InterstellarTim

Thanks as always for the input guys! Good to know about the diagonal. Is it a simple unscrew and replace jobby or something that requires abit of skill/focuser needs recalibrating etc? I’ve heard good things about the az4 Mount but underwhelmed by its looks (shallow I know haha) and the lack of slow motion controls? The az5 looks....different, but more importantly has slow motion controls.

Would it be worth getting one if buying a new one to get a dielectric coated? I’m not sure if price difference between a 1.25 and 2” one so figuring it might be worth just getting a 2inch just to future proof. is the Bresser a good scope? The focal length scares me a little being so high and don’t want to feel like looking through it would be the equivalent of holding my hand in the front of my face not being able to find anything in the sky :D

Hi all, Happy Friday! Ive once again changed my idea of what im looking for in my next scope and have come to the Bresser MC 127 and the SkyMax127 on either an AZ4 or AZ5 mount. I love the fact that everything ive read on these two scopes is that theyre great for planetary and lunar observations with sharp and contrasty optics, though the focal length of the Bresser at 15 seems quite high! i would look around with it but im not looking to AP with it but would love to look at the stars (in a very general sense, im not looking to identify constellations or specific targets etc. Just some nice general views that i can chill out looking at in wonderment). Ive also read that the bresser is the full 127 aperture whereas the Skymax is slightly less at 119ish. Ive used the eyepiece tools to get an idea of FoV with a low magnifcation eyepiece on the Bresser which seems fine for what im looking for in terms of secondary star usage but coming from an f9 80mm refractor to a f15 Mak i wonder if i really know what im getting myself in for. Can a dual fit 2" diagonal be attached to these Maks as well? or is it limited to 1.25 only? Idea being to increase FoV if needed(if ive understood the purpose of a 2" diagonal) Thanks again!

Are they “bobs knobs” to replace the collimation screws? i think I’ll be going for the SW Explorer 150p on an AZ4 Mount as this is regarded as a great grab n go setup and as the mantra goes ‘the best scope is the one that gets used the most’

Hi all, Having reconsidered my next scope choice im looking into Newtonian Reflectors and the SkyWatcher Explorer 150p and 200p have caught my eye. Anyone have suggestions for suitable mounts for these? Im more interested in AltAz mounts and am having trouble finding anything GoTo as well (AZ GTi for example) as they would all seem to struggle with these scopes, especially the 200p which ive seen a weight of ~8kg Ive noticed the 150p also comes in 2 different focal lengths but think would go with the shorter f5 (non-L version) as im looking for an all-rounder (which i know technically doesn't exist in the scope world ). The 200p doesnt seem to offer this though, which im not sure why? I've also not cvonsidered the PDS variants as im not interested in using it for AP. Thanks!

Hello again all, I’ve been rethinking my next scope choices and for the price of a previous setup I can get a larger aperture and GoTo Mount by moving away from refractors (shocker :)) ive since seen the StarWatcher Explorer 130PS AZ GTi and the SkyWatcher Star Discovery 150i WiFi as immediate options that jumped out at me and both improve on aperture of the 127L refractor I was looking at and are cheaper but both are noted as having non collimateable primary mirrors. What are the pros or cons of this? This seems like the best of both worlds to me as Collimation was a reason I was staying away from reflectors, am I missing something? Would the optics be poorer to that of a similar aperture reflector that did use collimateable primary mirrors for example?

Hi all! After my initial posts when looking into what setup to get i think ive made my mind up on the Bresser 127L mounted on the SkyTee II mount which would be on a 1.75 Stainless Steel tripod. I've seen a few setups on here using this combo but had some general questions about these items in particular and was wondering if anyone could help. 1) How likely would the 127L need collimating? (as i understand this model comes with the ability to do so) One of my main decisions in getting a refractor was that i didnt have to worry about this process, its nice that it has the ability to do so but i cant help but feel like I would now have to do it because the option is there to do so. In all honesty, collimating scares me as im a newbie to this hobby and was one of the reasons i was staying away from reflectors (along with my main interests being lunar/planetary based and star hopping) 2) Would i need to counter balance the SkyTee II mount? As i understand it, its best to mount heavier scopes on the side saddle and NOT the "top" saddle? Are there any counterweight brands that would fit the SkyTee II? SkyWatcher etc? which brings me in to another question.. 3) Would it be best to also buy the upgraded ADM Vixen style Saddle "SkyTee-II & AYO" variant clamp? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adm-replacement-saddles/adm-vixen-style-saddle.html and as i only plan on using the one scope i assume i only need one? Thanks as always for any help and input, you guys have been fantastic when i last came here looking for initial setup advice (with posts ive found about the above equipment helping me to decide on getting it myself)

Thanks John! looks impressive, not sure what the wife would think having that in the back of the lounge here ha. any recommendations for dovetail clamp upgrades? Had a look on FLO but once again in new territory now (and here was me hoping that would be the end of it! I’ve seen steel tripod and SkyTree Mount packages at least which will help if second hand don’t come up)

Thanks for the double update HollyHound! Steel tripod is a must consideration here dont worry You can tell im a newbie to all of this when the looks alone of the Bresser 127 are more of a pull to getting that scope (the extra 7mm of aperture for the relatively little extra cost is also a major factor too though) I had a moment where i was looking at the 150 flavour too, thought the price and size eventually brought me back to reality! The SkyTee II seems my best option if im going the route of the Bresser or StarEvo, its just abit more than what i was thinking of spending pushing the build to 600 rather my initial 500 budget (which has since pushed to £200 that the Celestron Inspire 100AZ took it to, which was then ballooned to £320 when looking at the StarSense Explorer DX 100AZ which has since gone to the above when looking at 120mm refractors 🤣)

Thats where i started when looking at SkyWatchers but for my wants the focal ratio of the EvoStar tubes made more sense. I mean ive been lead to believe that they will be better for moon/planets and general star stuff, im a total beginner but really want something that impresses me and that i can enjoy and considering the pricetag of what im looking to put together i need to and am taking a more imformed approach than what i did with my current scope - does CA bother me? Not really from what ive seen when looking at the moon with my current Powerseeker80 EQ which i was happy to take a punt on being 115£ (not cheap but cheap enough to write it off if it wasnt for me at all - which the eq mount largely is im afraid for me personally). Would i notice a difference between the StarTravel/EvoStar or am i following the professional criticisms too closely? Maybe. Going back to thinking about getting the StarTarvel 120 sounds like i would be able to use my choice of mount with it (the AZ GTi wifi or AZ5 Deluxe) as i was reccomended that the length of the EvoStar would be an issue using it with those mounts.

Wow thanks! Had no idea this refractor existed in Celestrons catalogue and it was my starting point brand wise for all types of scopes. Nice pic! Could see it (Griffith Obs) from our hotel room when staying at Lowes On Hollywood Boulevard but never got to Visit it!

So after thinking i was settling on an EvoStar 120 Refractor, the slightly larger and incredibly good looking Bresser AR-127L has popped up and has thrown all my previous research on what to build for an EvoStar 120 setup out the window. Any suggestions for a good AltAz mount for it? Ive currently got a PowerSeeker 80EQ Refractor and i just couldnt get on with the EQ mount as i like to explore, look around and star hop/interested in seeing the planets. No interest in photography currently either. Thanks for any suggestions/discussion, this place is great!

That looks really cool Just seen in another thread that the AZ5 mount is not so much the weight of the scope, but the length of it being the critical thing here. The SkyTree II seems to be the best option although would run me 360ish with a steel tripod included plus the cost of the scope itself which is currently around 270.

Hmmmm back to the drawing board, had really hoped for AltAz, the SkyTree II and Vixen Porta 2 are on my radar but pricey!

Thanks for the feedback Scouse! Nearly added that to the list after seeing the purchaser comment mentioning them using the exact same scope with it. The lack of slow motion controls did put me off though.