ZWO and SVBONY 30mmF4 Guide Scope Review

The SVBONY has made a big splash in the market and I see these things everywhere now. It is super affordable and has the exact same specifications as the ZWO 30F4. This gives us something to compare it to and that is what I do in the video. There are reasons to buy either one and I believe that both have a place in the market. SVBONY has been quote aggressive at giving astronomers and astrophotographers competitively priced options.
Here are detailed linked from each manufacturers website.
SVBONY SV165
www.svbony.com/sv165-mini-gui...
ZWO 30F4
astronomy-imaging-camera.com/...

[@southernexposure123]

I'm just now seriously researching autoguiding. I learned new things from this video about the guide scope. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Thank you for the feedback and kind words.

[@astrogerard2022]

Great review and comparison. Thanks.

[@lenn15]

Your review is still a thing in late 22. Thank you. My SV165 is on its way :)

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Glad I could help!

[@Muesli711]

9 ounces = 255g 12 ounces = 340g

[@Neanderthal75]

There are also several same SVBONY cameras, without the brand name. I bought one with no name or no company indicated from Ebay , cost me $40. I've been using it no problem, works as it should.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

I would try one but am so bad with drivers I am afraid to.

[@freddylq67]

Can you post a link ?

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

@@freddylq67 www.svbony.com/categories/astronomy-camera/

[@friedaspyder8485]

Very helpful.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Glad to hear!

[@chewyfoks1840]

The SVBONY is a fantastic guide scope. They are probably made in the same factory thb!

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

I am actually in manufacturing myself and do a lot of this stuff. I did take each completely apart once just to see how they are made. I would say they are most likely not made in the same factory as the machining style is way different. However you do bring out a good point that most of this Chinese imports are made in the same factories.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

I should have mentioned this in my video. Next time ;)

[@chewyfoks1840]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel Not a crit at all, they are very similar quality though. Great for what they are made for.

[@michaeledmonds3027]

Very glad I found your excellent video...I bought the 30mm Svbony and the ZWO ASI120MM guide camera for my 60mm and 80mm refractors. They will be mated to an AM5 and controlled by an ASIAIR. Thinking I'll need something bigger to guide my C6 with 6.3 reducer flattener? Your thoughts please? Michael

[@georgepistikoudis]

Very informative review and good tips. I am trying to set up a polar alignment solution with my ASI 224MC camera using the three point alignment from NINA software which does platesoving with ASTAP. What is your opinion about using the svbony / asi 224mc to plate solve?

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

I will work. A mono version would work better but i know they do not make a mono 224

[@flaviosdereste]

Do you know if would be necessary using a filter like CLS with guider (Svbony)? I ask that because my guiding image is a little bit bad and I think that is messed up my guiding.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

I actually like to use a Red filter. It cuts down on any haze in the atmosphere and removes some atmospheric disturbance that messes with guiding. The most important thing though is that your stars are well above the noise floor.

[@papalovesmia]

Can you tell me where you got the blue ring that you have mounted on the ZWO Mini? I assume you use it as a stop for focus purposes.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

farpointastro.com/products/farpoint-parfocal-ring-1-25-inch-eyepieces?variant=40161548042393&currency=USD&

[@enidrajm]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel This $10 ring just saved from picking up a $130 helical focus scope. Thank you!

[@Redsnaper]

Thanks for another great informative review, as an experienced photographer BUT a complete newbie to astrophotography! I am looking for a guiding scope to mount on my OMD EM1x / 300mm/f4 & also coupled with 2x convertor, mounted on the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i. Would you recommend a 30mm scope or should I be looking at a 50mm for an equivalent focal length of 600mm & 1200mm in FF 35mm terms?

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Go with the 30mm. You will need the higher weight. Also I would not use your 2x teleconverter. Astro objects are huge. 300mm Fl is plenty. Also, sorry I said that twice, we do not use equivalency in astronomy. :)

[@Redsnaper]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel Thanks for the reply, did you mean 'lower' weight with the 30mm scope? Could you explain about not using 'equivalency' in Fl, as you know my Olympus is a 4/3 system and half the focal length of a FF system which I assume are equal to normal telescope focal lengths so in comparison my 300mm would equal a 600mm!

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

@@Redsnaper yes I meant lower weight. In astrophotography we do not count crop factor. Only in angle of view. So we imputes sensor dimensions then focal length to determine angle of view. Using equivalency would be far too complicated and confusing.

[@Redsnaper]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel I now understand, thank you for the explanation.

[@deeber35]

I have the Sky Watcher AZ-GTi mount in EQ mode. Can it track with a 400mm lens on a crop sensor without auto-guiding? I've had success at 300mm.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

It should be able to handle that weight. I would though recommend that you get a wedge so you can polar align it. Then field rotation will not be an issue and the longer FL will do even better.

[@Soy_chelipe]

Hi there, I recently got the SV109 60mm guide scope. But which guide camera would you recommend for this: ZWO ASI120mm vs SV905c ? Thanks

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

I had to really research this one because its a tuff question. The svbony sensor is newer however its not mono so the 120mm gets the approval from me for guiding. Always us a mono guid camera.

[@DeveshPande]

What is the best way to focus the sv bony? I have been having tough time at night focusing with the ASI air pro. Kee adjusting the focus by looking at the preview and keep doing this at -7C is tough.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Depends. If I thread on the camera then I rotate the barrel that holds the glass. If I am using a mini camera that is held like an eyepiece then I just slide it in and out till it hits aprox focus. By the way BIG tip. You do not want it to have exact focus. The software can better calculate the central point if it is a little out of focus.

[@xox1011]

One thing i've done is temporarily switch the main camera with the guide camera in the ASI air app. That way I can use the focus function of the ASI to get the guide camera focused.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

@@xox1011 I do that too. Good little trick.

[@MrGp3po]

Very nice review. I use the Svbony SV165 30mm with an ASI120MM Mini cam; works great. Any idea why it is called SV165? Rather than SV120 to denote focal length.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

A very good question. I am sorry I do not have the answer to that one. Ill ask around.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

I have an answer. They already have a product called an SV120 but its a rifles scope so they had to use a different name. What the 165 is for though remains a mystery.

[@claude77573]

I think it's important to clarify some misconceptions presented in this video. Please see the video "PHD2 a Quick breakdown - Bruce Waddington". Bruce Waddington is the current developer of PHD2. First, the better the focus, the better your guiding results. You are not well served by a slightly out of focus guide camera. Please see 59 min, 32 sec of Waddington's video, as well as 31:31 and 38:32. Secondly, you do not have to align the guide camera in a straight up position. See 7:58 into the video, as well as 23.11 which displays PHD2's calibration results which resolves the relationship between the camera's x-y axes and the mount's DEC and RA axes.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Orienting the camera on its x and y axis just speeds up calibration. This applies more strongly to those of us running off of older computers or rasberi pies. As for Bruce comments on focusing. He is wrong. There are plenty of well-reputed authors out there. Charles Bracken and Chris Woodhouse to name a few that state quite plainly in their books that slight out of focus improves the centroid detection. If I were to get technical about why it is bene facial to be slitty out of focus some statistics is in order. 68-95-99.7% rule is the standard for a normal distribution and this presents the algorithm with the best centroid detection. Using this method centroid detection can resolve the central point of a star 10x smaller than the pixels of the camera.

[@claude77573]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel First of all, thank you for posting the review of the cameras. I found it very informative and interesting. For speeding up calibration, I would think that you have to be running on a very, very old computer or rasberi pie to see a significant difference in the calculation of sines and cosines need to resolve the difference in x-y axes and RA/DEX axes. These computers would also struggle with running things like planetarium software, USB data transfer, image capture and storage, etc. As for the focus issue, Bruce's specific comment is "there is some old advice that is no longer relevant". The references I think you cite (Deep Sky Imaging Primer, Charles Bracken, 2013 and The Astrophotography Manual, Chris Woodhouse, 2017) are at least 4 years old. But I am impressed that you invested in these expensive reference materials and have developed a deep knowledge of astrophotography. To me, astrophotography is as much of an art as it is a science, so we each can decide on the approach we'd like to take!

[@andysPARK]

Thanks..

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

You're welcome!

[@Dudleydogg]

I got the Svbony but don't understand how you adjust it to see same target as spotting scope but then wonder if that is even necessary. How do you align this mount?

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

They do not need to be exactly aligned.

[@Dudleydogg]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel I looked into that and if you are not polar aligned or at least not close it affects the time duration of exposures. so im not doing 9 hour photos so probably OK

[@zippis333]

Thank you for the comparasion. I bought SVBONY some time ago ... and do you know if there is any chance how to align SVBONY with main telescope?

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Been thinking about this myself. No real way that I know of yet besides getting rings that have setting screws.

[@zippis333]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel I tried to find ring for this scope, but no luck. Smallest are for 50 mm tube, nothing for 30 mm out there :(

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

@@zippis333 Found these. They would work. www.ebay.com/itm/234303367700?hash=item368d91aa14:g:ei4AAOSwlblhnp3f

[@zippis333]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel Wow, thank you very much for the info! Will try them.

[@MrGp3po]

I fiddled around with mine on a RedCat51 and could get them close to the same spot. With the 2 screws, there is a little bit of lateral wiggle room. You could try a thin shim, and/or tinker with the attachment foot.

[@KennyHurstPhoto]

Where did you get that little blue collar on the guide camera for the SVBONY?

[@KennyHurstPhoto]

Never mind, I saw your reply in an older post Thanks!

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

@@KennyHurstPhoto No Problem. I am going to do another video about this little guid scope and how to improve it. So stay tuned.

[@abulka]

I don't understand the last point about the svbony being able to rotate and the zwo cannot. The cameras for both can be rotated, so whats the point of the svbony being able to rotate inside the rings?

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

You will not have to calibrate and you can also choose where the USB cord comes down to keep it a lower profile.

[@-WhizzBang-]

I have the Sky Adventurer Pro 2, and I just ordered the ZWO 120 mini with the ZWO guide scope. ;) How do you like it with your Sky Adventurer?

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

It's good. It is light so it makes for a good match with the lightweight rig.

[@-WhizzBang-]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel yes, that is what I am looking for. I am using a Canon 90D and one of my lenses is the Sigma 100-400mm which weighs 3 lbs by itself!

[@-WhizzBang-]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel I have been doing photography for years, but I am new to Astro. Just got the Sky Adv a few months ago, it works well for anything under 100mm for less than 30 secs. But anything over that, I find it very difficult to get no star trails. So I figure auto guiding is necessary for very long exposures and higher focal lengths!

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

@@-WhizzBang- Should make a great combo.

[@cattaraugustonawanda4426]

Will a SVBony SV205 work as a guide camera?

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

This is a really good question and I do not know for sure. I know the camera does not have a guid port but no one uses those anyway. Have you reached out to SVBONY? Or maybe asked on the FB groups for SVBONY? I would actually be curious to know myself too. It seams like it would work with something like Nina or Indigo A1

[@peterdmatthews7427]

What brand is the blue ring? What a great idea?

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Its a 1.25" lens focus par focal tool. These are pretty common on eyepiece for telescopes but are always sold as a separate accessory.

[@mangojassal]

👍

[@billjobes1851]

Why does the video look like it's shot in a fog? Was there a filter on the lens left by accident ?

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

It is because I am lousy at color grading. I was using Premier back then. Switched to Davinci so I do a little better job now.

[@billjobes1851]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel Just my 2 cents... you're over-producing it. No need to color grade for KZbin channels, as most video is excellent right out of the camera.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

@@billjobes1851 Yes these days I have settle more or less on some presses. Video is not something I am good at but then again I do not devote very much time to this either.

[@hael8680]

I tried them both. The SVBONY is optically a bit better than the ZWO. The optical quality of the ZWO is equivalent to looking through the bottom of a coke bottle. I don't recommend it at all. The SVbony I only use when guiding a 135mm lens. The star shape is important when computing the star centroid and the quality of guiding is affected by it. Don't let people tell you otherwise.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Interesting observation on the optics of both. I had not thought to test to see which had better optics. With both of them bing double achros and at a very fast f4 I can see they would have a lot of optical issues.

[@andysPARK]

Star shape? Are you referring to the optics only, or focussed/unfocussed target for guiding?

[@hael8680]

@@andysPARK As mentioned above, the optics reminds me if looking through the bottom of an old glass coke bottle. Focusers are as crude as can be.

[@techer6374]

Жаль не показали, что эти Гид-телескопы показывают. Хотя бы Луну и звезду.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Good idea. Ill have to do an imaging video with one then.

[@Mrcloc]

Oh no! It weighs 3 ounces more. Oh well, that puts my gear over the weight limit of my mount. ;)

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Mainly people using star trackers would consider it an issue. Sorta wish someone made a guid scope that was a 20mm f4.

[@Mrcloc]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel For sure. I'm not being completely serious. :)

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

@@Mrcloc I figured.

[@ayubruknani9036]

SV-BONY :)

[@ronstewtsaw]

ess vee bony?

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

I think so. Will pronounce it that way in the future.

[@puretoronto]

Guide spelt wrong in title

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Thank you. I change it. :)

[@teleking58]

"Metric to English"...yup.

[@jeffslade1892]

Metric to american please. England uses metric. The whole world except USA uses metric. For anything remotely scientific, like astronomy, use metric.

[@OzzMazz]

Watch this Jeff. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZ62e4t5a8Skh5o

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

It is a 33% difference.

[@ronstewtsaw]

What is the unit of measure on English speed limit signs? What units do typical English people give for their weight and height? (Answers: miles/hour, stone & pounds, feet & inches.)

[@jeffslade1892]

@@ronstewtsaw mph, cm and kg.

[@jeffslade1892]

@@OzzMazz yes I know. I worked with standards, I even ran an international primary standard. But it beggars the question why USA doesn't use metric like everyone else. Working with american scientists and technicians gave us headaches when they persisted in using obsolete units and the attendant conversion errors. Astronomy is an international science hobby.

[@MikeTaylor-tw5wb]

Metric to English... ??😂

[@luispacheco2712]

works with celestron nexguide autoguide?

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

I would assume so.

[@luispacheco2712]

@@TheNarrowbandChannel i want to buy the SVBONY but I'm not sure if it will work, I like the nextguide because it doesn't need a computer