Starzonia flattener quality verses the Celestron

Personally I was struggling with the Celestron 6.3 - things like autofocus routice would not work as well due to distortion at the edges. I got the Starizona one and I love it.

Check here C8 (from 1990) and Starizona reducer flattener:

Veil: https://www.astrobin.com/cxj1dk/

M27: https://www.astrobin.com/1ibcf3/ (this was my first image with the setup, so backfocus etc was not perfect)

I used a Celestron F6.3 ruducer/ flattened years ago, also with a vintage 2000 year C8. I found it inadequate even with small CCD chips of that period. You have to remember that that reducer was designed over 20 yrs. ago, and as far I know the design was never upgraded.  It is OK for visual, but totally inadequate for today's larger CMOS cameras.

I have used the Starizona F7.4 SCT reducer with Sony ICX 694 & 814 chips on a C11 & C9.25. It worked well. I now use thw newer IV F6.3 version on a C9.25 with a IMX 571 ASP-C size chip. It flattened field well.

Yes, the Starizona reducer is superior.

Lynn K.

Ed Litoborski:
I just wonder it the Starazonia is worth the cost to upgrade?

The Starizona 6.3 reducer's spot size is significantly smaller than the celestron one, your sharpness will increase across the entire FOV- infact it'll be smaller even at center vs an uncorrected field.

Its a nearly 2 times increase in sharpness.

It's similar in sharpness to an Edge HD built in 2019-2024, at native F/10.

(Edge HD F/7 reducer has the same issue of being obsolete, I have one, and it is aweful, and everything I've seen online points to some form of optical improvements being made on units built in the last 4 or 5 years, with the Edge HD 8 being able to correct to a full-frame despite the baffle tube being slightly too small for it, causing some corner vignette.)

Ed Litoborski:
I just wonder it the Starazonia is worth the cost to upgrade?

The Starizona 6.3 reducer's spot size is significantly smaller than the celestron one, your sharpness will increase across the entire FOV- infact it'll be smaller even at center vs an uncorrected field.

Its a nearly 2 times increase in sharpness.

It's similar in sharpness to an Edge HD built in 2019-2024, at native F/10.

(Edge HD F/7 reducer has the same issue of being obsolete, I have one, and it is aweful, and everything I've seen online points to some form of optical improvements being made on units built in the last 4 or 5 years, with the Edge HD 8 being able to correct to a full-frame despite the baffle tube being slightly too small for it, causing some corner vignette.)

Is the EdgeHD reducer really that bad? Or is this only older models? I recently bought an EdgeHD 8, but haven't yet bought a reducer (Celestron's are still on backorder). 

I asked a question on here a few weeks ago about buying a Celestron vs. Starizona reducer.

I was told the Starizona is a reducer + flattener is only for non-HD Celestron SCTs and the Celestron is specifically a reducer only; not a flatter since that's already built into the HDs optics.

I keep hearing people criticize the Celestron F/7 reducers though, but don't know of any better options that exist. If so, seems kind of a moot point for the time being?

I also see people post images on here using that Celestron reducer and it the images still seem high quality.

I plan to use my 2600 mc pro

Derek Vasselin:

Ed Litoborski:
I just wonder it the Starazonia is worth the cost to upgrade?

The Starizona 6.3 reducer's spot size is significantly smaller than the celestron one, your sharpness will increase across the entire FOV- infact it'll be smaller even at center vs an uncorrected field.

Its a nearly 2 times increase in sharpness.

It's similar in sharpness to an Edge HD built in 2019-2024, at native F/10.

(Edge HD F/7 reducer has the same issue of being obsolete, I have one, and it is aweful, and everything I've seen online points to some form of optical improvements being made on units built in the last 4 or 5 years, with the Edge HD 8 being able to correct to a full-frame despite the baffle tube being slightly too small for it, causing some corner vignette.)

Is the EdgeHD reducer really that bad? Or is this only older models? I recently bought an EdgeHD 8, but haven't yet bought a reducer (Celestron's are still on backorder). 

I asked a question on here a few weeks ago about buying a Celestron vs. Starizona reducer.

I was told the Starizona is a reducer + flattener is only for non-HD Celestron SCTs and the Celestron is specifically a reducer only; not a flatter since that's already built into the HDs optics.

I keep hearing people criticize the Celestron F/7 reducers though, but don't know of any better options that exist. If so, seems kind of a moot point for the time being?

I also see people post images on here using that Celestron reducer and it the images still seem high quality.

It is VERY bad. I am diffraction limited at F/10, but at F/7 I am limited to the spot size of the reducer, about 1.6". My reducer was built in 2021.

The drastic increase in sharpness is more desireable than increased speed, so don't use a reducer. Just take more exposure per target, sure it'll take longer but it's going to end up a better image.

+1

Tony Gondola:

Ed Litoborski:
I plan to use my 2600 mc pro

Then, it's not even a question...

Especially with the spot size of the Starizona. I'd like to see starizona make a crayford focuser that surrounds the reducer to fix the problem of backspacing and mirror shift.