Soligor Rob

14 hours ago, Spile said:

I have the same telescope and would suggest hanging fire before spending additional funds on upgrades. Well apart from a copy of turn Left at Orion that is. Thrash the living daylights out of the existing eyepieces and finder in order to determine what (if any) upgrade strategy is right for you. There are some (hopefully useful) tips on my blog below.

I also have the 200p and really enjoyed reading your blog, excellent thanks.

I would cer

35 minutes ago, UKDiver said:

Thank you Banjaxed. Unfortunately I could not find a post of this tripod, only threads on other types.

 

FLO suggested I could get a replacement leg from Astroboot, but at E39 plus postage, that seems like a sledge hammer to squeeze a nut. The German's are lucky in that there is legislation requiring spares to made available to the public.

So it looks like I'll be tapping M10 for a slightly bigger knob.

Adrian

Re-tapping the thread to M10 is definitely the correct way to go and much the easier option.

Considering my dodgy knees I don't have a problem moving my Evostar 150ED about, I have the EQ6 tripod with extension and the Altair Sabre mount.

The 150ED lives in a Geoptic bag which makes moving it around so easy, whilst the Coffin size Aluminum case is fine for world wide travel it's just to unwieldy for everyday use.

A simple lift into the Losmandy dovetail clamp and you're good to go.

Finally arrived my Sky Watcher extension tube and More-Blue Losmandy 

Dovetail rail, Thank you Flo.

No more groveling on my knees.

Hi Steve, The HEQ5 accepts both the vixen and the Losmandy rails, I have just changed my Vixen for a Losmandy type rail, my Evostar 150ED sits a lot more rigid with the larger sized Losmandy Rail.

I think you'll find Vixen is just a generic name for the smaller size Rails, though if i'm wrong I'm certain someone will explain.

8 hours ago, Virtus said:

Here's my word of warning to anyone who is "just going to try one"! 😆

Oh heavens I have EP envy...

34 minutes ago, Stu said:

Nice report and interesting details Nik. I agree, observing the craters right in the limb can be a really absorbing exercise. Some of these complex craters can be hard to identify can’t they?

I think the NASA terminator simulator is really top notch, and use it a lot. The main problem with it is a lack of labels on the features so you have to reference elsewhere l, but it is still very handy.

Thanks Stu for the reference to the Nasa Terminator Simulator, not seen that before I think it will help me tremendously in learning about the moon.

Glad I found this thread, I have been using Sky Map which a bit limiting to say the least, thanks to you guys I have now downloaded Sky Safari Plus, plenty there to keep me occupied.

Well Peter that is a fab photo taken with a phone, I was out with my 200p Dob and didn't get a photo as sharp as that, think I might have been suffering from dew on the mirror or misty eyes...🤔

Hi Don,

I thank you for PDF page, an interesting and informative read.

 I was already aware of the laser accuracy and before use I checked it out in my engineers Vee blocks, thankfully it was 

spot on across my 20' workshop.

I will certainly be looking into using the barlow method in the future.👍

The seed was planted that my collimation might not be good so I bought a Laser tool and found it was actually out a tad, have to say what a fantastic tool the laser is, it made the job so much easier for me than using the Cheshire.

A much clearer sky tonight but a tad damp, re did the collimation using the Laser Collimator couldn’t believe how much easier the job is with the laser.

The viewing image was fantastic the difference is amazing from just being a tad out to spot on .

Attached picture taken with my non modified Canon 60D 1/125 with iso 100.

Ok I was asked to give my first impressions on my Evostar 150ED Pro.

First off I don’t have a great deal of knowledge on telescope or in fact viewing the night sky, I just know I like what I see.

Some of the first reports told accounts of the damaged good arriving due to poor packaging, well Sky Watcher have addressed this problem, the huge cardboard box contains an inner resilient sponge type protective container in side of which is a large aluminum case, with handles at each end and also one central handle.

Beware this is a heavy object.

The Evostar 150ED Pro is a big lump of telescope, already owning the Helios 120mm it is a big step up in size and weight, so be prepared for that.

It has an aperture of F8 so a fair amount of light enters the eye piece.

You might be a bit disappointed in that you don’t get a finder or diagnol in the £1800 price tag, the adaptor fitting on the focus tube is cheap budget at best.

Also the clamp rings on the current batch of telescopes will NOT hold the weight scope by that I mean they spin freely on the tube, why this wasn’t picked up before they left the factory by a simple Quality Control inspection beggars belief.

I replaced them with a set of More-Blue rings and now all is secure.

I swapped the cheap adaptor for a Baader Click lock which is excellent, I also purchased a William Optics dielectric, I also purchased my first Baader Morpheus EP a 12.5mm which is amazing, when available I will also buy the 9mm & 17.5mm.

The massive dew shield which can be unscrewed has for some reason an aluminum end cover, it does have a felt inner protective sleeve but it is inset from the edge of the rim so had taken some paint of the dew shield on arrival.

I rolled some electrical insulation tape around the edge to allow future protection.

Setting up the telescope isn’t too difficult, I’m lucky in being able to walk out of the conservatory double doors straight on to our patio which is were we will be viewing from, Tripod and mount first, I have an Altair Saber Mount sat on top of the Sky Watcher EQ6 tripod which is excellent and more than capable to hold the 150ED.

Holding the scope in my arms it easily rolls into the Vixen dovetail clamp, tightening the screws is an easy task, I have ordered a Losmandy Dovetail Bar which will give a larger and more rigid clamping area.

I also purchased the Geoptic padded bag which makes moving the telescope around so much easier, it is well padded and  fit's the scope perfectly but you do have to remove the diagnol.

Using a Bahtinov mask finding focus was easy, the dual speed focuser being positive with no slippage and a has a god positive feel to it.

Typical I didn’t have long before the clouds moved in so I snapped of a few photos of the moon using my standard Canon 60D.

I processed the pictures in Photoshop C6 merging 3 images together, the other photo is as it came, the most noticeable being there is no Chromatic Aberration which I was well impressed with.

So for the first time setting up despite it’s weight it all went straight forward, sits nicely balanced on the Altair Sabre mount and is so easy to move around, I have ordered the extension tube to lift the whole scope clear of the tripod legs and to prevent me having to crawl on my hands & knees when getting close to the Zenith.

Ok, I did check the collimation on the Dob but have to admit it was only a quick look so after a cuppa I moved the Dob into the conservatory and set about making a proper job of it and found the collimation to be out by a small amount so you guys were right hence the poorer visual quality.

Hopefully we will get a similar clear evening sky tonight so I can get back out to compare.

It's a frustrating old malarkey this sky watching.

11 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

Could the DOB be slightly out of collimation, Rob? I'd expect the Morpheus to work as well in both scopes.. or perhaps you meant that the image was smaller in the DOB, which was then fixed by doubling the magnification?

Dave

Hi Dave, Collimation is good so I don't think that made the difference, I was just aware the image was brighter in the 150PDS, would the F5 be that much different to the F6 of the Dob?

Good morning everyone, well I finally managed to get outside last night with the telescope and my new Morpheus 12.5mm.

What can I say Oh wow couldn't believe how clear and sharp the image of the moon was, first views with the Sky Watcher Explorer 150 PDS were amazing, I then switched the EP to the 200P Dobsonian and was surprised that the image didn't appear as clear.

Back in the 150 PDS I added a Celestron X-Cel X2 Barlow and yes as everyone has said the Morpheus does Barlow very well, so it's a big thumbs up from me for the Morpheus and will be looking forward to adding the 9mm & 17.5mm to my collection.

Seeing anything other than clouds would be a treat, since I finally got my Evostar 150ED sorted we haven't had a clear sky, so sorry folks it's all my fault.

Patience is a virtue....... apparently.

1 hour ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

Congrats on the 12.5mm. I would really like to compare the 12.5 to the 14mm. I hear very good things regarding the 12.5

I can't decide which is my favourite in the range out of the 9 & 17.5 they are both extremely good performers and a worthy addition to any EP collection 👍

For once I'm trying to be sensible (not my strong Point) as I will be buying the 9mm & 17.5mm, theoretically I shouldn't need the 14mm.

Then again Theoretically perhaps I should have bought the 400p Flex Tube instead of the Evostar 150ED. 🤔

Well that's my first Morpheus in my case, next on the list the 17.5 mm & 9mm.

Thanks to you all for the recommendation.

This Lens  might suit your needs, good people to deal with, I have bought several items from LCE with no problems.

https://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Sigma-105mm-F2.8-O/S-HSM-Canon-fit_300227.html

Another one from Wexphoto.

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/sigma-105mm-f2-8-ex-dg-macro-canon-fit-used-1778658/

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/sigma-105mm-f2-8-ex-dg-macro-canon-fit-used-1779083/

5 hours ago, william123 said:

Which size of More-Blue rings did you buy?  The 156mm rings?  Which Baader Click-Lock did you buy?

Thank you.

Morning William, Yes the 156mm rings, this is the link for the Baader Click Lock.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/baader-click-lock-2956256-m56-celestron-skywatcher.html

Cheers Rob.

I sort of expected that, I was thrown off course when a telephone call today revealed they didn't actually have a 12.5mm in stock but they did have the 14mm.

I should stick to my plan and be patient the forecast for the next week or so certainly don't predict any clear sky's.

So if it was between the 14mm or 12.5mm which should I buy? bearing in mind I intend to purchase the 17.5mm & 9mm when they become available.

16 hours ago, Peter Drew said:

One extra layer of felt and the grip issue is solved.    🙂

I would be more inclined towards Sky Watcher getting the rings the right size to adequately grip the scope at the design stage considering this is an £1800 scope and not some Aldi or Toys are us item.

As I said my explorer tube rings are spot on so there is no reason why they can't get it right on a scope costing 5 times more.

Right I've taken in that most here rate the Baader Morpheus EP's fairly high, so can I ask how the compare to the Celstron X-Cel LX range of EP's.

Please forgive my innocence if the answer is blindingly obvious.