#1  
Old 14-03-2021, 10:52 AM
Swartz (Nick)
Registered User

Swartz is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Warragul
Posts: 12
Deal??? What am I missing

HI

Am just getting into the star gazing game and so far am loving it when clouds permit. I currently have a Saxon 150 Mak (F12), with my main thing being finding binary's and observing the planets. Have had this scope for about 6 months. My goal has been to get a complimentary scope for astrophotography and DSO in about 6 months from now. My intent was to get a SWBD120ED (F7.5), price is around the $2800 mark. All my research suggests this is an excellent scope at the price you pay for it.

However an apparent deal has just come up on Andrews and Astro Anarchy. With the 150ED (F8) undercutting this by some margin. Around the $2000 mark. Down from $3400

http://astroanarchy.com.au/telescope...her_ED150.html

I understand that I need to add a finder and diagonal to the 150, what are good options for these if I go down this path? What else will I need to add in the start up phase?
An EQ6-Pro mount is already in the budget. I have a Baader MkIV 8-24 with Barlow currently and this will get added to over time, with lower power eyepieces.

Is the 150 that much better a scope then the 120? To me logic states that the 150 should be better then the 120. Why the big price drop?

Thanks in advance have been a long time stalker on these pages and am learning all the time.

Nick
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 14-03-2021, 12:47 PM
iborg's Avatar
iborg (Philip)
Registered User

iborg is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Lynbrook, Australia
Posts: 611
Hi Nick


I can't answer your question, but, will comment that the camera you want to use may be a better match for one of these scopes compared to the other.



I am not going to claim I have a good understanding of this, so I won't try to explain. If you post what camera you hope to use, others may then be able to say which scope is a better match.


Of course you could just get the scope you prefer, and then match he camera to that.


Have fun


Philip
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 14-03-2021, 12:51 PM
AdamJL
Registered User

AdamJL is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,100
I have a feeling that these are EOL.
I saw Testar was selling the 150ED a couple of months back for less than 2k. Can't remember the exact price, but I'm sure it was about $1500... Huge discount.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 14-03-2021, 04:34 PM
Swartz (Nick)
Registered User

Swartz is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Warragul
Posts: 12
To answer iborg's question I am using a Nikon D7000 DSLR.

Reading on Andrews site, it appears to be a new model, but they are unsure of the lens specification.

"Doublet objective lens with ED element. Lens specification is
subject to confirmation
Photo for illustration purposes
Since the release of the first Skywatcher 150mm f/8 doublet refractor (which proved super successful) we've been waiting over 20 years for the second coming, or iteration, of that model, which is this all-new apochromatic Skywatcher 150mm f/8 doublet refractor!!"

Regards
Nick
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 14-03-2021, 07:55 PM
The Mekon's Avatar
The Mekon (John Briggs)
Registered User

The Mekon is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Bowral NSW
Posts: 826
Quote:
Originally Posted by Swartz View Post
HI


Is the 150 that much better a scope then the 120? To me logic states that the 150 should be better then the 120. Why the big price drop?

Thanks in advance have been a long time stalker on these pages and am learning all the time.

Nick
The price drop is because these 150EDs are a big scope that requires a big mount. They are not popular as owners soon find out how difficult they are to handle. I have a 132mm F7 Apo and a 106mm F6 Apo. Guess which scope gets used the most? Yes the 106!
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 15-03-2021, 06:36 AM
glend (Glen)
Registered User

glend is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Lake Macquarie
Posts: 7,033
First off, I own an ED150, and I bought it last year when TASCO dropped its wholesale price to retailers. Since it was first introduced, I regarded it as over priced, but the parent company in China set the price, and then you have middlemen margin, and something for the retailer as well.. Yes it is long and somewhat heavy, but your getting a 150mm Doublet f8 refractor. What adds significantly to the weight
(Over25kg) of the overall package (double boxed outside) is the large aluminium Coffin that it is now shipped in. This foam lined Coffin is a significant item in itself and would cost you hundreds if you could buy it on its own. Storage of this big box needs consideration.
I suggest you read some of the ED150 threads on the Cloudy Nights Refractor forum, there are several comprehensive reviews, and you can get a good picture of the development and market perception.

As to the price drop, it is certainly not an End of Line run out sale. I suspect that there was a realisation that the market was resisting buying at the RRP and with stock not moving they had to do something. Currently it is priced pretty much where it should have been originally, imho. The standard model is maybe not a great choice considering the Delux model with upgraded rings, dovetail, and the wonderful big Esprit focuser is only a few hundred more. The Delux was RRP priced near $4000, now you can find them for $2400.
I bought mine for observatory mounting on my CGX mount, so weight is not that big a deal, other than moving it occasionally. I keep mine in a Geoptik padded bag when it is not on the mount. Optically it is satisfactory for my purposes, which is mainly EAA these days. If your the sort that is obsessive about glass specs perhaps this is not the scope for you, as Skywatcher has steadfastly refused to disclose the glass type, however, in my experience, with a variety of refractors, it is pretty good, not high end triplet good, but the glass figure is very good in my opinion, with just a hint of colour on very bright stars. The focuser is the strongest I have seen. It is my only scope these days and is a good all rounder, for EAA and visual observation. The reducer will bring your focal ratio to f6,8.
So yeah, the Delux is good value at the present offer price, and you can get good deals on the Reducer/ Corrector as well.
You would need a good mount, and maybe the NEQ6 series is just too low capacity for swinging around this long refractor, especially if imaging gear attached. The CGX is a good match for this scope.
Overall very happy with my Delux, at the price I paid.

Last edited by glend; 15-03-2021 at 07:18 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 15-03-2021, 07:26 PM
Swartz (Nick)
Registered User

Swartz is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Warragul
Posts: 12
Thanks for all the feed back, have read through several reviews on CN and SGL. Rather mixed reports on the 150ED. Think I will be looking in another direction, also looked up a few YouTube vids and wow you don't really get a good perception of it's size until you see it with someone standing next to it. It is huge.

Will keep saving and see where that takes me.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +10. The time is now 02:35 AM.

Powered by vBulletin Version 3.8.7 | Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement
Testar
Advertisement
Bintel
Advertisement