{"product_id":"sky-watcher-esprit-70edx-super-apo-triplet-refractor","title":"Sky-Watcher Esprit 70EDX Super APO Triplet Refractor","description":"\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduct Overview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Esprit 70EDX is a 70 mm f\/6.5 air-spaced triplet apochromat built around imaging. Its 455 mm focal length frames the large emission nebulae, open clusters and comet tails that overflow a longer scope, and the three-element objective uses FCD-100 extra-low dispersion glass, fully multi-coated with Sky-Watcher's Metallic High-Transmission Coatings (MHTC), to hold colour correction across that wide field. The optical tube weighs 3.3 kg (7.3 lbs) and measures 35 cm (13.8 in) with the dew shield threaded on, which puts it well inside the payload of a small equatorial or strain-wave mount even after a camera, filter wheel and guider are hanging off the back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt ships with tube rings, a V-style dovetail, an M48 camera adapter and a padded hard case, so the tube arrives ready to bolt onto a mount and connect to a camera.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a good match if you shoot wide-field deep-sky targets and want stars that stay clean into the corners without a five-figure optic. It suits anyone building a travel or second imaging rig, anyone whose mount is small enough that a 3.3 kg tube is the difference between comfortable and marginal, and anyone moving from a doublet who has run out of patience with violet halos on bright stars. It is equally at home as a wide-field visual refractor at low power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Features \u0026amp; Design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAir-spaced triplet apochromat:\u003c\/strong\u003e three elements including FCD-100 extra-low dispersion glass. The third element is what removes the residual violet bloom a doublet leaves on Vega, Rigel and bright planetary detail.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMetallic High-Transmission Coatings (MHTC):\u003c\/strong\u003e every element is fully multi-coated, so the extra air-glass surfaces of a triplet do not cost you throughput.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e2.7-inch dual-speed linear-track focuser:\u003c\/strong\u003e a CNC-machined 1:11 dual-speed rack-and-pinion running on a linear rail. The rail is what keeps a loaded imaging train from sagging as focus moves, and it is why the tube holds focus position with zero image shift.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCamera Angle Adjuster:\u003c\/strong\u003e located at the end of the focuser drawtube, it rotates the camera or eyepiece to frame a target without turning the whole focuser body or disturbing focus.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThread-on dew shield:\u003c\/strong\u003e threads to the front cell rather than sliding, so it stays put and the tube packs down to 35 cm for transport.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCarry handle:\u003c\/strong\u003e attaches to the tube rings for one-handed moves between the car and the mount.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIncluded:\u003c\/strong\u003e tube rings, V-style dovetail, M48 camera adapter and a padded hard case.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOptical \/ Mechanical Design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe objective is an air-spaced triplet: three separately mounted elements with air gaps rather than a cemented stack. Air spacing lets Sky-Watcher figure each surface independently and gives the design the freedom to bring red, green and blue to a common focus. With FCD-100 as the low-dispersion element, the colour error that would otherwise show as a violet ring on the brightest stars falls below what a typical pixel scale resolves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMechanically the tube is aluminium with a white gloss finish. The focuser is the part that matters most for imaging: at 2.7 inches with an 11:1 fine control, it carries a full imaging train without flexure, and the linear rail means the drawtube travels straight instead of tipping under load. Visual back focus is greater than 160 mm (6.3 in), which leaves room for a diagonal and long eyepieces as well as a deep camera stack.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRecommended Uses\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWide-field deep-sky imaging:\u003c\/strong\u003e 455 mm at f\/6.5 covers North America Nebula, the Veil, M31, the Pleiades and the larger Sharpless regions on a single frame.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNarrowband from light-polluted skies:\u003c\/strong\u003e f\/6.5 is fast enough that long narrowband subs stay practical.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTravel and grab-and-go imaging:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3.3 kg and 35 cm packed, in a hard case.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRich-field visual observing:\u003c\/strong\u003e low-power sweeping through the Milky Way, large clusters and comets.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGuide or companion scope:\u003c\/strong\u003e riding alongside a longer instrument on a mount with capacity to spare.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompatibility and Accessory Notes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSky-Watcher publishes a fully illuminated field of 30 mm (1.18 in) with the matching two-element thread-on field flattener. A 30 mm circle covers APS-C, whose diagonal is about 28 mm, with a little to spare; a full-frame sensor at 43 mm diagonal will show fall-off in the corners. The flattener is what turns a fast triplet into a flat-field astrograph, and the spacing it needs is specific: 100.06 mm (2.6 in) from the flattener to the sensor. Corner star shape follows directly from hitting that number.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe thread interfaces are M65 x 1 at the focuser drawtube, M62 x 1 at the field flattener, and M48 x 0.75 at the flattener exit. The supplied M48 camera adapter connects a camera directly to the drawtube.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe V-style (Vixen) dovetail fits any standard Vixen saddle, which covers most small equatorial and strain-wave mounts. These figures are published for the Esprit 70EDX; the other Esprit EDX sizes pair with their own correctors. Send us your camera, filter wheel and spacer stack and we will work the 100.06 mm out with you before you order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGood to Know Before You Order\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe field flattener is a separate purchase.\u003c\/strong\u003e The tube images without it, but flat corners across the 30 mm circle come from the matched two-element thread-on flattener. We stock it and can bundle the spacing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNo mount is included.\u003c\/strong\u003e This is an optical tube with rings and a dovetail. At 3.3 kg it is one of the easier triplets to mount, and a small equatorial or strain-wave head handles it with a camera attached.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe rotatable focuser is not part of this size.\u003c\/strong\u003e Sky-Watcher fits rotatable focusers to the Esprit EDX 100, 120 and 150. The 70EDX uses the Camera Angle Adjuster at the drawtube instead, which achieves camera rotation by a different route.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTwo weights are published.\u003c\/strong\u003e The optical tube itself is 3.3 kg (7.3 lbs); the shipping figure of 23.5 lb covers the tube, rings, dovetail, adapter and the foam-lined hard case together.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVendor listings of the box contents differ slightly.\u003c\/strong\u003e The product page lists tube rings, V-style dovetail, M48 camera adapter and padded hard case; the manual's accessory line also mentions a 2-inch star diagonal. We confirm the exact contents of the carton before it leaves us.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it difficult to set up?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo. The tube arrives in its rings with the dovetail fitted, so the physical setup is dropping it into a saddle and tightening one clamp. The part that takes thought is the imaging train: the camera threads to the M48 adapter, and if you add the flattener the sensor sits 100.06 mm behind it. Once you have measured that stack once, it does not change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it cover my camera?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe published illuminated field with the flattener is 30 mm, so APS-C and every smaller format are covered. Full frame extends past that circle and shows corner fall-off. Tell us which camera you are using and we will tell you what the corners will look like.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat mount does it need?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnything with a Vixen saddle and headroom past roughly 3.3 kg plus your camera. Small strain-wave heads and compact equatorials are the usual pairing, and the low weight is what keeps guiding easy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it usable for visual observing?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. Visual back focus is greater than 160 mm, which accommodates a 2-inch diagonal and eyepieces. At 455 mm it is a wide-field instrument rather than a high-power planetary scope.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow does it differ from an ED doublet of the same aperture?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe third element. A doublet brings two wavelengths to common focus; the triplet brings three, which is what removes the violet halo around bright stars in long exposures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBottom Line\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA 70 mm f\/6.5 FCD-100 triplet with a linear-track dual-speed focuser, a 30 mm illuminated field with its matched flattener, and a 3.3 kg tube that almost any mount can carry. It is the Esprit optical and mechanical package in the size that travels.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sky-Watcher","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53896760623215,"sku":"S11425","price":1800.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0686\/0049\/6239\/files\/Esprit70EDX_OTAOnly_FrontLeft.jpg?v=1785253637","url":"https:\/\/ontariotelescope.com\/products\/sky-watcher-esprit-70edx-super-apo-triplet-refractor","provider":"Ontario Telescope and Accessories","version":"1.0","type":"link"}