Wow, that thing isn't even designed for scopes over 81mm, according to WO. I've got this for my WO GT71 but would love to be able to use it on my Lunt 100MT as the reducer that comes with it, has a pretty fair amount of vignetting.
Should be good. Here's the blurb on WO website: This William Optics 2" Field Flattener & Reducer has been designed to optimize the flat-field imaging performance of William Optics GT71, GT81, Z81 & Z103 refractors. The APO triplet optics of the Flat6AIII are made with Ohara glass and fully multi-coated to provide good illumination and a beautifully flat field across 97% of full frame sensors. The reducing factor is 0.8X.
Nice video. Where did you get the part that attaches to the Flattener which then goes into the visual back? It seems much easier to put on filters using this part (not sure what's it's called) instead of putting filters inside the flattener. Thank you.
Could you tell me if the refractor telescope suffers a lot of damage if I want to observe from the seashore? I say this because of the salinity that can affect the lenses. Is there a trick to protect it and be able to go anyway?
That's a good question. I know that the salty air can seriously corrode some metals quickly so I think any telescope will suffer. Mine is a carbon fibre but it still has some aluminum parts. Also, it's not hermetically sealed. There are vents to the inside of the main objective and of course the tube is not air tight. I think the objectives would be fine although coatings may suffer but I don't really know. Maybe put your question on "Cloudy Nights". It has a larger user base.
Hi Gunnar, yes I use the spacers for the camera to get most of the backfocus but the final adjustment is with the WO flattener. Here is my calc: 57.5 - 6.5(to sensor) - 11(collar) - 21(spacer) - 16.5(adapter) - 2.5(FF-adjust) = 0
Sir, this is just a flattener and not a reducer, correct? I am thinking about one of these for my FLT132. Any problems mounting or anything special I need to know before purchasing?
Hi Jeffrey, no, this william optic flattener is also a 0.8x reducer. So my 700mm scope was reduced to 500+ mm. I think this is why I was also able to remove two extension tubes I had with the old flattener, which was just that, no reduction.
@@astrobuddy7895hey how many mm did you remove from the back of the flattened/reducer too late to ask this qn lol but am having maybe same issue just wanted to know would be very helpful thanks
@@ROVLOGS12345 Hmmm... this my calculation: WO (adjustable) FLAT6AIII 57.5 + 1(1mm per 3mm of filter) - 6.5(to sensor) - 11(collar) - 21(spacer) - 16.5(adapter) = 3.5(adjustment) on the FLAT6AIII The 57.5 is the spec backfocus for a similar telescope to mine, based on focal length - i.e. WO Zenithstar 103
I got this for my ES ED80. I am under what may be a false impression, but it appears I am to screw it directly into my draw tube. Was this designed for a static focal length or do I still get to use the focus knobs and come back more? I might not be making sense, but I did what you did and used a thumbscrew adapter, which adds 10mm more or so. Does this matter?
Yeah, you can screw it directly to the draw tube but I didn't have the same threads so I used the adapter with the thumbscrews. Yes you can focus but I was a bit surprised but lucky that the 0.8 reducer caused the focus to be much closer than before so I only had about 10mm left of focus range. It was perfect for me (ED102) because I was able to get rid of both extensions tubes that I had with the old x1 flattener, and the overall system was more solid. You will find you have to remove any extensions and maybe even need to screw it directly to your draw tube to bring it into focus... and you will have to bring the focus back all the way to start. And try focusing on an actual star. You'd be surprised at the difference in focus position between a star and a distant object. It may be a close call! Good luck.
@@astrobuddy7895 I wanted to get back to you and let you know I gave it a try, but have more testing to do. My stars looked like triangles at the end. The documentation states, the adjustment for my scope is 7.1mm with a back focus of 62.1mm. Does this mean I add spacers so the back of the Flat6AIII to the chip is 62.1mm or is it still 55mm because because 7.1mm + 55mm equals 62.1 over all? Just a little confused here and you can save me a boat-load of time!
@@johnsojka8168 55mm is the standard dimension for most DSLR cameras so I think WO has made this flattener to be compatible with such systems. You don't need any spacers, thats what the adjustment is for. But your scope may not be 62.1, you may be 60.2 with 5.2mm adjustment. For me, ED102 was compatible with Z103, so I used 2.5mm adjustment. But you can test your results and adjust accordingly unless you actually have a WO scope, then you should just use the adjustment they give. Here's a good aid for backfocus adjustment : optcorp.com/blogs/deep-sky-imaging/how-to-set-the-correct-back-focusoptcorp.com/blogs/deep-sky-imaging/how-to-set-the-correct-back-focus
@@johnsojka8168 my mistake - you don’t need spacers for a DSLR. A DSLR+adapter is typically 55mm - except Nikon but better check your camera. If you have an astrocam then you will need spacers to give the total back focus of say 62.1mm or 60.2.
lol - thanks for sharing! I "solved" the problem by removing the compression ring. Now the screws bite directly into the nose piece without any fouling - brutal but effective! :D
@@astrobuddy7895 so that’s the thing I guess am gonna her to figure out for my setup cauz am using a evolux 62ed and a flattener from founder optics with a 585mc pro. So I hv the camera 55mm extension tube that came with the camera and the field flattener attached issue for me is the evolux 62 ed the nose piece is a pain to get off lol
" It wasn't expensive, and I don't remember exactly. Just a wealth of information.
Wow, that thing isn't even designed for scopes over 81mm, according to WO. I've got this for my WO GT71 but would love to be able to use it on my Lunt 100MT as the reducer that comes with it, has a pretty fair amount of vignetting.
Should be good. Here's the blurb on WO website: This William Optics 2" Field Flattener & Reducer has been designed to optimize the flat-field imaging performance of William Optics GT71, GT81, Z81 & Z103 refractors. The APO triplet optics of the Flat6AIII are made with Ohara glass and fully multi-coated to provide good illumination and a beautifully flat field across 97% of full frame sensors. The reducing factor is 0.8X.
Nice video. Where did you get the part that attaches to the Flattener which then goes into the visual back? It seems much easier to put on filters using this part (not sure what's it's called) instead of putting filters inside the flattener. Thank you.
Hi Yervant, This is the adapter I got locally - davidastro.com/william-optics-m63-female-to-2-push-in-adapter-for-p-flat6aiii/
@@astrobuddy7895 thank you very much
Could you tell me if the refractor telescope suffers a lot of damage if I want to observe from the seashore? I say this because of the salinity that can affect the lenses. Is there a trick to protect it and be able to go anyway?
That's a good question. I know that the salty air can seriously corrode some metals quickly so I think any telescope will suffer. Mine is a carbon fibre but it still has some aluminum parts. Also, it's not hermetically sealed. There are vents to the inside of the main objective and of course the tube is not air tight. I think the objectives would be fine although coatings may suffer but I don't really know. Maybe put your question on "Cloudy Nights". It has a larger user base.
@@astrobuddy7895 thank you and clear skies
Do you use both extension tubes that come with the Zwo camera to reach focus ?
Hi Gunnar, yes I use the spacers for the camera to get most of the backfocus but the final adjustment is with the WO flattener. Here is my calc: 57.5 - 6.5(to sensor) - 11(collar) - 21(spacer) - 16.5(adapter) - 2.5(FF-adjust) = 0
Sir, this is just a flattener and not a reducer, correct? I am thinking about one of these for my FLT132. Any problems mounting or anything special I need to know before purchasing?
Hi Jeffrey, no, this william optic flattener is also a 0.8x reducer. So my 700mm scope was reduced to 500+ mm. I think this is why I was also able to remove two extension tubes I had with the old flattener, which was just that, no reduction.
@@astrobuddy7895hey how many mm did you remove from the back of the flattened/reducer too late to ask this qn lol but am having maybe same issue just wanted to know would be very helpful thanks
@@ROVLOGS12345 Hmmm... this my calculation: WO (adjustable) FLAT6AIII
57.5 + 1(1mm per 3mm of filter) - 6.5(to sensor) - 11(collar) - 21(spacer) - 16.5(adapter) = 3.5(adjustment) on the FLAT6AIII
The 57.5 is the spec backfocus for a similar telescope to mine, based on focal length - i.e. WO Zenithstar 103
@@astrobuddy7895 this is very helpful information thanks a lot for the details I shall give it a run and apply the logic 🙌 clear skies
I got this for my ES ED80. I am under what may be a false impression, but it appears I am to screw it directly into my draw tube. Was this designed for a static focal length or do I still get to use the focus knobs and come back more? I might not be making sense, but I did what you did and used a thumbscrew adapter, which adds 10mm more or so. Does this matter?
Yeah, you can screw it directly to the draw tube but I didn't have the same threads so I used the adapter with the thumbscrews. Yes you can focus but I was a bit surprised but lucky that the 0.8 reducer caused the focus to be much closer than before so I only had about 10mm left of focus range. It was perfect for me (ED102) because I was able to get rid of both extensions tubes that I had with the old x1 flattener, and the overall system was more solid. You will find you have to remove any extensions and maybe even need to screw it directly to your draw tube to bring it into focus... and you will have to bring the focus back all the way to start. And try focusing on an actual star. You'd be surprised at the difference in focus position between a star and a distant object. It may be a close call! Good luck.
@@astrobuddy7895 I wanted to get back to you and let you know I gave it a try, but have more testing to do. My stars looked like triangles at the end. The documentation states, the adjustment for my scope is 7.1mm with a back focus of 62.1mm. Does this mean I add spacers so the back of the Flat6AIII to the chip is 62.1mm or is it still 55mm because because 7.1mm + 55mm equals 62.1 over all? Just a little confused here and you can save me a boat-load of time!
@@johnsojka8168 55mm is the standard dimension for most DSLR cameras so I think WO has made this flattener to be compatible with such systems. You don't need any spacers, thats what the adjustment is for. But your scope may not be 62.1, you may be 60.2 with 5.2mm adjustment. For me, ED102 was compatible with Z103, so I used 2.5mm adjustment. But you can test your results and adjust accordingly unless you actually have a WO scope, then you should just use the adjustment they give. Here's a good aid for backfocus adjustment : optcorp.com/blogs/deep-sky-imaging/how-to-set-the-correct-back-focusoptcorp.com/blogs/deep-sky-imaging/how-to-set-the-correct-back-focus
@@johnsojka8168 my mistake - you don’t need spacers for a DSLR. A DSLR+adapter is typically 55mm - except Nikon but better check your camera. If you have an astrocam then you will need spacers to give the total back focus of say 62.1mm or 60.2.
4:35 I have the same issue as well am not sure on how to do the mounting properly lol it’s a pain but glad someone relates haha
lol - thanks for sharing! I "solved" the problem by removing the compression ring. Now the screws bite directly into the nose piece without any fouling - brutal but effective! :D
@@astrobuddy7895 so that’s the thing I guess am gonna her to figure out for my setup cauz am using a evolux 62ed and a flattener from founder optics with a 585mc pro. So I hv the camera 55mm extension tube that came with the camera and the field flattener attached issue for me is the evolux 62 ed the nose piece is a pain to get off lol