Skywatcher Skyliner 8” Dobsonian + accessories advice

[aventic]

Hello guys. I would love some advice from you.

First and foremost I should say, that I’m brand new in the business. For over a year I’ve been wanting a telescope and finally - now is the time.

I’ve been looking at a ‘Skywatcher Skyliner 8” Dobsonian’ (http://www.astroshop.eu/skywatcher-dobson-telescope-n-200-1200-skyliner-classic-dob/p,4440) from Astroshop.eu, and my budget being max 550€-ish, this telescope looks promising in performance and quality, as I’ve read on this forum. 

If I go for the 8” dobsonian I have some money in spare. I have been looking at a suitcase set of eyepieces, this one ‘Omegon Suitcase with eyepieces and accessories’ (http://www.astroshop.eu/omegon-suitcase-with-eyepieces-and-accessories/p,8353), also containing some filters and some eyepieces but is this worth the money? Or do I have enough in the eyepieces that comes with the telescope?

Also how is Astroshop as a shop? Are they trustworthy? Can you recommend me ordering a telescope from them?  I’m living in Denmark so there will be some delivering distance from Germany where they reside - hope it will last the travel.

At last I would like to hear your experience using this dobsonian or any dobsonian for photographies. My brother owns a Canon 7D and we often join up together, taking pictures of the sky just using the camera. It would be nice if we could attach it to the telescope aswell and atleast have some good shots of nebulas, planets etc.. I know a dobsonian isn't the best kind for that, but can it be done with some proper results?

Thanks in regards. Kudos for a great forum and community!

[Charic]

A great telescope to start with.

Get used to the Skyliner first. The basic eyepieces will work ok, but like most folk, you will want to upgrade them at some stage. Its the supplied 10mm that lets the telescope down a little. Just sort out a replacement for the 10mm and build from there. I would suggest something around the 6mm 12mm for your first eyepiece. Some folk also like to upgrade their finder scope to a RACI type. Check them out on the internet. All of the eyepieces I have are very good for my eyes.

[aventic]

A great telescope to start with.

Thanks for the answer, can you comment on the Omegon Suitcase, are those filters and eyepieces worth getting for an extra 150€? (http://www.astroshop.eu/omegon-suitcase-with-eyepieces-and-accessories/p,8353)

[Astro Imp]

Hi and welcome.

You have made a great choice of telescope (it is said to be the No. 1 selling scope in the U.K.)

With regard the eyepiece set I would save my money. Having looked at the make up of the set most of the filters you will use once and then they will live in the case, the eyepieces are Plossls, which in itself is not bad but the eye relief of all Plossls is related to the EP focal lengtht (about 60%-70% of the focal length) at short focal lengths this becomes very short. IMO the 4mm and 6mm will be very uncomfortable to use. (BTW eye relief is the distance from the eyepiece you need to place your eye.) Far better to use the scope for a few sessions to get a feel for what you need and purchase individual eyepieces.

A Dobsonian mounted telescope is fine for visual use but is not the choice for astro-photography. You could probably get reasonable results on the moon but definitely not on nebula. (Have a look in the imaging section of the forum to see the set ups favoured for this branch of the hobby.)

Sorry I am not in a position to pass comment on Astroshop

[Charic]

I would say forget the sets, as most others would agree, yet look at my signature and I have two sets?
Like tools in a tool box, each eyepiece has its own performance and specification. Read the replies that will follow, and study what's available and why eyepieces work the way they do.
Televue are market leaders, premium quality, premium prices too. They must be what you need. I on the other hand, went for the BST Starguiders ( these are similar in construction to the Astrotech Paradigms ) and work well for my needs, I also have some of the cheapest Plossl's on the Planet, they all work fine for my needs.

Once  you decide what you actually need, then if that brand has a set, then build on it. Having a full BST set wont satisfy all folk, as their own eyes perceive images differently through each eyepiece.
You can work with 3 Eyepieces and that will be your set. The 25mm you will have is ok, replace the 10mm with a 6-12mm and possibly something wider than the 25mm


As for the kit your viewing, you probably wont want those filters? as folk here will advise.
Whatever you choose will be your decision in the end, however, eyepiece selection is VERY SUBJECTIVE here? What's good for my eyes, may not match your eyes, and vice versa.

I would say a Plossl is a Plossl ( watch what happens now  that I've said that ?) but no, there is build quality, and better optics  (glass ) to consider. The design might be the same, how you pay for that design will differ. Pay loads and you can/ will get  the best, but  what's best is your decision only. Enjoy the fun of selection?

As for photography, the Dobsonian not the best telescope, because you will need to manually track the telescope, which is difficult for long exposures. You can take quick snaps (check my Gallery) Their from an Android phone and a Nikon! If you want better, then you need a better mount first and foremost, and possible a better telescope for the task. The Skyliner is best for deep Sky Observations, and as you increase the aperture with these Dobsonian mounted Newtonian telescopes, you will see fainter, but for Planetary work and other photographic work, the Skywatcher Explorer ( itself a 200P 8" ) but on an EQ mount, my be another option. There will be better telescopes and set-ups for Astrophotography work.

[aventic]

Alright, really thanks for the answers guys.

I will stick to the telescope in round one. Getting a bit familiar with the whole concept and work from there.

Astro Imp and Charic, thanks for being specific in your answers, a new commer needs and bit of explaining to the terms.

[Rusty-Gunn]

I just recieved the Orion-branded (USA) version of this telescope yesterday. Our's is blue color. I too wanted to upgrade the lenses so I ordered a Celestron X-Cel 7mm eye piece and an X-Cel 2x Barlow. I ecpect to add a 9 and 18mm later.

I read that the X-Cel lenses are better than the ones that come with the scope.

I figure you won't be disappointed with the telescope. They are nice.

[Pondus]

Astroshop is trustworthy.

So is Teleskop-express (Teleskop-service) also located in Germany.

You might also consider Astrosweden, at least check the currency DKK vs SEK, might not be that more expensive than buying from Germany.

You can get Skyliner 8" from all of the above.

Bought my first scope from Astrosweden, and I was satisfied with their service.

Rune

[aventic]

I will have a look at that one, thanks.

As i order the telescope should i also go for a collimator like this one: http://www.astroshop.eu/laser-pointers/omegon-newton-adjusting-laser-1-25-inspection-window-/p,4577 ?

[Charic]

No!

A combination  Sight Tube / Cheshire would be more  practical and accurate and doesn't require batteries or collimating. I have a similar laser to the one your suggesting, and I, like yourself, believed that having a laser will be all I need. Think twice, they have many faults, even the expensive ones  have limitations? Having used a cap,35mm,laser,Cheshire I prefer the Cheshire, but  I still use the laser with a Barlow, having only found out about the benefits of using a barlow with a laser?  In this configuration, the laser works well. Check out Barlowed laser on the web?

You can collimate the telescope with just the dust cap from the focuser tube, or cut off the base of a 35mm film case and drill a 1 mm hole in the lid. These caps just help to align the eye to the focuser's central axis when aligning the secondary mirror. Get this task right, and the rest of collimating is fairly straightforward????

[aventic]

Oh why no!?

[Pondus]

i bought a cheshire collimator. Works fine.

Rune

[swamp thing]

Personally I'd leave buying eyepieces for a little while and just use the supplied ones for a time. 

Its very easy to spend money now that you may regret later. After you've been using the scope a while you'll  have your own ideas on what focal length eyepieces would suit your own observing requirements better. 

The best things to buy first are some warm clothes, a red torch and a sky atlas.

[aventic]

Alright, I'll wait with the eyepieces and just get familiar with the basics of the telescope first.

[AstroAdam]

i used only the stock eps for 8 years after buying my Skyliner

[roadrunner]

having had the skywatcher 200p dob for 8 months now i couldnt fault it and is the best purchase of anything i have made in years.

its a scope of quality and within your price range. it could potentially be the only scope you will ever need.

with time you may want to upgrade the Eps like most of us and a moon filter is a good idea as the dob collects a whole lot of light!

i also got a pair of Celestron 15x70 bins, these are well worth looking at. not too heavy to hold and are mountable on a tripod. i paid £75 for my pair new

enjoy

don

[roadrunner]

meant to add, would also highly recommend the book "turn left at orion"