William Optics REDCAT 61 (FIRST LOOK!)

[@DrViberg]

Thanks for continuing to get everyone excited about astrophotography Trevor! Thanks for a great review!

[@AstroBackyard]

It is my pleasure - thank you for saying that!

[@deep_space_dave]

Hey Trev! You will never hear me complaining about shooting the same thing year after year as equipment and techniques evolve, that same target gets better every time! Thanks for you review of the new RedCat 61! Clear Skies!

[@AstroBackyard]

Thanks Dave 😊

[@viewintospace]

Trevor, you are my ultimate role model when it comes to KZbin video creation and story telling. Even this equipment review, which could be a rather formal exercise stating the facts, you transform into a capturing story with lots of amazing B-Roll. Simply my highest respect!!!!!

[@carolsantulis1990]

Just shot the Propeller nebula last week with my RedCat 51, 2600MC and AM5. The 61 is the scope I was looking for 1 1/2 years ago when I got the RedCat 51. Love this scope!

[@keithhanssen7413]

Well done, Trevor! I really like the new garage/patio arrangement. That’s an awesome combination of spaces and I’m totally jealous. I can almost hear your conversation with your realtor when you started your house search.

[@almidysolo2234]

i am so proud to say that i have been folowing your jurney for 3 years now and just now have gotten into astropotography i wiss you the best and hope to cuntinue watching your amizing videos for many years to come✨✨

[@humblyright]

Still the undefeated winner for best sound design in astrophotography! Great review too Trevor.

[@planespottingfargo1174]

Rudy laying on the floor while you are processing the image is possibly the best part of the video. 🤣🤣

[@thedeathtical]

Thanks for the review. It's a lovely scope but you can get an 8" EdgeHD for that money and potentially get 3 scopes for the price of 1. If they brought this design to the 51 series and charge between $800-$1000, I would consider it. I currently have the grey SpaceCat51 and I love it. Would just like to have the more "traditional" focuser on it. Oh, and a color other than red, that's why I got the SpaceCat, nice matte grey. Either way, thanks again for informing us!! Cheers.

[@paradiseburns2600]

Love your videos Trevor, you are truly the gentleman of Astrophotography. Always love seeing Ashley on the channel as well. I’ve been following you both since Bird Nerds.

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

I do like the new William Optic scopes that are coming out now I hope there's a spacecat version as way to much red lol

[@damiengalanaud3817]

Just received mine yesterday. Build quality is exceptional and is significantly more compact, albeit not lighter than my RedCat 71 (I bought it as a travel scope). In addition to the classical cat stickers, it also included 3 other ones showing a distorted cat inside a “forbidden” sign with the legend “no copycat” and a bunch of “patented” mentions. It seems that William Yang is really worried that companies from mainland China will rip off his innovative design.

[@skygazr33]

Thanks for the review. Hope you’re recovering well from your fall. Looking forward to the CSSP 2023!

[@chiragraokv9627]

Thanks for these updates. Your videos pulled me into this hobby. Though I don't have a telescope I try doing some smaller scale astrophotography with my celestron skymaster f/4.4 binoculars and a phone. Orion nebula was my first target!..😁

[@Geeko-vd9ld]

Absolutely stunning. Cant wait for more from you! The best astrophotography channel on youtube!

[@larryfranco5506]

So far, I'm just a night sky happy snapper. Someday I hope to be good enough and purchase a REDCAT 61. Thank You for sharing your knowledge..

[@nekite1]

What gets me is that such a tiny scope (I have binoculars with a larger aperture!) can deliver such astounding results. Excellent review as ever.👍

[@chrisvig123]

Your looking at a real-time image with binoculars….with an Astrograph your gathering hours of light into one single image

[@gocrow23]

Which Bino. do you use, and recommend considering I might be using it for bird watching?

[@alphaforce6998]

What's even more astounding is that people don't realize that such photos are possible with a tiny scope because the firmament is not "billions of light years away". It's estimated to be hundreds of miles away...hence you can take these kind of photos from the ground, through the 'murky' atmosphere, with a short focal length.

[@daanklein880]

A RedCat 61? *scared RedCat 51 noises*

[@chrisvig123]

It can’t touch the value the 51 offers 😮

[@LeaveTheJack]

Excellent review! Wonder if they will come out with a SpaceCat edition?! BTW, love the rave show at the end! Keep it up!

[@my-pixels]

Wow! That's a mightly little setup! Amazing capture! 👍👍👍

[@Si-fp2ij]

Love the review Trevor, I think this will be a popular choice as a mobile telescope for many

[@jmd1743]

That form factor looks prefect to combine with the Sigma-FP-L and it's form factor. Do you have any recommended sun photography equipment?

[@andtechie5210]

Thanks 🙏 I hope your healing up well! Your the reason I bought my telescope. No photography yet.

[@CambreyGoG]

2:18 that is interesting. So, those beautiful Redcat lenses are not meant for planets, or even the moon? Anyways, thank you for this informative video.

[@desmcmorrow2978]

Thanks for a comprehensive review. Shame about the coarse focus knob - how did that survive product development? I have the 51 which is great - tempted by the 71 or a second 51 but not the 61. Don’t understand why people mean about the helical focusser. Works great with or without the EAF. Cheers, Des

[@noddyonice]

Lovely review Trevor. Having had a Spacecat for a few years now, I’m holding out for the 81,. 👍🏻 Noddy

[@MountainFisher]

What is its Wave and Strehl#? I always have to turn your music down, too loud.

[@geoffnash3098]

You are a great rep for William optics. I know I love my zenith star 81 scope its awesome I want to save up and get the 132 sometime. in the future

[@hymanmj]

Always a good watch Trevor. Thank you. :)

[@johnpoole4489]

Wish they’d let you keep that RC61! Thanks for the video Trevor.

[@MrGp3po]

Had to laugh (at myself) at 3:17 I thought you used hockey pucks to prop up the front of the RedCat51. Lol Hey! What about those Golden Knights, eh? I live near Las Vegas part of the year and the town has gone crazier than usual.

[@beenasharma7686]

Hello astro back yard I am starting astrophotography I already have a laptop for processing and I am buying celestron power seeker 60eq please suggest me a cheap goto mount that I can afford an a astrophotography camera please answer ❤

[@I_am_the_big_dipper]

Nicely done Trevor! You skills are quite good, proof that great images are more than just throwing money at it, and photo processing tricks. Keep it up!

[@AstroBackyard]

Thank you, Andy!

[@peterdmatthews7427]

Interesting. I love my Redcat 71. I use a ZWO autofocuser and it works perfectly. I still think the 71 is better.

[@carltanner9065]

I think Ash would like that as an ultra-portable grab n go scope😊 Plus it's red, it looks fast😛

[@angelriper20]

Thank you Trevor for this amazing review. Clear sky’s from Austria

[@mikebritton2084]

Awesome review. The focuser is why I never went after the 51....

[@JupiterEclipse]

That looks beautiful. Have you ever photographed the ice giants Uranus and Neptune? If not, will it be a future video?

[@alphaforce6998]

Those are nice photos of the firmament.

[@michaelmiliano2753]

Thank you for doing a video on the new cat. I also have this and my question is what Diagonal eye piece will work for viewing only. The ones I have I can’t get a focus in. Any help would be appreciated?

[@mr.f.9672]

Does the focuser knob reach into the mount saddle in case of skywatcher eqm35? I think this big focuser knob is a major design error and could prevent dec balancing of the scope. And to attach additional raisers with screws is not optimal and should not be design intent.

[@rudibarani]

I like the toned down colors you chose for the image. 👍

[@gattie12ben]

No idea what this is but the build quality looks amazing

[@jopss1039]

i have to sadly wait until like september til i get dark skies because im 60 degrees up north in finland but.. now you've given me a new idea for what i could shoot when the skies get dark :D I have 2 plans. First the veil nebulae in cygnus then the heart and soul roughly a month later i think which will both be pretty difficult to get visible with just a basic unmodded m50 mark 2 and a lense but i believe i can do it. I love your vids so much and i get really happy whenever i see you've posted a new one and will usually watch it instantly + you got me into astrophotography. I was in quarantine like 2 years ago then watched a few of your videos then i couldnt stop watching so i borrowed my aunts camera and tried shooting with that and roughly a year later from that i got the skywatcher 2i, canon m50 mark 2 and a basic 55-200mm lense

[@mr.f.9672]

Many thanks for this review. Is there room under the handle bar to attach Asiair plus?

[@banday78]

well presented, how did u enter coordinates for Simeis 57 in asiair ?

[@derekbaker3279]

Gorgeous image Trevor, as always!👍👍BTW, have you shot the "Dolphin Nebula" (..not to be confused with the 'Dolphin's Head'..)? Part of the "Dolphin Nebula" is peeking into your field at the bottom of the frame..it has a similar surface brightness to the "Propeller Nebula". With the Propeller, it makes a great wide-field pairing that's connected by 'theme' ('The Sea').🙂 Finally, FYI, I have a RedCat 71 (with Deep Sky Dad autofocus kit), and part of the reason I love it is that the Petzval design of these RedCats allows one to switch cameras without worrying about changing backfocus & perhaps having to tweak it each time a new camera is reconnected. The only thing missing from these RedCats that I would like to have is the ability to use a motorized rotator to frame targets, and be able to precisely return to each specific orientation used during a night's imaging to get proper flats when the night's imaging is done.🤔p.s. I have a RST-135E for a harmonic mount, so I managed to avoid suffering from 'Red-Excessive Gear Overload" (..a.k.a..'R-EGO'..) lol 😉😁🤣

[@AndyBB777]

Cool video. It looks like the Redcat 61 focuser knobs have enough clearance so they don’t come into contact with the AM5 saddle. Can anyone confirm this?

[@luisabrahamnunomorales3571]

Hey Trevor! Cool review and great telescope, I really love it and I think it’s a great color match for the AM5 and all ZWO gear. Btw… what did you use to attach the ASIAIR to the mounting ring? Is it velcro? Thanks and clear skies!

[@williamkacensky4796]

I do not own a t-scope, but I think this one is sharp looking, and I love the color!

[@mr.f.9672]

Which index number is shown on the wifd focus scale when 55mm back focus is reached? Which scale range is available? 0 to 40, -40 to 40?

[@AstroQuest1]

Good review and looks like a winner. Seems like they are going directly after the Askar FRA300 Pro which I just purchased last month before I knew William Optics was coming out with this RedCat61, although I think I still would have purchased the Askar. Great image as usual. Cheers Kurt

[@darrincashel6285]

Are u gonna be reviewing the GT 81 WIFD??

[@Zealor365]

I'd like to see how well it fits with a EAF. I'm considering the 81 or 91mm with the WIFD as my next toy.

[@3_Gold_Coins]

I am hoping to go with the gt81 wifd. I am sure that I will need to shift the scope in the cradle to make sure the focus knob is clear of the mount. Also want to add the eaf to it.

[@AstroBackyard]

Exactly. I'm sure it's obvious to some, but it caught me off guard 😊

[@GustavoLSalgado]

Great explanation! Other consult: the music for your videos is great! Is EpidemicSound? Thanks a lot!

[@nebula1863]

My RedCat51 costed me $700 when I got it and it comes with everything but the cat saddle. I find it hard to justify $1000 more for a jump from 51mm to 61mm.

[@jesuschrist2284]

Would love a video of these optics on your sw gti. Its close to its payload cap

[@davidalbert9387]

How would you compare Williams with Tele Vue on build quality and optical quality?

[@rawesome1000]

Omg I want that focuser on the 71 before I get around to pulling that trigger.

[@astrophysicistguy]

My permanent AP setup in my observatory is a WO 81GT with a .8 focal reducer and I wouldn’t trade it for anything …

[@AstroBackyard]

Excellent 'scope!

[@Crypticdragon1]

Perhaps you have already answered this elsewhere, but would a telescope or lens be best for a cheaper DSLR? I have a Rebel t7 with a 55-250mm lens currently.

[@blackice5649]

Great video Trevor and thanks! I see that you are using the ASI2600MM with the Redcat 61 - I was going to purchase this telescope with the ASI183MC because of the smaller pixel size, but would the ASI2600MC work? I would actually prefer the 2600 if possible, because of the amp glow elimination.

[@gspinin]

Trevor, did you feel like the RC61 could use a bit more focal length or is 300mm just right?

[@lukomatico]

Superb shot Trevor!! What a video to go with it too, amazing as always man 👍👍 Side question if you don't mind - does it look like the RC51 and RC61 share the same size bahtinov mask? I understand if you're unable to check though man, thanks anyway!

[@gregmckay666]

What's the hold up on geting the observatory back up and running at the new place?

[@jpolish420]

I'm curious what I could use my sony 200-600mm to capture in astrophotography.

[@RelaxingDisney]

Wanted to post a quick question. I know you mentioned in a video a while back that you're hoping to fight against light pollution. Do you know how we can do that? I would like to help but don't know what I can do. I agree that light pollution is a huge problem right now, but I feel like there is nothing that can be done. I'm soo scared of losing our beautiful night sky!

[@gregmckay666]

Nice review. Too bad for that kinda money they do not just throw in the little 30mm guide scope too. Is there a way to lock the focuser once you have it where you want it?

[@nukaoperator5320]

Your videos are vibe👌 Keep it up!!

[@AstroBackyard]

Thank you!

[@philwachocki7958]

As always it's just incredible

[@CraVision]

Nice Vidd! what is the outro music you used in this video??

[@rukhnairnair6427]

Hey, I just wanted to ask u if u can capture moon and saturn together which can be seen on 10th june between 4 -5am

[@crazydude22]

its upsetting 4-5 days out of the last 7 have been completely clear for me, but my laptop had killed itself a day before i came home from uni so i hadn’t been able to utilise the clear skies 😢

[@Grahamwarrellow1]

Hi Trevor, thanks for another great video. Did you ever attach an EAF to your RedCat? I just received a RedCat 61 and can’t for the life work out how to remove the coarse focus knob in order to add the EAF. The manual mentions mentions two inner knob screws but I’ve had no luck finding them :)

[@Grahamwarrellow1]

I’ve just sorted it! The two screws are hidden underneath a screw that is removed. You find them when slowly rotating the focus knob and they become visible through the hole of the removed screw. Pretty obvious really though the instructions could be made just a little bit clearer.

[@DpacOP]

Hi I love your videos ❤ I hope you see this comment as I have an xiaomi yi m1 it’s a micro fourth thirds camera and wanting to know what’s the best adapter and what a good telescope to get for me to have a small build?

[@mrcrazyclever]

Thanks for these amazing videos Trevor! Quick question, have you ever photographed Pluto before? 💫 🪐

[@AstroBackyard]

Thank you! No, I haven't! - future video idea?

[@mrcrazyclever]

@AstroBackyard for sure!

[@toalgin]

In Europe redcat61 is 1800€… the redcat51 is 950-1000€

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

"Astrophotographers, this is your month to shine" - cries in typhoon and rainy season Jokes aside, have you tried mounting the EAF to it? It looks like there's barely enough space for the mounting plate! And a bit worried about the large focus knob on mounts with larger saddles. Still, as always a very sexy beast! That Baht mask though - the idea is great, the implementation is terrible. I wish they made the mask finer for sharper focusing spikes...

[@AstroBackyard]

Cuiv! It sounds like we had the same concerns about the focus knob (from the video) :) I've had the scope for about 4 days, so, haven't installed the EAF yet. William sent me a pic of the EAF installed and it looks easy enough. We'll see.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

@@AstroBackyard sounds good! And glad to see you active :-)

[@jtepsr]

so from what i see, you can i use this scope with a full frame camera. true or false.

[@myprofilepicisdoge7677]

im new to photography but wouldnt a 3 hour exposure just results in blurred stars since u know, earth rotation??

[@gocrow23]

Wow, thanks for making this video, loved it. For a newbie in this field would you suggest this model 61, as I want to get leverage it for more objects over some over & over again. I was split between starting with a binoculars or a this. If you reply please cover which binoculars to buy (which are easy to carry and get me covered for astronomy+ bird viewing), please guide? I would need this in India. Thanks again for review and thanks in advance if you reply 🙏🏼

[@siegfriednoet]

Looking nice and very red, but I wonder if WO didn't test this scope on a dovetail saddle, and if they really did why did they make that one wheel so big, and above all in these days where almost everybody uses an eaf, it's totally useless.

[@dalebeasley3113]

Does a field flattener/reducer turn a doublet into a triplet or does it just add more glass

[@lefly]

Would this be better or worse than an old similar premium small Tahakashi refractor?

[@lilajellybean6587]

So i have one huge question are you looking at an orange sun..? More orange then normal?

[@nikaxstrophotography]

The Askar300 same specs more or less, maybe not fpl53 but in terms of quality of vision being a quintuplet petzval it is a better deal if I had to buy either of these for the most negligible image quality.

[@Kobacolbz]

We need more Petzval scopes with longer focal reach. Like >4-500mm

[@BenGieCruz]

Did ZWO also send their AM3??? Should’ve started shipping this month!

[@mikehardy8247]

Seems a little heavy for a SW SA GTI?

[@elladoz1966]

TY for sharing 👍

[@afd33]

I have the WO Z61, so I have no use for this scope, but at $1600 I REALLY don't have any use for this scope. The scope is obviously pretty nice, your photo is pretty awesome, but that's just so steep a price for what it is.

[@stuartjones3907]

have never done astrophotography before and was thiinking about the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi i have the canon r5 and is it good enough for this type of photography

[@SkyWKing]

It's a nice scope but the price is outrageous. USD1600 for a 60mm scope is Takahshi level of pricing...that's enough for 90mm triplets or 75mm Petzvals.

[@JinglusTickleMaster]

trevor how much does an astrophotography set up cost in british currency

[@cryhavoc38]

Where are the mounting points for a zwo eaf bracket?

[@wpherigo1]

I hate to ask this, and maybe you’ve done it, but could you review the presumably toy astrophoto gear like the dwarf 2?

[@Luftbubblan]

Nice. Iv'e only shot a couple test subs of it to see how visible it is but never went after it fully. Could be nice to add to the portfolio :D

[@tomingerzee1134]

Can a newbie just buy this as his starter kit?

[@meibergstrmandersen9181]

Cool Doc 👍

[@mustafaomar-y4f]

Hi Trevor, amazing video and exciting times ahead. I just had a question what are good places to order (Redcat 51 and the Skywatcher GTI mount) in Toronto, Canada. Would appreciate your help thank you 😊

[@AstroBackyard]

Steve at 'Ontario Telescope' is close by and a great guy 😊

[@mustafaomar-y4f]

Again thank you for always replying and I wish you the best