Mike Loffland
Web Guru (Astronomics)
Reged: 09/03/04
Posts: 2080
Loc: Norman, Oklahoma
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12" Skywatcher Collapsible Dobsonian
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coutleef
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/21/08
Posts: 1733
Loc: Montréal and Saint-Donat, Québ...
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Great article Philip, interesting to read and very intertaining.
Did you feel you needed a paracorr with long FL EPs? If so, did you have problems to insert the paracorr or some long FL EPs?
Someone of our forums has stated that these collabsible dobs 'flexed'. Was that your experience?
Thanks for the helpful review.
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François
Scopes: Nexstar 8 SE with Ron's rail and Denk S1 Powerswitch. EPs list is on my Bio.
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Phillip Creed
Idiot Seeking Village
Reged: 07/25/06
Posts: 1302
Loc: Canton, OH
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Francois,
I don't think the scope "flexed". I didn't notice any issues with it holding collimation through the course of a night.
I haven't tried a Paracorr yet, though to be honest, I've never owned one. At one point or another, I've tried the following EP's in it:
35mm Panoptic
30mm Meade 5000 UWA
26T5
25mm Plossl
"23mm" Axiom LX
18mm Meade 5000 UWA
17T4
13T6
10mm Plossl
9T6
Of these, the Naglers were all sharp to the edge except for the 17T4, which has a little bit of softness near the field stop, mostly from coma, but a little bit from (surprisingly) field curvature, at least to my eyes. It's still a very, very impressive view at 88X, especially of clusters like M11.
The 30mm Meade UWA had a little field curvature, but a Paracorr would probably clean it up. That is, if you're willing to put 3-1/2 lbs. on the focuser end.
Clear Skies,
Phil
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"The hopeful depend on a world without end, whatever the hopeless may say"--Rush, "Manhattan Project"
Wilderness Center Astronomy Club member since 1995
ICQ Comet Observer Code: CRE01
*****
(1) 12" f/4.9 Skywatcher Collapsible Dobsonian
(2) Orion 120mm ST Refractor
(3) Oberwerk 15x70 Binoculars
(4) Minimalist Eyepiece Set:
"23"-mm Axiom LX (~24mm; long story...)
13mm Nagler Type 6
9mm Nagler Type 6
7mm Nagler Type 6
1.75X Siebert Barlow
*****
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coutleef
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/21/08
Posts: 1733
Loc: Montréal and Saint-Donat, Québ...
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Thanks again for your clear answer,
what about the 35 pan, that would be my finder EP with such a scope.
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François
Scopes: Nexstar 8 SE with Ron's rail and Denk S1 Powerswitch. EPs list is on my Bio.
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Phillip Creed
Idiot Seeking Village
Reged: 07/25/06
Posts: 1302
Loc: Canton, OH
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Francois,
The 35-Pan was plenty sharp! Again, some coma near the edges, but I'm not that sensitive to it. I didn't notice any off-axis astigmatism with the 35P, at least.
Clear Skies,
Phil
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"The hopeful depend on a world without end, whatever the hopeless may say"--Rush, "Manhattan Project"
Wilderness Center Astronomy Club member since 1995
ICQ Comet Observer Code: CRE01
*****
(1) 12" f/4.9 Skywatcher Collapsible Dobsonian
(2) Orion 120mm ST Refractor
(3) Oberwerk 15x70 Binoculars
(4) Minimalist Eyepiece Set:
"23"-mm Axiom LX (~24mm; long story...)
13mm Nagler Type 6
9mm Nagler Type 6
7mm Nagler Type 6
1.75X Siebert Barlow
*****
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coutleef
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/21/08
Posts: 1733
Loc: Montréal and Saint-Donat, Québ...
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Thanks for your information,
the best will be to just try the EPs and see how i feel.
At some point, if i use a paracorr i will use it for all EPs to avoid balance issues. But if i do not need one, i'll keep my life simple (and my wallet healthier).
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François
Scopes: Nexstar 8 SE with Ron's rail and Denk S1 Powerswitch. EPs list is on my Bio.
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starshine4
journeyman
Reged: 06/15/09
Posts: 5
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Thank you for the article; I have been thinking of moving from a 8" dob to a 12" dob. I was thinking about a 12" Meade Lightbridge. How do the mirrors of the two compare? Would one be able to see DSO's through the Meade that could not be seen through the Skywatcher. Are there other issues of concern that would make the Meade a better investment than the Skywatcher?
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DDon
super member
Reged: 07/27/09
Posts: 144
Loc: France, Montpellier
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Very interesting reading, thanks!
Are there any other collapsible dobs out there or are the Skywatcher dobs the only creatures of it's kind (that does not cost an arm and a leg) ?
Cheers!
D.Don
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Meade 2090AT, 90/800 Refractor | Skywatcher Mercury 705, 70/500 Refractor | SW Red Dot Finder | SW AZ3
SW 25mm, 10mm Super-MA | SW 20mm UWA | SW 7.5mm, 32mm SP | Meade 26mm SP (Wide)
SW 2x Deluxe Barlow | SW 90° Dielectric Mirror Diagonal | SW Light Pollution Filter
Bresser 20x80 w. tripod
Edited by DDon (09/08/09 02:13 AM)
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alexvh
member
Reged: 07/29/07
Posts: 145
Loc: South Africa
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Phillip thankyou for the review- very interesting.
I am trying to decide now between the XX12 and the skywatcher. I like the collapsable feature of the SkyW. But I think the Computer on the XX12 is useful...choices...sigh.
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KRS1
member
Reged: 02/02/09
Posts: 89
Loc: Anglesey, UK
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Excellent article.
Thanks
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Chris
Skywatcher Heritage 130p
Orion xt10i
Some eyepieces & a barlow, I'm just starting out.
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NerfMonkey
sage
Reged: 06/12/08
Posts: 482
Loc: NE Ohio
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Good read Phil, very informative. You have a great skill for writing.
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Mike
Zhumell 12", Oberwerk 15x70s
107 Messiers, 247 total DSOs, 6 planets, 1 comet
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kiwi_canuck
member
Reged: 11/07/04
Posts: 50
Loc: Port Coquitlam, BC, CANADA
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Hi Philip,
I enjoyed reading your review of the Skywatcher 12" Collapsible. I bought a 10" and have had it out but a couple of times, but am looking forward to putting it through its paces at the Merritt Star Quest here in BC next week.
I appreciate your comments on the importance of a shroud (note to self....make one tomorrow)as I've had some dewing issues, also.
Thanx for a great report!!
~Phill
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Sky-Watcher 250mm f/5 Collapsible Dobsonian
Sky-Watcher 102mm f/5 Refractor
EQ3-2 mount
Red-dot finder
TV Plossls - 11mm, 15mm, 25mm
Fraser Valley Astronomers Society, Abbotsford, BC
http://fvas.net
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Old Rookie
member
Reged: 09/05/08
Posts: 42
Loc: Mansfield, Ohio
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Phil,
Thanks for the article. It's ironic that you published it on the same day that my Skywatcher 12" was shipped from California.
Mine arrived yesterday and is pretty much still dis-assembled (modifications in progress - manual setting circles). However, I tried to head off the dew issue by buying the shroud with the telescope. Your comments on dew in Ohio were relevent for me since I'm only about an hour away and can back you up on those comments. Thus, the shroud.
I appreciated your comments about the finder. My experience is mostly with a Telrad (bought one for the Skywatcher) so I'm not sure if this one will be a particular issue. At the moment though, RACI finders seem to be in short supply.
As for the focuser, I agree with your comments. While the two adapters are odd, the focuser itself seems to be robust and very smooth. Although, I don't have it completely assembled at the moment, I'm pretty well pleased with the telescope. If this holds up after a couple of months of use, I will consider it an exceptional bargain.
At any rate, thanks again for your candid and honest review.
John
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John
What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger!
Skywatcher 12" Dob - Manual Setting Circles
Richland Astronomical Society
Club Telescope: 31" f/7
Club Telescope: 16" Lightbridge
MegaStar 5
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Phillip Creed
Idiot Seeking Village
Reged: 07/25/06
Posts: 1302
Loc: Canton, OH
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To all,
Many thanks for the kind words on the review. I felt this scope is a good value, but I didn't want to get carried away in my enthusiasm for it, so I tried to do it as objectively as possible.
As far as choosing between, say, a 12" Lightbridge, XX12 or 12" SkyWatcher, I can't really make any recommendations, as I haven't looked through any of them.
I can only judge them based on what I've read, but I think if anyone bought any of these three scopes, they'd be satisfied, especially given the minimal investment involved and the quality of the optics in all three scopes. Considering the poor quality of dobsonian mirrors from the not-too-distant past, I'd say (and this is a cliche, but I think it's ever so true) the winner is the modern amateur astronomer.
Clear Skies,
Phil
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"The hopeful depend on a world without end, whatever the hopeless may say"--Rush, "Manhattan Project"
Wilderness Center Astronomy Club member since 1995
ICQ Comet Observer Code: CRE01
*****
(1) 12" f/4.9 Skywatcher Collapsible Dobsonian
(2) Orion 120mm ST Refractor
(3) Oberwerk 15x70 Binoculars
(4) Minimalist Eyepiece Set:
"23"-mm Axiom LX (~24mm; long story...)
13mm Nagler Type 6
9mm Nagler Type 6
7mm Nagler Type 6
1.75X Siebert Barlow
*****
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psetnik
member
Reged: 12/23/08
Posts: 64
Loc: Beachwood, Ohio
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Hi, Phil -
As a fellow NEO resident (Beachwood) I understand your comments about weather. I have also reached an informal conclusion that a full moon is responsible for clearing clouds out of the sky. That's sure been the pattern here, anyway.
I have a theory about the focuser adapters: My Zhumell 8" will not come to focus with the supplied, 2" WA unless it is raised about half an inch in the focuser. I wonder if Skywatcher simply anticipated a similar problem and included the adapter to provide some needed lift to the eyepiece.
Enjoy the scope, and I notice Orion this morning looking over my house. It's almost time to reacquaint with some of the fall and winter constellations.
Phil
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Zhumell 8" f/5.9 Dob
Orion Mini-Giant 8x56 binoculars
Solon, Ohio - southeast of Cleveland
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patrick77
member
Reged: 09/15/09
Posts: 45
Loc: Memphis Tn area
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Thanks for the info!! Im trying to decide weather I should get a DOB or stick with my ETX 125. I noticed your eye pieces looked very expensive. Can a cheaper eye piece still work on the 12 inch DOB? Well I hope I can figure out what to do about what scope would be best for me! Im new to this hobby and I live just outside of Memphis TN, so light polution and a lack of knowledge is part of my problem!!!!
Edited by patrick77 (09/18/09 02:52 AM)
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starrancher
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/09/09
Posts: 620
Loc: Northern Arizona
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Quote:
Phillip thankyou for the review- very interesting.
I am trying to decide now between the XX12 and the skywatcher. I like the collapsable feature of the SkyW. But I think the Computer on the XX12 is useful...choices...sigh.
Personally , I would opt for the XX12 .
--------------------
LXD75 AR5
LXD75 SN8
Series 4000 Plossls
Misc. other stuff
Fort Rock , Az .
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therocksal
sage
Reged: 12/02/08
Posts: 288
Loc: Everett, WA
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I got the 10" SW Truss and ordered an Argo Navis and the encoder kit. If I had bought the 12" it would have cost $799 plus around $800 for the Argo and encoders...so $1,600...BUT, for me, I can now get encoders for any of my mounts and use the Argo unit with them...and, If I want to get a bigger dob, like the new 14" truss, I can xfer the Argo and the encoders to that...so, in the long run, for me, it's a great deal...I would buy the 12" SW.
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Skywatcher 10" Truss Dob
Astro Tech 6" Mak-Cass (on order)
Orion 80ED
Atlas EQ-G
Canon XSi
KWIQ guider
Celestron 15x70s
Edited by therocksal (09/18/09 07:11 PM)
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coutleef
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/21/08
Posts: 1733
Loc: Montréal and Saint-Donat, Québ...
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Quote:
I got the 10" SW Truss and ordered an Argo Navis and the encoder kit. If I had bought the 12" it would have cost $799 plus around $800 for the Argo and encoders...so $1,600...BUT, for me, I can now get encoders for any of my mounts and use the Argo unit with them...and, If I want to get a bigger dob, like the new 14" truss, I can xfer the Argo and the encoders to that...so, in the long run, for me, it's a great deal...I would buy the 12" SW.
How difficult was it to install the encoders on the SW ??
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François
Scopes: Nexstar 8 SE with Ron's rail and Denk S1 Powerswitch. EPs list is on my Bio.
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therocksal
sage
Reged: 12/02/08
Posts: 288
Loc: Everett, WA
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I haven't received the encoder kit yet...but one of the posts here showed the install with pics and it looked fairly easy
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Skywatcher 10" Truss Dob
Astro Tech 6" Mak-Cass (on order)
Orion 80ED
Atlas EQ-G
Canon XSi
KWIQ guider
Celestron 15x70s
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