Helios Question

[Jm1973]

Hi. I'm thinking of buying a 8" dob, and have been considering the Skywatcher Skyliner 200p.

I've seen this advertised which says it is a "Skywatcher/Helios Skyliner 200P" - http://ensoptical.co.uk/skywatcher-helios-200p

It seems to be cheaper than other dobs which claim to be Skywatcher Skyliner 200P, but don;t mention Helios. 

Is they the same thing, or is this something else?

[johninderby]

It’s an older dob marketed under the Helios brand but made by Synta who make Skywatcher. Basicly the same with a slightly different alt bearing setup using a spring. 

Edited August 20, 2020 by johninderby

[Jm1973]

1 minute ago, johninderby said:

It’s an older dob marketed under the Helios brand but made by Synta who make Skywatcher. Same dob. 

Thanks

[lenscap]

As johninderby says, Synta used the Helios brand for scopes before they thought of the Skywatcher moniker.

38 minutes ago, Jm1973 said:

Is they the same thing

Not exactly. Those Helios dobs are F/5 while current 200p skyliners are F/6 if that matters to you.

38 minutes ago, Jm1973 said:

It seems to be cheaper than other dobs which claim to be Skywatcher Skyliner 200P

Bear in mind ENS sell used gear & that scope is around 20 years old.

Edited August 20, 2020 by lenscap

[John]

Yes - that was a very early model. Don't see many of those for sale now.

 

[johninderby]

Found a shop still showing the dob??? 🙀And no it wasn’t an astro shop. 

Edited August 20, 2020 by johninderby

[Jm1973]

5 hours ago, lenscap said:

As johninderby says, Synta used the Helios brand for scopes before they thought of the Skywatcher moniker.

Not exactly. Those Helios dobs are F/5 while current 200p skyliners are F/6 if that matters to you.

Bear in mind ENS sell used gear & that scope is around 20 years old.

I independently realised it's F5 and the Skyliner is F6. I've been trying to find out which is better for my needs.

As I understand it the F5 is more susceptible to coma, and more likely to need collimating, and gives a wider FoV, but is more portable.

The F6 might be better for planetary/lunar with it's slightly higher magnification.

Is there that much in it? I kind of want an all rounder really. Observing planets, lunar, and some DSO once I get the hang of finding them. 

 

Saying that I didn;t know it was 20 years old. Maybe I'd be better find something a bit more recent. Any thoughts?

[John]

An F/6 is more of an all rounder in my view. Slightly kinder to wide field eyepieces as well.

 

 

[Jm1973]

1 hour ago, John said:

An F/6 is more of an all rounder in my view. Slightly kinder to wide field eyepieces as well.

 

 

Thanks. I am coming round to the idea of getting an 8" f6 dob.