SVBONY Spotting Scopes for Star Photography
SA401 APO 25-75X100mm vs SV406P 20-60x80mm ED
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While these spotting scopes with zoom eyepieces are mainly intended for bird watching, they can provide impressive
views and photographs of the night sky for intermediate fields of view from roughly 0.5 ° to 3 ° (star clusters, brighter nebulae, the moon and closer planets).
These are fairly heavy monoculars and require suitable tripods. I'd recommend a tripod with a maximum load capacity
at least twice the weight of the monocular (e.g. 3 kg tripod capacity for the 80mm scope and 6 kg capacity for the 100mm scope).
Viewing and photographing stars is a strong test of the quality of optics, both the main objective lens and the eyepieces. The smaller SV406P ED (extra-low dispersion) 80mm
scope provides fairly good views and photos with reduced chromatic abberation CA (but still noticeable) and is easy to mount on a modest tripod. The dual focus is very
convenient. The larger APO SA401 APO 100mm (closer to 95mm) is significantly heavier requiring a sturdier tripod. From my initial tests, the improvement in light-gathering
is noticeable but not dramatic. The improvement in image quality is noticeable in the lower CA and also somewhat sharper star images particularly at the edge of the field of view.
Both spotting scopes are spec'd as having the same angular resolution of 2 ∠" (the Dawe's limit for a 100mm diam objective lens is 1.2 ∠").
However, considering that the cost of the SA401 is typically double that of the SV406P, for star viewing/photographing, I'd recommend the smaller 80mm spotting scope at lower cost and it's easier to handle.
All photos Samsung S23 Ultra x1 camera in Pro mode with manual settings.
Upper Photos: Pleiades Star Cluster ISO-1600 2 sec
Middle Photos: Orion Nebula Region ISO-1600 2 sec
Lower Photos: Moon ISO-50 1/100 sec
Photos Nov 2024 & Feb 2025 Carleton Place Ont Canada