Maybe the only scope you need? - ZWO FF80 Apo
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
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#astrophotography #space #stars #nebula #pixinsight #seestar #zwo #asiair
My 2c...AP is all about TIME. A quality 50mm optic and a quality 80mm, 100mm, 130mm, etc. will produce comparable images(all else the same, especially pixel scale). The only difference is time required to produce them. A lot can be overcome with time, but low quality glass can't be. Don't worry about how big, worry about how good. A Redcat 51 is liklely to make someone happier, and for far longer, vs that same someone with a 102mm svbony.
Very fair comment mate! - Thank you for sharing your thoughts! :-)
Thank you, Luke. Looking forward to the longer nights that might just have clear skies!
Thank you mate!! - Me too, summer has been a bit of a washout really, haha! Clear skies! (with any luck!)
Hi Luke. I bought mine on pre-order so I've had it now for quite a while. I can't praise it highly enough. The results are just stunning. My FF80 uses the 0.76 reducer, is on a TC40 PE160 AM3 mount with a 2600 DUO camera EAF and new M54 filter drawer. I just do OSC from Bortle 7 with an Antlia Triband RGB. I have a pegasus astro pocket power box micro and an ASIair mini attached for power distribution dew management and control. The whole thing is just 16kg. I can easily pick it up and carry it fully assembled just by turning leg tensioner folding the legs in. Its also compact enough to slew around on my balcony (a good option for me now, thanks to the all-sky polar alignment). It's a powerful package but in genuine grab and go format. Using the 2600 DUO means I have a finder shoe for the ASIair mini, and the new 2600 AIR would solve that problem too. Best purchase ever.
That's awesome to hear mate!! I'm so glad that it's been working out well for you, super impressed to hear allsky PA has been allowing you to image from somewhere you usually couldn't too, brilliant.
Thanks for sharing!
@@lukomatico Yes that allsky PA is a godsend. Especially since the roof terrace has been ripped up for repairs for months. I usually take the big APO up there in a camping cart, but I'm getting very used to this FF80 laziness. Sitting on the couch. Thanks for all the videos mate!
Great video. Can’t wait to see what you can produce on a clear night. Luke your videos are ones I look forward to each week.
Awesome to hear that, thank you so much my friend! - Clear skies! :-)
looks good so far.... thanks for the review, Luke
Thanks for watching mate!! :-)
I was right on the edge of buying either a 80, 107 or 130PHQ just this week, as I have the baby 65PHQ currently and love it... However your review of the Askar 120APO really sold me on that, so it is currently sitting behind me on a shiny new mount, with the 65PHQ sitting on the Avalon Instruments M-Zero.... Now between them, I have the option of 312mm f/4.8, 416mm f/6.4, 698mm f/5.6 or 840mm f/7... Though I might look into getting a mono IMX571 to fit to the 120APO permanently and run both rigs simultaneously!
That's excellent my friend!! I really enjoy my Askar 120APO, such a brilliant scope - congratulations to you!! :-)
Wishing you many clear skies 🙏
I own the phq80 (so basically the same scope in green). The overall quality is really impressive. I even tested the scope without the reducer on a sony alpha 7r IV (fullframe with the 3.76 pixels) and the stars were still perfect in the corners! F7.5 is really slow tho and that´s why I am always using it with the reducer.
Great to hear that mate!! Thank you for sharing 👍👍
I will be picking up a larger PHQ varient at the IAS tomorrow. Swaying towards the 130 but might be too big for the AM5 & Pier extension. When there's a will, there's a way 😅
@@jongreen2362 excellent mate, and congratulations!!
I do think the 130phq will be too long, I had one here for review a while back, the 107 is probably just right though!
@lukomatico I went with the Askar 130PHQ and my AM5N now sits on top of a Starfield pier and seems very stable. If interested, I'll let you know if this combination works out 😅
I appreciate the WoW content in the background
Oh your thoughts on the telescope were also really good thanks Luke
Brilliant, haha!! :-D We've both been having a lot of fun on WoW lately!
Clear skies mate!
Would like to see an in-depth review of ZWO ff 107
Nice review Luke! ZWO is really trying to provide a good experience for astrophotographers. This telescope just shows this. Even though your skies are a stark difference from Bortle 9 though Bortle 7, I hope you can get away and travel with this setup to show it's full grab and go potential! Thanks for the video and clear skies mate!
Fingers crossed mate! - that would be really cool to do :-) Clear skies!
It's also a rebadged Skar 80PHQ a quality scope, I use the Askar FRA300 and it is such a great scope. thanks Luke look forward to seeing what you do with this.
As for the asiair mount that to the finder show and adapt the guidescope to the handle instead
Thanks Nik mate!! - Yeah that would be a good plan I think, putting the finder closer to COG would give even better guiding too I guess!
That said, I wouldn't mind trying out one of those cameras with the built in guider and asiair to really clean things up! :-D
Clear skies buddy!
I have the same scope (Askar 80 PHQ), AM3 mount, same guide scope (asi120mm), same focuser, 5 position AFW (Antlia 3nm SHO), Asiair Mini, tripod and extension.
The guide scope is mounted on the top rail (handle) and the Asiair Mini is mounted under the front of the dovetail.
Ive been a SCT guy most of my life aince thats what my father used and I took over. When i got my first triplet (stellarvue) i was blown away by the quality. Its only 70mm so when i go get my next triplet/quad it will most likely be in the 100-130mm range. Putting those together and i can say goodbye to the 8” sct.
Hey there my friend! - I still love my SCT, honestly they are wonderful scopes when everything's going good aren't they! :-) That said, my goodness a quality refractor is a thing of beauty to own and use, such great results with minimal fuss, love it.
Clear skies!
A lovely looking scope Luke, very similar to the Askar! An ideal size and definitely one for someone just starting out, a nice easy refractor😀 Nice review mate👍CS
Thanks so much Simon mate! - I think they are exactly the same as the Askar 80phq aye, so it should be cracking! :-D Clear skies!
Great review Luke, nice looking scope and performs well by the look of it, i have just got the Askar 71f Quad for review, hoping for similar results to you…👍🏻
Excellent stuff mate!! Really hope the scope works out well for you, they look to be an amazing value bit of kit! Clear skies matey!
This is an excellent scope, Luke! I have the Askar version of it (80PHQ) and absolutely love it. It's very versatile, especially with it's dedicated reducer. I used it with the ASI2600MC, but it's also a great scope for galaxy hunting with the ASI585. It's really a swiss knife scope.
The handle really sucks though, I also struggled. I ended up replacing it with Askar's MCP-90 handle/finder shoe, in which I placed the guide scope. The ASIAIR went to the smaller hot shoe, on the right side to balance with the EAF. I also recommend getting some PrimaluceLab rings spacer, without them my EAF bracket would be lower than the dovetail.
Excellent to hear that my friend!! :-D I really ought to request the reducer to review alongside it!
Thanks for the tips on the extras too, nice one - Clear skies to you sir!
@@lukomatico TBH my first light with the reducer wasn't what I expected. Perhaps I have a bad copy, but the stars were awful, lots of blue fringing on one side of the stars... hopefully you'll get a better one! Cheers!
Thanks again for another great video, just curious, are you powering the AM5 via Asiair 12v output ? Is this possible ?. I wonder how far shoul I go without damage the unit. I currently power the mount (AVX), and the main camera (ASI533) with my AsiAir (same model as you) and no problem so far. But I see you also have heathers and autofocus.
Hey there my friend! - I power the mount directly with a power supply, then use the mount head power outlet to do everything else, so I can confirm it all works with just one power supply which is nice! :-) Clear skies!
@@lukomatico Thank you so much for your quick answer ! Clear skies !!
Always good to watch your videos Luke. As my William Optics 81GT f5.9 is still doing everything I want it to, I won't be buying an 80mm refractor any time soon, but if I was I would definitely consider this and the Askar equivalent as they both look pretty awesome.
Regarding mounting the ASIair, could you not mount a Lozmandy plate between the two tube rings and mount the ASIair on to that, but to be fair the way you mounted it looked ok anyway. A bit surprised that ZWO didn't think of including a designated mounting for it, after all they are well known for wanting to lock people in to their own eco system based around the ASIair. For a grab and go set up, you could of course realy simplify matters by using it with ZWOs latest camera that includes the guide camera chip and the ASIair, all mounted on an AM5. I'm sure you could have years of fun with a set up like that.
Thanks so much for watching mate! - Those GT81's are lovely scopes, enjoy! :-)
RE: The new asiair/cam, I'd love to take a look at one of those yeah - I absolutely don't think they'll be for everyone, but I think it's a good idea for me at least!
Clear skies mate!
I love this time lapse. Meanwhile wife plays video games. ;).
Thanks so much! :-D
Yea I have the 65phq and damn it's nice
hope tonight was clear for you sir.... nice scope
Unfortunately it wasn't matey, ah well! - hope you had a good session though if it was clear your way!
I was looking at the 65
My first scope was a William Optics GT81 with the associated reducer/flattener. It's been sitting in a closet for a couple years now as most of my imaging time has been with the 8" EdgeHD. I do miss the simplicity of an 80mm refractor, though. I suppose I'm just a masochist because now for my widefield imaging I've got one of those SharpStar 15028HNT. Talk about being sensitive to the smallest amount of tilt! I've still never gotten it "perfect".
I always did miss my old ED80, as much as I enjoy my more specialised scopes, I still sometimes yearn for an easy night with an easy to use scope, haha! :-) Clear skies!
Nice scope!
Wish it was a little cheaper & faster (native f5 would be nice)
SW Esprit 80 with flattener would be an interesting comparison for a test?
Hey Ed! - I had an Esprit 80 with the matched flattener, really great bit of kit if the 400mm focal length is useful to you! :-) Clear skies!
looks like a decent setup, but I gotta wonder how that focuser handles the weight of a full mono image train with OAG.
I think it'll be absolutely fine mate, the focuser on this thing is a tank! :-D (probably would need to move the dovetail back though to achieve balance at that point!)
Unfortunatelly ZWO should do a better job on their presentation... they mention several times it is a quintuplet design, then go back a say it is a quadruplet design... in the end we understand it is a quadruplet, but if we did not have the optical scheme, identical to Askar/Sharpstar, we would assume it is a doublet with a corrector made up of two glasses as well.. but it is a triplet (double ED glass) and a single element corrector, not too far in the back..
I own the Askar PHQ65, and I can confirm this type of optical design runs pretty well in terms of chromatic aberrations and flatness of the field.
But, please keep this in mind: in my personal opinion, the stock focuser is not that good (I would say it's quite bad), as it doesn't run smooth, but with "periodic hickups..".. as if the rack-and-pinion mechanism would be too tight... maybe it's only with my example... anyway, did a swap with a Baader diamond-steeltrack, which light years away in terms of stability and smoothness.. you just use it and forget about any problems... the stock focuser on Askar, ZWO, TS, AstroTech and more is basically the same thing, with their Teflon pads distributed at 120 degrees and a rack and pinion style mechanism... the Teflon pads needs to be tighten really good to avoid sagging of the draw tube/image tilting, as you expand the focuser tube to reach focus... my first impression of the Askar tube (with identical optics design) was: "excellent optics, terrible focuser"... so it's only fair that potential buyers would know this.
And as far as the rest of the scope... well.. optics and focuser are the most important... the tube and tube rings should be pretty much standard business with today's standards, with one or two/three aperture rings inside the tube, decent coatings, and quite a light package, as a whole...
Good luck with imaging !
Thanks for the feedback mate!
I've been really impressed by how the focuser feels so far, no deflection or rough spots on mine but as you quite rightly say this might just be 'luck of the draw' so to speak! :-)
RE: quad/quint - agreed it might not be clear for everyone - the 65's are quintuplets, the 80+ are quads, I think the marketing pages maybe are a little mixed up there, haha!
Glad to hear the steeltrack has worked for you by the way, I hear good things about those but apparently a little hard to fit an EAF to?
Clear skies!
@@lukomatico Hi Luke.
Had no problem with fitting an EAF on the Baader Diamnond steeltrack focuser. Actually, at the moment I have QHY Q-focuser (the "precision" version), linked via a pulley belt on the 1:10 reduction side, and everything powered through USB C... works like a charm, and the motor itself is indeed zero backlash, as you only have the motor axle itself.. then the belt pulley should be close to zero backlash, and finally the planetary style reduction (1:10) on the focuser should be also close to zero backlash... Did all of this to avoid as much as possible the hassle of backlash measuring (never got a chance to read a consistent amount of backlash over 10 different measurements...).
Had two EAFs, and they work great, but I wanted the least amount of backlash so I could get a close to perfect v-shape during focusing with SGpro.. and it's pretty close to that..
I don't get why taking something like an ED 80 as beginner is supposed to be outdated because of a great quality, but by comparison slow and expensive petzval. It loses the benefit of the petzval design (no back focus worries) when you connect a reducer. And natively it needs a big chip for a decent FoV, which just further baloons the budget. I got a 80 mm TS APO with 0.8x reducer flattener and a player one Ares mc pro. I'm having a great experience with this combo including the stock focuser. For half if not a third of the price of the setup shown here.
AP 90mm Stowaway and 80mm Esprit will eat this scope for breakfast.
I've never tried an AP stowaway so couldn't comment there, but I did have an Esprit 80! - this thing is every bit as sharp as that! :-) (probably sharper as a result of that slower f/ratio!)
Clear skies!
Skywatcher scopes are grossly overpriced at this point. The Esprit 80 costs 50% more than this, and has had significant issues with quality control and is often outperformed by telescopes less perfect than the FF80. Not saying it's a bad scope when you can manage to find a decent sample of it, but Skywatcher has not responded price-wise whatsoever to the massive competition that has come out in the APO space over the past five years (e.g. they've actually raised the price of their 120ED doublet despite the Askar 120 APO triplet costing two-thirds of the price even with an added reducer).
Very fair comment, well said!
@@lukomatico It is not about sharpness. It is about color of object representation. Did you have Esprit 80 or 120? I remember you have been proudly rolling out 120 version and telling this is only telescope that you need.
@@40Sec Every mass produced Astro equipment has quality control issues; and I bet you know where it is produced. This is a reason that all these reviews on UA-cam are useless.
Nice review Luke! Just a quick question on EAF. Is it really necessary? I have been shooting with my Zenithstar 73 for a couple of nights and my focus hasn't changed at all between the nights. ( Focus screw is locked) Moreover I wonder, with tools like BXT in your arsenal , aren't EAFs unnecessary?
Hey mate! - I find an EAF to be very useful myself, as the temperature changes up or down through the night, the tube of your telescope shrinks or expands slightly, moving the objective glass and the sensor nearer or further apart, pushing it out of focus :-) if you have an EAF you can set it to refocus every degree of change for example, which will track the changes through the night!
RE: BXT to fix defocus, it's possible to recover some loss of focus, but it'll mean your data can't be pushed as far in terms of detail as data that was captured while critically-focused.
Hope that helps! Cheers for watching mate, as always!
@@lukomatico yeah, the change of focus point from purely the physics point of view is understandable and probably will matter more if you are capturing a large size mosaic to display in an art gallery or something. If we are going to share our work on social media which is mostly viewed from 5-6" screens, I believe EAFs are not that critical piece of equipment. I could be wrong, maybe you could do a comparison to test my hypothesis (an idea for your next video 😉)
Can you get a loaner ASI2600MC Air from ZWO to test with this scope. Would really love to see an imaging session with this setup. Thanks Luke.
Working on that Jim!! :-) I'm excited!
Funny you should mention the 80ED. That was my first "real" astrophotography-scope and I still have it. May not come as a surprise, but I also ended up switching the focuser to a third-party Crayford. I still use it and still love it.
And perhaps the most important question; how are Chloe enjoying TWW so far? :)
Having a lot of fun thank you!
Excellent haha! :-D We're both really enjoying TWW for sure too!
It's a law !!! Buy a new scope , the clouds come out . 😂😂😂
Mate that's 100% true! it's still raining even as I type this, haha!
@@lukomatico 😂😂😂😂🤓
Scope is very slow at f7.5. How it performs with its reducer?.
We will see mate! :-) I may request the reducer to further the test eventually!
Ah the Skywatcher ED80 Evostar I still have mine but there are far better choices these days, focusers on those as well as the Newtonians have always been poor I really should upgrade mine sometime. The scope you've reviewed looks a nice bit of kit I dunno if Altair still sell the tri piers always fancied one but never got round to getting one.
Clear skies & hope to see you both at the IAS?
Hey Tich! - They're still a cracking scope for sure! :-) I really enjoyed my ED80
RE: IAS, we're not able to go unfortunately mate - Chloe's a bit too far into pregnancy for long travel!
Clear skies bud!
@@lukomatico Ah bless her totally understandable mate, hope she's doing ok & yourself to?
Clear skies
Very nice Luke ! I still have my Orion ED80 with it's dedicated reducer but OMG have times changed. Look forward to seeing many fine images with this beauty.
Thanks so much Gedas! :-) Clear skies mate!
ZWO wouldn't be my first choice. With the support they provide, if there is an issue, you would pretty much be on your own. Been there and experienced it.
I'm sorry to hear that mate :-(
I rid of all my ZWO equipment. Vibrating cameras, reverse engender ASair, ridiculously bad motor focus, filter wheel spinning into random positions (impossible to take flats), total crap filters.
@@anata5127 I am in the process of doing the same thing. Thank God I never bought into their restrictive ecosystem.
Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looks like a very nice scope Luke, looking forward to seeing what you can do with this scope
Thanks Tony mate! - I'm excited to get out with it properly! :-D
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