Tag: focal reducer

Starizona 0.63x SCT Reducer & Corrector

Posted on by Alex
(Last Updated on July 1, 2024)

The Starizona 0.63x SCT reducer and corrector is a phenomenal piece of equipment for demanding tasks on SCTs, such as deep sky astrophotography with large total integration times. It both decreases the focal length as with a standard reducer, while also flattening the field by eliminating the coma and other optical imperfections present with SCTs in particular. Although this thing isn’t cheap, I found great success with it. The most noteworthy aspect was how it provided a pain-free calibration experience with few discernible gradients that I’ve gotten with other setups. This leads to Continue reading “Starizona 0.63x SCT Reducer & Corrector” →

Antares f/6.3 Focal Reducer for SCTs

Posted on by Alex
(Last Updated on July 1, 2024)

Note that most of this article has been revised heavily, because I recently discovered that most of the gradient problems with circular rings were actually caused by Nikon and their alterations to the RAW data. However, not all of the gradients were solvable with those considerations, and because I don’t have this focal reducer anymore to test with, I’ll only state what I can.

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. This “speeds up” the optical train by reducing the focal length and magnification of the scope, requiring less time to integrate the same signal. A focal reducer along this line is probably the most common accessory bought for SCTs because for beginners Continue reading “Antares f/6.3 Focal Reducer for SCTs” →