New RC 0.75x FR/Flatner and Coma Corrector from Astrotech

[netwolf]

Hi All,

Not sure if this has been posted here before, but looks like AT in the US have finally released there Focal reducer/Flattner for the RC Scopes as well as a Phot/Visual coma corrector for there Imaging newtonian.

Discussion in Vendors section at CN.
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/3494414/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1

Regards
Fahim

[pmrid]

That's interesting. Astro-Tech RCs and GSO RCs are the same aren't they? By the sound of this, I can get rid of field curvature and reduce my F8 to F6 at the same time. What's not to like? Does anyone sell them here?
Peter

[AlexN]

Peter - Nobody sells Astrotech in Australia, however OPT in the USA have very reliable and relatively cheap postage to Aus..

The GSO 8" RC and the AT8RC are the same scope, and that will flatten your field and reduce you to F/6 at the same time..

As for whats not to like... Well.. I wouldnt spend the money on the 8" F/8 RC for high resolution, then reduce the resolution by 1/4 for the sake of speeding it up to F/6. If I wanted an 8" F/6 I'd spend 1/4 the money and buy an 8" F/6 newtonian. Optical quality would be similar if not the same...

F/6 would give you about 1218mm F/L or there abouts, which would be similar to your 5" APO.. at that point you're starting to negate the reason for having both? You know what I mean?

The Astrotech 2" flattener (designed for refractors) has proven to flatten the field of the 8" RC well, without reducing the focal ratio... Thats what I would be doing in your shoes, but, everyone is different...

[pmrid]

Hmmm! Good comments. Helpful too. Thanks.
Peter

[Peter Ward]

I'm sorry, I laughed when I read this. True, Astrotech is a US retailer and they don't have a store in Oz.

But GSO are the OEM.

You can also re-badge a Holden to become an Opel, but it's still GM.

A rose by any other name... :)

[pmrid]

I'm mystified by this posting. The thread was clearly about the AT field flatterner/reducer. GSO don't manufacture these do they? And they are not sold in Australia are they? So what's your point?
Peter

[AlexN]

Too true...

Allow me to rephrase. Nobody sells this item in Australia yet. Much like the AT 2" Field flattener for refractors that has been available in the states for a couple of years now.... Maybe an Aussie supplier might start carrying these, as the market for the GSO 8" RC's is fairly good.. I loved mine when I had it, and plan to get another one in the not too distant future..

Here's hoping that for the people interested in the 0.75x reducer/flattener, an Aussie supplier brings these in...

[netwolf]

I would also like to see Aussie dealers bring in the GSO version of the AT 8" Imaging Newtonian. Thats assuming it is made by GSO and available to other vendors and not exclusively to AT.

[Paul Haese]

For me a flattener is what is needed. I agree with Alex's comments about reducer on the RC. I wanted a long focal length scope with a flattened field for close up work. So a reducer does nothing to interest me. f8 is fast enough already. I have become accustomed to thinking in terms of multiple imaging sessions now.

Anything made by GSO is likely to be already available here. I am not sure but I think the reducer is made by another company who sells to AT. That would mean the reducer is not sold by a GSO dealer here. However, simply buy it from Astronomics in the States if that is what one wants.

[pmrid]

That's what I'm planning to do. The original CN thread that Fahim mentioned seemed to be a direct comment from the owner of AT saying they had directly engaged an external guru to design the flattener and the flattener/reducer. So it would seem less likely, if that's right, that they are made by GSO. The flattener is in-stock now but the flattener/reducer is on a 60-day backorder.
Peter

[zipdrive]

An old thread but has any one tried the astrotech flattener/reducer or flattener yet?