FIRST LIGHT
Sky-Watcher Evolux 62ED refractor
Whether stargazing or astro imaging, this travel-friendly scope gets the job done
VITAL STATS
• Price £359
• Optics Apo ED air-spaced doublet
• Aperture 62mm
• Focal length 400mm, f/6.45
• Focuser 2.4-inch dual-speed
• Weight 2.5kg with supplied accessories
• Extras Retractable dew shield, Vixen-style mounting bar, carry case, two findershoe adaptors
• Supplier Optical Vision Ltd
• Tel 01359 244200
• www.opticalvision. co.uk
Big is beautiful, or so they say, but small can hit the spot too. This month we test whether that’s true of Sky-Watcher’s latest high-quality, compact, apochromatic refractor, the Evolux 62ED. There is also an 82mm aperture version for those who are looking for that little bit more aperture.
The Evolux 62ED is supplied as an optical tube only, but comes with a 45mm Vixen-style bar for mounting, attached via a clamshell ring. This clamshell ring is equipped with two findershoes for adding other accessories, such as a lightweight red dot finder and a small guidescope for imaging. The clamshell can be easily loosened off to rotate the tube or adjust its position to aid in balancing the setup. The short-tube refractor also comes with a handy aluminium carry case. Note, however, that for visual use you would need to add a 2-inch star diagonal, eyepiece and finderscope.
At the front end, nicely protected by an extendable dew shield, is the 62mm f/6.45 apochromatic objective lens. This has a focal length of just 400mm and with the dew shield retracted is just 295mm long, which is reasonably compact.
Indeed, weighing in at only 2.5kg, the Evolux 62ED is aiming to be an ideal grab-and-go system.
The apochromatic optics eliminate colour fringing – when all three primary colours are not brought to a common focus point. We found that stars were pin-sharp across three-quarters of the field of view when using a 26mm eyepiece, with little evidence of any colour fringing.
The business end
At the other end we have the focuser, which by our measurement gives 65mm of focus travel, with a graduated scale that will be useful for those wanting to note the focus point for different cameras and return to it easily later. Interestingly, the focuser has two tension screws, top and bottom, and these ensure focus is set, with no slippage when using heavy cameras that we could note.
We did some visual testing first, adding our own 2-inch dielectric star diagonal and 2-inch, 26mm eyepiece to explore along the Milky Way. We really enjoyed sweeping up the star clouds from Cygnus down into Serpens. Along the way, the wide field of view did mean that most typical deep-sky targets, like nebulae and clusters were presented small, but we expected that. Even so, M39 stood out well and adding a 2x Barlow lens showed that even some double stars could be split. We viewed Albireo (Beta Cygni) with its golden and sky-blue components, then just about split Mizar (Zeta Ursae Majoris) into two unequal stars that were very close together.
Our reviewer was delighted with the details visible on the lunar surface 
Paired with a Canon R6 camera to capture globular cluster M13. A stack of 56x 30” exposures at ISO 6400 
The complete Veil Nebula fitted in the field of view. Same camera, 90x 30” exposures, ISO 6400
We also spotted Saturn and Jupiter in the early hours. As expected they were small, but we could see the rings of Saturn and two bands on Jupiter as well as four of its retinue of moons. Our Moon, meanwhile, was an enjoyable and detailed sight.
To image with the Evolux 62ED and get the best out of the system, we were loaned the optional 0.9x ED flattener/focal reducer. This is attached by unscrewing the metallic green, 2-inch visual adaptor then screwing in the flattener. To attach a camera, you need an M48 x 0.75 adaptor. These are specific to your particular camera manufacturer, so be sure to order the right one.
With a Canon R6 camera attached, we took 128x 30” exposures of the star Sadr in Cygnus and its surrounding area at ISO 6400, and were very pleased with the detail and nebulosity we achieved. We did the same with the Veil Nebula, this time with 90 images stacked, to show you can capture the entire supernova remnant in the field of view. M13, the Hercules Globular Cluster, was imaged with 56 exposures, and we could pick out its tiny neighbouring galaxy NGC 6207 in the image too.
Overall, this is a thoroughly competent grab-and-go travel scope which we can highly recommend.
Light and portable
Grab-and-go telescopes for observing and imaging have become all the rage, especially since travel resumed after the pandemic, so the Evolux 62ED has come at the right time. It is compact at just 295mm and lightweight at 2.5kg (just more than the weight of a typical bag of sugar), making it ideal as a travel scope.
Its compactness with a retractable dewshield lends itself to the other craze for lightweight, highly portable mounts.
We found it made a great optical instrument when paired with Sky-Watcher’s Star Adventurer mount, and they even have pleasingly matching colour schemes. It can also be mounted on a photography tripod. Add a diagonal and eyepiece and you have a spotting scope, either for stars or nature watching, making this a versatile instrument.
Its other strength, however, is imaging: widefield images of the Milky Way’s star clouds, dark dust lanes, large clusters – with its generous field of view, there are plenty of targets to keep you imaging or viewing for a long time to come.
KIT TO ADD
1. Sky-Watcher 0.9x ED flattener for Evolux 62ED
2. Sky-Watcher aluminium accessory handle for Evolux 62ED
3. Sky-Watcher 2-inch Deluxe Dielectric Star Diagonal
VERDICT
