Hi! I too own this exact Telescope. I wanted to comment on your comments about viewing planets. I agree Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon are fantastic targets to view through this scope. But I think you should have also mentioned how great this scope is for viewing Mars, Venus and Mercury ( with a filter for contrast ofcourse! ), as well as Uranus and Neptune. I feel you could have also mentioned how beautiful Star Clusters are through this scope. Finally, although some people may not enjoy viewing Stars, I must point out that there's so much more one can do with Stars, like "splitting" Stars to see that most "single" Stars are in fact double, triple, even Quadruple Star sytems, and one can get such pleasure from splitting said Star systems and seeing the different individual Stars, often noticing a very blue Star paired with a yellowy orange coloured Star. It's very enjoyable and adds so much more "depth" ( no pun intended! ) to the beautiful hobby we all love and enjoy! Thank You for the great video nonetheless! I hope my comments help you produce more videos in future my friend! Wes, Liverpool UK.
Like the style of your video, no nonsense, clear, critical thinking. I'm very much looking to get the same as you, the 200 with the EQ6r-pro. I'll be using it with DSLRs.
Great video and informative to people looking at reflectors. I have this guy's little brother, the 130pds. Mainly went with it because of what you said about focal length (1000mm) 200 vs (650mm) 130 and not being able to get the larger targets in frame. Keep up the amazing work. You have earned a sub here
Thanks very much for posting this review on TH-cam. Very helpful. I know collimation can be a pain at first, but once you get the idea it should become second nature. Also, I don't think you mentioned the primary mirror cool-down time. I used to own a 6-inch Newtonian, and mine used to take about an hour to reach outside temperature, but then I was only looking at deep sky objects not photographing them.
Your explanation is quite detailed and appreciated. For astrophotography, the tube isn't the big cost, especially if the scope is a reflector. 500 anything (pounds, dollars, euros) isn't going to be the cost to get up and running. The mount and tracking are going to require considerably deeper pockets. After that, a DSO capable camera will cost more than the tube with mirrors or lenses. Perhaps observing and learning the sky using a reflector on a Dobsonian mount would be the best place for a beginner to start. I'm not discounting what you're doing, and certainly not debating anything to do with photography. But 500 won't buy an 8" Dobsonian with cheap eyepieces unless it's a used one, and a buyer is lucky with the timing finding the sale. In my perspective, I might eventually build an astrophotography rig if I ever consider the nice snapshots I could take balance out a large investment in a hobby. I know going in that I'm not going to get better photos than Hubble or James Webb space telescopes that are tech light years beyond me and don't deal with atmosphere. The night sky is beautiful, and seeing nebulae and other deep space in color doesn't happen without long exposures and image stacking. But I'm absolutely going to move up in aperture from an 8" dobsonian to at least 12" before I get into photography. ...I opened the vid to see if a realistic 500 photography rig could be had in a ready to use package. I knew that wasn't the case, but I'm going to research all possibilities. Clear Skies.
I have the same. Placed it on a EQ3-1 with RA motordrive mounted on a homemade tripod that can easily hold a 1000kg. Never had any problems, visual or photos
I have done some visual through the telescope. At bortle class 5 in the Netherlands which is surrounded by class I can say that this telescope is insane for visual. Open and globular clusters are so good to see. Galaxies such as the cigar, andromeda and maybe more are good to see. Nebulae i haven’t tested. And this is all with the standard eye piece. For the Full moon please buy a filter before you look into the telescope, because it will hurt.
INCREDIBLE! I'm glad you are enjoying the visual astronomy through the telescope! I'm also in bortle 5 skies so would have a similar view to you :) I agree a Full Moon through the telescope is so bright haha
It's a value scope but the problem comes when you need a heavy or more capacity mount which costs more and is out of the budget for begginers A good alternative would be the 6 inch f5 or a 4inch apo
A fast telescope doesn’t mean more detail! It only means that it will collect light faster requiring shorter exposure times. The slower telescope will collect the exact same detail it will only take longer
If you spent the same amount of time on a target with a fast telescope vs a slow telescope, the fast one will capture more detail? So you can't compare two telescopes by using different exposure times?
Excellent review here and as a 200pds owner I agree with you. It’s a big scope and to nail the guiding I use a az-eqr6 mount (lovely kit but pricey). For dew on the secondary I haven’t used a heater but instead a home made dew shield. I have a very sheltered observation spot so wind is rarely an issue with this setup. All that being said this a fantastic scope but only for someone dedicated to learn. Collimating is really not a big deal once you get used to it :)
@@spacefrenz Quick questions: is the 120mm zwo guider good for this setup? I heared some people said you need something with more focal length? Appreciate your answer.
@@studywithme8055 Hi! The ZWO 120MM is great! When people refer to focal length they are talking about the guidescope itself, not the camera which is attached to the end, I'm currently using the finderscope which came with the telescope and its worked perfectly fine for me so far (although I will get a dedicated guidescope at some point, they're just expensive!)
@@spacefrenz There should be no doubts at all if you are collinating on a star. Whilst your camera is already attached, you might as well defocus a star and then bring that lovely doughnut to a perfect concentric circle. Job done!
Hi mate, Just a quick one, what was that bag you have to carry around your Sky-Watcher 200pds? Could you leave a link or something so I'd know where to buy one. Thanks, James.
Hi! It's just a telescope carry bag really with some nice padding around it which adds a little protection, I bought it from Rother Valley Optics, have had a look online for you but can't see it there anymore however they look like they have other options. I'm sure if you went on any astronomy online store and typed in "telescope bag" or something then you would find what you need, but here is the link to rother valley optics carry case section 👍 www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/search/for/Telescope+bag/page/1/
@@spacefrenz Thanks so much for getting back to me. I've looked on that site but it's was too expensive for me. I'll have a look at some other options like cricket or sports team bags and see if I get lucky. Thanks again for your help. 😎👍
Thanks for subscribing! Dew shield is good too, from my understanding I think the dew shield delays dew from forming whereas the dew heater actually prevents it fully, but if you've had no issues then I guess it's all good really 😀
@@spacefrenz The thing about secondary dew heaters is that it’s producing heat right into the light path and causes heat aberrations. This is why we let our telescopes cool down. I have used the dew shield for 4 hours without any problems.
@@Astronurd hmm that's true, I've not noticed any issues in that regard, not sure if heat causing that much of a difference? Pros and cons to both ways really, I just get worried that if I don't use my heater then there's a risk my session will get ruined🤣
150mm version and a decent mount seems to be the way forward for a starter without experience. Maybe a goto mount if you feel like you might stick with it, and then yeah, a nice APO refractor for wide-field astrophotography.
Would a due shield not be advisable? You could also heat it externally and have no impact on image quality. Also, do you do collimating before polar alighning?
A dew shield is still great and can help, but I think it's more of a delay mechanism rather than actual prevention. I've since got a dedicated secondary mirror heater which has resolved the issue of the heater strip, you can see what it looks like here th-cam.com/users/shortsWi2MJ_qDlKg?feature=share I always collimate before polar aligning, because once you are polar aligned you don't really want to mess around with the telescope at that point in case you cause any slight movement which may knock the mount off of alignment again, so always do before 👍
@@spacefrenz Ah thanks, I'm looking at going down the route of this telescope. I've done wide field for two years using a Star Tracker, etc. But I want to enter the domain of smaller objects and doing high resolution moziacs. I've seen people install fans on the back of their scope? I'm assuming that's also a counter to dew?
@@Andromeda4482 sorry just saw this now! Yeah I guess you could put a fan at the back which would stop dew, although that feels like too much complication for me, don't think its necessary really and easier ways to resolve the issue
Hi there so is this 200pds any good for visual work I'm thinking of getting a AZ-EQ6GT and I will put this telescope on it for visual and maybe astrophotography at some point with it and your video's are brilliant thanks
Nice. I use a 200pds as well, sits on a Celestron Cgx, imx571 aps-c mono, SHO filters, 60mm guidecope, 120mm mini. Before this scope i actually had a 200p, i was happy with that as well, just wanted something fresh. Since i bought so much new stuff i figured why not get a new scope as well. Much bang for the buck. Might be a bit odd to buy almost the same thing again but i really like it :D About your dew heater, perhaps you could get some spiders that remove defraction spikes, they are pretty thick and could then also be used to hide the cable :D
Glad you're enjoying using the 200PDS, I've also been really pleased with it! Regarding the dew heater, I've now permanently taken off the dew heater strap which I think was causing diffraction issues and replaced it with a dew heater strip that hides behind the secondary mirror so I think the problem is resolved now 🤞😄
Both my panaview and celestron eyepieces allow me to see the planets very easily, and especially with a 2.5x barlow which makes them even larger. All of these are shown in my first ever youtube video😃 th-cam.com/video/pAcsJXGzVHg/w-d-xo.html
Hi! Not sure if that mount will be able to comfortably hold the weight of the telescope and all the accessories that go with it which could mean it struggles, I reckon a 150/750 will be a safer option
Hi God’s art, Thank you so much for the video. I’ve been trying to narrow it down to which scope to get. My first choice is the Sky Watcher Explore 200 PDS. But it’s not available here in the USA. I contacted Sky Watcher and they suggested to get the Quattro 150 P. I really didn’t want to go down in size. I’m not sure what the difference is other than optics. And you mentioned a lower focal ratio is faster and would collect light quicker. It took 3 hours of exposer time to capture that photo of the crescent nebula? 3 hours??!! Seriously!? How do you keep the image in one spot? I recently joined a form and asked which of the three and they came up with a totally different one which is the Classic 200 Dobsonian So now I’m trying to decide between four now, the Explore 200 PDS, Quattro 150 P, Quattro 200 P and now the Classic 200 Dobsonian. But I don’t really care for the look of the Dobsonian. I totally plan on getting more involved with astronomy so I don’t want to go cheap. Maybe you or someone else has experience with these and can shed some light. By the way, I love your name, God’s art. Thank you and God bless!! Blue
Thank you so much for the support, really means a lot! Happy to help out too, follow me on instagram and send me a DM, we can discuss there :) my insta is @godsart.official
Thanks! I personally don't really use the telescope for visual astronomy much, so 90% of the time my camera is on it. However a good eyepiece is the panaview 32mm, works well with the telescope. I've also run through a lot of the equipment I bought in my first ever video, maybe that will help too😃 th-cam.com/video/pAcsJXGzVHg/w-d-xo.html
The PDS does have a better focusser which makes life easier but there are workarounds which you can add to your 200P to give you a similar effect. It's just the fact that The PDS allows you to make fine adjustments easily which is harder on just the P version. Hope this helps
@@spacefrenz Thanks so much for your help. But could you point me in the right direction for what to do to get that similar focusing? Or is there any links to somewhere that specialises in obtaining this? Thanks again for your help. James
@@MrJames19676 as far as I know, I think you would have to be creative in using things at home to help you focus better e.g. a clothes peg which you would put around the focusser and then you would use that to fine focus, would probably allow you to make small adjustments. Unfortunately I don't think there is anything you can buy that specifically solves that issue, unless you get an electronic focuser which connects directly to it and will do the work for you (but that costs quite a bit)
@@spacefrenz Thanks very much for taking the time to get back to me, very much appreciated. I've had a look on some forums and using some of the foam tubing that came with the packaging to put around the focusing knobs gives you quite a bit more sensitivity, so I'll be trying that as well. Thanks again for your time and help.
Nice video, earns a new sub. I'm looking at this tube or the 250P-DS. How is it to attach the camera (ZWO dedicated)? What rings or adapters do you need? I'd like to order all the kit together, so I'm not having to wait for pieces to arrive after finding out I'm missing something. -Cheers
Thank you for the support!! Got lots videos coming out soon😃 For the camera, I have attached the sky watcher dedicated coma corrector for this telescope, then that just go directly into the telescope. In terms of the guide camera, I'm using the telescope finderscope still so you would need an attachment that screws into the zwo MM that then allows it to be attached to the finderscope, hope this helps!
@@spacefrenz Thanks for the insight. I just placed my order for the 200P-DS. Caught a sale from FLO for £260. Couldnt say no at that price point. Till next vid ~Clear Skies
@@spacefrenz My tube arrived, and all I can say is WOW. I had issue with focus using the coma corrector, so I ran without it, and that was OK. Wondering if you can share your spacer setup you are using with your CC?
@@MazzifLOL hope you get some incredible images with it! I didn't really think too much about the spacing, I just put the coma corrector on and seemed to work fine straight away, maybe an extender will help you
Hey Great review. I have the same telescope too, different label (SAXON) but from the same manufacture . I've noticed that when I have bright stars near the edge of the field, it produces some flaring to one side in my images. Have you noticed that in your shots as well? Everything I'm sure is collimated and I use a coma corrector. Recently I realized the draw tube protrudes into the line of sight of the primary which may cause that problem. Tonight I'm going to test it with a mask around the edge of the mirror and see if that works. Fingers cross.
Thanks! Yeah I get the same issue too and also always use the coma corrector aswell, not exactly sure why that happens, I normally just crop it out in post-processing. How did it go with the mask?
Hi, good news, I imaged the Orion and horse head nebula just then and the bright stars in the edge of the field is 100% better. All you see now are the diffraction spikes like you are suppose to. So it must be the protruding focuser all this time. I would think that an F5 must protrude more than an F4. So either I buy a low profile focuser or keep the mask on but not sure if it’s causing vignetting now that it’s acting like a 7 inch primary.At least I know what the problem is. Very happy, try it. Chessy.
@@spacefrenz 2 reasons why your diffraction spikes are a mess with the 200PDS. Drawtube intrudes into light path - fix either chop end off of drawtube (cheap but still not a great focuser)or get another focuser (expensive but can get something much better able to handle astrophoto loads). Primary mirror clips - make a mask, can be fancy 3d printed or black painted cardboard. But yes 200PDS is awesome value for the reach, however probably easier to start with a short refractor, much more forgiving (that's as someone who started with and still images with a 200PDS.....and a 388mm fl refractor, and a 135mm fl lens).
Went to the hardware store and bought a $12, 40mm x 20mm black expansion foam from a hardware store and cut it to right Length to fit snug inside the mirror end of the tube, retaining the shape of the curve of the tube and positioned about 10mm away from the face of the mirror, that solved the problem didn’t have to glue anything. The mirror is now stepped down to 193mm diameter, very negligible light gathering loss. Had two choices, either purchase a new $400 focuser or a new $1100 skywatcher f4 telescope, so glad a $12 foam SAVED me heaps of money. All my bright stars near the edge are symmetrically perfect in my photos. Chessy
Hi mate, I've the same telescope as your one and would like to ask you if you know where I could get an erecting eyepiece that's for the spotter scope that comes with this model? Thanks for your help. James.
Hi! There should already be an eyepiece that comes with the telescope, I only really use it for astrophotography rather than visual, if you watch my vid on all the accessories I bought for the telescope it may help? th-cam.com/video/pAcsJXGzVHg/w-d-xo.html
@@spacefrenz I've had the classic tasco type telescopes as a kid ya know the 4-5" diameter approx. 3ft long way back in the late 80s early 90s, 1500ish would be a starting point for what i eould want to spend just the scope and add the tracking base after that, i have been looking at complete setups in the 1500-2500 range but its been so long sense i have done any kind of star gazing and things have changed massively and have no clue on gear whats good whats not or even whats now available to make it easier
@merritt McDowell happy to help you with that! Are you looking to stargaze or do you want to get into astrophotography? I'd say a good starting setup that can last you would cost about $4k
@merritt McDowell if you're after a budget setup, I'd say check out the eq3 Pro skywatcher mount and then an 8inch telescope to give you a wide field view for Astrophotography, but if you know you want to get into the hobby properly then I'd say get the eq6r Pro skywatcher mount as you won't need to buy another one after that. As for a camera, maybe grab a dslr and get the UV/IR filter removed, that will work well and is budget but still with strong results
Hi, nice video, and I want to congratulate you on NGC 7331 and Stephan's Quintet photo, really spectacular, I want to ask you if you have any problems with shading caused by the larger secondary mirror of the PDS version? it will be my second telescope, but I am undecided whether to take an older version or the non-PDS one, could you help me?
@@spacefrenz If I'm not mistaken the larger secondary mirror causes more obstructions than the non-PDS version, for example looking on astrobin I have seen planetary images made with 200 pds, and they seem to have this problem, but it can also be a problem of ability, of seeing or collimation of who took the photos🤷🏻, I'm so undecided
@@andreachesseddu9761 yeah exactly there's so many different factors at play that'll decide the quality of the photo, I've not had an issue with the size of the secondary mirror and any abstraction can be taken out using calibration frames. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you 😉
Hi mate, I can't get my new skywatcher 200p telescope into focus at a distance of anything over 100 meters, it's always blurry whatever strength of eyepiece I use. Any ideas what going wrong? Thanks.
Hi! Sorry in not sure what you mean? What are you trying to focus on for example? Maybe you need an extension adapter which will give you more focusing range for your eyepiece
@@spacefrenz Hi mate, When I set up my skywatcher 200p with my finderscope at 50m I can get my telescope to focus, but anything over that distance it's just blurry. It just seems that I need to get the eyepiece nearer the telescope not further away to get anything over 100m to focus. I hope this explains it better as I'm very new into astronomy. Thanks. James.
@@MrJames19676 you wouldn't need to get the eyepiece closer, you are pointing it to the sky right? I'm not sure what you mean by 50m and 100m away? What eyepiece are you using?
BTW at first I shaved 5mm off the draw tube and that had no effect at all and I can confirm no protrusion In the light path. Just wasn’t sure the focuser was the culprit. Chessy.
“Not interested in observing through eyepiece“! What the hell man! Viewing with your own eyes is the best experience you can get with a telescope. Astrophotography is just looking at a screen of pictures that you could just have googled.
04:25 What is this nonsense about alignment? It is not necessary to adjust it every time. Once every six months is enough. And if you did something wrong, then why are you taking pictures? If you have made an incorrect calibration, then correct it, and do not take pictures. An idiotic claim. For 500 pounds? Did you get a tire iron with a guide and other accessories for free?
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EXACTLY what I have been looking for, although I am aiming to use the telescope with an HEQ5 Pro. Thank you!!
Hi! I too own this exact Telescope. I wanted to comment on your comments about viewing planets. I agree Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon are fantastic targets to view through this scope. But I think you should have also mentioned how great this scope is for viewing Mars, Venus and Mercury ( with a filter for contrast ofcourse! ), as well as Uranus and Neptune. I feel you could have also mentioned how beautiful Star Clusters are through this scope. Finally, although some people may not enjoy viewing Stars, I must point out that there's so much more one can do with Stars, like "splitting" Stars to see that most "single" Stars are in fact double, triple, even Quadruple Star sytems, and one can get such pleasure from splitting said Star systems and seeing the different individual Stars, often noticing a very blue Star paired with a yellowy orange coloured Star. It's very enjoyable and adds so much more "depth" ( no pun intended! ) to the beautiful hobby we all love and enjoy! Thank You for the great video nonetheless! I hope my comments help you produce more videos in future my friend! Wes, Liverpool UK.
Like the style of your video, no nonsense, clear, critical thinking. I'm very much looking to get the same as you, the 200 with the EQ6r-pro. I'll be using it with DSLRs.
Thank you for the positive feedback! Much appreciated 😃 hope you capture some incredible images with it!!
Great video mate! I’ve got the choice of paying for my uni accommodation or buying this telescope. I think i’m gonna go for it
Great video and informative to people looking at reflectors. I have this guy's little brother, the 130pds. Mainly went with it because of what you said about focal length (1000mm) 200 vs (650mm) 130 and not being able to get the larger targets in frame. Keep up the amazing work. You have earned a sub here
Thank you!! The 130 PDS will be great and yeah framing targets up will be much easier that way, hope you get some incredible images😁
I love the 200PDS I've had it about a year now I also have the NEQ6-Pro it's plenty good enough to carry the PDS. Keep those videos coming.
Thanks!! Yes I think it's great what we can achieve with what is a relatively cheap telescope! I'm very pleased with it so far
Excellent video. For 500 pounds a good option is also the Svbony 102 mm ED FPL51 refractor.
Thanks very much for posting this review on TH-cam. Very helpful. I know collimation can be a pain at first, but once you get the idea it should become second nature. Also, I don't think you mentioned the primary mirror cool-down time. I used to own a 6-inch Newtonian, and mine used to take about an hour to reach outside temperature, but then I was only looking at deep sky objects not photographing them.
Your explanation is quite detailed and appreciated. For astrophotography, the tube isn't the big cost, especially if the scope is a reflector. 500 anything (pounds, dollars, euros) isn't going to be the cost to get up and running. The mount and tracking are going to require considerably deeper pockets. After that, a DSO capable camera will cost more than the tube with mirrors or lenses. Perhaps observing and learning the sky using a reflector on a Dobsonian mount would be the best place for a beginner to start. I'm not discounting what you're doing, and certainly not debating anything to do with photography. But 500 won't buy an 8" Dobsonian with cheap eyepieces unless it's a used one, and a buyer is lucky with the timing finding the sale. In my perspective, I might eventually build an astrophotography rig if I ever consider the nice snapshots I could take balance out a large investment in a hobby. I know going in that I'm not going to get better photos than Hubble or James Webb space telescopes that are tech light years beyond me and don't deal with atmosphere. The night sky is beautiful, and seeing nebulae and other deep space in color doesn't happen without long exposures and image stacking. But I'm absolutely going to move up in aperture from an 8" dobsonian to at least 12" before I get into photography. ...I opened the vid to see if a realistic 500 photography rig could be had in a ready to use package. I knew that wasn't the case, but I'm going to research all possibilities. Clear Skies.
I am new to stargazing never owned a telescope and I very much want to get one this seem to be the one for me, thanks for sharing
Go for it! Definitely would recommend and best of luck in your journey!
I have the same. Placed it on a EQ3-1 with RA motordrive mounted on a homemade tripod that can easily hold a 1000kg. Never had any problems, visual or photos
That's great! Didn't think the EQ3 would be able to handle it so that could be a really affordable option
You can use a Focal reducer right? Than you have 500 focal length and F2,5
I have done some visual through the telescope. At bortle class 5 in the Netherlands which is surrounded by class I can say that this telescope is insane for visual.
Open and globular clusters are so good to see.
Galaxies such as the cigar, andromeda and maybe more are good to see.
Nebulae i haven’t tested.
And this is all with the standard eye piece.
For the Full moon please buy a filter before you look into the telescope, because it will hurt.
INCREDIBLE! I'm glad you are enjoying the visual astronomy through the telescope! I'm also in bortle 5 skies so would have a similar view to you :) I agree a Full Moon through the telescope is so bright haha
BTW, shaved 5mm off the draw tube and had no effect at all. Did not protrude in the light path when checked. Not sure if the focuser is the culprit.
It's a value scope but the problem comes when you need a heavy or more capacity mount which costs more and is out of the budget for begginers
A good alternative would be the 6 inch f5 or a 4inch apo
A fast telescope doesn’t mean more detail! It only means that it will collect light faster requiring shorter exposure times. The slower telescope will collect the exact same detail it will only take longer
If you spent the same amount of time on a target with a fast telescope vs a slow telescope, the fast one will capture more detail? So you can't compare two telescopes by using different exposure times?
Excellent review here and as a 200pds owner I agree with you. It’s a big scope and to nail the guiding I use a az-eqr6 mount (lovely kit but pricey). For dew on the secondary I haven’t used a heater but instead a home made dew shield. I have a very sheltered observation spot so wind is rarely an issue with this setup. All that being said this a fantastic scope but only for someone dedicated to learn. Collimating is really not a big deal once you get used to it :)
Thank you! Yeah I agree collimating isn't a big deal, but I'm lazy so it annoys me sometimes 🤣 (and sometimes I doubt myself too)
@@spacefrenz Quick questions: is the 120mm zwo guider good for this setup? I heared some people said you need something with more focal length? Appreciate your answer.
@@studywithme8055 Hi! The ZWO 120MM is great! When people refer to focal length they are talking about the guidescope itself, not the camera which is attached to the end, I'm currently using the finderscope which came with the telescope and its worked perfectly fine for me so far (although I will get a dedicated guidescope at some point, they're just expensive!)
@@spacefrenz There should be no doubts at all if you are collinating on a star. Whilst your camera is already attached, you might as well defocus a star and then bring that lovely doughnut to a perfect concentric circle. Job done!
@@Ajajambo great advice! Thanks will bare that in mind😃
Hi mate,
Just a quick one, what was that bag you have to carry around your Sky-Watcher 200pds?
Could you leave a link or something so I'd know where to buy one.
Thanks, James.
Hi! It's just a telescope carry bag really with some nice padding around it which adds a little protection, I bought it from Rother Valley Optics, have had a look online for you but can't see it there anymore however they look like they have other options. I'm sure if you went on any astronomy online store and typed in "telescope bag" or something then you would find what you need, but here is the link to rother valley optics carry case section 👍
www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/search/for/Telescope+bag/page/1/
@@spacefrenz
Thanks so much for getting back to me. I've looked on that site but it's was too expensive for me. I'll have a look at some other options like cricket or sports team bags and see if I get lucky.
Thanks again for your help.
😎👍
@@MrJames19676 sounds good, hope you find what you need!
@@spacefrenz
Thanks mate. 😊
Wow, Helpful information. Thank you for sharing. which telescope will be better for both nebulas and galaxies? RASA 8 inch?
Thank you! 8 inch telescopes would be good for both, however very small nebulae may be tricky with an 8 inch without some kind of barlow
great review. do you have one for the mount?
Thanks! I can definitely do a review for the mount too😁
Amazing review will deffo purchase this equipment
Thanks!
Also for my 8” Newtonian I simply use a dew shield. Works a treat 👍 PS now subscribed
Thanks for subscribing! Dew shield is good too, from my understanding I think the dew shield delays dew from forming whereas the dew heater actually prevents it fully, but if you've had no issues then I guess it's all good really 😀
@@spacefrenz The thing about secondary dew heaters is that it’s producing heat right into the light path and causes heat aberrations. This is why we let our telescopes cool down. I have used the dew shield for 4 hours without any problems.
@@Astronurd hmm that's true, I've not noticed any issues in that regard, not sure if heat causing that much of a difference? Pros and cons to both ways really, I just get worried that if I don't use my heater then there's a risk my session will get ruined🤣
great review..ive just purchased this scope. what camera did you have attached to the finder scope ? do you use that for guiding?
Thanks! I use the ZWO ASI120MM Mini camera which is attached to the finder, yes that's used for guiding
150mm version and a decent mount seems to be the way forward for a starter without experience. Maybe a goto mount if you feel like you might stick with it, and then yeah, a nice APO refractor for wide-field astrophotography.
Good shout! Deffo would recommend getting a go to for anyone who knows they will commit
Anyone use this with a Skywatcher HEQ5 mount?? I want an 8incher but no way can I afford to update my heq5 or do I desire to do so
My first scope was a 10" dobsonian
I sold it and plan to save up for a rig like yours
Thanks for reassuring
I'm really happy with my setup so would definitely say a lot is achievable once you get it!
Would a due shield not be advisable? You could also heat it externally and have no impact on image quality.
Also, do you do collimating before polar alighning?
A dew shield is still great and can help, but I think it's more of a delay mechanism rather than actual prevention. I've since got a dedicated secondary mirror heater which has resolved the issue of the heater strip, you can see what it looks like here
th-cam.com/users/shortsWi2MJ_qDlKg?feature=share
I always collimate before polar aligning, because once you are polar aligned you don't really want to mess around with the telescope at that point in case you cause any slight movement which may knock the mount off of alignment again, so always do before 👍
@@spacefrenz Ah thanks, I'm looking at going down the route of this telescope. I've done wide field for two years using a Star Tracker, etc. But I want to enter the domain of smaller objects and doing high resolution moziacs. I've seen people install fans on the back of their scope? I'm assuming that's also a counter to dew?
@@Andromeda4482 sorry just saw this now! Yeah I guess you could put a fan at the back which would stop dew, although that feels like too much complication for me, don't think its necessary really and easier ways to resolve the issue
Hi there so is this 200pds any good for visual work I'm thinking of getting a AZ-EQ6GT and I will put this telescope on it for visual and maybe astrophotography at some point with it and your video's are brilliant thanks
Nice. I use a 200pds as well, sits on a Celestron Cgx, imx571 aps-c mono, SHO filters, 60mm guidecope, 120mm mini.
Before this scope i actually had a 200p, i was happy with that as well, just wanted something fresh. Since i bought so much new stuff i figured why not get a new scope as well. Much bang for the buck. Might be a bit odd to buy almost the same thing again but i really like it :D
About your dew heater, perhaps you could get some spiders that remove defraction spikes, they are pretty thick and could then also be used to hide the cable :D
Glad you're enjoying using the 200PDS, I've also been really pleased with it! Regarding the dew heater, I've now permanently taken off the dew heater strap which I think was causing diffraction issues and replaced it with a dew heater strip that hides behind the secondary mirror so I think the problem is resolved now 🤞😄
Very helpful. Thanks
No probs!
you say you can easley see saturn and jupeter but what eyepiece are you using for that?
Both my panaview and celestron eyepieces allow me to see the planets very easily, and especially with a 2.5x barlow which makes them even larger. All of these are shown in my first ever youtube video😃 th-cam.com/video/pAcsJXGzVHg/w-d-xo.html
What eyepieces are you using for observation viewing?
Rarely do visual astronomy, but I have a panaview widefield eyepiece and a celestial high magnification one
@@spacefrenz thanks for the reply. So the widefield would be 28mm?
Hello, would you suggest it for a EQM-35 pro mount or would I go better with a 150/750?
Thank you,
Fabrizio
Hi! Not sure if that mount will be able to comfortably hold the weight of the telescope and all the accessories that go with it which could mean it struggles, I reckon a 150/750 will be a safer option
@@spacefrenz thank you for replying.
It can hold a max of 10 kg.
@@fabriziocanale9768 no worries! Yeah I don't think 10kg strength is enough so I wouldn't risk it if I were you
Hi God’s art,
Thank you so much for the video. I’ve been trying to narrow it down to which scope to get. My first choice is the Sky Watcher Explore 200 PDS. But it’s not available here in the USA.
I contacted Sky Watcher and they suggested to get the Quattro 150 P. I really didn’t want to go down in size. I’m not sure what the difference is other than optics. And you mentioned a lower focal ratio is faster and would collect light quicker. It took 3 hours of exposer time to capture that photo of the crescent nebula? 3 hours??!! Seriously!? How do you keep the image in one spot?
I recently joined a form and asked which of the three and they came up with a totally different one which is the Classic 200 Dobsonian
So now I’m trying to decide between four now, the Explore 200 PDS, Quattro 150 P, Quattro 200 P and now the Classic 200 Dobsonian. But I don’t really care for the look of the Dobsonian.
I totally plan on getting more involved with astronomy so I don’t want to go cheap.
Maybe you or someone else has experience with these and can shed some light.
By the way, I love your name, God’s art.
Thank you and God bless!!
Blue
Thank you so much for the support, really means a lot! Happy to help out too, follow me on instagram and send me a DM, we can discuss there :) my insta is @godsart.official
@@spacefrenz DM message sent.
How heavy is this monster?
Would it be ok if I use EQ 5 Steel mount with this telescope?
Question about the finder scope/guide scope you have made, did you remove the cross in the middle?
Hi! I removed the eye piece of the finder scope (which is where the cross is) and then placed my guid camera in there instead
Hi I have just bought a 200pds also could you advise on the must have lenses as it only comes with a 28mm
Really enjoy the videos
Thanks! I personally don't really use the telescope for visual astronomy much, so 90% of the time my camera is on it. However a good eyepiece is the panaview 32mm, works well with the telescope. I've also run through a lot of the equipment I bought in my first ever video, maybe that will help too😃 th-cam.com/video/pAcsJXGzVHg/w-d-xo.html
@@spacefrenz thank you . I will get the 32mm I have seen all your posts I thought you may have purchased more since then
Clear nights
@@MrGoldfingerUK ah no haven't been any other lenses, and thanks for watching!
Hi, I've a Sky-Watcher Explorer-200P EQ5 Parabolic Telescope
Does a PDS give you much better focusing than just a P version?
The PDS does have a better focusser which makes life easier but there are workarounds which you can add to your 200P to give you a similar effect. It's just the fact that The PDS allows you to make fine adjustments easily which is harder on just the P version. Hope this helps
@@spacefrenz
Thanks so much for your help. But could you point me in the right direction for what to do to get that similar focusing? Or is there any links to somewhere that specialises in obtaining this?
Thanks again for your help.
James
@@MrJames19676 as far as I know, I think you would have to be creative in using things at home to help you focus better e.g. a clothes peg which you would put around the focusser and then you would use that to fine focus, would probably allow you to make small adjustments. Unfortunately I don't think there is anything you can buy that specifically solves that issue, unless you get an electronic focuser which connects directly to it and will do the work for you (but that costs quite a bit)
@@spacefrenz
Thanks very much for taking the time to get back to me, very much appreciated.
I've had a look on some forums and using some of the foam tubing that came with the packaging to put around the focusing knobs gives you quite a bit more sensitivity, so I'll be trying that as well.
Thanks again for your time and help.
@@MrJames19676 no worries at all! Hope the foam works!
Nice video, earns a new sub. I'm looking at this tube or the 250P-DS. How is it to attach the camera (ZWO dedicated)? What rings or adapters do you need? I'd like to order all the kit together, so I'm not having to wait for pieces to arrive after finding out I'm missing something. -Cheers
Thank you for the support!! Got lots videos coming out soon😃 For the camera, I have attached the sky watcher dedicated coma corrector for this telescope, then that just go directly into the telescope. In terms of the guide camera, I'm using the telescope finderscope still so you would need an attachment that screws into the zwo MM that then allows it to be attached to the finderscope, hope this helps!
@@spacefrenz Thanks for the insight. I just placed my order for the 200P-DS. Caught a sale from FLO for £260. Couldnt say no at that price point. Till next vid ~Clear Skies
@@MazzifLOL wow such a great price!! Definitely worth it 👌
@@spacefrenz My tube arrived, and all I can say is WOW. I had issue with focus using the coma corrector, so I ran without it, and that was OK. Wondering if you can share your spacer setup you are using with your CC?
@@MazzifLOL hope you get some incredible images with it! I didn't really think too much about the spacing, I just put the coma corrector on and seemed to work fine straight away, maybe an extender will help you
Hey Great review. I have the same telescope too, different label (SAXON) but from the same manufacture . I've noticed that when I have bright stars near the edge of the field, it produces some flaring to one side
in my images. Have you noticed that in your shots as well? Everything I'm sure is collimated and I use a coma corrector.
Recently I realized the draw tube protrudes into the line of sight of the primary which may cause that problem. Tonight I'm going to test it with a mask around the edge of the mirror and see if that works. Fingers cross.
Thanks! Yeah I get the same issue too and also always use the coma corrector aswell, not exactly sure why that happens, I normally just crop it out in post-processing. How did it go with the mask?
Hi, good news, I imaged the Orion and horse head nebula just then and the bright stars in the edge of the field is 100% better. All you see now are the diffraction spikes like you are suppose to. So it must be the protruding focuser all this time. I would think that an F5 must protrude more than an F4. So either I buy a low profile focuser or keep the mask on but not sure if it’s causing vignetting now that it’s acting like a 7 inch primary.At least I know what the problem is. Very happy, try it. Chessy.
@@chessymajewski9669 ah brilliant!! Will get that sorted 👌
@@spacefrenz 2 reasons why your diffraction spikes are a mess with the 200PDS. Drawtube intrudes into light path - fix either chop end off of drawtube (cheap but still not a great focuser)or get another focuser (expensive but can get something much better able to handle astrophoto loads). Primary mirror clips - make a mask, can be fancy 3d printed or black painted cardboard. But yes 200PDS is awesome value for the reach, however probably easier to start with a short refractor, much more forgiving (that's as someone who started with and still images with a 200PDS.....and a 388mm fl refractor, and a 135mm fl lens).
Went to the hardware store and bought a $12, 40mm x 20mm black expansion foam from a hardware store and cut it to right
Length to fit snug inside the mirror end of the tube, retaining the shape of the curve of the tube and positioned about 10mm away from the face of the mirror, that solved the problem didn’t have to glue anything. The mirror is now stepped down to 193mm diameter, very negligible
light gathering loss. Had two choices, either purchase a new $400 focuser or a new $1100 skywatcher f4 telescope, so glad a $12 foam
SAVED me heaps of money. All my bright stars near the edge are symmetrically perfect in my photos. Chessy
I want 8 inches!! 😊
Hi mate,
I've the same telescope as your one and would like to ask you if you know where I could get an erecting eyepiece that's for the spotter scope that comes with this model?
Thanks for your help.
James.
Hi! There should already be an eyepiece that comes with the telescope, I only really use it for astrophotography rather than visual, if you watch my vid on all the accessories I bought for the telescope it may help? th-cam.com/video/pAcsJXGzVHg/w-d-xo.html
Whats a good scope for a $1500 budget?
Depends what you're looking to achieve, is it your first telescope? Do you have other equipment or need to get everything else too?
@@spacefrenz I've had the classic tasco type telescopes as a kid ya know the 4-5" diameter approx. 3ft long way back in the late 80s early 90s, 1500ish would be a starting point for what i eould want to spend just the scope and add the tracking base after that, i have been looking at complete setups in the 1500-2500 range but its been so long sense i have done any kind of star gazing and things have changed massively and have no clue on gear whats good whats not or even whats now available to make it easier
@merritt McDowell happy to help you with that! Are you looking to stargaze or do you want to get into astrophotography? I'd say a good starting setup that can last you would cost about $4k
@@spacefrenz i would love to be able to capture pictures as well as gazing for the kids
@merritt McDowell if you're after a budget setup, I'd say check out the eq3 Pro skywatcher mount and then an 8inch telescope to give you a wide field view for Astrophotography, but if you know you want to get into the hobby properly then I'd say get the eq6r Pro skywatcher mount as you won't need to buy another one after that. As for a camera, maybe grab a dslr and get the UV/IR filter removed, that will work well and is budget but still with strong results
looks like a good telescope, thanks for the video, however I couldn't find it for less than £500
I bought it for around £400, I'm sure you could find a similar price?
@@spacefrenz if you can give me a link please
@@damsr4237 I bought mine from Rother Valley Optics, can just check their website, haven't checked if the price has changed though
@@spacefrenz thanks!!
@@damsr4237 no probs😁
Hi, nice video, and I want to congratulate you on NGC 7331 and Stephan's Quintet photo, really spectacular, I want to ask you if you have any problems with shading caused by the larger secondary mirror of the PDS version? it will be my second telescope, but I am undecided whether to take an older version or the non-PDS one, could you help me?
Thank you so much! No I don't think I've had any issues with the telescope in terms of shading, could elaborate further on what you mean?
@@spacefrenz If I'm not mistaken the larger secondary mirror causes more obstructions than the non-PDS version, for example looking on astrobin I have seen planetary images made with 200 pds, and they seem to have this problem, but it can also be a problem of ability, of seeing or collimation of who took the photos🤷🏻, I'm so undecided
@@andreachesseddu9761 yeah exactly there's so many different factors at play that'll decide the quality of the photo, I've not had an issue with the size of the secondary mirror and any abstraction can be taken out using calibration frames. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you 😉
@@spacefrenz Thank you 🙏🏻 and also clear skies!!! Can I ask you if the piggyback can be removed from the ring?
@@andreachesseddu9761 thanks! I'm actually imaging right now as I type this message👀 sorry what do you mean by piggyback?
Hi mate,
I can't get my new skywatcher 200p telescope into focus at a distance of anything over 100 meters, it's always blurry whatever strength of eyepiece I use. Any ideas what going wrong?
Thanks.
Hi! Sorry in not sure what you mean? What are you trying to focus on for example? Maybe you need an extension adapter which will give you more focusing range for your eyepiece
@@spacefrenz
Hi mate,
When I set up my skywatcher 200p with my finderscope at 50m I can get my telescope to focus, but anything over that distance it's just blurry. It just seems that I need to get the eyepiece nearer the telescope not further away to get anything over 100m to focus.
I hope this explains it better as I'm very new into astronomy.
Thanks.
James.
@@MrJames19676 you wouldn't need to get the eyepiece closer, you are pointing it to the sky right? I'm not sure what you mean by 50m and 100m away? What eyepiece are you using?
BTW at first I shaved 5mm off the draw tube and that had no effect at all and I can confirm no protrusion
In the light path. Just wasn’t sure the focuser was the culprit. Chessy.
Ah nice work!
150p will fit on a cg-4... all up, less than $1k...
“Not interested in observing through eyepiece“! What the hell man! Viewing with your own eyes is the best experience you can get with a telescope. Astrophotography is just looking at a screen of pictures that you could just have googled.
Celebrate
Truth
Dod Org
Va benissimo ma quali svantaggi???....non capisci niente😂😂😂
04:25 What is this nonsense about alignment? It is not necessary to adjust it every time. Once every six months is enough. And if you did something wrong, then why are you taking pictures? If you have made an incorrect calibration, then correct it, and do not take pictures. An idiotic claim. For 500 pounds? Did you get a tire iron with a guide and other accessories for free?
@mrc9041 To keep in mind and to assert, these are different things. And you can't buy such a telescope for 500 pounds either then or now.