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Skywatcher discovery 150 or orion starseeker iv 150mm?


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I can't decide which one of the above to get as my first scope. The orion is £150 more expensive and at £500 is right at the top of my budget-does this make it a better scope or is the skywatcher just a better deal? I have read plenty of great reviews a about the skywatcher but can't find much about the orion any one got any advice or tips about the two? I'm sure people will say it depends on what I'm after but the I am so new that I don't know!!

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In the US the Orion sells for about $580 which equals about 385 British pounds, just a little over the Sky-Watcher in England. I've heard that Orion (not very common in Europe) is more expensive because it is made in China, sent to the USA and then re-exported to Europe, while Sky-Watcher is sent directly for distribution in Europe. Someone else may confirm this, but I think they are both more or less equivilent brands of the same holding company, Synta.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzhou_Synta_Optical_Technology

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These telescopes are very similar, and the videos will give you some insight to their attributes.


These scopes are not for me unfortunately? They remind me too much of my Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ, which is not GoTo or motorised, and the images were not that great too, even with better eyepieces, basically not enough aperture for my needs?

The Orion has a rack and pinion focuser, quite basic, and I don't think either scope will give stunning astrophotography results, do to stability of the mount, and quality of the scope! Remember this is just my opinion! we all have them.


If you just want to visually observe the heavens, want some real clout for your money, find your targets either by pre-planning from software like Stellarium, or from a good book, and have an easy time, with very little to set-up or worry that anything( like a battery  pack failing on you ) seriously have a good look at a  Sky-Watcher Skyliner 200P. You'll get some change too. http://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html

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....These scopes are not for me unfortunately? They remind me too much of my Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ, which is not GoTo or motorised, and the images were not that great too, even with better eyepieces, basically not enough aperture for my needs?....

I think the Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ is a "Bird Jones" type newtonian isn't it ?

I think these conventional newtonians will perform somewhat better than that.

I'd say that these are pretty much exactly the same scope apart from the branding and made by the same manufacturer so why pay more for one of them ?

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Bird-Jones, Jones-Bird! either will do. Yes John,  the Power seeker does have that feature built in, and probably not the only scope to have  this feature ( The Jones-Bird design shortens the size/length of the telescope tube and corrects spherical aberrations ) and in all probability, a true 130 or 150 without this feature may  be better optically,  but they won't  be a match against  an 8". 

The end result can only rest with the user, the fact that Christmas is just around the corner, everyone needs a new scope like yesterday? We often mention that users should try first, so a local club or a friend that has a scope is a good start. 

As the OP requests, ....any tips or advice....... this is mine, check out a 200mm Dobsonian, try one, and if its not right, get one of the smaller scopes!

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Cheers! My gut was to go for the skywatcher and going by the above reviews that's settled it! Also means that I have a bit left over for a couple extra eye pieces! Anyone recommend a good make for a budget-I have £150 for a couple eye pieces and a Barlow 3x.

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I have the Skywatcher Star Discovery 150p and have added a Celestron 32mm Possle, a 24-8 Celestron zoom and a 6mm wide angle planetary eyepiece - no branded but looks exactly the same as a Celestron with the gold band along the top, all from eBay and under £100 the lot.

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Very portable, I had a Skywatcher 130p on eq2 mount and the Star Discovery tripod is lighter. It very easy to move as the leg spreader is much easier to remove and collapse, you also do not have the counter weights. I am very pleased with the scope easy to set up and crystal clear viewing. Cons, you have to know the names of stars as the goto give a list of names to choose from. I downloaded the list of target stars and adapted the Star charts to make locating easier. Happy to email the list and charts if anyone wants them. I guess battery life will be an issue, currently using rechargeable batteries with so far no issue but looking at some sort of power bank. The focuser is rack and pinion and would benefit from a 10-1 fine adjustment.

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