Spier24

It would be good if skywatcher brought out a 150 Mak on a GoTo mount. I know that Orion sell that setup but the mount and tripod really aren't good enough to carry the weight of the scope.

I know someone who bought a new one back in 2013 I think? His is also in the black and white colour like yours. Can't remember if it has the schott glass logo on it but it does have the 30mm finder. It wasn't called skymax at that point I think.

I could be wrong but when the original skywatcher GoTo range came out I can't remember it being called the Skymax. The only difference I can think of is that the original had a 30mm finder scope where as the new Az Gti model has a red dot finder.

I know about the eyepieces, I'm thinking of upgrading the 10mm eyepiece to either a 10 or 7.5mm skywatcher plossl. Also thinking of getting a 17mm plossl as a middle of the road eyepiece.

I've only heard good things about the scope. I believe the only differences between the Skywatcher and celestron versions is that the celestron tripod is a bit sturdier and the celestron alignment system is easier to use. Although the new Skywatcher az gti is supposed to be he best of the bunch in terms of tripod stability. If I get the scope then I'll probably just upgrade the eyepieces to some standard skywatcher plossls.

I'll try to find it again, but i definitely read somewhere that the az gti mount and tripod are sturdier than the original GoTo setup.

The old skywatcher 127 goto and the celestron 127 are both supposed to be quite wobbly. Very nice scope though.

Just to put an end to what's been an interesting thread. I've managed to find a comparison and it appears that the Az Gti mount is sturdier than the celestron slt or skywatcher GoTo mount

I'll probably go for the 10 and 17mm. Then use the standard 25mm that comes with the scope. It's really the standard 10mm that I want to replace with a 10mm plossl as the standard one is apparently not very good.

I already plan on getting a power pack after the numerous issues I've read about the mount not operating properly with batteries. Although from what I've read the AZ GTI mount is sturdier than the SLT mount. Also great photo!

Those are the two differences between the Skywatcher and the celestron models, the tripod and the handset. The celestron align process seems easier but the Skywatcher one isn't that hard either. I'll probably end up going with the Skywatcher model due to how shaky the celestron tripod is supposed to be.

I've not seen any other reviews about the mount being faulty so I don't think it's very common.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-eyepieces/skywatcher-sp-plossl-eyepieces.html So you'd recommend one of these? Should I go for the 10mm or 7mm for planetary observation. Will probably get one of these to replace the 10mm included with the scope as I've read it's not very good.

Seems like you possibly have a faulty mount or it's due to using AA batteries. I've been told that it's much better to get a power pack as the night won't function well on AA's unless they're at full or near full charge. How's the stability of the mount? I think km correct in saying that the Skywatcher one has an aluminium mount where as the celestron has a stainless steel one.

Generally sounds like the AZ-GTI mount is sturdier than the SLT mount. I hate to think what the mount was like oh the original 127 GoTo because most people say that the celestron version had a sturdier mounting. Also to the guy who had issues with the mount, go for a power back instead of the AA batteries. The mount won't really work properly if the batteries aren't at full charge.

From what I've heard, when compared with the original GoTo skywatcher mount the celestron is more stable. Although the new AZ-GTI mount is apparently the sturdiest of them all. I'll wait for more feedback.

I imagine this topic has been covered before, but I'm currently trying to compare the Skywatcher skymax 127 AZ-GTI Vs the Celestron nexstar127 slt. Apart from the obvious difference being the mount and one being operated via your one whilst the other is operated by a handset. Is there any other differences I should know about? I know some people have said that the celestron mount is sturdier and that it's alignment procedure is easier to use. Although I'm not sure if they're refering to the original skymax 127 or the new wireless model when making the comparison. Link bellow so everyone knows which version I'm talking about. http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/beginners-telescopes/skymax-127-az-gti.html

Great summary, although the SCT's do seem more unreliable than the Maks. I do agree that the SCT's are probably the best all around scope. If it wasn't for the reports I've seen about many breaking during shipping and needing more collimation then I would definitely go for one.

Would you both recommend something like this then? http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/astronomical_accessories-eyepieces/sky-watcher_7-21mm_zoom_eyepiece__125-317mm_format.html Just a standard skywatcher 7-21mm zoom eyepiece. Zoom eyepieces aren't something I've previously looked into although after a bit of reading online and from your replies they seem like a nice piece of kit to have. Good for trying out different magnifications. No need for a Barlow then either.

I'll probably go for a smaller 30mm RACI. Also any eye piece recommendations? I'll be going with a standard skywatcher 2x Barlow but I'd interested to know if you think I should replace the standard eyepieces included with the telescope.

I was also looking at star discovery 150p a few weeks ago. Although it seems rather cheaply made, plus living in a light polluted area like I do means that you'd probably need something pretty big to do decent DSO viewing. Hence why I'm just sticking to a cassegrain scope. The Skymax 127 seems like a very decent setup for the money. Only thing I'd do is buy a scope finder to replace the red dot finder.

I do come from the UK. I also read in a review somewhere that the new Skymax scoped are of slightly better build quality than the older ones. One thing I don't like is that the Skymax models come with a red dot finder instead of the finder scope that came on the older ones. I'd just buy a skywatcher finder scope to replace the red dot finder.

Any difference in build quality between the original skywatcher 127 and the newer Skymax model? Or is the only difference the mount.

Well it would be my first ever scope. So I'd probably be blown away by whatever I see.

That's actually better than I expected! It's made out by some to be a horrid thing to use for DSO viewing. I guess it depends what your expectations are and what kind of viewing you're used to.