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Old 19-02-2013, 03:29 PM
HunterGeo (David)
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 60
2" and 1.25" focuser sizes - what's the difference?

Hi all,

I recently found a Sky-Watcher 1000mm/127mm Newtonian reflector on eBay; it sold for $100 with an Alt-Az mount. I was thinking I'd replace my ED80 with it (and use the ED80 as a guidescope, both sitting on my HEQ5 Pro).

However, I was concerned about a particular matter, and the telescope sold while I was still trying to decide.

Specifically, the telescope had a 1.25" focuser (as opposed to the ED80's 2" focuser). As I wanted the telescope for astrophotography, I already have a 2" t-mount for my camera.

I was wondering what the actual difference would be between a 1.25" and a 2" focuser (other than the diameter, of course!). Would the smaller hole mean a reduction in light-gathering speed? Would I have to image for longer with a 1.25" to get the same exposure than I would with a 2" focuser? Or is it merely a matter of standards and wouldn't have made a difference?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts,
Dave
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