 1 hour ago, Clown Sid said: Okay thanks. I will send a photo of the set up when I get home to be sure, but I don’t understand why it comes without basic kit to at least be able to look through the scope once opened! It is clearly marketed as an astrophotography telescope - for which purposes no diagonal is needed or wanted. Edited Wednesday at 17:40 by AstroKeith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astronomist Posted Wednesday at 16:30 Share Posted Wednesday at 16:30 11 minutes ago, Clown Sid said: I don’t understand why it comes without basic kit to at least be able to look through the scope once opened! As others have said above, it is marketed as an astrophotography scope. This doesn't mean you made a poor decision, in fact you have started with a far better scope than most of us did. What mount are you using with it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clown Sid Posted Wednesday at 16:39 Author Share Posted Wednesday at 16:39 5 minutes ago, Astronomist said: As others have said above, it is marketed as an astrophotography scope. This doesn't mean you made a poor decision, in fact you have started with a far better scope than most of us did. What mount are you using with it? The Sky watcher star adventurer GTi Yes I do plan on using it for astro photography but would also like to use it for viewing the night sky too. So is a diagonal still needed for viewing only? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosun21 Posted Wednesday at 16:54 Share Posted Wednesday at 16:54 10 minutes ago, Clown Sid said: The Sky watcher star adventurer GTi Yes I do plan on using it for astro photography but would also like to use it for viewing the night sky too. So is a diagonal still needed for viewing only? Yes. When used for astrophotography you would fit a reducer/flattener and this with it's required back focus will achieve focus. With an eyepiece you will need a diagonal or extension pieces. You have already proved this by fitting an eyepiece and not reaching focus throughout the travel range of the focuser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clown Sid Posted Wednesday at 16:57 Author Share Posted Wednesday at 16:57 3 minutes ago, bosun21 said: Yes. When used for astrophotography you would fit a reducer/flattener and this with it's required back focus will achieve focus. With an eyepiece you will need a diagonal or extension pieces. You have already proved this by fitting an eyepiece and not reaching focus throughout the travel range of the focuser. Great thank you everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart1971 Posted Wednesday at 17:27 Share Posted Wednesday at 17:27 1 hour ago, Clown Sid said: Okay thanks. I will send a photo of the set up when I get home to be sure, but I don’t understand why it comes without basic kit to at least be able to look through the scope once opened! Simply because it’s an imaging scope, and to use for visual, you will need a lot of spacers or a diagonal…👍🏻 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosun21 Posted Wednesday at 17:31 Share Posted Wednesday at 17:31 1 hour ago, AstroKeith said: It is clearly marketed as an astrophotography telescope - no diagonal needed or wanted. If he wants to use it for visual a diagonal is most definitely wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elp Posted Wednesday at 17:41 Share Posted Wednesday at 17:41 7 minutes ago, Stuart1971 said: Simply because it’s an imaging scope, and to use for visual, you will need a lot of spacers or a diagonal…👍🏻 Am I the only one who prefers OTAs NOT to be bundled with accessories I'll never use? One of the other reasons is also because the bundled ones are hardly the best quality, if for example Celestron bundled Xcel LX eyepieces with their scopes that would be a different thing and much preferred. I understand if the product is for a first time buyer, but be in the hobby for more than a few months and you end up with swathes of duplicate stuff you don't need as they quickly get replaced. As mentioned OP needs at least a 1.25 inch diagonal, dielectric mirror ones are generally regarded as the best, though not essential if you're just starting out. Note however the view through the eyepiece will likely be inverted. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratlet Posted Wednesday at 19:06 Share Posted Wednesday at 19:06 1 hour ago, Elp said: Am I the only one who prefers OTAs NOT to be bundled with accessories I'll never use? One of the other reasons is also because the bundled ones are hardly the best quality, if for example Celestron bundled Xcel LX eyepieces with their scopes that would be a different thing and much preferred. I understand if the product is for a first time buyer, but be in the hobby for more than a few months and you end up with swathes of duplicate stuff you don't need as they quickly get replaced. As mentioned OP needs at least a 1.25 inch diagonal, dielectric mirror ones are generally regarded as the best, though not essential if you're just starting out. Note however the view through the eyepiece will likely be inverted. I think this scope sits at the point where you would be preferring it not to come with everything. Svbony do some decent affordable diagonals. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elp Posted Wednesday at 19:24 Share Posted Wednesday at 19:24 16 minutes ago, Ratlet said: Svbony do some decent affordable diagonals. Also their two good zooms (well the second, the jury's still out). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratlet Posted Wednesday at 20:01 Share Posted Wednesday at 20:01 35 minutes ago, Elp said: Also their two good zooms (well the second, the jury's still out). I think if I go on about how much I like my 3-8mm zoom any more I'm going to have to ask for corporate sponsorship. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Spock Posted Wednesday at 20:14 Share Posted Wednesday at 20:14 Better scopes don't come bundled with anything because they don't have to. Very few people buy a more advanced scope as their first so it's assumed you already have things like diagonals and eyepieces. I'd also suggest you add the Svbony 3-8mm. It's a bargain eyepiece of good quality. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratlet Posted Wednesday at 20:16 Share Posted Wednesday at 20:16 Just now, Mr Spock said: Better scopes don't come bundled with anything because they don't have to. Very few people buy a more advanced scope as their first so it's assumed you already have things like diagonals and eyepieces. I'd also suggest you add the Svbony 3-8mm. It's a bargain eyepiece of good quality. If you don't wear glasses whilst observing. Worth mentioning as we are answering a new observer orientated question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyctimene Posted Wednesday at 20:32 Share Posted Wednesday at 20:32 Welcome, Sid, to this forum, and congrats to your nice little scope, that will give you a lot of pleasure! With a backfocus of 80 mm, of course some extension or, better, a diagonal, will be necessary to get into focus. To relieve yourself of some worries, until the diagonal will arrive, you can just, in daylight, put the scope on it's mount and point it at a distant object (aerial, trees against the horizon etc). Hold the 32 mm Plössl eyepiece at a considerable distance to the focuser's rear end, around 60-70mm, freehand, and look through it and the tube, along the optical axis. You should see an upside-down image of the object, more or less unsharp. Now, move the eyepiece slowly forward and backward. The image will get sharp at a certain point, the focus, and so will confirm,approximately, the optical quality you can expect. Hth. Stephan 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RT65CB-SWL Posted Wednesday at 22:43 Share Posted Wednesday at 22:43 (edited) Hi @Clown Sid and welcome to SGL. As metioned by other SGL'ers a 90o star diagonal is required. My TeleVue Ranger [image below] is almost identical spec. at 70mm obj. & 480mm f/l. Without the 90o star diagonal it does not focus. Also worth noting is that east/west will be reversed when the star diagonal is fitted. I cannot remember whether or not, when I attach a camera using an eyepice projection unit/adaptor as an extension tube it does focus. Edited 20 hours ago by RT65CB-SWL 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroMuni Posted yesterday at 15:00 Share Posted yesterday at 15:00 22 hours ago, Clown Sid said: Hi Peter, no diagonal included in the box. Here is a link to the scope https://www.svbony.com/sv503-70f6-ed-astronomy-telescope/ sorry not with the scope right now. Looks like they sell a separate bundle for visual use - https://www.svbony.com/sv503-refractor-70ed-telescope-set-astronomical-visual-observation/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bivanus Posted yesterday at 15:32 Share Posted yesterday at 15:32 Hello @Clown Sid throu an amazing coincidence look what I saw posted on SGL not ten minutes ago. At those prices I'd say go for it ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clown Sid Posted 11 hours ago Author Share Posted 11 hours ago 15 hours ago, Bivanus said: Hello @Clown Sid throu an amazing coincidence look what I saw posted on SGL not ten minutes ago. At those prices I'd say go for it ! Thanks, this is actually the one I ordered from Amazon. Seems like a good deal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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