For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Focal reducer for 8SE - Celestron vs. Antares - Cloudy Nights SKU: CEL-94245. I would not use the reducer with a 2" diagonal or eyepiece in the C6. But I am rusty, can you condense a bit for me please? Read our 101 article or get in touch. Sign up to receive sale alerts, news about upcoming celestial events, and telescope tips from our experts! We reserve the right to verify a competitor's advertised price and the availability of the item. With the Celestron Reducer/Corrector Lens, thats precisely what you get. 160K views 9 years ago This video is a complete overview of focal reducers and how they function applying to telescopes. . They are also less expensive than many external focusers of similar build quality. 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. Shipping will be via the cheapest shipping method which will vary depending on the items in your order. The Antares focal reducer comes in small box. 3. No small animals were harmed in making these observations. I would pay slightly more for the Japan produced version, just because Hirsch was not bad either but sold it since I had 2 already. Because most modern Newtonians already have relatively fast focal ratios, these telescopes do not usually use focal reducers. Nada. For Stephen Wilkerson: The ZWO ASI120MC-S does come with a wide angle lens, HOWEVER, it is NOT intended to used when you are using the ASI120 camera attached to your telescope. My experience is that CN sellers are way above those listing elsewhere. Will not focus with the stuff I have. WiFi technology encircles the globe in a web of connectivity, knowledge, and information. Hmmm . Focal reducers for SCT, RC, and field-flattened Edge HD or ACF telescopes thread onto the back of the telescope tube with 2"-24 or 3"-28 SCT threads. These scopes are compatibles with focal reducers. control and Sky Viewer display makes selecting your target easy. control and Sky Viewer display makes selecting your target easy. EclipSmart solar products feature Solar Safe filter technology providing the ultimate protection from harmful solar radiation, including both IR and UV light, and filters 99.999% of visible light. Stars in the corner of the image frame are indistinguishable between the Antares and the Celestron. For both imaging and visual observing, these reducers also improve image sharpness at the edge of the field by correcting for coma and field curvature. InternetSales@optcorp.com, 800-483-6287 InternetSales@optcorp.com. This may be a problem if the focuser tube or the diagonal (for visual observing) is too narrow to accept light at this larger angle. I have an 8SE, and am thinking about getting a focal reducer. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality. It threads onto the rear cell of 5" to 16" Celestron and Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes, making it possible to have a dual focal ratio instrument without sacrificing image quality. Orders placed after 12:00 PM Pacific Time will be shipped the next business day. Even though they may have been slightly dimmer, galaxies were a bit easier to tease out of the urban light soup I deal with. And, the reality is that every F/6.3 RC out there Celestron, Hirsch, Astromania, etc., etc. When placed in the focal plane in front of a camera or eyepiece, a focal reducer leads to a wider field of view and a brighter image of extended objects, which is important for reducing the exposure times when imaging faint extended objects like nebulae or galaxies. They both are great and I doubt my eyes could detect a difference in any one of them including the Japan version. 1.2" in that scope is a field stop of 43mm at f/10 and 27mm at f/6.3. DUE TO EXTREMELY HIGH DEMAND, WE WILL NOT BE TAKING NEW ORDERS UNTIL MONDAY, DECEMBER 14. Whereas the Celestron threaded smoothly onto the scope, the Antares chattered and squeaked a bit more so when being removed. This focal reducer from Celestron reduces the effective focal length by 0.63X Enjoy the wider field of view & faster exposure times at f/6.3 with f/10 telescopes f/11 telescopes, such as the C14 will perform at f/7 The Celestron f/6.3 Reducer has four fully-multicoated elements Reduce your exposure times by a factor of 3! It's easy! Thank you so much for the informative article, I now understand better how to integrate my reducer into my system to get better performance. Easy solution found a very tiny dab of super lube on the threads and all was well and quiet.. Since the focal plane of an eyepiece is rarely precisely known(except for some brands such as Baader Planetarium and Tele Vue), and because the nosepiece of an eyepiece is of a fixed length, the actual reduction factor will be close to, but not exactly at, its designed reduction factor. No idea what the issue is. With the barrel 1.25 reducer won't focus, all I get is fuzzy snowballs. Torazz Here, there was a subtle difference . For imagers using longer focal-length refractors and SCTs, especially when using smaller sensors that place less demand on the focal reducer, there are economical alternatives for focal reducers from manufacturers such as GSO, Agena, and Antares. However, doesn't fit in the telescope and even if it did wouldn't work. This is very impressive performance given how hard this problem is to mitigate in general. Not a bit. This would tell us exactly how well aberrations are corrected. However, the export of some items may be restricted outside the US due to size or manufacturer restrictions. This is a. Besides observing from his heavily light polluted backyard in Los Angeles, Manish enjoys conducting astronomy outreach programs in local schools. I've only used it a few times but it looks good to me. Also, the focusers of most Newtonians do not have enough in-travel to accommodate a focal reducer. The lens that the ZWO comes with give a perfect wide angle image of what is in front of it. Observing the microscopic world has never been easier! Unleash the full pointing accuracy of your Celestron computerized telescope with a specialized telescope control software suite. This fully multi-coated lens provides maximum light transmission with near full-field illumination. The Reducer/Corrector can also be used for terrestrial digiscoping. 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. Celestron Solar Safe filter technology is GUARANTEED SAFE for direct solar observation and has been independently tested by SAI Global Assurance Services. That said any comparison reviews are helpful. Explore Scientific Keys to the Universe Sale. The reducer fits all Meade and Celestron . You cannot, for example, use a 0.63x focal reducer intended for a standard Celestron or Meade SCT and use it on a Celestron Edge HD or a Meade ACF. I was originally hoping to do this with a made in Japan Celestron, but ended up with a newer China version but thats probably better in the end since it is the version now available, with the Japan ones rarer and only available used. I have Hirsch focal reducer, which is yet another clone of the Celestron reducer. 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. Some third-party vendors also make reducers for SCT scopes. For example, the focal reducer for an 8-inch Celestron EdgeHD telescope has a design reduction factor of 0.7x and a specified working distance (or back focus) of 105mm. Completely stuck, completely frustrated. Copyright 2003-2022 Agena AstroProducts. Celestron makes a series of focal reducers for the Edge HD line that are matched to the 8", 9.25", 11", and 14" apertures of these scopes. Focal Reducer, 2", 0.7X - Antares These reducers can also be used for visual observing with SCT scopes with eyepieces with a field stop as large as 24-27mm. I have the Antares and have no complaints. As a consequence, the standard f/6.3 and f/3.3 focal reducers for SCT scopes do not work. Celestron or Antares f/6.3 focal reducer for SCT? The stock Celestron visualback is just under 2 long. But while the image gets brighter, the size of the image circle gets proportionately smaller. More important, its clear that the Antares is a reducer/corrector, just like the Celestron and not merely a reducer. Fastar Technology allows imagers the option of drastically increasing the speed and sensitivity of their Celestron optical tube, allowing bright, detailed images with short exposures. The camera side of the focal reducer is threaded for a T-adapter with wide M48 threads, or in some cases, with smaller M42 threads. Perfect for the serious student, professional scientist and discriminating hobbyist. Hi - most interesting - may I ask .. the brighter guys - "if a camera sensor is too small for a n adaper, will a focal reduer allow me to get greater use from the camera? It also leads to larger (although fainter) images of extended objects like the Moon or planets for astrophotographers or visual observers. Thanks for any advice or experience you could share. Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback. Sign up for our newsletter to get exclusive deals, observing tips, and new product announcements. Meade and Celestron both sell such SCT-T adapters with the correct optical length. Meade does not make an equivalent line of focal reducers for the ACF scopes, although some models of Meade ACF are already at f/8, faster than the f/10 ratio of Celestron Edge HD scopes. ED stands for "extra-low dispersion," which refers to the composition and optical properties of the glass used for the lenses. Quite interestingly it bears the very same engravings of the Meade 4000 r/c (including "series 4000") except for "MEADE". Right off the bat, I was struck by how similar the two R/Cs were. . They usually have a 2" barrel that slides into the telescope focuser. Imagine having two telescopes in one a long focal length instrument for lunar and planetary work and a short focal length scope for deep sky observing and astrophotography. Thanks guys, I'm trying to get my ZWO ASI120MC-S to work with my 90mm Meade. October 11, 2010 in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups. Antares F/6.3 SCT Focal Reducer | OPT Telescopes Celestron is considered better in terms of QA, less likely to come with free dust, hair or fingerprint. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. 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. How to Set the Correct Back Focus for Your Telescope (Guide) ED glass is specially formulated and contains rare-earth compounds that greatly reduce a visual defect called chromatic aberration. The Antares f/6.3 Focal Reducer for Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes is a low-price option for reducing the focal length of your Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope from f/10 to f/6.3. Never used one, but read the reviews here that suggest a coating problem. For this test, I used a single configuration R/C, Click-lock, and 1.25 diagonal with the adapter. Article Agena AstroProducts, 2019. I use the Celestron version and it seems OK for both visual and imaging. This was most noticeable on the eyepiece end of the RC, where the metal rim surrounding the lens was about 1mm thicker than on the Celestron. 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. If used before or beyond the working distance, unwanted image distortion may result, especially when using cameras with larger sensors. However I've also read that the back focal distance on the Celestron is 105mm while the Antares is 81mm so they couldn't be identical. We only send interesting emails and will never sell your data. Antares Click Lock Visual Back - posted in Cats & Casses: Here is the situation:I bought a Celestron CPC 1100 for visual use.Want to put on the scope simulteanously a6.3 focal reducer, filter wheel, and aneyepiece turret. Have always disliked the crude, noisy SCT threads, but I get it. The resultant reduction factor was measured to be 0.46x. Free shipping $189.95 If the reducer is placed closer to the eyepiece or camera than the distance D, the reduction factor decreases. Easy solution found a very tiny dab of super lube on the threads and all was well and quiet. A focal reducer does just the opposite of a Barlow lens or focal extender. This appendix summarizes how this works based on simple equations from the book Telescope Optics by Rutten and van Venrooij. They never really recovered from selling a few 15 years back with element reversed. The same illumination you have at the edge of a 27mm field, the C8 has at the edge of a 38mm field. Request stock alerts and we'll let you know when the item is back in stock. Equation 6 & 7 item two & three does not make sense, both say increase its reduction (one should say reduce its reduction?). Explore Scientific - Keys to the Universe Sale. We will match any online price that we confirm as valid. I have/had both the Celestron (Japan) and Antares units. The price for an item/offer must be listed and valid at the time of match. The focus barely shifts between filters and I suspect any shifts I do get are down to the filters and changes in temp. Using these numbers in equation 4 in the Appendix, below, we can easily calculate that the focal length of this unit is approximately103mm (it will be 103mm plus the small amount by which the rear lens surface of the reducer is recessed beneath the reducer housing). Thanks for the extremely valuable article. For both imaging and visual observing, these reducers also improve image sharpness at the edge of the field by correcting for coma and field curvature. The amount of reduction is simply the percentage by which a reducer shortens the effective focal length of a telescope and is calculated as (1 Reduction Factor) x 100%. I've seen some older threads saying that the Celestron, Meade and Antares FRs are all the same and manufactured in the same factory. Reproduction without permission prohibited. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Despite never removing it no matter what I was looking at. The Antares is supposed to be pretty comparable. Please Log in to save it permanently. As mentioned in Section 2 of this guide, the reduction factor of a focal reducer depends on its position in the optical path relative to the eyepiece or camera. He tested this on an 8 Celestron , I have a Celestron 6SE. Brian Ventrudo is a writer, scientist, and astronomy educator. Antares or Celestron? A longer effective focal length leads to higher magnification with a given eyepiece for visual observers. Focal reducers for many SCTs and their flat-field equivalents usually have a back-focus distance of 105mm. Reducer Lens .7x - EdgeHD 1400 Learn More. Start Chat Hence, there is a chance that you may not be able to thread your SCT diagonal or other SCT accessory on to this reducer for these or for any other brand. Newtonian reflectors will seldom be able to accommodate the in-focus travel demanded by focal reducers. Advanced designs for Schmidt-Cassegrain scopes such as the Meade ACF or Celestron Edge HD have optical elements in the tube to correct for coma and field flatness. All Rights Reserved. As per the OP I still can't see any reason to buy the Celestron for significantly more $$$. Nowadays I tend to use the Celestron more with my refractors for imaging and viewing. Steve Edited by bluewater, 05 September 2020 - 11:27 AM. For me the Antares was a little brighter and had the least scatter by a bit so the better coatings won.