New Skywatcher Heritage Virtuoso telescopes

[Photosbykev]

Interesting product - fancy using one for solar observing and also being able to fit the PST. Does the base have a thread so a standard photo tripod can be used?

It has a 3/8" whitworth thread that most prosumer tripods have

[FLO]

Kevin has been testing the mount and it has become clear the Virtuoso's photographic features are not as capable as the Skywatcher Allview mount. For example, when using the Virtuoso the camera lens cannot be positioned at the nodal point when in portrait orientation, the shutter release time is limited to a maximum of 10 seconds and the sidereal tracking on the mount automatically turns off after 30 minutes.

To be fair the Virtuoso is first and foremost a mount for astronomy. I have edited our product description to explain this

A big thank-you to Kevin for being a guinea pig

HTH,

Steve

[wrinkly]

They are a load of selfish people on this forum, Steve.

Everyone has forgotten the most important question, did you enjoy your tea?

[Rihard]

Hi folks,

It's Christmas time and I have a couple of questions in regards to the Virtuoso mount and optics, especially the Mak 90 one. I hope somebody can help as Google didn't help with this pretty new item. I apologise in advance for the length of this post

1) From the pictures it looks like a table top mount. So is it a mount that needs a tripod or can it be used as a table top mount as I thought?

2) The mount looks very small, but I can't figure out how small it is by just reading the specs or looking at the pics .

- My question is: will it fit a backpack with or without the OTA? I would love something "grab & go" and something that i could easily carry on a flight. Unfortunately my 200P with Eq5 cannot be easily carried anywhere

3) I would like to do some low power imaging (i.e. very simple milky way and widefields images) with my dSLR + lens, however, the 114P is very interesting in that regards given its "fast" F/Ratio. The following questions are out of curiosity:

- Should I opt for the 114, will it focus on a dSLR or should I just forget about it and use the dSLR objective lenses for widefields, and buy the Mak 90 for planetary observation / webcam imaging? Would be cool to take advantage of the extra aperture of the little newtonian reflector although it's probably too big to fit a backpack with the mount!

- In conjunction with a barlow, can the 114P give the same power and contrast of the Mak 90 when doing simple webcam planetary imaging, or, as above, should I still opt for the Mak for basic planetary, and fast dSLR lenses for widefield imaging?

So to recap: I wish to understand how easy would that be to carry this mount on a flight, how good is the Mak 90 and if the 114P, having a greater aperture, can still beat the Mak 90 if using a barlow for planetary I think I would still buy the cute little Mak 90 since it looks pretty small and I never owned a Mak OTA before, but still willing to learn if the 114P can be considered as a valid alternative for planetary and if it would work at all with celestial objects that require fast optics / long exposures dSLR imaging.

Thanks anyone for the help and clear skies!

[FLO]

1) From the pictures it looks like a table top mount. So is it a mount that needs a tripod or can it be used as a table top mount as I thought?

It is a tabletop telescope. Kevin mentioned in his post it has a 3/8" Whitworth thread so could be mounted on most prosumer tripods.

2) The mount looks very small, but I can't figure out how small it is by just reading the specs or looking at the pics .

- My question is: will it fit a backpack with or without the OTA?

Probably, but we haven't tried. We haven't had an opportunity to assemble and play with one (this is a very busy time for us retailers).

3) I would like to do some low power imaging (i.e. very simple milky way and widefields images) with my dSLR + lens...

If you mount a DSLR with it's standard lens to the mount then you can achieve photos with exposures up to around 30 seconds. I wouldn't attach your DSLR to either of the telescopes, that isn't what the Heritage Virtuoso was designed for.

how good is the Mak 90 and if the 114P, having a greater aperture, can still beat the Mak 90 if using a barlow for planetary ...

If you live under a dark sky then choose the 114P for it's greater aperture and wide field of view. If you live under significant light pollution then the 90mm Maksutov has higher contrast and a longer focal length so is great for planets, globulars, compact/bright deep-sky targets (like the Ring and Dumbbell nebulas) and of course the lunar surface. Targets that look good even through light pollution.

HTH,

Steve

[cotterless45]

The Mak looks like a winner for travelling,

Nick.

[happy-kat]

Thank you Steve, I've ordered one to play with. Anyone want a Skywatcher 90mm Maksutov scope? lol

Hi (and hello from me been having a look/lurk and search as so much to learn) would be really interested to see a user review of the heritage 114 as the net throws up diddly swat. Would be interested in the quality of the sightings, on the shortlist are the three heritage scopes because of their portability but am leaning towards the 130 as there is far more to read about it. Mainly for just looking and would love to see DSO. Any comments on the 114 greatfully received

[starrygazer76]

Will the Virtuoso

Mount be available seperately, or does it fit the 130P? .

i asked skywatcher this question (there u,k supplier) and i was told they are compatible with the hertiage 130p but not avaliable as the mount only which is a shame hoping one day.

equipment skywatcher heriage 130p 60mm refractor celestron skymaster bins 15x70

[Steve38]

Hi,ive just got the mak version of the vertuoso mount,looks well made and feels very solid,i will post a complete review soon.

[Sunnycharlie]

I am on the point of buying the mak version but have one question I would dearly like answered. What does the scope movement feel like when you loosen the clutch and move it manually? I am used to an 8 inch dob and wondered whether it felt similar?

[Andrew*]

It's very loose and swings freely. Needs to be finely balanced if you want to leave the clutch off, and cannot be balanced at all with the supplied dovetail and heavy eyepieces.

[starrygazer76]

i asked skywatcher this question (there u,k supplier) and i was told they are compatible with the hertiage 130p but not avaliable as the mount only which is a shame hoping one day.

equipment skywatcher heriage 130p 60mm refractor celestron skymaster bins 15x70

I have know mentioned to get hold of a virtuose mount and fitted my skywatcher hertiage 130p fits perfectly. Cant wait for clear skies!!!!!

[starrygazer76]

I have know mentioned to get hold of a virtuose mount and fitted my skywatcher hertiage 130p fits perfectly. Cant wait for clear skies!!!!!

Look at my profile picture to see it

[happy-kat]

That looks interesting, I have the 130p too and it was almost the Virtuoso 90 instead.

[Gonzo]

Can either be used for basic astrophotography? I'm looking to replace my EQ1

[FLO]

Can either be used for basic astrophotography? I'm looking to replace my EQ1

We don't recommend the Virtuoso mount for astrophotography but, looking at the equipment listed in your signature, it appears you are already well on your way to beginning astrophotography

HTH, 

Steve 

[Gonzo]

Thanks Steve for your input, much appreciated.

[Benton1991]

Whats are these compared to the Skywatcher Explorer 130p?

I'm wanting to get a smaller scope due to no space for mine

[FLO]

There isn't a Heritage Virtuoso equivalent of the Skywatcher Explorer 130p. 

The Explorer 130p is larger but you can still easily pick it up and move it around the garden without difficulty. If you don't mind that it is manual then the Explorer 130p is a better telescope. Also, the Skywatcher 130p mirror-set is fitted to a number of other telescopes, including the compact Heritage 130p Flextube. For an overview please see our blog post. 

HTH, 

Steve 

[happy-kat]

Found a comment today where a cable had been used to have Stellarium control the Virtuoso Mak to then be a Go To unit.

[happy-kat]

If the Virtuoso MAK 90 is the same as the Skymax 90 then the motorised mount of the Virtuoso is just £63 plus it comes with a star diagonal.

Thinking of putting my celestron c70 on fleabay and getting one of these seeing as another member said they put their heritage 130p on it, and it takes a 4kg payload the mount.

[Benton1991]

Thats it, put my skywatcher 130p on ebay, hopefully someone will buy soon and I'm getting the 90

Exciting times.

[adiadidas]

How much if shipped to Indonesia?

[Benton1991]

Hi, I've got the 90 coming in the post after new year hopefully, could you recommend an eyepiece or 2?

Thanks

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[beamer3.6m]

Eyepiece wise I have gone for the Seben 7.5-22.5 zoom eyepiece.

This is based on good reviews and the need to keep things simple - i.e. it's a small scope and mount so seems daft to have loads of accessories.

The zoom should comfortably cover the full max range of the scope.

Just a thought!