Orion SkyView Deluxe 8 EQ

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Brand and Model:Orion SkyView Deluxe 8 EQ
Price ($USD):$549.00
Type:Newtonian
Attributes: un-checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:203mm (8")
f Ratio:f/4
Focal Length:812
Finder:6x30
Electric Power:
Mount:SkyView Deluxe
Tripod:
Weight (lbs):45lbs
Dimensions (w/h/d):2'5" tube
Description:

Vote Highlights Vote
Orion SkyView Deluxe 8 EQ
I'm writing about the Optical tube only. Orion sells it as their "203mm F/4.9 Reflector Tube Assembly" for $270, about $300 with rings. (I use it on an ancient - and huge - Quickset Hercules pro movie tripod, so I had no use for their too light EQ mount.)

This is a wonderful scope for the money. Properly collimated, the optical system on my copy comes in at about 1/6 wave with a slight roughness. In other words, for nearly any site short of a mountain top in steady air you wont see any more detail from any other 8" newtonian, at any price.

The mechanics are very good. The focuser in particular is a lot better than expected....

Perhaps not for beginners, but, if you can handle the collimation, this may be the best bag for the buck, equatorially mountable, scope available.

Sure, if you've got that mountain-top propery in New Mexico, or really need to impress your friends, go ahead and find a Tak MT200... (and when you get tired of it sell it to me ;-)

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Ease of Use:8 Value:10
Weight: 20 (Notable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=503327

Orion SkyView Deluxe 8 EQ
I have owned this scope for almost a year. Recently Orion upgraded their 8" equatorial. I mostly agree with their changes. Having an f4 has enabled me to see some very faint fuzzies. The two provided Plossels are excellent. I gave up on the 6x30 finder scope...PLEASE buy an EZ Finder II, it's great! Also, you will need a laser collimator, as fast scopes go out of alignment quickly. The laser works quickly even in daylight. The primary mirror is extremely well configured: I was able to resolve Castor, a 2" binary, with ease. I despise my tripod, but fortunately the new version has a much better tripod. Orion has some cool upscale eyepieces for sale too. If you are going to look at "faint fuzzies," particularly emission and planetary nebulae, get their Ultrablock filter. Don't waste your money on the broadband Skyglow filter. Also, get their basic four filters, with a velcro filter case. All in all, Orion is a wonderful supplier for us less-affluent astronomers.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:10 Mount:3 Ease of Use:6 Value:9
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=139305

Orion SkyView Deluxe 8 EQ
[webmaster note: vote moved from description]


SkyView Deluxe 8 EQ
Plossl 9mm
Plossl 25mm
Moon Filter
Weight is 45lbs
OTA is good
Focuser is good (1.25)
Finder is a 6x30 achromatic finder (add a Telrad)
Primary Mirror is 200mm (7.9”)

Accessories
Plossl 9mm Eyepiece, Plossl 25mm Eyepiece, Moon Filter, 6x30 Finder Scope.

This is a nice Scope. I would not recommend this scope for the beginner bur I would highly recommend buying an Orion scope. A Dosonian would be a good choice. This scope will require good collimation and will need checked each time you move the scope. I have collimated this scope then carried it outside finding that collimation was off slightly. It is very important to have good collimation for a scope with this focal length. DonÂ’t let collimation scare you away from a reflecting telescope.

Astrophotography
You can equip this scope with a camera but the mount is not suitable for long exposure time.

Mount
An AltAz mount would be a better choice for someone starting out, itÂ’s cheaper and you can always upgrade if you stay in the hobby. The mount does seem to be slightly inadequate for the OTA and Counter Weights.

Optical Tube Assembly
This is a quality OTA, the images are nice and it is small as well as easy to transport. The only problem is you will need to collimate the mirrors each time you use the scope.

Finder
6x30 achromatic finder, I have no problems with the finder, although a nice replacement would be a finder with a diagonal. I recommend the addition of a Telrad finder.

Recommendation
I would recommend purchasing a Dobsonian form Orion instead, the XT10 will cost a little more but your also getting a 2” larger mirror. If you want this scope for Astrophotography, get a more rigid mount like the GP or GP-DX from Orion.

I would rate this scope an 8 to 9.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:9 Mount:7 Ease of Use:8 Value:6
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=69422

Orion SkyView Deluxe 8 EQ
My first scope. If you are tight on money, and you don't quite have enough money to buy this, don't buy another scope! Save up some more money, you won't be disappointed!

Optics: Excellent, well made optics. Best for the price.
Mount: A very sturdy dobsonian mount.
Ease of Use: Easy to use. My only complaint is having to bend your back into odd positions to see through the finderscope.
Value: Excellent. Wait until just after christmas for better deals.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Mount:7 Ease of Use:7 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=111942

Orion SkyView Deluxe 8 EQ
I’ve recently decided to purchase an Orion Skyview Deluxe 8” reflector telescope as my
first telescope. I’ve come to this decision over a Meade LXD55 8” reflector because I’ve
been trying to get a Meade since Christmas only to get postponed numerous times. I plan
on using this telescope for deep space object and planetary viewing. This is how my
transaction has transpired so far.

Friday - Place call to Orion for telescope. I also order Shoetree 2X Barlow, 40mm Sirius
Plossel eyepiece, and Orion Laser Collimator. Telephone person was very friendly and
courteous. Order went very smooth and I was told it would ship Monday.

Saturday - Received e-mail order confirmation. Nice way to keep in touch!

Monday - Received another e-mail confirmation along with Fed-Ex tracking numbers and
link to Fed-Ex tracking site.

Tuesday - Checked Fed-Ex tracking and found telescope still in California due to arrive in
Altoona, PA on following Monday.

Wednesday - Tracking still shows telescope in California.

Thursday - Packages arrive at destination 3 days early! A+++++ Everything appears to
have been handled well, no apparent damage.

Thursday Night - I get home from work and proceed to read the manuals and unpack
items. Packaging is done very well and I noted no damages. After reviewing instructions, I
decided to take the plunge! Having never worked with a telescope before I found their
instructions to be simple and to the point. They are not very detailed, but perfect for the
inexperienced, without becoming intimidating. I had no problems following the
instructions and getting my scope set-up. Total time about 1 hour after un-packing and
checking everything. Anxious to use my scope, I decided to use it as it came without
collimating the optics. The skies were not first rate but this is what I observed. Using the
supplied 25mm Plossel I could make out the rings of Saturn. They appeared small but
clear. Using the supplied 9mm Plossel I could make the rings appear large, but they were
starting to get fuzzy. Using the 9mm Plossel with the 2X Barlow I could get the rings up
to a decent size but detail was somewhat lacking. Using the 25mm Plossel I could separate
the 4 stars in the trapezium in Orion. Using the 9mm the trapezium was really looking
what I thought was good. Again, using the 2X Barlow, deteriorated the viewing, So far I
was happy and was beginning to think the problem was with the 2X Barlow. I only got to
use the telescope about 1 hour. The mount appears to adequate for me. I’m finding no
problems with it following the instructions for balancing it with the scope attached. they
eyepieces seem to have adequate eye relief and clarity.

Friday Night - Weather not cooperating. Decided to play with the collimation. Now
remember, this is my first time at all of this, so I’m a little nervous. Reading the
instructions that came with the Laser Collimator, I need to collimate the telescope the first
time using the instructions that came with scope for a starting point. I also will need to
mark the center of my primary mirror. I’m really nervous about tearing apart my new
scope. Following the instructions to remove the mirror cell, I find that after removing the
screws I’m not able to remove the cell from the tube. Finally after removing the scope
from the tripod and laying it on the floor, I proceed to carefully tap it out with a wooden
rod. It has a very tight fit. I proceed to mark the center of the mirror as per the
instructions and use the supplied center mark. Getting the cell back into the tube proves to
be a tedious task, but with the help of my wife to hold the tube I’m able to get everything
back together. Now to do the collimating. Following the instructions, I eyeball the
collimation to what I think is pretty good. Using the Laser, I find out that my eyeball
collimation is not as accurate as I thought! Following the instructions with the laser, I’m
soon happy with the results. I had to adjust the secondary mirror and primary mirror. The
laser seems to really simplify things and I would highly recommend one. I begin to realize
that maybe I can now get some good viewing.

Saturday - Other commitments

Sunday - Bad weather

Monday Night - Weather so-so I would rate the viewing on a scale of 1-10 to be about a 5
or 6. What a difference! Just after dark under somewhat hazy skies, with the 25mm Plossel
I’m able to view Jupiter. I can see the moons and can make out the belts around it. Using
the 9mm Plossel I can clearly make out the belts. Using the 2X Barlow and 9mm Plossel I
can get a decent look at the belts. I think under better skies I could get a very good view
of the belts. Next, I did a star test to check the collimation. It appears to be perfect. Now I
move on to Saturn. Using the 25mm Plossel I can clearly see the rings. Using the 9mm
Plossel I can still see the rings reasonably clear. using the 2X Barlow I can get a pretty
good look at the rings. Using any of the above, I can’t separate the rings, but I feel under
better skies I should be able to separate the rings. By now the skies are really getting bad.
Everything is getting fuzzy! I can’t wait for a good night! It seems that collimation is very
critical with this scope. I noticed much better viewing tonight, although the skies were not
as good. I did notice that when I moved my scope from the house to the yard, a quick
check with the laser collimator revealed it to be slightly out of collimation. Using the laser
after getting the scope in position put it back into place very quickly. I’m glad I bought the
laser, it takes only a few minutes to “tweak” it. So far I would rate this set-up on a scale
of 1-10 at a 8. Being that I can’t compare this to a previous scope, this may not mean
much. However, I’m pleased so far.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:8 Mount:8 Ease of Use:9 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=74323

Orion SkyView Deluxe 8 EQ
Good optics but the mount and tripod jumped around
more than a puppy. The 8" OTA is just too much for the
base. Took several seconds to calm down when just focusing.

Overall Rating: 6
Optics:8 Mount:3 Ease of Use:8 Value:6
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=73459

Orion SkyView Deluxe 8 EQ
This is my first telescope, bought in Aug 2000. The scope mount could have better tolerances in the drive gears, the worm gears particularly. Remember to keep the OTA and accessories balanced on the mount, it REALLY makes a difference. With everything balanced the mount works buttery smooth. I bought the dual axis electric drive with it. It never worked, don't buy it. The single axis drive might work better. Despite the earlier statement, I have to say I have fallen in love with this scope. The VERY FIRST night out with it, it showed me the Moon, Mars and (to my great surprise) Jupiter. Pointing it at a bright yellowish star in the East using progressively higher mags, the star ballooned up into a striped yellowish ball with the four attendent moons. I am a less-than-amateur astronomer and these sights are a testament to this telescope's quality and ease-of-use. I give it an overall 8 out of 10 because I don't know what the very best scopes are like.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:9 Mount:7 Ease of Use:8 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=69417

Orion SkyView Deluxe 8 EQ
Not a bad scope for the price and setup. Definately a no-frill telescope, but it does the job. Don't expect to do astrophotography. The finderscope is basically worthless, so going to a Telrad (or equivilant) would be best. The Skyview mount is a tad bit small for this OTA, but the polar scope is nice and is screwed into the mount and easy to set up. At f/4, this scope is designed for deepsky. Lunar observing is OK, but planets are a little "rough". The OTA itself is built well and collimation is easy enough for one person. I don't really like the focuser; it's too high. Should have been a low-profile type. All in all...not bad. It's a fun scope and will last awhile I think.

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41265

Orion SkyView Deluxe 8 EQ
The optics are good and mount is sturdy.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41264

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