5/15/2023 0 Comments Ts photoline flattener forum![]() ![]() I never felt the urge to get me a refractor as a main imager. I had witnessed premium refractors out of collimation and no way to collimate them back other the returning them to the manufacturer.Īnd curiously enough my first serious imaging platform (other than photo lenses) was a long focus cassegrain, a 6" mak at f/12 and 1.8m of FL. While I agree in the main to the sentiments expressed above I'd warn that as the saying goes: "there are exceptions to the rules and rules to the exceptions". Worth the premium over the Stellarvue focuser.Īndrea's complaint against a refractor probably comes down to not being value for money for aperture - I think it is hard to find a worse value for money per inch of aperture than a refractor, but that's made up for in other ways, simplicity of use being one of the most important. It will hold vertical weight for weeks or more without changing focus. Having used these focusers on two of my scopes and comparing them to the Stellarvue focuser on my 80mm - the Feathertouch is super smooth and holds and moves loads without complaint. If you do go the Stellarvue route, I'd recommend paying extra for the Feathertouch focuser. There are other choices, but I'm not that familiar with quality and consistency. You can forget about buying a new AP refractor, but a Stellarvue 130 mm refractor with field flattener will give you 910mm of focal length. My personal experience has been with Stellarvue and Astro-Physics. For the most part, you can use them in your backyard or put them on the back seat of your car and drive them to some dark sky site and they'll hold up very well. They hold collimation very well, and are generally considered to be bullet proof. If you are just starting out, a refractor is a good way to go. SVX, Espirit, and TS Photoline are the ones I've been eyeballing. I'm right there with you, a 120-130mm frac is in my future. Right off the bat the frac was competing with my newt in terms of image quality (after drizzle). I started out with a Newt, and now I have a 70mm widefield frac as well. Theres so many people in this hobby that love their Celestron gear, but I'll never touch it. Sorry for changing the subject but if anyone wants to suggest a refractor around 1000mm FL I am all ears!įracs are the way to go. My AM5 mount can handle the Askar with a 11 lb counterweight but no more than that. I can spend up to $5000 or $6000 for a refractor and am thinking of the Askar 130 PHQ or the Explore Scientific 127. The thing about refractors that I love is that the stars are sharp and pinpoint-assuming the optical quality and mechanical quality are up to par. Computer processing is a totally different story-I find it very enjoyable and challenging and always eager to learn more. I am like a guy who loves to drive a nice car but has no interest in getting under the hood and messing with stuff. ![]() I honestly don't want to collimate or dealing with mirror shift- I want to spend my time imaging when I am outside, not tinkering with the optics. The whole process from setup to post processing is very enjoyable for me. When I bought the Esprit 100 last fall, I immediately started getting high quality images. I am seriously thinking of selling the Edge and getting a 130-152mm refractor. ![]()
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