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To Flatten or not to Flatten; That is the question!
Folks;
As a relative newcomer to the imaging side of things, I've started to experiment with a more careful approach to astrophotography, and I'm wondering if I need a flattener for the setup to get the best results.
The Telescope:
Williams Optics Fluorostar 91
540mm focal length, f5.9
The Camera
ASI 183 MC Pro
Sony IMX CMOS sensor
Most of the information for the Flourostar recommends either the standard flattener or the 0.8x reducer/flattener to get the best imaging results for full frame cameras. The ASI 183MC Pro has a sensor size of 13.2 x 8.8mm (5496 x 3672 resolution). The standard flattener is almost three times the price of the 0.8 reducer, and while that's not really an issue, I want to make sure I get the correct setup.
Obviously the reducer will flatten the image while also shortening the effective focal length.
So my question is, do I need the flattener or the reducer to get the best imaging from the scope, or is the camera sensor size capable of giving me a decent image without it?
Thoughts and opinons very much invited.
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