Orion Atlas 8 EQ


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Brand and Model:Orion Atlas 8 EQ
Price ($USD):$1099.00
Type:Newtonian
Attributes: un-checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:8" (203mm)
f Ratio:f/5
Focal Length:1000mm
Finder:9x50
Electric Power:12V DC (8D-cell)
Mount:Atlas EQ
Tripod:Extendable Heavy Duty
Weight (lbs):
Dimensions (w/h/d):
Description:Even if you had zero interest in taking pictures of NGC galaxies and Messier nebulas, the Atlas 8 would exceed your expectations for visual study. It's a synthesis of 8" f/5 diffraction-limited parabolic optics and the mightiest mount to come along in years.

But if astrophotography does intrigue you, then there couldn't be a sweeter setup. Just add our optional 80mm Guide Scope package and you'll be set to capture magnificent images. And you won't have to spend a fortune to do it, either.

The optical tube is equipped with a 2" collimatable focuser with focus lock and comes with a camera adapter; all you need is a camera and T-ring. The Atlas mount has a built-in polar-alignment scope and dual electronic drives. Slewing at 4x and 16x and fine guiding at 2x sidereal rate are executed with the included hand controller, which also has R.A. and Dec. reverse switches.

Vote Highlights Vote
Orion Atlas 8 EQ
Optics surprisingly good for the price. I bought this for the mount, but the entire 8" package was on sale so I decided to buy the whole 8" package with the idea of selling the OTA after playing with it a while. I may just keep it because of it's good (although not outstanding) optics. The OTA is relatively lightweight and compact. Stars are nice pinpoints with a little coma apparent at the edges of FOV. I have only used this to view DSOs with good results so far. The mount is very stable and tracks very well. Motors are very quiet. The polar scope is illuminated but the LED illuminates the entire field of view so the illumination feature is not very useful.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:7 Mount:9 Ease of Use:8 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=272450

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