Celestron Edge HD 8" Review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ค. 2024
- Hi folks,
In this video, I review my new Celestron Edge HD 8" (800) Telescope. I'll first get into why I bought this telescope in the first place. After that, I'll unbox this telescope and discuss some of the main advantages of the Celestron Edge HD 8" telescope. I'll end with showing you some first light pictures of the Edge HD of the moon and planets (under poor seeing conditions).
My blog on the Edge HD 8: astroforumspace.com/celestron...
Affiliate links to Astrophotography Gear used in this video:
Celestron Edge HD 8" telescope:
Agena Astro (USA): bit.ly/462ogYG
ASTROSHOP (EU): bit.ly/38IfjIz
SkyWatcher EQ6R-Pro Mount:
Agena Astro (USA): bit.ly/3quwrMW
ASTROSHOP (EU): bit.ly/2L9ZvkU
AMAZON: amzn.to/2tIR8I7
ZWO ASI1600mm Pro camera (moon pictures in video):
Agena Astro (USA): bit.ly/2WaWYx4
AMAZON: amzn.to/2Sewmbz
ASTROSHOP (EU): bit.ly/2AJdQD4
ZWO ASI178MC (pictures of planets in video):
Agena Astro (USA): bit.ly/422UIa0
AMAZON: amzn.to/2m6Lawn
ASTROSHOP (EU): bit.ly/3lLSmbr
IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT ME, YOU CAN DO THE FOLLOWING:
1) SUBSCRIBE to my channel by clicking on the RED subscribe button on the right of the screen
2) Visit my website and give me some feedback or ask questions:
- astroforumspace.com/
3) Buy some of my merchandise on my website here:
- astroforumspace.com/shop/
4) Use one of my affiliate links to buy your Astrogear:
- Astroshop (EU): bit.ly/3ijbZVZ
- OPT (USA): bit.ly/3ikp9Sz
- Amazon (worldwide): amzn.to/3gGLWaK
YOUR SUPPORT IS HIGHLY APPRECIATED!
You can also find me here:
www.astroforumspace.com/
/ astroforum
Music:
Wiljan - Shura
Scott Buckley - Soar
Steven O' Brien - Epic Theme
The lounge - bensound.com
Contents:
0:00 Intro
2:00 Why I bought an 8" Edge HD
3:21 Unboxing the Edge HD
5:09 Advantages of the Edge HD
10:14 Daytime test
13:38 First images - poor seeing conditions - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Love the video keep up the great work!! My edge hd 8 is finally suppose to come Monday and this just made me even more excited
Thanks, hope you enjoy it!
Great Video! My first and only telescope since I started astroimaging a few years ago has been an EDGE HD8 w/ reducer. While it's a steep learning curve, it produces great images. I just need a better mount (currently a CGEM) and thinking about a GEM45. With an ASI1600MM mono and OAG, narrowband imaging in Bortle 8 skies works well at 5 minute subs. Enjoy your new telescope!
Amazing video covering all major celestial bodies, Especially with the Moon surface on the Copernicus crater, loved it.... I will be getting a 8" Edge HD soon, eagerly waiting for the shipment....
Thanks! Hope you'll have a great time!
Great review! I have this exact same OTA but after initially using for planetary, I got a HyperStar and have been using it for deep sky exclusively in that mode (F1.9) on my iOptron CEM40. I really love it in that mode. It is so fast that with a good filter like L-eXtreme I can take some pretty decent images in my Bortles 8 neighborhood despite the fact that I'm a complete beginner.
Thanks for sharing your experiences Michael. I may be heading in the same direction. Will use the 0.7 reducer first. Thanks!
Congratulations Sr. ! I like your videos, you are very honest, keep it up doing. Clear skys !!
Thank you, thanks for watching!
I enjoy your videos. Keep them coming. I am using a classic Celestron C11 f/10 SCT that was gifted to me by a friend. I have it mounted on a Losmandy G11 GEM.
Hi Scott, that sounds like an awesome setup. Enjoy!
Just subscribed to your channel. I also just bought the 8” Edge HD paired with the EQ6-R Pro. I’m currently still waiting on it to arrive so I’m watching all the TH-cam videos for now.
Hi there, hope it will arrive soon. We have lots of cloudy nights ATM. As soon as I have come clear skies I'll test the edge hd again.
I have the Celestron NexStar 6" SCT. I got it with an alt az mount but recently upgraded to the EQ6R Pro. Have not had the chance or skies to take it outside with the new mount. Also working on modifying (moving primary mirror forward) my older Celestron Newtonian (AstroMaster 130) to fix an in-focus issue for AP. Down the road I will probably upgrade to the 8" or 11" Edge HD. My next immediate astro-fever purchase will be the Celestron auto focuser. Great review of the OTA. One small piece of feedback...the music during unboxing, for me, was a bit much, but not enough to stop watching your posts. :) Clear skies!!
LOL, thanks for the feedback. I'm also interested in the focusser, would be useful... Not having to go outside in wintertime is a big plus.
Brilliant presentation, thanks for effort/sharing. Take care.
Thanks! Hope it was helpful :-).
I am first generation American born in the USA in the 60’s to parents that I migrated from Holland! I’m using and Edge HD 8”, I love to shoot F2 with my Hyperstar v4 on the front! But it’s great in F10 and F7 too. What I love is one telescope dose it all!
Great story! Do you know where your parents lived in the Netherlands? Yes, I like the telescope very much so far but have to try it on deepsky objects. The weather is pretty terrible here at the moment.
My dad was from Amsterdam and my mom was from the southern tip of Holland I forget the town... basically she lived out in the country! All my relatives still live in Holland... my mom and dad both had seven brothers and sisters.
Great to hear that! Maybe your mom is from Maastricht, it's close to the German/ Belgian borders.
love the way you did the outtro this video, music was awesome.
Thanks Simon, clear skies!
Hi Wido
In 2019 I finally bit the bullet and ventured into Astrophotography after an off and on lifetime of visual astronomy starting out with a department store built Tasco 4.5" 900mm focal length Newtonian I bought in 1973.
That scope enabled me to see the Moon, Jupiter and its moons, Saturn and its rings, Mars, split the Alpha Centauri double, the Jewel Box cluster, Orion Nebula, Comet Kohoutek, Halley's Comet and see Omega Centauri as an unresolvable cottonwool fuzzball amongst other things over the years. I still have that scope and have restored it a couple of times.
Come 2013 with retirement around the corner and going to a star party with the Newtonian, I was sold on dobsonians so then a short time later bought an Orion XX14G Dob which astounded me with vastly improved views of everything I had seen before and then some. I could resolve stars in globular clusters now with Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae being incredible.
Late last year I saw results that were coming from astrophotographers so came up with the prerequisites of a) solid EQ mount b) good widefield astrophotography potential c) good planetary and small galaxy astrophotography potential. I then built a purpose built small shed to replace the garden shed housing my dob and old newtonian.
Finally bought a Celestron CGX mount, Celestron RASA 8, Celestron EdgeHD 8, ZWO ASI294MC Pro Cooled Colour Camera for the RASA, ZWO ASI224MC Camera for the EdgeHD and other stuff adding to the bottomless pit that is astrophotography.
I was hoping to cover all bases both visually and for astrophotography and so far I am very happy although getting to know how to properly process my photos, flats etc along with balance issues and of course the weather is frustrating to say the least.
I found out about hyperstar after my scopes purchase but am happy about leaving each scope setup permanently and just swapping to and from the CGX is fine.
My latest acquisitions were the x7 reducer for the EdgeHD and a Paracorr for the Dob as I still do visual at times while I catch photos
Hi Scott, thanks for sharing your life story :-). You certainly have some telescopes that I desire. Hope you'll be able to enjoy some clear skies soon (weather in autumn is always terrible here).
I am a begginer and have settled on the Sky Rover 80 ED and heq 5 mount. I watched your video on begginer telescopes very useful information in my research. I will be pairing with a Canon 6D to start with. Great videos and great attitude 🙏👍
Thanks Oliver, sounds like a good setup to start AP. Clear skies!
Congratulations on your new Edge SCT. I have mine for 7 years now and it has it has grown with me as I developed my skills in astrophotography. I mainly bought it for flexibility, the ability to shoot planets and deep sky, it does both extremely well.
I have recently tried to get into f/7 with the reducer, but just a tip...it is very sensitive to back focus, +/- 1.5mm maximum. I ordered a new variable Baader 50mm adapter as all of my other adapters are either too long or short. I am also seriously considering the FASTAR attachment...maybe next year! I hope it brings you as much fun as it brought me!
Thank you for the backfocus info and sharing your experiences! Highly appreciated, clear skies.
Back focus with the reducer is 55mm
I have an EON 130 f/7 triplet, selected to optimize visual experience with the planets, the moon, globular clusters and so on. I prioritized my initial spend on new glass - as big a triplet as I could reasonably carry and afford and some amazing eyepieces both wide-field and planetary with great eye relief. Orion's stuff hit a good price point for me. I'm delighted with it. I also expect this telescope to be versatile enough to photograph the same objects I like to look at, including some deep-sky objects. I'm awaiting delivery of an upgrade kit for my old EQ6 mount (to add an autoguide port), for that purpose, and still making choices about the rest of the gear. Your videos are really helpful Wido. I've revised my wish list over and over again! The Edge is surely one of the best choices you could have made given your interests.
Hi there, I'm glad my videos are useful for you! I would be interested in the kind of astrophotography you can do with that nice 130 f/7 triplet. Hope you'll find that modification for the eq-6 to autoguide. Let me know if you have any questions. Clear skies!
The pics of the moon... Incredible. As if you only have to step out of the Apollo and walk... Scott Buckley underlining it. Perfect. Thanks so much for sharing
Thank you so much for your positive feedback! Happy holidays.
Got the edge hd 800 sct myself and loving it
Congrats on your new Edge! I would like one too.
Thanks Chuck! With a 5x powermate on your RASA you'll have the same focal length, lol. But seriously, I'm really happy. The c8 was collimated out of the box.
@@AstroForumSpace lol
Why's that Chuck? Wouldn't you rather stick with your RASA?
Wow, did you get Neptune there? Did you use the Barlow?
Great video. Was thinking about the edge HD myself, but found a real nice deal on a C8 with reducer and Fastar. Enjoy your new scope. Clear skies 👍
I used a 2.5 Barlow and my ASI 178mc for the planets. Had some poor astronomical seeing and planets - accept Mars - were close to the horizon. Had a great time though, thanks for watching!
Nice video!
I use a Evostar 72ED for deep sky and saving for a Skymax 127 for planetary and lunar.
Well done Wido. Glad I found this video as I am looking to add this very scope (Edge 8") to my collection. Currently I use the AT115 EDT which I have been very happy with as it is a great all around medium size refractor and prior to that I was using the Orion ED80. I would like to zero in on smaller objects (galaxies and Planetary Nebulae) but also like the Hyperstar availability as well. I was thinking about the Edge 9.25" but I don't want to mess with the added weight and bulk so I was leaning towards the Edge 8". Also, the Edge 8" happens to be the same weight as the AT115 EDT. - Cheers Kurt
Hey Kurt, great to hear from you, hope you are doing well. I actually hesitated a lot between a bigger refractor and the C8. I decided that it was fun to try something new, hope it works out. As you point out, I would like to use the edge HD with the 0.7 reducer to zoom in on some of the smaller galaxies. It is somewhat of a challenge with the terrible light pollution we have in the city, but I'm planning to attempt this in 2021, perhaps with a color camera as galaxies are primarily broadband targets anyway. And with a barlow you can use the C8 for planetary imaging. Happy holidays and I hope you'll have a great 2021 with lots of astrophotography opportunities!
@@AstroForumSpace Thanks for the information and Happy new Year to you as well!
Nice review, I have my eye on that same OTA to replace my 6" Celestron SCT. Maybe next year but I think I want to get a new camera first to replace my modded DSLR! I'd also need to check if the EdgeHD 8" is getting close to the max weight for my AVX mount.
Yes, this is one of the reasons why I switched to the Eq6r-pro, it can handle a bit more weight than my older AVX. The c8 is 6.3kg so I would guess the AVX is able to carry this scope, but the periodic error will probably be a bit higher... Fine for planetary but maybe problematic for Deep-sky. Thanks for watching!
Awesome review...!
Thank you!
Currently using a skywatcher 80ED refractor telescope but thinking about purchasing an upgrade and getting an EdgeHD
Meade ETX and svbony sv305, for now that seems to keep me working.
The detail on the moon was amazing, I bet it would look so cool at 1/4 moon.
Will step up to a better scope one day. quite likely possibly an 80ED refractor.
Excelent video, I've a NextStar 8SE, is kind of similar, I living in the city too and for this reason I always focus in the objects from solar system, but I had good results with brillant deepsky objects like M57 and star clusters using the 8SE telescope
Thanks Jacinto. As soon as we'll have some clear skies I'll try some deep sky images.
Wow - amazing images!!!
Thank you!
Hi, to answer your question... Edge HD 11" (2800mm focal length) is my latest scope, and I started off with an 8" Bresser Newtonian. and using CGX mount (also an Exos 2 that came with the newtonian). Waiting or the 0.7 reducer coming, and also have a RASA 11" on back order :-)
Big spender :-). Great choices, enjoy!
@@AstroForumSpace Thanks, how did you get on with you polar and star alignment? First time I looked through the eyepiece I was completely lost, there is just so much more star compared to the 8" newt. I invested in Star Sense Auto Align kit (as you can see on my channel and that made things so much easier. The issue at the moment is guiding I think. don't think they 60/280 guidescope is sufficiently matched. I'm going to change it for my other guidescope, 90/500 and see how that goes, potentially with a barlow if needed.
Beautiful telescope. I am a purely visual observer and love my 8 inch dobsonian, but would love a celestron as well.
Dobsonians are perfect for visual obervation Jonatan. I hope you'll have a great 2021 with lots of clear skies!
Well done, you convinced me to get this one. Still my brain tries to "stick" to the bigger and more expensive refractor route
I know the feeling :-).
@@AstroForumSpace I am sure of it :)))))
Be prepared to lose another one of your ribs of you plan on buying a Hyperstar with that scope.
Thanks for the great review. I'm stuck between the Edge HD 8, 9.25 or 11. I keep leaning towards the 8 because it seems that it would be much easier for astrophotography, but an 11 with the reducer is about the same focal length but faster. The 8 would be so much lighter for my EQ6 mount too. Tough choices, can you elaborate more on why you chose the 8 vs 9.25 or 11? If you even considered the others.
My main reason was price. In Europe there's 20% vat added to celestron edge hd telescopes, putting the 9.25 over 3k euros. If you're willing to spend the money, I think the 9.25 or 11 will definitely outperform the 8. Thanks for watching!
EdgeHD8" on AVX mount. 1 month old.
It only comes with 1 counterweight - get a 2nd with this mount if you want to do astro, the moment you put any camera on the back it needs it for RA.
But also the OTA is so short, you will end up needing to slide it to the very extreme of the dovetail to balance DEC. Or as I am in the process of doing and machining some brass plates to attach to the front of the OTA dovetail.
Currently using QHY colour and Mono 183M and 183C oneshot - not with the best results as still waiting on filter wheels, and also focal reducer. Instead getting great results from the fullframe Sony A7R3 attached via the T-adaptor.
We struggle with Bortle 7 - 8 here, so looking forward to some country viewing over Xmas period, and having filters to go with it!
Nice, thanks for your detailed feedback. Have been thinking about how to balance the scope better myself. Hope you'll have some clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace definitely had some good seeing last night :)
The trade off here in Melbourne during summer for the weather being beautiful, is that it is daylight savings, meaning 1st starlight isn't until after 8:30-9pm so comparing to winter I lose around 3 hrs of potential sub time due to having to wait until 9pm to get good alignment (unable to leave scope in it's normal viewing spot overnight.) Took 1hr of subs for Carina Nebula last night (midnight) before realising it wasn't even aligned centrally on Eta Cerinae! Polar alignment was good though...so at least the image of the edge of the Nebula was Clear...HAHA!
Brilliant video thank you. I just wanted to clarify sorry, i been saving up for this camera and will get this after the pandemic. Yoy mentioned the camera can be used for planetary viewing is that standard im the package or did you buy that separately if so how.much are they. Did you use them in this video. I really appreciate your help and a beginner at this but been studying so i really need this camera.
Hi there, thanks! the ASI 178 is a good planetary camera. You can also do some deep sky astrophotography with it, but a cooled camera would be better. I've made this video on planetary and deep-sky cameras, perhaps useful: th-cam.com/video/kNL12mCbbm8/w-d-xo.html
clear skies!
Thanks for this video Wido. I want to buy this telescope ASAP but actually not available on stock as OTA :(.
Great Channel! Best regards from Switzerland
Thank you Marcel!
Thanks for explaining the "why" of selecting the Edge HD. I'm really attracted by the versatility and optical quality of this scope, though wonder if it would be over kill given my biggest use case initially will be lunar. Few questions for you;
1. Would an iOptron CEM26 mount be sufficient for the edge HD 8?
2. What Barlow lenses would you recommend for this scope for high magnification?
Hi Dominic, thanks. The cem26 will be able to track the moon with the edge hd. For deep-sky Astrophotography with the edge hd 8" I'd recommend a mount with a higher payload capacity like the EQ6R pro, or gem45. For magnification purposes of the Planets I'm using a 2.5x APO Barlow. Hope this helps. Clear skies
Nice video Wido! Great telescope! Stellarvue 90 mm fluorite APO + ZWO 1600 mm pro. CS!
Thanks Douwe, Nice astrogear!
Now that you've had your 8" Edge HD SCT for a while I was wondering what you think about guiding with the guide scope? I'm about to take the plunge into my first SCT (also an 8" Edge HD) and from what I've heard and read you really need to use an OAG instead of a guide scope because of the difference in focal length. Have you found that to be true and if so how much more difficult is it to get the right rotation on the OAG to find a good guide star? Thanks for any input you have. Love the channel!
Hi Uschi, thanks! I'm in the middle of testing guiding with a supershort focal length guidescope (162mm). I'm actually surprised to see that guiding (although not perfect) is reasonable. You can check out my livestream on my channel from last Saturday where I show some 5 minute exposures at 1500mm focal length with that short guidescope. All this being said, I'm still considering an OAG, out of curiosity.
@@AstroForumSpace Thanks for the reply. Good to know that, even if it's not perfect, reasonable guiding can be had with a guidescope rather than an OAG. It certainly makes the transition to SCT much easier when you can reuse existing equipment, at least for the time being. If you do get an OAG please do a video on it to help the rest of us that also don't have experience with setting up an OAG learn.
Gretat content and loved the music at the end !! :-)
Thank you Simon! Music references are in the description of the video.
@@AstroForumSpace Any chance of a video on Mac free mac Apps that can align several pictures ? So I have taken many pictures of Orion with my DSLR and would love to align and stack these in a free Mac app ;-) thanks!
@@astrodad-simonb277 sorry Simon, can't help you there. I'm using windows based computers for my AP.
@@astrodad-simonb277 Parallels or Bootcamp + DeepSkyStacker is easiest free way to go
@@SunJao Thank you - researching and reading booked for the weekend :-)
I'm using Celestron Astromaster 130 EQ and planning to buy a motorized mount.
Sound good! I have some videos on Equatorial mounts on my YT channel, clear skies!
Great video! I think this is the telescope I am going to get. They have it paired with the Advanced VX mount. Do you have an opinion on the mount? Thank you!
Hi Denise. The AVX is a good mount, the maximum payload capacity is 13.6 kg (30 pounds) so that's enough to carry the 8" edge HD. Are you going to use it for deep sky astrophotography as well? In that case you may want to consider a mount that has a higher max. payload capacity, they usually track objects in the night sky with greater accuracy which you may need for long exposure pictures. I have separate videos on beginner and advanced astrophotography mounts. You can check these on my channel if you are interested. Clear skies and a happy 2021!
Just Awesome!
I ordered the CPC 800 deluxe last week. Today I talked to a nice lady at OPT. I was told I should have mine by late May. Happy Birthday to me. For now I get a good scope and should have some great visual observing until I save up for the camera, reducer, filter wheel and so on. I haven't decided whether to use a guide scope or go off axis. Any thoughts on which way to go? Thank you and be safe.
Hey, another great video! I have the Nexstar 8SE as my long focal scope. I'm just about to invest in a tracking scope for it, and although I've settled on the ZWO mini as the guide camera the scope is more difficult,..Could you recommend a good guide scope to go with this camera? many thanks and keep up the great work!
Hi Steve, thank you! I have to figure this out myself. I do like my short Orion guidescope with my 120mc, it should be able to guide up to 1500mm FL, so I'm probably pushing it. see many people using Off axis guiding solutions. Nothing but cloudy nights in the Netherlands at the moment.
@@AstroForumSpace ill keep reading up on it as well then. Let me know if you find a good one for the 2000mm FL and i'll do the same! Many thanks - and clear skies are inbound for you! :)
I currently use a WO 80mm for deep sky since I am fairly new and it is more forgiving with my guiding, this is my next step up either and Edge HD 8 hopefully this matches well with an ASI 1600mm Pro camera.
Great to hear! I'm still using my 80mm APO regularly for deep sky astrophotography, I love that setup. It depends on the size of the target which telescope I'll use.
awesome video!
Thank you Bradley.
I have the Celestron Nexstar 8 SE cousin of that OTA on its Alt-Az mount. I have used it for planetary/lunar photography for about 3 years. Very good for lunar with a webcam or DSLR. Quite good on Saturn and Mars but struggles a bit with the low contrast markings on Jupiter. I find using a 1.5x Barlow gives good image scale without too much empty magnification due to the usually poor seeing on the Canadian Pacific coast.
Thanks David! The 8SE is indeed very good for solar system imaging.
Very nice. Nexstar 6Se and Nikon DSLR....still not decided on an astrophotography camera despite your great video!
Thanks Alan! Let me know if I can help :-)
I recall in one of your videos you had a first fight with the eq6-r pro. How are you getting on with the mount and do you miss the AVX?
Hi Rob, thanks for asking. The Eq6r-pro is fine, used some superglue to fix the belt drive. I'm getting good guiding results. Did an extra review with Chuck, you can find it here: th-cam.com/video/16K8BwW9BAA/w-d-xo.html
Skywatcher HEQ5 and ASI 1600 MM pro with:
- An Edge 8 HD that I use at the native focal length for the planets and with the .7 reducer for small deep sky objects
- A Teleskop Service 80mm sextuplet that I bought in great part thanks to your advice for the large DSOs. Sadly I haven't had time to test this one due to poor weather conditions and the french second lockdown limiting me to Paris so like you, it's moon and planets images only for the time being. Previously, I had the sky watcher EVO 70 but got rid of it due to the poor build construction of the OTA
I was able to get some very decent shots of Mars and some small DSOs (M101, dumbbell and iris nebulae for instance) with the Edge HD. I would like to buy the Hyperstar system next year but am wondering if it's still being made since it seems to be on back order with no availability delay.
Hi Damien, thanks for sharing. Great to hear you've successfully used it on some smaller DSOs, that's also my plan. I've also bought the 0.7 reducer. I noticed that the hyperstar is still available in the USA (optcorp), so I have hope that the indefinite backorder is mostly due to Covid-19. I've talked to a Dutch astroshop and they confirmed that they are out of stock for most of their astrogear due to the virus. Thanks again! Clear skies and stay safe.
Hello from Riverside California. I am using an older Celestron CPC800 along with a Nikon D7500 camera when I am shooting my videos of the moon which are posted on my TH-cam channel. Image By Pat Photography I have been showing what and who is on the moon, not your regular flash of the moon. Some of these videos take you on a drone like fly over the lunar surface. Always wishing you clear skies and I'll catch you on the next shutter click.
Hi, one question if you had to choose between a C8+EQ6 mount or C9.25+AVX mount... Which one would you prefer?
C9.25 on a Eq6r-pro :-)... perhaps negotiate with the dealer?
get the best mount you can all your future telescopes will go on the mount a bad mount will make a expensive telescope look very bad in astro imaging but a good mount and great tracking mount will make a cheap telescope look good the mount is the heart of the system get the best mount you can if you are doing astro imaging and to save wobbling/ vibration in the wind for visual
cheers
james D
Hi Mate,i have the evo edge HD8 with Alt-Az.Will migrate to Eq mount later in the year.Just wanted to ask what guiding scope you are using?
Hi Ashwin, I'm using a very simple 50mm Orion mini guidescope, not the best option but it does the job and is easy to install. I've made a video about selecting guidescope here:th-cam.com/video/Fs-zImN1avg/w-d-xo.html perhaps useful, clear skies!
What cheap guide scope and ST-4 guide camera would you recommend for this scope and skywatcher EQ-6 R pro?
That's what I'm figuring out right now :-). I'm using a 50mm orion guidescope at the moment with a ZWO ASI 120MC Camera and a .7 reducer to get the focal length down to 1440mm. I readily admit the focal length of the orion guidescope is a bit on the short side (163mm). On the other hand, it is a very light setup and I did some initial tests and I was satisfied with the round stars I was getting at 3 to 5 minute exposures.
I recently bought a Celestron Nexstar 6SE, would you consider that something that could do deep space photography with? I enjoy our videos but at times you provide a lot of information for someone new to the hobby. It gets overwhelming. Have you considered doing a series for beginners interested in getting started. Min requirements for planetary photography, or deep space. Recommend a decent beginner camera instead of putting a bunch out there. A new person wouldn't know the meaning of most of the specs or understand which one is important and which, not so much. What software program to use and walk through how to use it. Something to make it a little easier for a new person to get started. Thanks. BTW, I do enjoy your videos and I always smile at your music selections. It a subtle thing but you match the music to the topic and how you present it.
Please tell me how you fixed 2 inch gear into it's 1.25 visual back. Is it possible to directly fix 2 inch gear by removing the visual back altogether?
Exciting new scope. Please let us know how you get on with guiding at the native FL. Received wisdom seems to be that it works best with a celestron oag and matched camera eg asi 174 mm mini. This obviously adds considerably to the cost if true. What about dew shield/heater? Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm with these helpful videos.
Yes, I'll do. I'll be using my little guidescope first, see how the goes. Probably the focal length will be too short, we'll find out (if the skies clear). Thanks!
Dew shield and heater is a must for the EDGE HD and was one of the first accessories I purchased.
I just ordered an 8" Edge and I'm trying to understand how to properly connect a ZWO mono cam and EFW to it. You mentioned that you needed an SCT to 2" adapter to make it work. I was curious if you could tell me exactly which one you got, was it the T-Adapter that Celestron makes specifically for the Edge series or was it Celestron's regular SCT to 2"? Love your videos!
Hi Jesse, I use this one: bit.ly/39gaxS5 (USA affiliate link) and bit.ly/39iF8P9 (EU affiliate link)
@@AstroForumSpace Thanks!
Great review but I must ask... how the heck did you get your hands on one of those??? I ordered mine 12 weeks ago yesterday with no end in sight and I’m getting very anxious!
See links in description. German based webshops van stil deliver.
@@AstroForumSpace that’s pretty amazing considering my order has been drop shipped with Celestron directly! Going on 13 weeks now! Would they deliver to the USA?
Top video's zeg.
Ik heb een mooie oude C8 OTA op een Vixen sxw. Net begonnen met astrofotografie. Hier in noord Holland tussen de kassen is het bijna niet te doen gezien de lichtvervuiling.
Voor een beetje resultaat moet ik er echt opuit. Ook ben ik nog aan het stoeien met de collimatie. Ik durf eerlijk gezegd bijna niet aan die schroefjes te komen uit angst dat ik het helemaal verknal. Ik fotografeer nog met een dslr canon 1200 . Niet gemod. Dus je merkt wel ik sta echt aan het begin. Totdat ik foto's kan maken zoals jij zal nog wel wat jaartjes oefening vergen.
De dichtsbijzijnde lokale sterrenclub is in Heerhugowaard, op zich vlakbij maar door corona even geen begeleiding. Ik moet het nog even zelf doen. Ik bekijk je video's en absorbeer de kennis al een spons. Nou dat was er eentje in het nederlands voor de verandering.
Ik hoop binnenkort mooie platen te zien van je 8" edge. Clear skies. Martin
Hoi Martin, dank je en dat komt vast goed. Als ik het kan leren kan jij het zeker. Ik heb nagedacht over een Nederlands kanaal maar uiteindelijk toch voor Engels gekozen met een Nederlands accent :-). Mocht je vragen hebben stel ze gerust. En als je veel last hebt van luchtvervuiling dan kun je eens proberen om met een smalbandfilter te fotograferen, helpt enorm. Groeten uit Utrecht!
Hee wat leuk om zo snel al een reactie van je krijgen. En oei als ik al mijn vragen op je loslaat zitten we hier nog wel even.
Ik heb die sxw mount nog maar net en die starbook interface.... pff dat moet beter kunnen dacht ik. Dus starbook is alleen nog maar een hub die ik aan mijn statief heb bevestigd. Met een netwerk kabeltje aan een draadloos routertje gehangen en nu bestuur ik de mount goto via Sky safari draadloos op mijn samsung tablet.
Maar ik moest het optische deel nog goed inrichten dus polarscope techniek leren. En eeh dat collimeren durf ik niet dus laat ik het even hoe het is.
En nu maar wachten op een wonder een heldere nacht. Ik lees en leer veel. Maar ik snap nog geen iota van guiding of platesolving.
Dat was er allemaal nog niet toen ik 45 jaar geleden mijn eerste 10 cm spiegel sleep voor een echte Newton telescoop. Ha toen was ik 14.
Hij ligt nog ergens op zolder.
De hobby heeft zo'n 40 jaar gesmeuld maar nu is de vlam in de pan geslagen. Wat een mogelijkheden heb je nu zeg.
Ik zal je nog wel eens lastig vallen met een vraagje hier en daar. Intussen rommel ik lekker aan. En kijk enigzins jaloers uit naar je avonturen met je 8" edge.
Groet Martin
Have a 6" classic cassegrain and a evostar 120mm refractor.
Planing to buy a focal reducer for the evostar to capture some DSO if possible.
Nice! Evostar with reducer should work fine I think. I'm figuring out the back focus for my camera for the 0.7 reducer of the edge HD.
@@AstroForumSpace I bought a used canon 1200d to start shooting DSO like andromeda and orion nebula.
U think thats doable with the evostar?
Well I’m also using a C8 edgeHD with or without the 0.7 reducer, but also a ZS61 from William Optics. Very different focal, but each of them for very different targets
Yes, exactly. It's complementary.
8 inch reflector seems to currently be the sweet spot for aperture vs price. Anything smaller, you don't save much, anything larger has a rapid increase in price.
Yes, for me, the 8" edge HD was a good price/quality balance. The 9.25 is better, but as you said, $1K more expensive. Clear skies!
You know that you are dealing with some weight when it says “Team Lift” on the outside of the box.😊. Very, very nice telescope!
I own the same telescope. I recomend you to replace rear port screw adapter with baader clicklock 2956220 with some 2” to T2-adapter.
Thank you for your advise.
This is the exact telescope that I have, except mine is on the standard Celestron mount that has the single arm and it’s alt-azimuth in operation. Mine has the “StarSense” auto alignment which makes alignment incredibly easy - all you need to do is level the tripod and put the alignment makes in the right position then turn it on and watch it point at three parts of the sky. It does “plate solving” to figure out where it’s pointing. After maybe 3 minutes it is finished. I use the smartphone app from Celestron to control the scope. Just select “Saturn” on the app and it slews to that planet!!! What is really cool is finding objects that are too faint to see without optical aid. I’ve managed to take some images of planets, double stars and a couple of deeper sky objects. Yes, Deep Sky isn’t really what this scope excels at for astrophotography, I was just seeing what it can and can’t do. Optically, I think this scope provides great visual images and it’s really good overall. My photos are from videos taken with a low cost planetary camera (SvBony 305). Probably the 0.7 focal reducer and a better imaging device are my next steps. Enjoyed your review!! If you have time, please look at the images I’ve captured on my channel. Just bear in mind I’m a total beginner at astrophotography so your results are much better!
Thanks die sharing your experiences Martyn. I think you have the Celestron evostar? That's a very nice telescope to capture the moon and planets. I'll check out your channel, clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace Thanks! In the USA my telescope is called “Celestron NexStar Evolution 8" EdgeHD with StarSense - 12096”.
Great video! Currently I'm actually using just a 200mm camera lens on my canon dslr with a mini track lx3. But I am looking to upgrade to a HEQ5 with a wiliam optics zenithstar 73. Still trying to figure some stuff out tho since it wil be my first imaging telescope and mount. I don't know if i need the field flatener for one.
Hi Jeroen, sound good! I thought the zenithstar is a doublet, right? If so, you probably don't need a field flattener.
@@AstroForumSpace Yeah it is a apo doublet. I am realy looking forward to using a proper setup but also kinda nervous becouse its all new and dont know if the mount + scope + canon EOS 700D is even a good match since I just came up with the combination myself. But i gues thats also part of the fun of learning all the new things and seeing my images get better over time.
@@AstroForumSpace can you please explain why we might not need a field flattener for that ZS73 doublet? I thought ff is more necessary for doublets than triplets! Great review as always!
I have a WO ZS73 and can confirm that the flattener makes a huge improvement. Use it with Zwo 1600mm Pro and 8 position filter wheel Also fitted Zwo focuser and guidescope. Use N.I.N.A. to make all work together and leave the system running through night when weather permits!
That had to be an exciting night capturing all that data. Tim
Yes, seeing was bad but I was thrilled to see the telescope was well collimated out of the box. Thanks for watching!
is this a good scope to also do some visual astronomy - for moon, and the planets - in addition to astrophotography ?
It has a flatter field but I'm not sure if you'll be able to see that difference when using it for visual observations. I think the cool down period is short and the edge HD is a popular telescope so if you ever want to sell it again that should be easy. Clear skies.
You should get a tri-bahtinov mask if you are having trouble with collimation. Farpoint Astro has them, not sure if there are any European sellers.
The Celestron motorized focuser (with SGPro) has been a great addition to my EDGE HD 8 as was the PoleMaster!
Can you tell me which SCT to 2" adapter you ended up getting to fit your filter wheel? I usually buy from OPT.
I'm using this one (affiliate link): bit.ly/39gaxS5
@@AstroForumSpace thank you!
hi, great video !!, I want to take pictures of small galaxies like M88 or M90, and I was thinking about this telescope, do you think it works well for that?
Yes, definitely. I just finished a second review with pictures I was able to take for the past months: th-cam.com/video/nYlQv11o6DE/w-d-xo.html
@@AstroForumSpace Yes, I saw it after I had already written my message, your photos are spectacular, I congratulate you !!! It is clear to me that it will serve as you say for what I am looking for (little galaxies). Now, my question is, will it be my best choice of type of telescope or will there be a better option for what I want?
Great Video that has got me thinking. I have been imaging DSO's with a C8 SCT at f6.3, ASI 1600MM on a EQ6R-Pro, which has been great but the field curvature is starting to drive me crazy! Can you confirm that the Edge HD has circular stars in the corners when you image with your ASI 1600MM camera?
The EDGE version of the C8 produces nice circular stars in the corners with my ASI1600MM
@@davidf9494 Excellent, thank you.
Altair 70EDQ-R 70/F5 with or without focal reducer for EOS to Fuji, STC clip-in duo-narrow band, full-spectrum Fuji X-T1, Skyguider Pro + ipolar. I ordered a CEM40 and was shopping for a good option for planetary and I was almost sold on a VC200L until you mentioned the "accessory" to reduce the edge HD 8 to F2. but... Can that hideous orange dovetail be replaced? :-/
Probably, but don't insult the orange dovetail. It's our national colour in the Netherlands, LOL.
I still cannot understand, why people keep thinking, that reducing f-ratio without changing aperture, will let you somehow miraculously capture more details :D. Other than that, great review! I am also looking to buy a SC as my next tube and am still debating, if it will be the EDGE HD or a "simpler" and cheaper design with a flattner/coma corrector
No, it doesn't, but you will be able to capture light faster. Pretty important when tracking at 1500mm focal length...
@@AstroForumSpace No you won't, this is a misconception. You capture exactly the same amount of light from the object you are imaging. Think about it ... how could you capture more photons, if you are letting the same amount of light in? The light you are letting in is the same but comes from a bigger patch of sky and falls on the same sensor. So the relevant objects SEEM to gather light more quicly, while all you are doing is distributing those photons over a smaller surface area. None of this will improve your per/object light-gathering any way. You can achieve almost exactly the same per-object increase of perceived signal by downsampling your image after capturing. Changing f-ratio while keeping everything else equal accomplishes ONLY two things: FOV change and sampling factor. Here is a relevant article explaining this www.stanmooreastro.com/SamplingFratioMyth.htm
I am not writig this to argue with you, I love your content and I think you are a great AP communicator. I just wish the f-ratio myth would die already.
Great video too :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
I am going to purchase an Edge. Just trying to decide on an 8 or a 9.25
My main reason to go for the 8" was price, $1K less expensive. If price is not a limitation for you, I would go for the 9.25 Tony. Good luck with your decision, clear skies!
Does the German Equator make a loud sound when the tracking??
No
I use a older Astro Telescopes 150-900 f5.9 with a EQ6-r Pro mount That's all i can afford at the time But it work's good for me here in The States Indiana Great Videos
Sounds great, and thanks for watching Rodney!
If I buy the Celestron 8” EdgeHD and later want to get into AP should I buy the hyperstar accessory or is it better to buy an 80mm triplex and use the same mount ? Thanks
Hi Mark, it depends a bit on what you want to image. If you have the money and you want an all-round telescope for planets and deepsky, the edge hd is a good choice. I personally bought a .7 reducer to also engage in deep-sky imaging. It's a bit cheaper as compared to the hyperstar. A triplet refractor is also fine for astrophotography, and field of view will be larger. This has its advantages when you start AP, because the shorter focal length is more forgiving and makes it easier to track/image deep-sky objects.
@@AstroForumSpace thanks for getting back to me. Cash is available and I’m definitely gonna get the Edge HD and the hyperstar can reduce it to f/1.9 for $ 1000 if I want to get into AP more deeply.1 I could get an Astrotech 80mm triplet for about $ 800. I was also looking at the Astrotech 115mm loaded with great accessories for about $ 1400. Also looking at the Baader zoom lens which gets great reviews. I have the room for multiple scopes but with the hyperstar only would have one. What do you think ?
@@markcarugan1969 luxury position :-). Do you have some experience with AP? If not, perhaps start with one scope. The edge HD is a multipurpose scope, decent for planetary and good for deepsky when combined with a .7 reducer and/or hyperstar. Also, you'll need a solid EQ mount, do you have one? A good preferably cooled camera and guidescope and guidecam are also necessary for multi minute exposures...I have some posts on how to start on my website: www.astroforumspace.com perhaps useful. Clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace the HD comes with the Celestron CGEM II mount and tripod. I have zero experience with AP and won’t get into anything for at least a year after I get the HD. Maybe I’ll get a planetary zwo camera and see how I do with that and move on gradually. I’ve seen your videos, very informative. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of questions for you as time goes on. Thanks so much for your videos and help. 😉
This will most likely be my next OTA. A lot of Bang for the Buck as we say in the USA. Do you think this would work with a Celestron AVX mount? I checked the weight and I think the AVX mount could handle it. How about you? I know you used to own one. ;o)
It's 6kgs so the AVX is able to carry it. However, due to the long focal length I prefer my EQ6R-PRO.
Yes, I traded my TPO RC8 back in for a refractor after spending a whole summer fiddling with it. Tim
Glad to know I was not the only one :-)
I sold mine 8"edge hd just for that reason, tune and tune and after tune way to much work, filter reflections, maybe got one image.
Is it necessary to have a guide scope when photographing?
If you go beyond one minute, I would say probably yes. Depends a bit on your focal length.
I have an 8SE and have built a pier.
I am wondering why you didn’t opt for the 9.25 Edge?
mount system MUCH more heavier.
Of course. I have an AVX so I completely understand.
I am still a bit undecided.
I believe the AVX will work with the 9.25.
Thanks for your vids. Very helpful for a beginner like me.
money.
I got the same exact telescope which is the Celestron evolution 8 HD with starsense and I set it up outside then viewed Mars with it but it looks like a tiny little dot it almost looks like I’m looking at Mars through a pair of binoculars I know I’m doing something wrong and I looked at your video and all the planets look bigger on your images with lots of detail I don’t know what the problem is you think I should upgrade my eyepieces or does it have to do something with the telescope itself and me having to tune it plz let me know
Hi Alexis, no you're not doing anything wrong. Mars is really tiny, especially now that it is not in opposition. What you can do:
1) buy an extra barlow lens (e.g. 3x)
2) some planetary cameras allow you to select a smaller resolution (e.g. 800x600 or even lower) so that you will get a bigger apparent view of mars.
3) be aware that adding a barlow or limiting your resolution doesn't improve the quality of your picture.
Collimation needs to be checked on both sides of focus every time the scope is used. Fortunately this scope and the Meade counterpart are very easy to collimate.
Thanks for the info!
Hello . Could you please add a few more details to your Equipment List such as your Guidescope and Guide Camera ? I've got the same OTA and would follow what you are using if I knew what that was . LOL . (and what you used to mount it) Cheers ./SRK
Hi there, check here in the video description, last setup: th-cam.com/video/3ooLI8mEK2I/w-d-xo.html
Now iv just watched this ... I'm thinking about getting 1 for next year . Instead of the wo132 flt ... ill be getting zwo2600 colour to go with it lol
Sounds good! I also thought about getting an APO refractor but decided I was up for a new challenge :-). Good luck deciding, clear skies!
Can HEQ5 pro handle edgehd 8 for long exposure long focal length astro image?
Hi there, I would say that's pushing it. For planetary you won't have issues I think but for Deep-sky at that focal length, you may want to consider a mount with a higher max. Payload capacity. Clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace Understand! Many thanks. What do you think AZ-EQ6 pro? How it compares to EQ6R-Pro?
What happened with your 8" TS Classical Cassegrain telescope?
I sent it back couldn't get it collimated. It was a very frustrating experience.
I have lots of blue fringing on my stars even when perfectly collimated. The blue fringes are always pointing away from the middle of the picture. Have you come across that?
No, but this sounds like colour abberations, what telescope do you have?
@@AstroForumSpace the edgeHD 800 with the 0.7 reducer. I’ve tried playing with spacing as well and couldn’t find a solution. My current workaround is to use selective color tools and desaturate that color with a starnet generated star mask.
I've yet to try the 0.7 reducer. I'll make a video on it in the future.
Hi. Nice Video. Will be interested in your guiding experience with the guide scope and the SCT. I have the same SCT and I am considering adding either a guide scope or off-axis camera for guiding. Looking forward to seeing how you work out guiding this scope.
Will be more challenging than on the 80mm APO. Thanks!
I am using Nextstar 9.25, but not yet doing Astrophotography. But thinking anout :)
Great Marcel! Let me know if you have any questions. You should have some nice dark skies in Switzerland I think (when the weather cooperates :-))
@@AstroForumSpace last week i ordered a new mount, skywatcher 6 pro as you have, i live in lucerne, mostly just 45-60min drive and then its quite dark in the moutains. As soon the new mount arrives, we (me and my gf) will start with evaluating a good cam, your videos on youtube help :) if you do once holiday in swiss, let us know
Best regards Marcel
I've been to Bremgarten :-). An uncle of my wife lives there. Thanks for the invitation!
Great video (as always)
Tomorrow I will finally receive my long awaited and highly desired Skywatcher EQ6-R PRO mount so I can make my first steps into the world of Astrophotography.
I have a Televue 500mm F5 fluorite telescope that I borrow of a friend (too old to be an APO I think, i mean the telescope ;-)) and a Nikon 5200 unmodified DSLR which I already owned.
My next target will be an (occacion) APO Triplet 80-100mm refractor of my own.
As a dedicated beginner I want to earn every upgrade of/addition to my astrogear. The most fun must be the journey itself.
I also want to have a sweater, but the text 'I LOVE MY WIFE when she goes to her mother so I can play with my astrotoys' might not be a clever idea. :-)
lol, I have a tuned down version which states "I Love Astrophotography" :-) . astroforumspace.com/product/i-love-astrophotography-astroforum-unisex-hoodie/ No pressure! My expenses far outweigh the profits for my channel, astrophotography is a bodemless money pit. Good to first practice with your gear. I did the same, photographed through my Canon 1200D for years.
but what can the edge 8 hd offer for extra price than a c8 when using a hyperstar?
Chris, the Edge HD is made for astrophotography, as explained in the video, whereas regular scts are not and suffer from coma.
RASA 8 on an az eq6 gt mount for dso
Sounds like an epic setup Robert! Thanks for watching.
Good Pullover to have when you want or get a new telescope 💑
Can you suggest me a telescope which is cheap but still good?
different types of telescope are used for different things what are you mainly going to look at and how much is cheap to you ??? i started with a 6 "SCT you will need accessories for the scope so you have to factor all that into the budget this hobby is NOT CHEAP
@@jamesdougan8789 Then I'll have to wait till I earn my own money thanks though
@@jamesdougan8789 I thought of a budget of 1000$
Hi there, thanks for watching. What's your budget?
@@AstroForumSpace Highest I can go is 1000$
deep sky... orion 80ed apo silver workhorse. old canon 450D self IR moded. i sooo need to upgrade cam ..
Nice setup, this is also how I started. First I replaced the camera and then I added af filterwheel.
Is this setup also good for DSO’s ?
I hope so. I've bought it with a 0.7 reducer. Weather of pretty awful atm but I will definitely make a video on my attempt to capture a DSO with this telescope. Thanks for watching, stay tuned :-).
With a 6.3 or 7 reducer yes, but with a Hyperstar it become a beast for DSO !
@@Chryoss what is Hyperstar...I am new to this space
@@amurthurramamurthy6810 It is a (quite expensive, 1000$ ish) lens that you screw at the front of a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope by replacing the secondary mirror. It turns your scope into a widefield, very fast f1.9 focal ratio, so your exposures times are reduced by a factor of 30 compared to the native f10 of the scope. The Celesrron RASA telescope use this system natively. It's incredible for astrophotography but can't be used for visual observation.
@@Chryoss Yes- but perhaps the RASA 8" is a better choice (eg. elimination of mirror flop, etc.)?