Sorry but I have to point out that the beginning of the video is extremely flawed. Calling any doublet achromatic, and any triplet apochromatic is absolutely wrong. Apochromatic had more to do with the types of glass used for one or more of the lenses being ED glass or extra low dispersion glass. There are many fine doublets on the market that are apochromatic. I think it is doing a large disservice to people getting into the hobby that may see this video and assume that they should never buy a doublet refractor if they want to do astrophotography. I have a doublet WO z81 apo that does a perfectly acceptable job handling chromatic aberration.
Thanks for bringing this up. My explanation at the beginning of the video was oversimplified, and you're absolutely correct that there are high-quality apochromatic doublets available on the market, like the William Optics Zenithstar 81 you mentioned. I'm pinning your comment to ensure others understand that apochromatic performance doesn't strictly depend on the number of elements.
Thanks for the review! However, I noticed that the stars in your image appear slightly egg-shaped, which suggests there might have been some tracking issues. It would be great to see another test to better evaluate how well the telescope handles star shapes. Looking forward to an updated demonstration!
Thank you for the review. Unfortunately the stars don't look very good. There may be a small tracking error... but the stars also look very much like a pinched or less good optic.
I’m a fan. My first scope was the SV503-70ED and I still love that scope. I put a manual rotator and a good field flattener on it and it was a sweet matchup with my 533MC Pro.
Good review thanks. I ordered the SVBony 503 70mm at the first of the year and found it to be a very well built telescope but not particularly well suited for astrophotography but more for visual due to chromatic aberration. I'm sure this little telescope, the SV550 due to it's APO design is a much better fit for astrophotography.
Thanks for the review. So practically this scope needs to be used along with at least a flattener. It’s just the weight of this lens combo which is keeping me from getting this scope, as my GTi won’t allow it to be mounted. Which budget mount would one recommend for this? Will have to get a mount first 😊
The EQM 35 or a similar mount might do the job; however, if you can afford a better mount, it will provide more options and potentially save you trouble and time in the long run. I started with the EQM 35 and now use the EQ6 R and UMI 17R. The UMI 17R outperforms them in terms of size and is very quiet. I learned the hard way that mounting equipment on top of the telescope shifts the center of gravity, and smaller mounts (and even strainwave mounts) may not have enough torque to operate smoothly. Instead, strap your PC and other accessories to the tripod. Additionally, I would recommend an off-axis guider (OAG). There are affordable options available, like ToupTec. It's not too difficult to set up, makes a significant difference in guiding, and ultimately simplifies the setup.
I wish I know about the doublet and triplet thing before I got into the hobby. I would probably have purchased that before the SV48p. Glad to know there is a work around coming soon to Siril.
The 550 80mm was my first scope ever. I use it with the reducer/ flattener made for the 503 (works just fine), and I absolutely enjoy it. It also blows me away performance wise for the pricepoint. I have since invested in the new askar sqa55 tho, which is absolutely stunning comparatively. But my svbony will always have a place in my lineup. It's so good in fact, I may end up investing in the 122mm version of the sv550. Great video, as always, Rich! Hopefully, there was no damage from the shutter opening the other night!😢
Looks nice. Just a bit on the heavy side for mounting on my Star Adventurer 2i, if I have to factor in the weight of the camera and guidescope. But SVBONY is making some nice stuff. Next scope I'll get will probably be one of their Maks for planetary. That's still years off though. Wanna master the gear I got first, because it's way too easy to fall in that trap of constantly upgrading and buying new gear without ever getting your money's worth out of what you currently own.
Sorry but I have to point out that the beginning of the video is extremely flawed. Calling any doublet achromatic, and any triplet apochromatic is absolutely wrong. Apochromatic had more to do with the types of glass used for one or more of the lenses being ED glass or extra low dispersion glass. There are many fine doublets on the market that are apochromatic. I think it is doing a large disservice to people getting into the hobby that may see this video and assume that they should never buy a doublet refractor if they want to do astrophotography. I have a doublet WO z81 apo that does a perfectly acceptable job handling chromatic aberration.
Thanks for bringing this up. My explanation at the beginning of the video was oversimplified, and you're absolutely correct that there are high-quality apochromatic doublets available on the market, like the William Optics Zenithstar 81 you mentioned.
I'm pinning your comment to ensure others understand that apochromatic performance doesn't strictly depend on the number of elements.
Thanks for the review! However, I noticed that the stars in your image appear slightly egg-shaped, which suggests there might have been some tracking issues. It would be great to see another test to better evaluate how well the telescope handles star shapes. Looking forward to an updated demonstration!
Thank you for the test and for the reduction coupon
At 5:57 “Tighten the thumbnail…”? 😊. Thanks, good video.
🤣
Thank you for the review. Unfortunately the stars don't look very good. There may be a small tracking error... but the stars also look very much like a pinched or less good optic.
I’m a fan. My first scope was the SV503-70ED and I still love that scope. I put a manual rotator and a good field flattener on it and it was a sweet matchup with my 533MC Pro.
I have the sv503 80ED with the field flattener reducer . It works great. I'm actually looking at their new sv555 now.
Good review thanks. I ordered the SVBony 503 70mm at the first of the year and found it to be a very well built telescope but not particularly well suited for astrophotography but more for visual due to chromatic aberration. I'm sure this little telescope, the SV550 due to it's APO design is a much better fit for astrophotography.
Thanks for the review. So practically this scope needs to be used along with at least a flattener. It’s just the weight of this lens combo which is keeping me from getting this scope, as my GTi won’t allow it to be mounted.
Which budget mount would one recommend for this?
Will have to get a mount first 😊
The EQM 35 or a similar mount might do the job; however, if you can afford a better mount, it will provide more options and potentially save you trouble and time in the long run.
I started with the EQM 35 and now use the EQ6 R and UMI 17R. The UMI 17R outperforms them in terms of size and is very quiet. I learned the hard way that mounting equipment on top of the telescope shifts the center of gravity, and smaller mounts (and even strainwave mounts) may not have enough torque to operate smoothly. Instead, strap your PC and other accessories to the tripod.
Additionally, I would recommend an off-axis guider (OAG). There are affordable options available, like ToupTec. It's not too difficult to set up, makes a significant difference in guiding, and ultimately simplifies the setup.
Not a budget mount, but the AM3 would do well. The AM5 if you really want to future proof for a bit.
I wish I know about the doublet and triplet thing before I got into the hobby. I would probably have purchased that before the SV48p. Glad to know there is a work around coming soon to Siril.
The 550 80mm was my first scope ever. I use it with the reducer/ flattener made for the 503 (works just fine), and I absolutely enjoy it. It also blows me away performance wise for the pricepoint.
I have since invested in the new askar sqa55 tho, which is absolutely stunning comparatively. But my svbony will always have a place in my lineup. It's so good in fact, I may end up investing in the 122mm version of the sv550.
Great video, as always, Rich! Hopefully, there was no damage from the shutter opening the other night!😢
Thanks Shiloh! No damage that night, thankfully!
Looks nice. Just a bit on the heavy side for mounting on my Star Adventurer 2i, if I have to factor in the weight of the camera and guidescope. But SVBONY is making some nice stuff. Next scope I'll get will probably be one of their Maks for planetary.
That's still years off though. Wanna master the gear I got first, because it's way too easy to fall in that trap of constantly upgrading and buying new gear without ever getting your money's worth out of what you currently own.
Am I the only person who saw a lot of egg-shaped stars?
Yikes!! Those are terrible star shapes. That would be a scope to return until you get a better copy.
Thanks for the review though!