Great video. I’ve been having this scope on my list for a while. I have an Astro-Tech 80mm doublet which is really good. The rings could be better but the optics are great. I use mostly SCT’s but a good refractor is always a great scope to work with. Your review was awesome and I subscribed. Best regards Luis from NY
The AT115EDT has a lot of buzz online with lots of great reviews. I may even consider another Astro-Tech telescope, but at this point-I want an SCT. I'm thinking about the Celestron EdgeHD 800 to get before galaxy season kicks in. What would you suggest for an SCT?
@@ijontichy7179 I still have no idea why I got into astrophotography living in a Bortle 9. Thank you to whoever invented narrowband filters. I'm using 3nm ones to block out all the light pollution I can!
I want to get a Celestron EdgeHD eventually. When I bought this telescope, it was the tail end of the pandemic and Celestron EdgeHD telescopes could not be found anywhere. Now they are readily available. I also just wanted to move up incrementally from 250 to this telescope's 644mm. A Celestron Edge HD would be 1422mm with the .7x reducer which would have required off axis guiding, etc. It just gets so much more complex. They are a pain in the ass. I just was not ready to deal with that then, but now I'm ready! It's on my wish list.
Oh, and Celestron EdgeHD is $1700 plus the reducer that is $450. That's $2,150. Add the off-axis guider and who knows what else and you are at $2,500. This was $1,400 plus maybe $300 in accessories.
@@nightskypics I see. I bought 8" EdgeHD this fall. It was a pretty nice price drop to $1299. I have the .7 reducer too, but think twice before buying it - is there any use of it? The problem is that it reduces back focus to 105 mm (133.35 mm without it). After dealing with a refractor it seems to be a huge BF distance but it is not. First and foremost - ZWO EAF dos't work well with SCT. The process of focusing is not as easy as it is with f.e. RedCat 51 (BTW last night it tried my RedCat for the first time - it took about 3 minutes to get a focus with EAF assistance manually). The second problem with SCT - To keep a focus steady you have to tighten up the main mirror, because it tends to shift when a mount moves. That's why I bought an additional Crayford focuser that ate about 80-90mm of BF. The rest is enough for a filter wheel and a usual distance of a 17.5mm dedicated camera. With a Crayford the process divides in 2 parts: manual rough focusing with the SCT handle, tightening the main mirror, and after getting a precise focus with assistance of a electronic focuser. I used QHY Q-Focus EAF and it was absolutely wonderful.
@@gunnar2906 Yes, I'd need to buy a new ZWO Focuser anyway as there is no easy way to swap focuses between telescopes. They get screwed in there. $200 for every new telescope unless I'm willing to swap them.
Beautiful. Love the eagle capture.
Great video. I’ve been having this scope on my list for a while. I have an Astro-Tech 80mm doublet which is really good. The rings could be better but the optics are great. I use mostly SCT’s but a good refractor is always a great scope to work with. Your review was awesome and I subscribed.
Best regards
Luis from NY
The AT115EDT has a lot of buzz online with lots of great reviews. I may even consider another Astro-Tech telescope, but at this point-I want an SCT. I'm thinking about the Celestron EdgeHD 800 to get before galaxy season kicks in. What would you suggest for an SCT?
A decent scope, great photos, a nice review! Subscribed!
Glad you liked the review and the photos!
@@nightskypics Your photos are really good, let alone Bortle 9!
@@ijontichy7179 I still have no idea why I got into astrophotography living in a Bortle 9. Thank you to whoever invented narrowband filters. I'm using 3nm ones to block out all the light pollution I can!
@@nightskypics When astronomy gets you, you should never resist it. Embrace and enjoy! :)
And I forgot to say that the video was great!
Thank you, I put a lot of work into it. Who knew shooting video was so complicated?
Why this scope? Why not SCT? Yes, SCTs are way much complicated but they do the job for the same money you spent for this almost noname refractor
I want to get a Celestron EdgeHD eventually. When I bought this telescope, it was the tail end of the pandemic and Celestron EdgeHD telescopes could not be found anywhere. Now they are readily available. I also just wanted to move up incrementally from 250 to this telescope's 644mm. A Celestron Edge HD would be 1422mm with the .7x reducer which would have required off axis guiding, etc. It just gets so much more complex. They are a pain in the ass. I just was not ready to deal with that then, but now I'm ready! It's on my wish list.
Oh, and Celestron EdgeHD is $1700 plus the reducer that is $450. That's $2,150. Add the off-axis guider and who knows what else and you are at $2,500. This was $1,400 plus maybe $300 in accessories.
@@nightskypics I see. I bought 8" EdgeHD this fall. It was a pretty nice price drop to $1299. I have the .7 reducer too, but think twice before buying it - is there any use of it? The problem is that it reduces back focus to 105 mm (133.35 mm without it). After dealing with a refractor it seems to be a huge BF distance but it is not. First and foremost - ZWO EAF dos't work well with SCT. The process of focusing is not as easy as it is with f.e. RedCat 51 (BTW last night it tried my RedCat for the first time - it took about 3 minutes to get a focus with EAF assistance manually).
The second problem with SCT - To keep a focus steady you have to tighten up the main mirror, because it tends to shift when a mount moves.
That's why I bought an additional Crayford focuser that ate about 80-90mm of BF. The rest is enough for a filter wheel and a usual distance of a 17.5mm dedicated camera. With a Crayford the process divides in 2 parts: manual rough focusing with the SCT handle, tightening the main mirror, and after getting a precise focus with assistance of a electronic focuser. I used QHY Q-Focus EAF and it was absolutely wonderful.
@@nightskypics and focusing is painful too. And the reduser's not to be a must have.
@@gunnar2906 Yes, I'd need to buy a new ZWO Focuser anyway as there is no easy way to swap focuses between telescopes. They get screwed in there. $200 for every new telescope unless I'm willing to swap them.