Sky watcher evostar 72Ed Apo

[gabs]

Hi ,

 

I have just bought a new scope as I was bit bored to have problem with focus on my Meade etx80.

Can someone advise what I need to connect the dslr to the tube draw please?

 

I understand it needs a field flattener but which one ?

 

also same question for the eyepiece how can connect my eyepiece to my new toy?

 

thanks in advance

p.s.: I have also got a en equatorial mount eq 3-2go to

[paulgrover68]

Not familiar with this scope but... you'll need a T-Ring.  The T-ring should screw to the back end of the field flattener (usually M42, some can be M48 threads). You camera will then click on like a normal lens.

I believe sky watcher make a dedicated flattener for this scope.

Eyepiece connection will depend on what's supplied with the the scope. For 1.25 in eyepiece you'll need a convert from 2 inch. (Or a diagonal with both fittings).  

[gabs]

1 minute ago, paulgrover68 said:

Not familiar with this scope but... you'll need a T-Ring.  The T-ring should screw to the back end of the field flattener (usually M42, some can be M48 threads). You camera will then click on like a normal lens.

I believe sky watcher make a dedicated flattener for this scope.

Eyepiece connection will depend on what's supplied with the the scope. For 1.25 in eyepiece you'll need a convert from 2 inch. (Or a diagonal with both fittings).  

Thanks ,

 

yes I got a T ring what I need is the flattener I saw so many different one but no idea which one is good for me as I don’t want to waste money in something I can use. 
 

I will keep digging in the web! 

[Nightspore]

You'll need to buy an adapter as they are not included.

 

 

Or a 2" diagonal. 

 

 

There are three versions of the 72ED DS Pro. Mine is the first revision which has a Schott crown but a revised focuser. The original focusers were a bit dodgy apparently. Mine has the smooth one. The second revision has a different crown element. The flint is unknown but possibly made by CDGM and an FPL 51 equivalent.

 

 

FLO sell a visual back with a compression ring for it. They also sell a flattener.

 

 

The second revision is a centimetre shorter to aid in-focus problems. The visual back on the second revision may have the ability to have a rotating collar. Mine doesn't as it's a first revision. The visual back thread sizes are different to most other Evostars in the first two versions from what I can gather. I don't know why.

 

 

It's a nice scope for visual with well controlled CA, virtually unnoticeable. 

 

 

It balances beautifully on an AZ5 mount. All Evostars seem to balance well.

 

 

I use mine predominantly with 1.25" accessories now as they're lighter. 

 

 

It's never failed to impress me as a scope for visual. I've had up to 200x on the Moon.

 

Edited June 10, 2021 by Nightspore

[gabs]

Thanks unfortunately the flattener sold to FLO is out of stock but i think I got the idea .

 

I will need to search again! 

[Marmot]

Hi Gabs

That looks like a nice set up. I also recently acquired an EQ 3-2 mount (manual) after seeking a little advice on this forum to help me decide.

I use a Skywatcher ST120 on it, which will be heavier than your scope and I find the tripod perfectly capable of supporting it.

I appreciate that you are interested in imaging and therefore will be after the tripod to be as rigid as possible. Therefore I thought I would tell you of one minor mod I made with this in mind: 

The accessory tray sits on three arms that link between the legs. This arrangement gives a bit more rigidity to the set up. The arms attach to the legs via a long screw/bolt, but there is the chance of slight movement at this joint where the arm can move a little along the length of the bolt. This is easily remedied by using a few washers on the screw/bolt to prevent the movement.

Any improvement is probably very very very minimal, but it certainly doesn’t do any harm especially as suitable washers cost a few pence.

 

i hope the pic explains it better.

 

[Nightspore]

1 minute ago, gabs said:

Thanks unfortunately the flattener sold to FLO is out of stock but i think I got the idea .

 

I will need to search again! 

 

There has been a paucity of Synta products since the pandemic unfortunately. 

[gabs]

7 minutes ago, Marmot said:

Hi Gabs

That looks like a nice set up. I also recently acquired an EQ 3-2 mount (manual) after seeking a little advice on this forum to help me decide.

I use a Skywatcher ST120 on it, which will be heavier than your scope and I find the tripod perfectly capable of supporting it.

I appreciate that you are interested in imaging and therefore will be after the tripod to be as rigid as possible. Therefore I thought I would tell you of one minor mod I made with this in mind: 

The accessory tray sits on three arms that link between the legs. This arrangement gives a bit more rigidity to the set up. The arms attach to the legs via a long screw/bolt, but there is the chance of slight movement at this joint where the arm can move a little along the length of the bolt. This is easily remedied by using a few washers on the screw/bolt to prevent the movement.

Any improvement is probably very very very minimal, but it certainly doesn’t do any harm especially as suitable washers cost a few pence.

 

i hope the pic explains it better.

 

Thanks good advise here! I hope to be able to use it soon!

[gabs]

1 hour ago, gabs said:

Thanks good advise here! I hope to be able to use it soon!

Until I find the right flattener etc.. I can keep using my “old” Meade!

[Nightspore]

Harrison Scopes may have a flattener in stock. I'd phone them.

[gabs]

7 minutes ago, Nightspore said:

Harrison Scopes may have a flattener in stock. I'd phone them.

Thanks!!! 

[Nightspore]

7 minutes ago, gabs said:

Thanks!!! 

 

You're welcome. I actually bought my 72ED from Harrison Scopes. 

Edited June 10, 2021 by Nightspore

[gabs]

2 minutes ago, Nightspore said:

 

You're welcome. I actually bought my 72ED from Harris Scopes. 

Cool we have the same scope! Look forward to know how you doing with it! 

[Nightspore]

Just now, gabs said:

Cool we have the same scope! Look forward to know how you doing with it! 

 

I was out with it Tuesday night/Wednesday morning splitting doubles mostly. I saw M4, M19 and M56. I finished with a view of Saturn and Jupiter.

 

 

It's a great grab and go.

[gabs]

25 minutes ago, Nightspore said:

 

I was out with it Tuesday night/Wednesday morning splitting doubles mostly. I saw M4, M19 and M56. I finished with a view of Saturn and Jupiter.

 

 

It's a great grab and go.

Lovely!  I wish to live in a place without building around and street lights so I can see Jupiter and Saturn again! 

Edited June 10, 2021 by gabs

[Marmot]

Gabs

i would be very interested in your opinion of your new scope when you have chance to compare it to your current Meade. I recently started a post re the advantages of ED lenses compared to a standard achromatic as it’s an upgrade I was/am seriously considering.

i look forward to your future results with the new scope and your remarks re its performance compared with your Meade.

[Nightspore]

1 hour ago, gabs said:

Lovely!  I wish to live in a place without building around and street lights so I can see Jupiter and Saturn again! 

 

Unfortunately the planets are very low at the moment in the Northern Hemisphere. The 72ED is great for the Moon though. The only really good view of the Comet Neowise was with my 72ED. That was early 12th July last year. I intended taking the 80ED out but it was still dewed over from the night before. The 72ED was ideal as it was easily moved around to get better views. The OTA is barely 2kg.

[Nightspore]

The 72 ED DS Pro has been an odd and controversial scope over the years. There has been some debate at which market it was aimed at. It is sold with a case but no adapter.

 

 

Prompting some to suggest that it is intended to be used with 2" diagonals. However, there are in-focus problems sometimes with short focal length eyepieces. This was finally ameliorated with revision #2. The decision by Synta to stop using Schott crowns has been controversial. So has the decision to not reveal exactly what type of flint (ED) glass is used.

 

 

The original model pre-revision #1 may have suffered from more CA than later revisions and may have had a different flint. Its focuser was quickly substituted and mine is silky smooth. The fine focuser is particularly good IMO. Mine can show a vague hint of CA on bright planets at magnifications of 100x and lower. Venus definitely shows purple hazing. Overall though it is very well corrected IMO. The drawtube can have a tendency to slip with heavy accessory loads, although I mostly use light accessories now. It's a very capable scope and beautifully balanced when mounted. When I bought mine it was cheaper than buying a DeLite eyepiece!

[gabs]

1 hour ago, Nightspore said:

The 72 ED DS Pro has been an odd and controversial scope over the years. There has been some debate at which market it was aimed at. It is sold with a case but no adapter.

 

 

Prompting some to suggest that it is intended to be used with 2" diagonals. However, there are in-focus problems sometimes with short focal length eyepieces. This was finally ameliorated with revision #2. The decision by Synta to stop using Schott crowns has been controversial. So has the decision to not reveal exactly what type of flint (ED) glass is used.

 

 

The original model pre-revision #1 may have suffered from more CA than later revisions and may have had a different flint. Its focuser was quickly substituted and mine is silky smooth. The fine focuser is particularly good IMO. Mine can show a vague hint of CA on bright planets at magnifications of 100x and lower. Venus definitely shows purple hazing. Overall though it is very well corrected IMO. The drawtube can have a tendency to slip with heavy accessory loads, although I mostly use light accessories now. It's a very capable scope and beautifully balanced when mounted. When I bought mine it was cheaper than buying a DeLite eyepiece!

Well excellent review!  A brief history about this scope very interesting to read! I based my purchase on the review I read and compared them with the budget available. I hope I have made the right decision.

[Nightspore]

9 minutes ago, gabs said:

Well excellent review!  A brief history about this scope very interesting to read! I based my purchase on the review I read and compared them with the budget available. I hope I have made the right decision.

 

Thanks. Below is a review I wrote in September 2019 after using the 72ED for a year:

 

I’m physically disabled, so small, light and easily set up scopes tend to get more use. Notwithstanding the vagaries of the weather and available observing windows. My main grab and go rig was a modified (aftermarket rotating focuser) ST80 mounted on a Sky-Watcher AZ5. This was perfectly fine for rich field and occasional lunar and planetary observing. Any CA could be ameliorated with filters and the two-speed GSO Crayford enabled fine focusing.

 

The Crayford made the ST80 rear heavy however and I had to swap the 2” accessories I originally used with 1.25” ones. This was especially true with the ST80 mounted on the AZ5 as I could use 2” EP’s with the Porta II fairly easily. I sometimes needed to use an extension tube to achieve focus. September last year I decided to invest in a Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED DS Pro. The price was good (I actually have eyepieces that cost more), although it came with no accessories. It didn’t even include a 1.25” adapter. It was supplied with a case though.

The doublet consists of a Schott crown but the actual flint element composition hasn’t yet been revealed by Synta. It is very possibly H-FK61 glass made by CDGM in China, which is reputedly very similar to the Japanese made Ohara FPL-51 glass. The OTA has a typical Sky-Watcher Black Diamond finish and the two-speed focuser is precise and very well made. I thought the finder shoe screw could be smoother but it does its job. The OTA has a detachable dewshield with a metal threaded dust cap and the objective appears well coated.

 

At 23:30, 05/09/18, 2018 BST the ED72 was all set up. I had no dew control apart from an Omegon flexible dew shield as an extension to the Evostar’s own integral shield. There was light cloud and the transparency was below average with humidity at around 80%. A 2“ Baader Amici was in the focuser together with a 36mm Baader Hyperion Aspheric giving 11.6x and 6 arc degrees of TFOV.

 

First light target was Albireo, and the two stars looked like beautiful jewels hanging in space. The colours and overall colour separation of the Evostar were exquisite. So far, so good. Next up was the Veil Nebula with a 2“ ES broadband OIII filter.

 

This was one of the best views of the Veil that year and it was nice to use the 2“ EP’s after a year or so of neglect. I had no problems with balance or weight distribution and even rotating the diagonal wasn’t a real problem. I spent some time in the Summer Triangle (without the OIII) and I had some impressive views. I turned my attention to Cassiopeia and Perseus and all of the rich open clusters around the region. 

 

Eventually I decided to give the 19mm Celestron Luminos a spin. This 2“ EP weighs about a metric tonne and is very shiny. The Double Cluster looked very good on axis at 22.1x but the slight avian astigmatism perceivable in the ST80 was still there. Albeit now nearer the edge of field, I’d hoped the f/5.8 focal ratio might have ameliorated the seagulls somewhat. Undaunted, I had a good re-sweep of much of what I’d observed earlier with the 36mm Baader and found that the Luminos isn’t a terribly unmanageable eyepiece on the ED72.
 

I returned to the 36mm Hyperion for a butcher’s hook at a rising Pleiades. The Andromeda Galaxy looked beautiful even with the bright Moon. I turned back to a low Summer Triangle around 02:00 and decided to try the Double Double. I split the first pair at 60x with a 7mm Sky-Watcher UWA.

 

When attempting to use a Barlow with the 7mm UWA to see all four stars I discovered that I couldn’t achieve focus. As I was pondering this it was about 02:30 and the Altair RDF had dewed (the objective was completely dew free) and I was well knackered, so I decided to call it a night. It turns out that with eyepieces or eyepiece combinations with focal lengths of less than around 3.5mm a 1.25” diagonal was needed. The focal plane can vary with particular diagonals and is really a process of trial and error.

 

After over a year of using the ED72 I’m still pretty impressed with it. Although I now mount it on a Vixen Porta II again, but with a Vixen Polaris tripod, plus the OTA is now fitted with an aftermarket visual back featuring a compression ring.

 

I’ve had sharp magnifications of the Moon between around 160x to over 180x with no discernible CA. Jupiter and Saturn have shown a lot of detail anywhere between 100x and 140x, and in good conditions I’m sure higher could be achieved. It comes into its own as a rich field scope but it really is a quite flexible and adaptable ‘Jack of all trades’. In February, on my birthday, when I realised the weather would allow me to take a scope out for the first time this year, it was the ED72 that I chose.
 

[gabs]

54 minutes ago, Nightspore said:

 

Thanks. Below is a review I wrote in September 2019 after using the 72ED for a year:

 

I’m physically disabled, so small, light and easily set up scopes tend to get more use. Notwithstanding the vagaries of the weather and available observing windows. My main grab and go rig was a modified (aftermarket rotating focuser) ST80 mounted on a Sky-Watcher AZ5. This was perfectly fine for rich field and occasional lunar and planetary observing. Any CA could be ameliorated with filters and the two-speed GSO Crayford enabled fine focusing.

 

The Crayford made the ST80 rear heavy however and I had to swap the 2” accessories I originally used with 1.25” ones. This was especially true with the ST80 mounted on the AZ5 as I could use 2” EP’s with the Porta II fairly easily. I sometimes needed to use an extension tube to achieve focus. September last year I decided to invest in a Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED DS Pro. The price was good (I actually have eyepieces that cost more), although it came with no accessories. It didn’t even include a 1.25” adapter. It was supplied with a case though.

The doublet consists of a Schott crown but the actual flint element composition hasn’t yet been revealed by Synta. It is very possibly H-FK61 glass made by CDGM in China, which is reputedly very similar to the Japanese made Ohara FPL-51 glass. The OTA has a typical Sky-Watcher Black Diamond finish and the two-speed focuser is precise and very well made. I thought the finder shoe screw could be smoother but it does its job. The OTA has a detachable dewshield with a metal threaded dust cap and the objective appears well coated.

 

At 23:30, 05/09/18, 2018 BST the ED72 was all set up. I had no dew control apart from an Omegon flexible dew shield as an extension to the Evostar’s own integral shield. There was light cloud and the transparency was below average with humidity at around 80%. A 2“ Baader Amici was in the focuser together with a 36mm Baader Hyperion Aspheric giving 11.6x and 6 arc degrees of TFOV.

 

First light target was Albireo, and the two stars looked like beautiful jewels hanging in space. The colours and overall colour separation of the Evostar were exquisite. So far, so good. Next up was the Veil Nebula with a 2“ ES broadband OIII filter.

 

This was one of the best views of the Veil that year and it was nice to use the 2“ EP’s after a year or so of neglect. I had no problems with balance or weight distribution and even rotating the diagonal wasn’t a real problem. I spent some time in the Summer Triangle (without the OIII) and I had some impressive views. I turned my attention to Cassiopeia and Perseus and all of the rich open clusters around the region. 

 

Eventually I decided to give the 19mm Celestron Luminos a spin. This 2“ EP weighs about a metric tonne and is very shiny. The Double Cluster looked very good on axis at 22.1x but the slight avian astigmatism perceivable in the ST80 was still there. Albeit now nearer the edge of field, I’d hoped the f/5.8 focal ratio might have ameliorated the seagulls somewhat. Undaunted, I had a good re-sweep of much of what I’d observed earlier with the 36mm Baader and found that the Luminos isn’t a terribly unmanageable eyepiece on the ED72.
 

I returned to the 36mm Hyperion for a butcher’s hook at a rising Pleiades. The Andromeda Galaxy looked beautiful even with the bright Moon. I turned back to a low Summer Triangle around 02:00 and decided to try the Double Double. I split the first pair at 60x with a 7mm Sky-Watcher UWA.

 

When attempting to use a Barlow with the 7mm UWA to see all four stars I discovered that I couldn’t achieve focus. As I was pondering this it was about 02:30 and the Altair RDF had dewed (the objective was completely dew free) and I was well knackered, so I decided to call it a night. It turns out that with eyepieces or eyepiece combinations with focal lengths of less than around 3.5mm a 1.25” diagonal was needed. The focal plane can vary with particular diagonals and is really a process of trial and error.

 

After over a year of using the ED72 I’m still pretty impressed with it. Although I now mount it on a Vixen Porta II again, but with a Vixen Polaris tripod, plus the OTA is now fitted with an aftermarket visual back featuring a compression ring.

 

I’ve had sharp magnifications of the Moon between around 160x to over 180x with no discernible CA. Jupiter and Saturn have shown a lot of detail anywhere between 100x and 140x, and in good conditions I’m sure higher could be achieved. It comes into its own as a rich field scope but it really is a quite flexible and adaptable ‘Jack of all trades’. In February, on my birthday, when I realised the weather would allow me to take a scope out for the first time this year, it was the ED72 that I chose.
 

I simply love to read it!

 

I may need a huge a massive explanation to align my new eq 3-2 mount . Step by step I need to start to undertstand again how to get a good star alignment.. tonight I miserably failed 😞 

[Nightspore]

2 hours ago, gabs said:

I simply love to read it!

 

I may need a huge a massive explanation to align my new eq 3-2 mount . Step by step I need to start to undertstand again how to get a good star alignment.. tonight I miserably failed 😞 

 

Thanks. The EQ3-2 sounds like a steep learning curve. This is why I tend to prefer alt azimuth mounts. Oddly, I've come full circle and use the 72ED on an AZ5 mount now. 

Edited June 11, 2021 by Nightspore

[Marmot]

9 hours ago, gabs said:

I simply love to read it!

 

I may need a huge a massive explanation to align my new eq 3-2 mount . Step by step I need to start to undertstand again how to get a good star alignment.. tonight I miserably failed 😞 

 

Hi Gabs

in what respect are you failing to get alignment?

Are you finding it hard to align with the Pole Star or is it that you are managing this, but your Go To system is not aligning with your chosen subjects?

 

Did your tripod come with instructions on achieving alignment? If not, Skywatcher have made suitable instructions on the Internet. (Alignment, balancing etc)

[gabs]

Hi,

 

not problem to get a polar alignment having used a sky adventure get Polaris it wasn’t difficult.

 

what I found more “ strange” is the 3 star alignment. I came from a alt az mount which get the home position very easy to understand... scope point north and in level. 
the equatorial mount requires a different home position which I found different view. The instruction doesn’t help too much but I found some tutorials that should help me.

 

basically once I set date time location etc and press yes to start alignment the stars were all in the wrong place.

 

now I understood that probably the home position wasn’t correct 😐 

[Marmot]

I see. So it’s more an issue with setting up the Go To System.

When I first tentatively entered into this hobby, I originally bought a relatively cheap scope and Go To system from the used market. It was vastly inferior to yours and I soon sold it and moved onto my present set up which was more suited to my needs. However, I would say that the Go To system required setting up quite precisely to get it to operate correctly.

I found that the level of the tripod had a noticeable influence on its accuracy.

If your system relies on it all being level, you may find it more accurate by relying on a system other than the bubble level built into the mount. The bubble in the EQ 3-2 mount is very small, to the point of being hard to see and get an accurate read from.