4 Telescopes Tested from $300 to $2300

[@COHIBAOFFICIAL]

This is like the opposite of click bait, the ending should be it's own vid or the cover! What a gem, lucky timing!

[@AndrzejSkrobski]

Hi Nico! I took a photo of the M101 last night and clearly see the supernova there. I was lucky to take a photo of M101 last year as well - so I can now compare them and see the difference. That's the first supernova I captured and I'm in the hobby only 3 years. This was super exciting! Thanks for all the knowledge and experience you share with us on your channel!

[@ronanhunt88]

That intro countdown is way too intense before square space sponsor appears. 😂

[@markabbott6223]

Very informative shootout video Nico. After imaging for 2 years with a 60mm doublet I’m in the market for a 85-100mm triplet. The Apertura 90mm triplet just had a $400 price drop but I couldn’t find any expert reviews for it. Your video and the performance of the Apertura sealed the deal and I ordered my first triplet! Thank you!!!

[@HelenasAstrophotography]

Your shootouts are some of my favourite videos of yours, Nico! This was incredible. It's a shame the Stellarvue was discontinued!

[@absorbingphotons]

This is such a helpful comparison video for beginners and those shopping for a new scope. Grateful for your contributions to the community on these!

[@jeff5163]

Brilliant as usual. My only critique is when you are showing the equipment the background is black and makes it hard to see details. However, that may just be the KZbin compression. Other than that your videos are my goto for evaluating equipment and I do much appreciate the work you put into these. Cheers!

[@ssrattus]

Thanks Nico! The test shows how hard it is to get stars right.

[@bill5982]

Comments on the SvBONY 48p which I just bought for like $230. It did not come in a case. It has a shoe for a finder. The rings are not removable, I suppose you could loosen them and rotate the tube around a bit . The focuser is a little sloppy but there are 4 hex screws you can tighten it with and fix that. It can use 1 1/4 and 2 inch eyepieces. The focuser can be rotated.

[@georgehenry3384]

Appreciate what you do, thanks!!!

[@PumpkinHallowHaunts]

37:22 wow what a shinning example of discovery (excuse the pun) great attention to detail to spot that on the 19th!

[@ToumalRakesh]

You get a thumbs up for the most useful thumbnail alone. Thanks!

[@rbrickproductions123]

I’ve come to realize & appreciate budget. With a hobby this expensive it’s better to focus on really important things like the mount, before optics. I do have a more premium scope w/ the redcat 51, but I’ve been taking most of my images this year on an SVBony 503 80mm . With the focal reducer i get little chromatic aberration & purple stars. While I’m still prefer the color & sharpness of the redcat 51, I realized i don’t need an expensive optical tube to take good photos. Can it help? Absolutely, and I’m looking to eventually upgrade, but I don’t feel like I need it. I need cable management. & i would like a more future proof mount.

[@BurningFlame1999]

How would a longer achromat do in this test, like a 90/900 mm F10 or 90/1350 mm F13 ? It costs just 200-250$ and it's image quality should be much better with a lot less color aberrations than on the short F5.5 one.

[@sofjanmustopoh7232]

Visually long refractor work just fine . But for astrophotography . f13 refractor would be almost unusable for wide DSO . You are too zoom in . For lunar and planetary Astro photo . Long f refractor would be fine .

[@keithhanssen7413]

Love my Stellarvue scopes!

[@WilliFromEarth]

Great review. It really comes down again to what is your personal taste and not primarily about the price. Lucky shot with the SN!

[@MrGp3po]

Its been rainy here for a couple weeks....I am aching to get out and image M101 and that amazing supernova and compare to previous images. Great review.

[@3dfxvoodoocards6]

Would be interesting to see a comparisom between achromatic and APO telescopes at similar prices :)

[@bulbal100]

well for sure ur lucky to have clear skies back to back this year.

[@stewpid74]

Great review! I have been looking for a new scope that would be a good fit for my needs. I currently have a Celestron EdgeHD 8" that I love, but with the long focal length, I have a limited FOV. I love the detail I can get on galaxies, but l would love a larger FOV for nebulae. I have been looking at the Founders Optics FOT86 as a good midpoint scope where I have the FOV for nebulae but also get good detail for galaxy viewing. (The Apertura also looks nice!). Is there another scope (larger, maybe, but not breaking the budget of $2500) that you would recommend for the midway point of galaxy detain and FOV for nebulae?

[@DK-gs1pf]

One thing I've always wondered and think would be a great shootout / comparison would be like four different sizes of refractors. It would be great to see the detail variants of the different sizes, and I also think it would help a lot of us to determine what size we would really want and need

[@Jaymz007]

Thanks! The couple of times I've sent you emails and asked questions, you've gone above and beyond to answer them. I really do appreciate that and all you do. There are a lot of KZbinr's out there who don't even take the time "cough - Trevor / Astro back yard - cough" The last question was concerning the Askar 80mm. I actually ended up with the 65mm instead, along with the reducer. It just fit my needs a bit better, as far as focal length goes. Anyway, keep on doing what you do.

[@RaffaelMarx]

Sweeet review! Next tier would be the 4" apos. There are SO MANY options on the market on 4" category.

[@CPPRODUCTIONS1001]

So 23 million years ago, that star exploded and we are seeing it now. Time scale in the universe is mental

[@herbertnatanael]

Thank you for the video, helped me make some decisions😎❤️🔭🌌🇧🇷

[@f.s.8639]

Excellent and highly welcome videos, thank you for all your efforts!,´Greetings from Germany. CS!

[@opponoastos]

I've observed SN 2023ixf with my AP 130mm, 8" ACF, and my new Astro-Tech AT125EDL refractor.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Such an amazing test Nico, and this production quality man! Those sexy, glamorous telescope shots at the start, yummy!

[@MacM545]

Nico, can you do comparison featuring Cass-type telescope and/or reflector? For $2300, you can get an 8-inch Cass-type, and even larger refractor. Aperture is important for realizing details, so comparing something of large diameter with something of smaller diameter, but higher-quality optics, might be intriguing.

[@samwarfelphotos]

Ohh, just in time!

[@kevinashley478]

Hey Nico. I jusy purchased an Apertura 60/360 apo with a field flattener. Given it has the same glass as the 90mm in this video, could i expect similar image resullts with just a different field of view?

[@msacco]

Great video, did you ever test the svbony with narrowband filters? I always wonder about trying an achromatic telescope with a field flattener and narrowband filters, as you should be able to focus on each wavelength. Also, would you mind sharing the stack for the svbony M101? Thanks :)

[@NebulaPhotos]

Here you go: drive.google.com/file/d/1TyRpmTTrYk-7GvBTAOQwqlI0IXm7Ok5Q/view?usp=sharing I haven't tried narrowband with this Svbony in particular and I don't have a field flattener for it. I did try both OSC and Mono - narrowband in this shootout: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXWvhqlnfL5md7M but the doublet there was a semi-apo with ED glass. So I should probably try again with a true achromat like this SV48 to see how well narrowband works.

[@SarvanshVisuals]

Um hey Nico, I need some help, so I do untracked astrophotography and take most of my pics on a 50mm prime but now I want to get a new lens to image smaller objects, I've two options the nikon 70-200 f2.8E ED VR FL and the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 DI VC USD, I'm confused as to which lens should I buy, because some people say that the nikon is quite unsharp at f/2.8 at 200mm but the Tamron isn't but given the fact that the Nikon came out in 2017 and the Tamron in 2010, I'm having a hard time decide as to which one I should get. P.S- I use a Nikon D5600 body

[@ferenc-x7p]

This is great! Although I feel like the 90mm is not a giant upgrade if I already have a 70 or 80mm refractor. Maybe just me. I was just thinking, If I ever upgrade, I'd probably go for the 102mm or larger. Also as a sidenote regarding the Stellarvue and similar. I never understood scope makers coming out with a very highly regarded telescope and then discontinue it. SV is not alone with this. There are other scopes discussed on forums and facebook that are fantastic, and yet no longer available and there is no replacement. I don't understand this type of strategy of buinsess. It's like Ford stops making the F150 becuase everyone likes it. Doesn't make sense.

[@entropytango5348]

The SN is too far north for me. A good comparison between the scopes.

[@luboinchina3013]

Missing Takahashi to compare with.

[@maboleth]

I have a question regarding supernovas. Since we are looking into the past, did supernova explosions happen long ago? How come they appear so sudden to us?

[@castronomy]

Nice

[@pooryaradpoor3156]

Hi thank you for this.

[@yannickfillon3851]

Hello Nico, could you please recommend a couple of sites for reasonably dark skies in MA? Currently located not too far from Boston (unfortunately for photography of DSOs)

[@afryhover]

And a stack of 5 gets rid of satellites etc. 5 is good.

[@kevins8575]

I'm an amateur bird photographer, but the technical aspects of astro interest me. I can't figure out why telescopes have three or fewer lenses while camera lenses have over two dozen. Isn't all that glass in there for reasons that might be beneficial in astrophotography?

[@Streaml1neJMoose]

Any chance you'll get iOptron's new HAE69 big boy strainwave mount in for review soon?

[@WilliFromEarth]

Bader Planetarium offers a rotational eyepiece lock. They call it Clicklock.

[@alandyer910]

Another excellent test! Yes, the problem with Stellarvue scopes is that by the time you decide to test a model and get it, then do all the testing, and publish a test report, it’s been discontinued! Or gets discontinued shortly after the review appears making it of little value. Great scopes but they’re as much a moving target as software!

[@alimcri]

Hello! I have long been interested in astrophotography and have been saving money for a long time. I chose such a setup for myself, eq-35 + wo gt71 + Flat6AIII + zwo asi533mc, I want the stars in the photo to be sharp, and not like pancakes, there was no chromatism and the field was flat. The second important factor is the size, I want it to be as light and compact as possible. At the same time, telescope should get details of galaxies like in the video. Is it possible to achieve the desired goals with such a set-up? How good is this set up? before wo I was still considering Explore Scientific, maybe I should waiting and increase my budget to buy something alternative?

[@NebulaPhotos]

Yes, it's perfectly possible to resolve nice details on the brighter messier galaxies (m31, m33, m101, m81, m82) with that setup, and I think that is a good setup. The WO scope and flattener and camera are perfect. The mount is decent, and a good match for that scope, but doesn't give you much room to grow. If you save more, consider a HEQ5 or EQ6R. Things you didn't mention to consider: guiding setup, computer (or asiair), power.

[@alimcri]

@@NebulaPhotos I chose the EQM-35 because of its high tracking accuracy, it behaves like an eq6r at light loads. I thought for a long time and decided that at this stage of skills and knowledges I would not load something heavier than a 150mm Newton. It would give me an optical resolution of ~ 1 arcsec. which is the limit that the earth atmosphere. I understand that it is better to have a reserve up to 200 mm, but this is too large and heavy for me at this stage. thanks, good remind about guiding setup, any advice? and around the computer, I still don’t know which is better to choose, raspberry pi or asiair. my end goal is a fully automated setup that works by itself without any human supervision. I want to control it remotely, left it under a dark sky and control it from another city.

[@NebulaPhotos]

@@alimcri For controlling it remotely from another city, I wouldn't suggest either an ASIair or RPi, I'd suggest a Windows Mini Computer (Mele Quieter 3 is a popular model), and some kind of power management system / USB hub that can be controlled from Windows software like the Pegasus Power Box or Wanderer Astro Power Box. But before you get there, I'd suggest really learning your system locally before moving it to a dark site. For guiding, I like the william optics uniguide guide scopes (32mm or 50mm) and ZWO mini guide cameras (120mm or 220mm).

[@alimcri]

​@@NebulaPhotos thanks a lot for the replies!

[@anata5127]

It is shame you couldn’t include AP 92mm Stowaway, 90mm Borg, 85mm Tak or 80mm AMP LSOZ. FOT and SVX are better, since contrast is better within galaxy.

[@area51xi]

Dayyam

[@WilliFromEarth]

What are your thoughts on the optec EAF? I am looking for a good EAF that can be locked and unlocked. Cuiv reviewed one of those recently.

[@NebulaPhotos]

My opinion is Optec makes the best electronic focusers I've ever used. I also have a sample of the astroasis focuser Cuiv reviewed, but haven't had a chance to try it myself yet.

[@WilliFromEarth]

@@NebulaPhotos Hi Nico, Thank you for the quick answer! I am waiting now for the ZWO FF130 (=Askar PHQ 130). Do you think the Optec electronic focuser can be fit to this refractor? There is not much info on the Optec webpage. I will drop them an e-mail.

[@WilliFromEarth]

@@NebulaPhotos I get it now … it’s a complete focuser, not just a motor added to the existing focuser.

[@NebulaPhotos]

@@WilliFromEarth I'm not sure, but they are usually fast to reply. If they don't have one that works, I know that the Astroasis focuser can work on that scope.

[@NebulaPhotos]

@@WilliFromEarth In my case, it's just a motor and control box added to the existing Stellarvue focuser, but there are full-on after market focuser solutions too by Feathertouch, Opec, PrimaLuceLab, and Moonlite.

[@christopherleveck6835]

I took 600 x 30 second light frames of M101 during the time of the Supernova. I know it happened after my first frame and before my last frame. I stacked all the images and the supernova is in there. So I restacked the first 100 light frames and the supernova ISN'T there. So my question is... whats the easiest way for me to find the last before image and the first after image? I'd like to stack the before and after images separately to mark the exact time that it happened.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Hi Christopher, what programs do you use? Very cool that you caught it the night it appeared!

[@christopherleveck6835]

I've been using Siril mostly. I love the technical challenges of getting good images buy I REALLY don't enjoy the processing part. I think I've narrowed it down to somewhere in a hundred frames. It kind of looks like it appears and then goes away and comes back again. I thought maybe it was clouds or bad seeing? But the stars around it remain unchanged..... I had such bad weather for so long and then about 10 days of on again off again clearish nights. I was basically imaging M101 because it us visible most of the night as it moves between the tall trees in my front yard. Half the night on M101 and the other half on whatever I could find. So I ended up with 2 - 4 hours exposure on a dozen targets and something like 16 hours of M101. 13ish hours before and 3 hours after. And 600 subs of that was the night it happened. I think about 200 subs before and 400 after. But I'm still trying to figure it out. The subs are linear and need to be stretched in order to see the supernova. So it's taking quite a bit of time. If you could do a video on processing multiple nights of data that would be cool. Like do you just stack everything at the same time or do you do it one night at a time and then stack the stacks together? What kind of subs can be combined? If they are different ISO or gain can they be used together? Or different exposure lengths? Calibration frames? Stack nightly with new calibration frames?

[@AstronAndry]

I'm here in the early morn to watch

[@hondaxl250k0]

Hey kinda off topic but. I have a svbony 305 camera and having a lot of issues using Sharpcap with it. It crashes a lot. Or registers camera but view screen in cap is black. And no amount of tweaking fixes it.. any ideas what’s going on? I’m a newbie kinda. Using a celestron 80x400 And my sv305. Or Nikon d3100. Just can’t make the dam 305 work. And when it dose it’s like a 4mm eyepiece.. wish it was more like a 10.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the Svbony cameras. General troubleshooting advise: try a different USB cable, try a different software.

[@hondaxl250k0]

@@NebulaPhotos can you recommend software that will run the camera other than sharp cap?

[@NebulaPhotos]

With the ASCOM driver: www.svbony.com/blog/ASCOM-driver-for-SVBONY-Camera--Q-A/ any camera control software will work. Popular ones to try: APT (astrophotography tool) or NINA (nighttime imaging n astronomy)

[@Astronurd]

The Svbony has FPL51 glass which will have chromatic aberration.

[@NebulaPhotos]

You are thinking of the SV503 series which has ED glass (FPL-51). I reviewed one of those in an earlier video. This one (SV48) does not have an ED glass element as mentioned in the video.

[@deltacx1059]

Kinda weird how everyone uses refractors for this considering you could get a big reflector and get more out of your money.

[@thewheelieguy]

Uh, maybe you meant REFLECTOR ? 😢. I've never lived with a Newtonian but diffraction from the spider and collimation are possible difficulties, and for me the weight and bulk of something like an 8" would be too much to set up myself. I have a small refractor and a small SCT,

[@deltacx1059]

@@thewheelieguy corrected.

[@chucku.farley3927]

seems like a lot of money to get something that you can just down load from the web

[@Z-add]

Astrophotography: photographing the same galaxies and nabulae a million times over.

[@superearth5256]

I also captured before he found that supernova. I thought that was star 🥲