TAL 150P v Skywatcher 150P

[dweller25]

Hello,

I am looking to buy a 6" F/5 Newtonian.

The Skywatcher 150P OTA costs £140.

The TAL 150P OTA costs £290.

Has anyone done a side by side test on these two scopes ?

How do they compare optically ?

I suspect the TAL is built better than the Skywatcher but for me it's the optics that count.

Thanks in advance.

[yeti monster]

Without doubt the build quality of TAL scopes is excellent. I have as yet to use my TAL-1 though, so cannot comment on the optics, although they are well sought after (but NOT rare, as some ebay sellers would have us believe). Certainly not subject to the mass production of the Skywatcher series I'd say.

[TheThing]

Tal. No competition!

[AndyH]

Haven't tried either of these items mentioned, but, if I were to offer advice, I'd say Russian optics are usually always/often better figured than their chinese counterparts.

A Tal 150P is on ebay at the moment, which could save you some dosh, depending on the final price. It's the full outfit, with the Tal mount and pillar included.

Russian Telescope on eBay (end time 10-May-10 18:08:06 BST)

There should of course be no competition, regarding build quality. High quality, thick and true round tube, good 2" focuser, excellent main mirror cell, superb(one of the best on the market) 8x50 finder. Eyepieces and barlow supplied are very good quality too.

Cheers,

Andy.

[nicnac]

i havnt compared them both side by side.

when reading observation reports here on SGL regarding 150P scopes i took into account the targets used by the various authors and targeted those myself with my TAL.

i remember one thread regarding Mars as a target around febuary, the owner of a skywatcher 150P said they could resolve the planet but didnt get much detail, i targeted Mars and resolved the planet with the supplied EPs and got good levels of detail, the polar cap was a fine sight!

i am not sure what the other authors obs site was like but i live in the Wakefield district and do suffer quite a bit of LP, irrispective of that, the views i get with the TAL are excellent and i could not recommend them in any higher regard than i do now.

[Brinders]

Hello David,

I think you will find that the focuser is a 1 1/4" rack and pinion rather than a 2" (unless the spec has changed since I got mine some years ago).

The tube is aluminum and easily dinged and the end of the tubes aren't finished with any kind of trim and so the paint can be easily chipped at either end (just clumsily replacing the tube covers at either end can do this). The tube caps are of a very soft type of plastic similar to that I remember toys from Hong Kong were manufactured from when I was a kid (I suspect they are some kind of vinyl) and easily warped if left in the sun (place them in hot water for a few minutes and then reshape by hand, if necessary).

In short, the TAL Newtonians are not finished to the same high standard of chinese scopes, but having said that the optics are reputed to be first class (which is what you are really after).

The pillar is good and solid, but there is limited travel in the gearing of the EQ mount which means you will have to slacken off the altitude and azimuth knobs and realign every so often, which can get annoying. On the other hand, there is nothing to go wrong and adjusting by hand the altitude and azimuth knobs with your arms around the tube means that you gain a very intimate relationship with the scope!

There is no polar scope or any easy way of adjusting the scope to polar align other than (I suppose) to drift align. I find that making sure the surface you place the pillar on is level and pointed reasonably close to north is sufficient for visual use.

The finder scope is better than anything else out there and really is superb - testament to the TAL factory's previous incarnation as the manufacturer of tank gun sights for the former soviet army!

What I love about the TAL 150P is its low tech but robust construction and excellent optics. And the standard 25mm eyepiece is still one of my favourites and comes with a screw in cross hair reticule that I use to accurately align my CPC925GPS.

I'll never give up my scope or the TAL eyepieces that came with it.

Brinders

[dweller25]

Hmmmm

5-0 to the Tal then.

Thanks for the replies.

[nicnac]

i few point that i disagree with brinders,

the TAL 150p has the 2" focuser and the finish is of very high quality.

there are pics in my profile and in the TAL social group

[nicnac]

the TAL 150P does not come with the pillar mount anymore, i have mine on a CG5, its a fine combo too

[Brinders]

i few point that i disagree with brinders,

the TAL 150p has the 2" focuser and the finish is of very high quality.

there are pics in my profile

All I can say is the spec must have changed since I got mine which is quite definitely a 1 1/4" rack and pinion but I have had mine longer than I can remember, so it may well be a 2" focuser now. Nothing wrong with it being rack and pinion either, it is very smooth. Also I still have the very large and heavy birch wood cabinet (too well made to call it a box) that the scope and mount originally came in.

Brinders

[nicnac]

the TAL specs have indeed been upgraded recently, the rack and pinion is 2" and very smooth and the supplied EPs are 25mm and 7.5 instead of the advertised 25mm and 10mm. you still get a barlow and a few other bits n bobs thrown in too.

it comes in cardboard boxes now instead of the siberian forrest

i have informed steve @ FLO of the differing specs and i believe they are just awaiting an update to their site.

[AndyH]

I think the focuser changed a few years back(as did the supplied eyepieces). I can remember chatting to Nick regarding this, a while back, when he was about to get his. UK importer and shop pics and details had never been updated and this caused a bit of confusion when trying to recommend extra eyepieces.

Something to keep in mind if buying a Tal 150p 2nd hand.

Andy.

edit: beat me to it Nick !!

[nicnac]

my TAL is dated 2008 so anything after that should be the newer spec

[Brinders]

the TAL specs have indeed been upgraded recently, the rack and pinion is 2" and very smooth and the supplied EPs are 25mm and 7.5 instead of the advertised 25mm and 10mm. you still get a barlow and a few other bits n bobs thrown in too.

it comes in cardboard boxes now instead of the siberian forrest

i have informed steve @ FLO of the differing specs and i believe they are just awaiting an update to their site.

Hi Nick, just looked at the photos in your profile and I see that there have been some improvements since mine was built, and not just the focuser. It appears the tube ends are now properly finished rather then just being the raw edge of the metal and I see you have caps for the finder scope, which mine doesn't have. Clearly there has been a step up in quality, although it still seems the dust covers are the same flexi black plastic as mine!

Don't get me wrong, I love my TAL. A TAL is for life!

[nicnac]

all the caps are, i believe, perspex, very tough but the fit is snug and secure.

as you can imagine, the covers are on and off most frequantly but you would never know.

i can quite positively say that the purchase of the TAL is the best one i have made in a very long time, i have said it before and i will say it again, "i would rather loose a kidney than part with my TAL"

its still a shame there is not a 200P or larger within the TAL brand

Brinders, i notice your not a member of the TAL social group, i can recommend the group as a good source, being a TAL owner you may appreciate this

[nicnac]

just had a look at that one on Ebay, it appears to have the 2" focuser so its one of the upgraded ones.

its going for £175 at the minute, thats a fine buy !!

[TheThing]

I'd suggest it's a tad expensive considering that the pier doesn't have the motorised mount?

[nicnac]

considering the OTA price new, i will say bargin for what you get

[nicnac]

hope this has been a help for you dweller25, if you have any other questions i may be able to answer, chuck em in

[dweller25]

Thanks for all the replies, the Tal is the clear favourite.

[nicnac]

yep, all the evidence is here

[Stardust]

If I was buying one I'd go for the TAL too.

[Astro_Baby]

I have one of the 8x50 finder scopes and its is easily the best finder. I hate to admit it but in optical quality its easily as good as the Stellarvue F50 which is about 5x the prrice. OK the Stellavue is not quite the same set-up (its RACI and illuminated) but the optics on the TAL 8x50 finder would give the Stellarvue a serious run for its money.

[dweller25]

I must be the only person in the world who doesn't like the 8x50 TAL finder.

I find I cannot see the crosshairs at night as they are too fine - a fundamental problem !!

[nicnac]

when i used to shoot, night shots where a pain in the rear through a telescopic sight, it was combated with an illuminated reticle which was basically a clip on to the telescopic sight.

dont know if the same equipment and technique can be used with our finderscopes but i cant see why not.....

will do some digging and see what i can turn up