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80mm APO

RyanParle

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RyanParle

RyanParle

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I'm soon going to be in the market for an 80mm APO, but i'm on quite a tight budget so i'm thinking of the William Optics ZS80II APO or one of its clones.

I have seen the WO ZS80II APO for £379.99 including a case and delivery which i think is a pretty good buy.

Then there is the Moonfish, it doesnt look like this one is available any more and it is priced at £517 + delivery so that one is out of the question unless anyone knows different.

Finally the Revelation, i've done a bit of googling which hasn't turned up any leads, can anyone here point me to a suppler for the Revelation 80mm APO?

or should i stop wasting my time looking for the clones and just buy the William Optics one?

Thanks

Ryan.

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RyanParle

RyanParle

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Is this for imaging or visual use Ryan ?.

Primarily imaging, but i wouldn't mind to use it visually once in a while.

The William Optics refractor uses FPL-51 for the ED element, consider the Skywatcher ED80 which has FPL-53 and the option of an optically matched reducer/flattener. Telescope House sell Revelation telescopes.

HTH

Thanks Steve, The ED80 looks pretty good, and I already have experience with skywatcher telescopes as i have a explorer 150 f/8. My only complaint was that the focuser was rubbish so i put a moonlite stepper crayford on it :)

what is the focuser like on the ED80? if it is really good then i will simply get a stepper motor kit to drive it but if not then i will fit a moonlite stepper crayford to it.

If i use the flatener/reducer can it be used with T mount fittings? such as my Atik CCD & EFW

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Steve

Steve

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The latest Skywatcher dual-speed Crayford focuser is an improvement on the earlier model but if you are used to a Moonlite you will probably want to upgrade the focuser on whatever you buy - WO, Skywatcher or Revelation.

If i use the flatener/reducer can it be used with T mount fittings? such as my Atik CCD & EFW

The optically matched reducer/flattener and it's adapter is designed to place a DSLR sensor at the correct distance. If you can fit your Atik/filter-wheel/adapter so the Atik's sensor is at the same distance then you will be fine. The same is true of most other telescope reducer/flattener combinations. Spacing is usually critical.

HTH

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johninderby

johninderby

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The Revelation 80 is no longer made. The ZS80 II is very nice for visual but it's limitations will show up when imaging. On your budget an ED80 is a good bet and they do come up for sale second hand quite often.

I notice that there is a WO 80FD Anniversary Edition on AstroBuySell right now at what is a good price for this scope. A really sweet scope and I'd take it over an ED80 any day.

John

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Steve

Steve

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The WO Anniversary Edition does have a nice optic, certainly better than the regular Zenithstar 80mm. If I remember correctly, the anniversary optic (codesigned by Thomas Back) has a longer focal length but is housed in the original OTA so requires a focus extender to achieve focus. Not necessarily a problem but something to be aware of. Probably best to contact the owner and mention your preference for imaging.

HTH

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russ

russ

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I have a Revalation ED80, I think it's a lovely scope. It's like a cross between the SW ED80 and the Equinox 80.

Cheers

Ant

I regretted selling it at the time. It was a really nice scope, great views and nicely finished.

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RyanParle

RyanParle

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Thanks guys for all of your input, I have had the chance to use the Revelation 80mm a few weeks ago at my friends observatory, we only looked at Jupiter and the moon briefly using it as we were mainly interested in giving his Meade 14" RCX a good workout, i was quite impressed in its build quality and the focuser was nice even though i am used to moonlite.

However due to price and availability i have decided to rule the revelation and the moonfish out.

I'm seriously considering the SW ED80 but another telescope has just caught my eye, the Megrez 72 which is nicely in my budget, any thoughts on this one? Its wider and a bit faster than any of the 80mm APO's so would make a great scope for widefield imaging with a DSLR

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dmahon

dmahon

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Thanks Steve, The ED80 looks pretty good, and I already have experience with skywatcher telescopes as i have a explorer 150 f/8. My only complaint was that the focuser was rubbish so i put a moonlite stepper crayford on it :eek:

what is the focuser like on the ED80? if it is really good then i will simply get a stepper motor kit to drive it but if not then i will fit a moonlite stepper crayford to it.

The Skywatcher Equinox 80 is a bit faster than the Skywatcher 80ED Pro and has a better Crayford focuser on it.

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RyanParle

RyanParle

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If you can find a second hand WO ZS80FD then you won't do much better for the money, you'll still need to budget for a flattener / reducer though.

I've imaged with a ZS72 / WO flattener / reducer II and wasn't impressed.

urm. ZS72? i am talking of the Megrez 72. arent they different telescopes?

i have been keeping an eye open for the ZS80FD but nothing has come up yet.

I've also just had a friend who has been a member here for a while tell me about a SW blue tube ED80 up for sale in the SGL buy/sell list. Is the Blue Tube ED80 the same scope as the Star Travel 80? they look very similar, but looks can be deceptive.

the reason i ask is that the Star Travel 80 is pretty cheap at £85 from FLO and the price the seller is asking is a lot more for the Blue Tube ED 80.

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johninderby

johninderby

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TS do an 80mm 500mm FL, ED scope using FPL53 for 498 Euro.

Farbreine Linsenfernrohre zur Beobachtung und Fotografie - Teleskop-Express: Astro-Shop + Fotografie + Naturbeobachtung

Comes out at around £360..

Very similar to the Equinox 80 FPL-53 doublet but at a lower price.

John

Edit:

Turns out it's not the same Synta made optics but similar spec optics from another factory.

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RyanParle

RyanParle

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TS do an 80mm 500mm FL, ED scope using FPL53 for 498 Euro.

Farbreine Linsenfernrohre zur Beobachtung und Fotografie - Teleskop-Express: Astro-Shop + Fotografie + Naturbeobachtung

Comes out at around £360..

do you know where i can find the spec's for this telescope? it seems to be the only one on that page with no details!

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johninderby

johninderby

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They don't have an English translation on the website but here's the Google translation.

John

***************************************************

TS APO 80/500mm - f / 6,25 - FPL53 APO member

... a high quality 2-element apo with very good color correction for the observation and photography

The objective of the clean-made TS APOs reduces chromatic aberration to a minimum, not interfering. The result is sharp, especially high-contrast observations and photographs. Nature lovers who appreciate the finest details in natural colors lay line, such as bird watchers, or even astro photographers in the TS Apo find the right device.

Observed

You can freely choose from our offer and put together the best possible magnification for you. The direct links to the right eyepiece, it will find in the "recommended accessories"

- The TS Eyepiece - the all-round package - so you have all magnifications, filters and photo adapter

- 2 "Kit - so you get a gigantic survey for wide-field observations

- Greater magnifications with the TS WA eyepieces and the Planetary

Powerful equipment for photography:

The figure of the device itself is very good - with the TS Flattener 2 "from the Equinox an outstanding lens without the flattener, the edges unfortunately shown little fuzzy..

The flattener has been compared to other field Ebnern out to be the edge with the best stars and the best illumination. .................................................. ................... Direct link to the TS Flattener

We will send you a package deal with the TS Flat 2 "

In combination with our short construction TS OAG 9, you can record and tracking with a single device, when you think of astrophotography.

- Aperture 80mm / Focal length 500mm / f / 6,25

- Lens Type ... ED lens FPL 53

- Max Useful Magnification ... about 170fach

- Limiting magnitude ... 12.2 may

- Resolution ... 1.45 "

- Tube ... Weight 2.9 kg - Length 540mm - Diameter 105mm

- Crayford Focuser with 1:10 reduction Micro

ED APO in aluminum case

Recommended accessories:

- TS Flat 2 "for better field of field

- Camera adapter with full illumination

- Different magnifications

- The 2 "kit for maximum field

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Capricorn

Capricorn

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Didn't realise that the page had defaulted to English and I didn't check for the details. All I looked for was an 80mm ED refractor and the cost. :D:p:p

You would have to click on the German flag at the top to revert to the German language then select details again and have them in German.

See that John has passed it through a Google translation. :)

Not sure if you could decipher more bits from the German language page. I had to do it for the 127mm refractor they advertise.

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