Bought a 10" Dobsonian Sky-Watcher. Came in yesterday at 6:00 pm; two days ahead of schedule. Also bought a Shorty 1.25 2X Barlow lens, a 2X 2" Focal Extender, and a LaserMate Deluxe II Telescope Laser Collimator. I'm thinking about the Q70 (70 degrees) set of three eyepieces or the Explore Scientific 82 degree 2" eyepiece. I'm leaning toward the 82 Degree 2" eyepiece.
So far I am pleased with my new telescope. It was easy to assemble, and everything went together perfectly. I was intending to adjust my finder scope today, but it is raining. Maybe tomorrow?
This scope is quite an upgrade from my 4" I bought over 15 years ago. It came with a 1.25 wide angle 25mm lens, and a 1.25 super 10mm lens. I can't wait to get my 2" wide angle.
I gave this scope 5 stars because it is so well made. After I actually use it, I will either leave it a 5 stars or downgrade it.
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Well, after a week of rain and/or cloudy skies, I finally used my scope. I collimated it with my laser collimator and tried to focus on Venus. The best view I could get was a big unfocused white ball. I tried recollimating the scope to no avail. In fact. the only thing I could focus on were the leaves on a tree 60 meters away.. Anything beyond that was hopeless.
I order a Solomark Chesire Collimating Eyepiece which will come in two days. I hope this solves the problem. I hate to think I paid $600.00 to look at leaves.
I'm leaving my rating at 5 stars because I'm thinking my problem is human error and/or the laser collimator. I'll try again in a few days to collimate my scope and hopefully see a wonderful view of the stars and planets.
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Well, I received my Solomark Chesire Collimating Eyepiece. However, again it is raining. I collimated my scope to see if I could further the distance beyond 60 meters, but it was still not focusing properly.
I would say when all else fails to go to the instructions, but the instructions in the manual are lacking. One thing caught my eye in the parts list; something I didn't notice the first time. And that is: the focuser has a 2" inch adapter, not a built-in 2" lens holder. Duh! All this time I thought the focuser was one piece. I have been stacking the 1.25 adapter on top of the 2" adapter.
I took out the 2" adapter, inserted the 1.25 adapter the 25mm wide angle lens, and the focus was perfect.
I notice that someone else was/is having the same problem as I, and he gave this scope a bad rating. I bet he was doing the same thing; double stacking adapters.
If anyone else is having a problem with focusing their Dobsonian reflector, try taking out the 2" adapter and insert the 1.25".
My rating for this scope stays at five stars.
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About two weeks after receiving my scope, I finally was able to use it last night. The craters on the moon were awesome. The stars jumped out at me. I plan to view the Orion nebula and Andromeda galaxy at the end of December, when Andromeda will be directly overhead one hour after sunset. There will be less atmosphere to see through.
This scope deserves 5 stars, and that is where I'm leaving it. There may be those who have larger scopes and are no longer impressed with a ten inch, but, until I can afford a bigger scope, I'm happy with this one.
The problems I had, at the beginning, are no reflection on the scope itself; the problems arose from poor instructions and description. When it says the scope has a 2" focuser and a 1.25" adapter, it is understandable that you would assume the focuser is one piece and cannot be separated, and that you would insert the 1.25" adapter into the 2" focuser to use a 1.25" lens. That was why I could not focus on anything more than 60 meters away. The laser collimator wasn't part of the problem, either. So, I have nothing bad to say about it.
For those who can afford this scope, it is a great buy.
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Well, here it is; December 31, and between the rain and cloudiness, I've only viewed the moon and Jupiter, and stars. The mountains on the moon's rim are impressive against the black background of space, and the bands of Jupiter are fantastic. At 167 million miles away, Mars only looks like a red star. I'll have to wait until July 2018, when Mars is 38 million miles away. Maybe then I'll be able to see it's polar caps. Saturn will be in the night sky this June. Soon as I catch a clear night, I'm going to try and locate the Orion Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy.
This scope is everything it claims to be. I built a 9 inch high portable wooden base to raise the scope at a more comfortable level. I also keep the scope in my 12X16 tool shed so it is ready for use without having to wait long for it to acclimate.
I have noticed the price went up on the scope. I'm glad I bought it when I did. Still, at the current price, it is a good buy.
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3-13-17 The price has gone down more. Buy this scope; i.e. unless you can afford a larger primary mirror.
Two weeks ago I finally bought a 2 inch SF 18mm eyepiece to use with my 2 inch SF Barlow. I viewed the Orion Nebula and Pleiades star cluster. They are fantastic.
Yesterday I received a set of four Gosky (red, green, yellow, blue) planetary filters, which can be stacked. I hope they bring out more detail when viewing.
I'm already yearning for a bigger scope with a tracking system so I can use a camera. Still, I am not sorry I bought this scope. It is a great telescope for the money.
June 28, 2017:
It is a good time to view Saturn and its rings. With my 10" (using a 2" 18mm eyepiece coupled with a 2" 2x focal extender) I can see one slight division in Saturn's ring making two large rings. Also, Titan can be seen.
Jupiter's bands are clearly noticeable, and it's four largest moons are like bright stars. I watched Io pass Europa in orbit (over a period of 1.5 hours).
I'm waiting for Mars to be its closest in 2018.
The more I use this scope, the more I feel it is money well spent.
July 31, 2018:
Well, I finally took a look at Mars tonight. It is as bright as Venus, though only two-thirds as big. I could make out light grey areas in the bright red color. You need a bigger scope if you want to see any details.
I'm still pleased with this scope. It is a great starter scope, but I'm ready for an upgrade.
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From the manufacturer
About us
David Shen, the founder of Sky-Watcher, started pursuing his interest in optics design and star observing when he was 26, working as a polishing technician at a research institute in Taiwan.
It was a lovely summer night after work that the bright stars urged David to observe them with a telescope. After placing the telescope on top of the hood of his car, the view of the magnificent rings from the Saturn planet greatly moved David. That night was deeply engraved in David's memory since and constantly inspires him to live his dream:
Building High-quality and Affordable Telescopes for Everyone.
“In the past, telescopes are only available to few. But I hope that I could help more people gaze further.” David summarizes his dream. This dream gradually took shape when David established Synta factory for building optics in the 1990s. In 1999, Synta launched the "Sky-Watcher" brand
“Innovate continuously, and always challenge your limits.” —as his simple motto suggests, David’s passion and love for astronomy have turned into a great source of creativity and pursuit of quality.
Compare with similar items
This Item  Sky Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Aperature Telescope – Solid-Tube – Simple, Traditional Design – Easy to Use, Perfect for Beginners, White (S11610) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $499.00 | $799.00 | -9% $999.00 List: $1,099.00 | $349.99 | $249.99 | $329.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 1 | Get it May 3 - 6 | Get it Apr 29 - May 1 | — | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 1 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 1 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Easy to assemble | ||||||
| For beginners | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Portability | ||||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | Adorama | Focus Camera LLC | Orion Telescopes & Binoculars | Orion Telescopes & Binoculars | MEEZAA-us |
| focal length | 1200mm | — | — | — | 650 millimeters | 650 millimeters |
| focus type | Auto Focus | Manual Focus | Manual Focus | Manual Focus | Manual Focus | Manual Focus |
| eye piece lens | 25/10 Super | Galilean | Galilean | Barlow | Plossl | Barlow |
| objective lens diameter | 8 inches | 8 inches | 25 months | 135 millimeters | 134 millimeters | 150 millimeters |
| aperture diameter | — | — | — | 135 millimeters millimeters | 134 millimeters millimeters | 150 millimeters millimeters |
| telescope mount | Altazimuth Mount | Altazimuth Mount | Altazimuth Mount | Altazimuth Mount | Equatorial Mount | Equatorial Mount |
| lens coating | Fully multi-coated pyrex mirrors | — | XLT | Aluminum & Silicon Dioxide | Aluminum & Silicon Dioxide | Fully Coated |
Reviews with images
Spiral Galaxies with DOB 8 Inches
First photo is spiral galaxy M83. Second photo is Saturn with subtle division ring. Third is galaxy NGC5238 (at the left of the center).I manage to capture the M83 with my iPhone 6 and spiralCam app. It takes about a minute to see the spiral arm. Overall the telescope is great. The thing to improve on will be the sight scope. It fall off a few times and hit my feet once. It is inserted into the telescope from the bottom up so it has the tendency to drop off after several use and storage. The 2 feature-tension control handles are not necessary for my use and scratch my leg when I walk past the scope. In the end, I remove them and store away. I use the Dobsonian in a very small balcony.I have also add a planter plate with wheels which I get from Ikea for US$5. It is almost perfect for the big scope.The assembly is not as easy. It takes me about 2 hours with lots of strength to tighten the screws into the wood. It should be designed to be assembled easily like Ikea furniture.For design it is not as good looking as the Meade dobsonian. Skywatcher could have make their product look better. Most of the time, 99%, the telescope is not in use and displayed as a "furniture" in the home so it is very important on how it looks. It is definitely the most practical and accurate scope that I have.
Top reviews from the United States
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Top reviews from other countries
RM
It's a gamble..
Reviewed in Canada on November 18, 2021Style: Traditional 8" DobsonianVerified Purchase
Gerard Baird
Returned item.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2024Style: Traditional 10" DobsonianVerified Purchase
Jorge García
Muy mala logística.
Reviewed in Mexico on July 15, 2020Style: Traditional 8" DobsonianVerified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Received Both Pieces!
Reviewed in Canada on September 6, 2022Style: Traditional 8" DobsonianVerified Purchase
Miguel
Excelente para principantes
Reviewed in Mexico on April 18, 2019Style: Traditional 8" DobsonianVerified Purchase
