antares vs celestron focal reducer

Opticstar F6.3 Focal Reducer / Corrector. A longer effective focal length leads to higher magnification with a given eyepiece for visual observers. The visual back must be removed first. This telescope control software replaces the hand control and allows the user to remotely control their Celestron computerized telescope from their personal PC or laptop. However, in principle, the reduction factor of a focal reducer can be varied by changing the distance from the back of the focal reducer to the camera or eyepiece. And, the reality is that every F/6.3 RC out there Celestron, Hirsch, Astromania, etc., etc. This should not be the case if they have their purportedly different focal lengths. Learn more about extra solar planets imagery, 3D Star rendering, observation planning, telescope control, multiple-panel printing, and much more. If I had to go out on a very thick limb, I would have to say that these two reducers/correctors are, indeed, identical the exact same glass in slightly different housings with different lettering. I only have the Celestron f/6.3. Great for home, classroom, or home-school use, this kit includes all the essential items youll need to begin exploring the wonders of the microscopic world. Stars had a tiny bit more sparkle and pop. I am a purely visual observer, so will evaluate for visual use only. Explore Scientific Keys to the Universe Sale. My experience is that CN sellers are way above those listing elsewhere. Celestrons award-winning Nature DX binocular gets a major upgrade with the addition of ED objective lenses. Thanks Peter! All additional accessories mount onto the exterior/male threads. It's highly unlikely that they could be so precisely identical unless they were. I really don't see any difference in the current crop except the "Meade" is usually the cheapest. Like many of us with SCTs, I have bought and sold a number of f/6.3 reducer/correctors over the years, and I have always been curious how they really stack up to each other. Most refractor manufacturers such as William Optics, Tele Vue Optics, Explore Scientific, Sky-Watcher, William Optics, and Stellarvue make their own focal reducers optimized for use with their telescopes. The Reducer/Corrector is easy to install by threading the unit onto the rear cell of your Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (or the reducer plate of the C11 and C14). Using an eyepiece with a 27mm field stop with the reducer will illuminate the edge the same as using an eyepieces with a 42.9mm field stop without it. Go behind the scenes with Celestrons product development team and learn more about our award-winning and patented innovations. These RC reducers cannot be used with other types of telescopes. Reducer Lens .7x - EdgeHD 800 Learn More. Things change but when I rebought I got an Antares and it seems about the same to me. InternetSales@optcorp.com, 800-483-6287 Oceanside Photo & Telescope wants our customers to shop with confidence knowing that you will always get the best deal available. No negative issues to report. One of the most important factors in a telescope is its transmissionthe percentage of light that reaches the focal plane. Obviously bright objects like Jupiter or The Moon show the reflections. No results, please adjust your filters. Reducer - Corrector Learn More. ), but stars seemed a bit tighter and their colors were richer and more dramatic. Most different was that the sky background was a little darker and more uniform, providing a tiny contrast boost for fainter objects. When the camera sensor is placed at this distance, the reduction factor of these reducers is 0.75x. I think I remember hearing the reduction factor is slightly different, cant remember more or less reduction. During checkout, you may also be shown other optional faster shipping choices.US Customers in Hawaii and Alaska: Free shipping applies to almost all products. He tested this on an 8 Celestron , I have a Celestron 6SE. Brightness, color, and contrast were subtly different, but could be as much the day they were coated as any real difference in the two brands. ED glass is specially formulated and contains rare-earth compounds that greatly reduce a visual defect called chromatic aberration. Again, to my surprise, there was absolutely no difference between the Celestron and Antares on any star. InternetSales@optcorp.com. Sign up for a new account in our community. How does it look thats what matters. Turn it on and push Align. In about three minutes, youre ready to observe! Increasing the operating distance, that is, moving a focal reducer away from the eyepiece or camera reduces its reduction factor, or conversely increases the amount of reduction. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Your eyepieces are the first accessories you should learn to use with your telescope. Given past experience with them, I decided not to include the Meade version in my little experiment, as I have never met one I liked from getting one of the too-short focal length models, to one with some overflow cement in the doublet, to focus difficulties with some eyepieces. The easiest way to use a focal reducer is to make sure you place it at the specified working distance in front of your camera or eyepiece. I have/had both the Celestron (Japan) and Antares units. This innovative software solves the time-consuming problem of trying to pinpoint the North Celestial Pole. The designed reduction factor (0.5x in the case of the GSO reducer example above) should be considered a rule of thumb or approximate value in most cases, rather than a very precise number. I have Hirsch focal reducer, which is yet another clone of the Celestron reducer. They are commonly available in 1.25" and 2" threaded cells that conveniently thread into the nosepiece of a compatible camera or the barrel of an eyepiece. Images in the Celestron tended to appear ever-so-slightly dimmer (maybe? Celestron Reducer Lens .7x - EdgeHD 925 The EdgeHD .7x Focal Reducer Lens makes your EdgeHD 925 one full F-Stop faster than f/10, reducing your exposure time by half to capture the same brightness of object 5-element lens design Maintains similar. Much to my surprise, swapping back and forth between the two correctors using all three diagonal configurations, I also could detect absolutely no change in reduction between the two reducers. There are also third-party vendors such as Hotech. Download the Celestron PWI Telescope Control Software. If the reducer is placed elsewhere, at a position called the operating distance, the focal reduction factor will not be as advertised. Designed distancing using the reducer with a 1.25 visual back and 1.25 Televue mirror diagonal; (Note: Using the simple equations above, the focal length of this reducer can be estimated to be about 350mm). I focus using a moonlight electronic focuser and focusmax. And when d1 = FR, that is, when the focal reducer is placed at a distance from the focal plane of the objective that's equal to the reducer's focal length, the focal length of the combined optical system is Fo, so it acts as a 0.5x reducer. No small animals were harmed in making these observations. Get ready for a night of astroimaging with your mount faster than previously thought possible with All-Star Polar Alignment. Photographically you also get a wider field and much shorter exposures. Start here to find the perfect telescope for you! I doubt there is any difference between the Antares and the Celestron except price. Telescope Optics, Rutten and van Venrooij, Chapter 15, Willman-Bell (1988). If the focal reducer is to be used for visual observation, the visual back is threaded onto the eyepiece side of the reducer, and then a star diagonal and eyepiece are installed as usual. All Rights Reserved. I have both the Antares and the Celestron reducers. This award-winning optical system reduces visual defects like field curvature and coma, creating an ultra-flat field for pinpoint stars all the way to the edge of todays largest imaging sensors. A f/10 focal ratio now achieves a f/6.3, while an f/11 focal ratio now achieves a f/7. In this case, d2 = FR/2, which means the back of the focal reducer is located at a distance FR/2 from the camera or eyepiece. Blue Fireball M42 T/T2 Thread Camera Adapter for Prime Focus Photography - 2" # P-06, Celestron T-Ring for Canon EOS Camera # 93419, GSO 2" Crayford Focuser for SCTs - Dual Speed, Length of male SCT thread = 5mm (0.2") but this is preceded by an unthreaded part on the eyepiece side making the total length = 8.8mm (0.35"), Length of female SCT thread = 7.5mm (0.3"). However, even though the imprint on the item states "Reducer / Corrector" please note that his is a reducer only. My Celestron was made in China and the Antares in Canada. Have always disliked the crude, noisy SCT threads, but I get it. If used before or beyond the working distance, unwanted image distortion may result. Practical Considerations of Focal Reducers, 4.2 Back Focus Requirements of Focal Reducers, GSO makes focal reducers for their line of Ritchey-Chretien, Celestron makes a series of focal reducers for the Edge HD line, 0.75x focal reducers for these telescopes, focal reducer for an 8-inch Celestron EdgeHD, A Primer on T-Rings and T-Adapters for Astronomy and Astrophotography, Choosing the Best Telescope for Beginners 2023, Top Night Sky & Astronomy Events in August 2022, Top Night Sky & Astronomy Events in July 2022, Selecting a Baader Planetarium Star Diagonal, A Guide to Choosing Astronomy Eyepieces for Binoviewers, Choosing a Magnifying Finder Scope for Your Telescope, A focal reducer will provide its design reduction factor only when it is placed at the exact working distance from the focal plane of the eyepiece or camera, Reducing the operating distance, that is, moving a focal reducer closer to the eyepiece or camera increases its reduction factor, or conversely reduces the amount of focal reduction. The distance d2, which measures the position of the new focal plane of the objective from the back of the focal reducer is given by Equation 5: In these equations, d1, d2, and MR are all variables that depend on each other through Equations 2 and 4. With this telescope and this focal reducer, it does not help to move to a 2" eyepiece and a 2" diagonal as the visual view will be akin to looking through a porthole within the larger apparent field of view of the eyepiece. riklaunim Members 559 3,445 Location: Poland Posted October 11, 2010 They are reported as identical. Most manufacturers provide this specification. Please note, orders placed after 10am on 2/28/2023 will be delayed. However, these will not impact optical performance. Any comments gratefully received. Scope size might influence choice as well, as a C6 might benefit from the Antares' transparency, while larger scopes might benefit from the Celestron's higher contrast. Again, these focal reducers are often provided by the telescope manufacturer. I have an 8SE, and am thinking about getting a focal reducer. Unlike SCT telescopes, Ritchey-Chretien telescopes and Celestron Edge HD or Meade ACF scopes have internal optics that provide an inherently flat field, so these telescopes require a special focal reducer than does not provide additional correction for field curvature. No experience with the Antares reducers, but I haven't personally seen a difference between Celestron and my current pair of made in Japan Meade reducers. Perhaps not exactly- there will be some uncertainty because of manufacturing tolerances and so forth, but it will be close. I was going to measure the difference in grams, but my lovely wife caught me trying to use her precious, high-tech kitchen scale for the cause, and put the kibosh on it. However, with appropriate spacers and a camera with a known back-focus, it is easy to determine the exact amount of focal reduction for a given setup (some imaging software packages will also let you derive this from images). Because of their distinct optical design, slower Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes (SCT) with focal ratios of f/10 require a different design of focal reducer compared to refractors. However, manufacturers virtually never provide this specification. Using this same example of an 8" SCT and a 0.63x reducer, a visual observer can also enjoy brighter images and a wider field of view. Easy solution found a very tiny dab of super lube on the threads and all was well and quiet.