Great video! I just got this scope. I've been using an 8" SCT for a number of years, but now I want to try some wider fields with a smaller OTA. I'm surprised someone so young has this much grasp of the hobby! (don't be offended) It seems that most of the "experts" out there are middle age to older guys. How old are you? I'm 72!
The 102mm has a focal length of 712mm and an aperture ratio of f/6. I haven't had a chance to get mine out under the stars yet. Thanks for the tip on the UV/IR cut filter!
Thanks man! And yeah, unless you have a DSLR or Mirrorless camera, you'll need a UV/IR cut filter. DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras already have them installed in the camera but astro cameras unfortunately do not and it'll make the image really soft, and the stars will be huge, not pleasant.
i just wanted to correct the moment you said that a single lens telescope is an achromat but it is called a singlet and it is the two lensed telescopes (THAT ARE MADE OF NORMAL GLASS) that are called achromats. But your telescope has an ED glass element that reduces the scatering of the light so it gives similar results as a much more expensive apochromatique telescope.
A single lens telescope is seen a lot as an achromatic telescope. My telescope is an achromatic telescope also but it also has 2 glass elements so it’s a doublet. The glass is FPL-51 which isn’t the best glass to bring it up to a apochromatic telescope when compared to Sky watcher’s evostar doublets but it still gets the job done with the ED glass
Im looking to buy the 102mm version of this and im new to astrophotography and want to get something decent for my first purchase. This set up youre running seems to fit my budget and is good for what i am trying to accomplish. A few questions, when finding a tripod for this set up, do i need to buy a mount for it too? I see you have listed that your using the GEM28 and those seem to be quite pricey. Are there any other options for me to get started and maybe upgrade down the line? Also for the UV/IR cut filter, do you use the 2 inch or 1.25 inch. thank you and excuse me for my ignorance while trying to wrap my head around what i should purchase.
It’s no worries man! And yes, for astrophotography, you’ll need a tracking mount. The sad thing about it is that there’s no way of getting out of “cheap” astrophotography mounts, they’re all pretty pricey but nothing would be possible without them. A good starter mount that is amazing is the skywatcher eqm-35 pro, it’s just under $800 I believe! A good thing to note is that you need to make sure you know how much your setup will weigh on top so you can decide what tripod to use that’ll fit its weight capacity. My setup on top of my mount is roughly 17 pounds which is perfect for my GEM28 as it holds 28lbs. I also use the 2’ UV/IR Cut filter, it’s much more accessible and you can use it for a ton of changes as you excel in your astrophotography journey, just more convenient :) i hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions or if you need any advice on a beginner setup, I have some things in mind :) clear skies!
@@astrotan so ended up going with the SV503 ED 80mm, I ordered the SV193 2 inch .08X field flattener, the SV198mini 50mm finder scope, the UHC filter, UV/IR filter, a lens heater, the SV211 dovetail base, and i actually just ordered the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI mount kit. I dont know if this was a mistake but i ordered the 1.25 inch lenses rather than the 2 inch lenses, are those compatible with the field flattener or did i make a mistake? Also bought a few extra things for just planetary/moon observing but ill keep it focused on astrophotography for now. What do you think of this setup, any issues with it? Thanks for your help man, really appreciate it!
@@AdotLarcenyI think it’s a great setup, it will get you very far! There’s a couple minor concerts though: I’m not sure what the total weight of your setup on top of the GTI will be, but it holds 11lbs total on top of it, but you can probably push it a little more and it should be fine. In terms of the field flattener and lens topic, I’ve never used 1.25 lenses with the field flattener, but if you’re doing just visual with the lenses you won’t need the field flattener anyway, that’s really for the astrophotography part so you should be all good! Can’t wait to see what you do!
I used the sv503 80ED for a long time. I liked it a lot. However, it had its issues. I eventually upgraded to a Stellarvue 102mm triplet so of course I no longer have issues 😅
I think that the chromatic aberration part really doesn’t matter. It’s basically gone after going narrowband and everything is sharp after that, but it is only a doublet
It's an amazing scope. Will definitely keep using it in the future, but I plan to buy a zenithstar telescope later down the line for wide field astrophotography.
@astrotan hello I have a question. Can I buy it as a beginner? I have a great interest in stargazing, will it be simple for me to get started with this scope?
Yes, absolutely! This telescope functions just like a normal one with the added capabilities of doing astrophotography. Just know you will need a tripod for it and it is on the more expensive side, but it is a quality telescope for the money!
Nope not the best budget scope any more i started with the 70mm currently it cost 320$ plus the flattener at 120$ that makes it 440$ plus tax. SVbony also has some real quality control issues when i got mine i have to adjust the focuser tube tension screws even with the flattener/reducer the image quality is very lacking and will test your editing skills to the max. It would be of for narrow band only but then that not budget anymore. by the way that is an Doublet air spaced achromatic not a apochromatic and neither of those words have anything to do with the amount of glass elements. you can have 3 elements and still be an achromatic you need to do some more research. My current recommended beginner scope is the Askar71F a triplet with built in flattener so no need to buy extra stuff and it's only 599$. To be considered an astrograph it needs to be fast less than F4.5 apochromatic and have a perfect flat field the SV503 has none. There is so much misinformation in this video it made me sick. This comment is constructive criticism not trying to be rude but you need to know what your talking about instead of spewing bad information out. Any by the way there are no single element refractors no such thing even toy telescopes have at least two. Your image is good for what your working with but you can see the blue light is not focused at all and is why you have blue/purple halos.
I’m going to have to disagree with you. You must have had some issues with your particular telescope, but clearly my results show no issues in my images that I have to complain about. And no, I never stated that this is an APOchromatic telescope. I stated that it is an achromatic ED design if you watched the end of the video. There also isn’t any particular f ratio you need for it to be an Astro graph either, not sure where you’re getting that information. I think you’re setting the bar very high for your standards. Many telescopes only have 1 glass element. If there were two for every single telescope, then every single one would be called a doublet. I don’t need people who comment on my videos promoting my telescope complaining about my halos when I clearly don’t have a problem with them. It’s a budget astrophotography telescope that’s made for taking pictures like this. No, It doesn’t have the quality of an Askar, but for people choosing their first telescope they can’t go wrong with its quality. Sorry you didn’t have the same experience, maybe you can make your own video about it!
The svbony telescope also has a flat field with the field flattener, I’ve been using this telescope for 2+ years I know a thing or two about how my images look!
Great video! I just got this scope. I've been using an 8" SCT for a number of years, but now I want to try some wider fields with a smaller OTA. I'm surprised someone so young has this much grasp of the hobby! (don't be offended) It seems that most of the "experts" out there are middle age to older guys. How old are you? I'm 72!
I started with the SV503 80ED and flattener and still use it today, along with other ones.
The 102mm has a focal length of 712mm and an aperture ratio of f/6. I haven't had a chance to get mine out under the stars yet.
Thanks for the tip on the UV/IR cut filter!
Thanks man! And yeah, unless you have a DSLR or Mirrorless camera, you'll need a UV/IR cut filter. DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras already have them installed in the camera but astro cameras unfortunately do not and it'll make the image really soft, and the stars will be huge, not pleasant.
i just wanted to correct the moment you said that a single lens telescope is an achromat but it is called a singlet and it is the two lensed telescopes (THAT ARE MADE OF NORMAL GLASS) that are called achromats. But your telescope has an ED glass element that reduces the scatering of the light so it gives similar results as a much more expensive apochromatique telescope.
A single lens telescope is seen a lot as an achromatic telescope. My telescope is an achromatic telescope also but it also has 2 glass elements so it’s a doublet. The glass is FPL-51 which isn’t the best glass to bring it up to a apochromatic telescope when compared to Sky watcher’s evostar doublets but it still gets the job done with the ED glass
One of my faves!!
Nice job, Astrotan!! Great review of a great telescope!!
Im looking to buy the 102mm version of this and im new to astrophotography and want to get something decent for my first purchase. This set up youre running seems to fit my budget and is good for what i am trying to accomplish. A few questions, when finding a tripod for this set up, do i need to buy a mount for it too? I see you have listed that your using the GEM28 and those seem to be quite pricey. Are there any other options for me to get started and maybe upgrade down the line? Also for the UV/IR cut filter, do you use the 2 inch or 1.25 inch. thank you and excuse me for my ignorance while trying to wrap my head around what i should purchase.
It’s no worries man! And yes, for astrophotography, you’ll need a tracking mount. The sad thing about it is that there’s no way of getting out of “cheap” astrophotography mounts, they’re all pretty pricey but nothing would be possible without them. A good starter mount that is amazing is the skywatcher eqm-35 pro, it’s just under $800 I believe! A good thing to note is that you need to make sure you know how much your setup will weigh on top so you can decide what tripod to use that’ll fit its weight capacity. My setup on top of my mount is roughly 17 pounds which is perfect for my GEM28 as it holds 28lbs. I also use the 2’ UV/IR Cut filter, it’s much more accessible and you can use it for a ton of changes as you excel in your astrophotography journey, just more convenient :) i hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions or if you need any advice on a beginner setup, I have some things in mind :) clear skies!
@@astrotan so ended up going with the SV503 ED 80mm, I ordered the SV193 2 inch .08X field flattener, the SV198mini 50mm finder scope, the UHC filter, UV/IR filter, a lens heater, the SV211 dovetail base, and i actually just ordered the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI mount kit. I dont know if this was a mistake but i ordered the 1.25 inch lenses rather than the 2 inch lenses, are those compatible with the field flattener or did i make a mistake? Also bought a few extra things for just planetary/moon observing but ill keep it focused on astrophotography for now. What do you think of this setup, any issues with it? Thanks for your help man, really appreciate it!
@@AdotLarcenyI think it’s a great setup, it will get you very far! There’s a couple minor concerts though: I’m not sure what the total weight of your setup on top of the GTI will be, but it holds 11lbs total on top of it, but you can probably push it a little more and it should be fine. In terms of the field flattener and lens topic, I’ve never used 1.25 lenses with the field flattener, but if you’re doing just visual with the lenses you won’t need the field flattener anyway, that’s really for the astrophotography part so you should be all good! Can’t wait to see what you do!
I used the sv503 80ED for a long time. I liked it a lot. However, it had its issues. I eventually upgraded to a Stellarvue 102mm triplet so of course I no longer have issues 😅
I think that the chromatic aberration part really doesn’t matter. It’s basically gone after going narrowband and everything is sharp after that, but it is only a doublet
Great review Tanner excellent starter scope for the price
It's an amazing scope. Will definitely keep using it in the future, but I plan to buy a zenithstar telescope later down the line for wide field astrophotography.
Great video, AstroTan! It answered a lot of my questions and helped narrow down my choices for a telescope.
I got the 503 70ed and it does a great job,
I have one of those. Nice optical tube.
I have a short tube 80.
Great video.
Nice video!
Glad you enjoyed it :)
@astrotan hello I have a question. Can I buy it as a beginner? I have a great interest in stargazing, will it be simple for me to get started with this scope?
Yes, absolutely! This telescope functions just like a normal one with the added capabilities of doing astrophotography. Just know you will need a tripod for it and it is on the more expensive side, but it is a quality telescope for the money!
Nice
I sent a message as Antonio Serpecolio HI i want to show you some images please reach out to me !
Nope not the best budget scope any more i started with the 70mm currently it cost 320$ plus the flattener at 120$ that makes it 440$ plus tax. SVbony also has some real quality control issues when i got mine i have to adjust the focuser tube tension screws even with the flattener/reducer the image quality is very lacking and will test your editing skills to the max. It would be of for narrow band only but then that not budget anymore. by the way that is an Doublet air spaced achromatic not a apochromatic and neither of those words have anything to do with the amount of glass elements. you can have 3 elements and still be an achromatic you need to do some more research. My current recommended beginner scope is the Askar71F a triplet with built in flattener so no need to buy extra stuff and it's only 599$. To be considered an astrograph it needs to be fast less than F4.5 apochromatic and have a perfect flat field the SV503 has none. There is so much misinformation in this video it made me sick. This comment is constructive criticism not trying to be rude but you need to know what your talking about instead of spewing bad information out. Any by the way there are no single element refractors no such thing even toy telescopes have at least two. Your image is good for what your working with but you can see the blue light is not focused at all and is why you have blue/purple halos.
I’m going to have to disagree with you. You must have had some issues with your particular telescope, but clearly my results show no issues in my images that I have to complain about. And no, I never stated that this is an APOchromatic telescope. I stated that it is an achromatic ED design if you watched the end of the video. There also isn’t any particular f ratio you need for it to be an Astro graph either, not sure where you’re getting that information. I think you’re setting the bar very high for your standards. Many telescopes only have 1 glass element. If there were two for every single telescope, then every single one would be called a doublet. I don’t need people who comment on my videos promoting my telescope complaining about my halos when I clearly don’t have a problem with them. It’s a budget astrophotography telescope that’s made for taking pictures like this. No, It doesn’t have the quality of an Askar, but for people choosing their first telescope they can’t go wrong with its quality. Sorry you didn’t have the same experience, maybe you can make your own video about it!
The svbony telescope also has a flat field with the field flattener, I’ve been using this telescope for 2+ years I know a thing or two about how my images look!