It's a good day when Mr. Ting shows up too! Reminds me of the Tasco reflector and mount I purchased in the early 80's. I spent much of my observing time fighting with that mount.
My first view of Saturn was through a three inch 700mm reflector and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. For someone on a budget, it's way better than nothing. I don't think the imaging criticism is completely fair here. This is not intended to be an imaging scope. Great review though, as always!
I was gifted a celestron 60 travel scope. I fell in love. I immediately knew the alt-az mount had to go. For 130 dollars this Orion is infinitely better. I polar aligned and was tracking whatever I pointed at with little to no dec adjustments. IMO this is an excellent starter scope to see if this hobby is for you.
As someone that has had for 30 years a telescope similar to this, just homemade, with a 78mm diameter, 750mm focal lenght CIO ground, polished and aluminized primary, in a 2X4 pier tripod like the one depicted by Sam Brown. I can tell that the 3 inch range can keep you busy learning the ropes, finding first and frustrating latter with the limitations of such a small telescope... In my channel there are some experiments of what I have done with that lil' scope. No motorizing, just hand tracking...
Ed, I just got the Orion Space Probe 76mm for Christmas, and personally I'm pleased with the tube. I do agree that the "Fine tuner's" on the scope eq mount leave little to be desired but, otherwise I have no beef with the eq mount or, the tripod. The view that I have gotten so have been pretty good especially with 25mm eye piece but, the @x Barlow lens leaves little to be desired, (I think the same of All Barlow lenses). I did pay a little for my telescope than you did through Amazon however, it came with a few more items to help in viewing the night skies. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the Orion Space Probe 2 - 76mm EQ Mount Telescope.
I got one of these OTAs for free a couple years ago. The mount had been discarded, I made an alt-az pipe mount for it and gave to a kid. At the time I had an XT4.5, so it was extra. Nice views for what it was though.
Ed,, Hope you get this message. I remember you did a “review” of a tiny telescope that clips onto your smartphone pointing out how terrible it was. Someone has recorded that, with some creative editing has made it sound positive, and has posted it on UA-cam ads for people like me that don’t pay UA-cam fees. I first heard it this morning, watching CBS Sunday Morning while shaving and I heard your voice come on, touting the greatness of that little tiny scope!
I've always thought this was a decent looking package. Thanks for your review and the comments about the alt-az mount available. I think I'll just spend a bit more and get a Porta Mount and a short tube refractor for casual viewing.
On the price variation: this is at least partly because of fluctuation in the exchange rate between China and the US. With small margin items, consumers bear exchange rate risk.
building a cheap dob mount will make this scope 1000% better! I did that with my 4.5" "Bushnell" and it's amazing how well it works. Put it on a 5 gallon bucket, and it sits at the same eyepiece height as a 6" or 8"
had a similar scope back in the '80s after being somewhat disappointed with my 50mm refractor mounting. It was quite an improvement in my viewing experience. shame the mount isn't fantastic but I am not surprised considering the price.
i like when the warts are shown and i can draw my own conclusions as to whether i can work with them. i have this mount, but haven't used it because i thought you could only use the 2 tracking knobs. i've been using a camera tripod, but it is so old the handle won't tighten as much as i need to keep it from unwantedly pivoting. gonna give the eq another chance now that i understand it a bit more- going to get the aftermarket knobs, too. i have an orion st80.
I got the ST80 too, about a month ago. It's my first telescope, and my first foray into the hobby. How has it been working out for you? It's the same exact kit as yours, thought I'd ask.
@@maurodudley1338 still haven't used the eq mount. maybe tonight (super moon). still no complaints about the st80. i've been trying to take pics of the moon, but it is too bright even with a polariser. a little digicam and an amazon tablet just won't work. been acquiring used mid-grade eyepieces. clouds have been awful for weeks. i haven't used the guide finder that came with it. i got a used green laser and just hold it in place on the rings. one night i watched 2 jets cross paths, making a huge 'X' of contrails. it was cool. no ufos yet, but independence day is coming (i have the movie). you might look at cloudynights.com . i kinda got kicked off because i wasn't serious enough. no ufos, aliens, or crazy stories allowed. one ep i got from cl's classifieds was a used astro-tech 3.2mm. i wasn't sure whether it would over-magnify and blur everything, but it does work. it is very heavy and the clamp on the tripod won't hold the scope in place, hence looking around for something i can put on a bicycle, is simple, stays locked on, and doesn't weigh too much. explorescientific.com has a twilight nano mount that i've been considering. simple, not for tracking.
It’s always a good day when an Ed Ting video is posted.. Mondays of late Wake up - check UA-cam subscriptions for a new video from Mr. Ed - quickly get ready - watch the video - have breakfast - start work…
Great video Ed! I've found that the alt-azumith mount on my Zhumell Z76 reflector (GSO) which is basically the same optical tube assembly as the Orion Space Probe 11 76, works well. It also saves time, not having to deal with the polar alignment. You just need to remove the slow motion control rod from the fork and OTA. It's really a great grab and go reflector for cold nights. I modded mine all out with a push pull, ventilated bamboo coaster mirror cell and a small computer fan. Plus a guide knob as all newtonian reflectors should come with :) It is a fun little double star splitter and puts up really decent views for a spherical mirror. Thanks for your reviews Ed! I'm always looking forward to the next! Clear skies
@@edting Your playing is quite musical. I heard your Chopin video and your playing is closer than you think, to the other pianist. Ill keep watching, you keep practicing.
Ed, Even collimating these cheap scopes is hit-or-miss and may not significantly improve the image (why I returned my Funscope) Frustrated with mediocre focusing on cheap scopes I took the plunge and got an Orion 150 mm Maksutov and a go-to Sirius mount. However with the steep learning curve involved in using this computerized gear, I would not recommend it to my son or grandson. One company that has made things significantly easy for beginners (using an automated plate solving program to align) is the Stellina by Vaonis. At 4k consumers will spend about the same as I did - but will get started viewing and photographing immediately.
Rather than starting off with one of the cheapest options available like the scope seen here, I was looking at either the Orion XT8 Plus or the Celestron Nexstar 127SLT as my first scope. I like that the Celestron is a smaller Maksutov-Cassegrain style scope and it has a computerized mount, but the Orion dobsonian has a 3" larger aperture. They are both the same price. Any opinions?
I tried to share your motto with my wife, Ed ("It's always a good day when a new telescope arrives at the door"), but I think it would have been better not to raise the subject. Now she's saying I need to get rid of one.
The worst is the cheap equatorial mounts have a finite range of motion on the fine control knobs. So often I bottom them out and have to unscrew the knob to "center" it.
You once positively reviewed the StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial version, which comes on the same EQ1 mount. I couldn't stand my 4.5 Bird-Jones on the Celestron EQ-1 (CG-2) (the optics were bad, but the mount was worse), and I always wondered how you could have spoken so highly about it compared to the sturdy tabledob starblast. Given that the SpaceProbe 76 shouldn't be that much different in weight, what's the difference?
I keep going back and forth as to whether I like this EQ1 mount or not. Some days I don't mind using it (I used it last night for example) but on other days it just doesn't seem precise enough.
Hi Ed, thank you so much for the review. I am very much a beginner, so apologies for the basic questions. I own a Orion Skyscanner 100. I notice that this tube is longer and skinnier. Can you tell me what that does for the magnification and the ability to resolve deep space objects? Thank you.
Your Skyscanner is a 4" f/4 (400mm), while the Space Probe is a 3" f/9.2 (700mm). So yours will show slightly brighter images and at lower power than this Space Probe. One isn't better than the other, they're just different.
Orion recently started displaying the Orion Observer 134 reflector. There are no reviews yet and can find nothing about beyond the description Orion has
Thanks. I hadn't seen that one yet. It can get hard to keep track of the huge number of scopes in the Orion catalog. Now let's hope one of these winds up here soon...
Very informative overview your videos are always well put together. I wonder looking at those nice prints, do you have any tips on what medium you get prints on.
Thanks! I use a local graphic arts company that prints and mounts them on foam board. It's not cheap, so I have to think carefully about which ones I want printed.
My opinion is avoid it or any reflector under 114mm. I bought the horseshoe mount version around 3 and half years ago and have had extensive use of it so i think my opinion is valid. The mount is very light but easily remedied with a large bottle of water tied to the spreader but care needs to be taken because the spreader is plastic. Once that was out of the way, it was quite stable, much more than any EQ1 and EQ2 mounts i have tried and the AZ is much more easy in panning around or you could do what a friend of mind did, didn't use the mount and sat with it in his lap because its light. The battery in the red dot finder lasts a long time but i could never get it to align, it was too loose. Sometimes the mount would spin around even though everything was tightened, there is a huge nut underneath the mount between the legs, tighten that and it fixes it. Shame is never came with any tools to make it easier because i can imagine most people not having a tool for it. Now to the nitty gritty. I own 7 telescopes 8inch Newtonian, 2 130mm Newtonians, this 76mm Newtonian, 90mm/80mm/70mm refractors. I also experimented with aperture masks and a pair of broken binoculars, screwed the front 50mm lens portion of one side and used an extension tube with a zoom eyepiece, just for fun with interesting results but not recommended unless you already have the parts. When we were stuck in lockdown, that gave an opportunity to experiment, nothing scientific, just comparisons between my telescopes as close to the magnification i could reach side by side and if i had known what i now know, i wouldn't have bought it. Some say that Newtonians minus an inch equal a refractor, i have also seen a info graph of aperture sizes on cloudy nights with the so-called light gathering area and it has the 76mm as equal to a 65mm refractor...let me say this now, it doesn't come close. Using an aperture mask to 60mm on my 70/80/90mm refractors (all different focal lengths, different eyepieces to try and make the magnification the same) i could see when the atmosphere allowed banding on Jupiter and a hint at the red spot with averted vision, i saw the cassini division on the odd night, not easy to do, the messier objects i could pull out were reasonably bright but here is the thing, while the 76mm is supposedly equal to a 65mm refractor, there were no details to be seen on Jupiter, not with averted vision, Saturn's ring was easy and sharp but no cassini division and the messier objects i could see weren't all that exciting. That didn't stop me from going further, i stopped down the 90mm refractor to 50mm and removed the front caps on my 70mm and 80mm which i think is a 43mm opening. I was actually surprised that Saturn's ring was visible in all of these (obviously no cassini division), no detail on Jupiter that i could see in the 43mm apertures but the 50mm looked like there were 2 very faint bands and the messier objects i could see looked pretty much the same in all telescopes. The binocular modification mentioned above showed Jupiter's moons and the moon was ok but broke down fast the higher you went, no surprise since binoculars are fast optics but i thought it was interesting. From my tests and i spent quite a bit of time doing it, under my skies, a 60mm refractor is already pushing the lower limits but doable and a 76mm Newtonian is going too far for a Newtonian as from what i could and couldn't see, the 76mm Newtonian equalled the 43mm aperture stops of the 70mm and 80mm refractors. Collimation wasn't an issue and the slow optics of the Orion Spaceprobe ll is extremely easy to collimate. Whoever thinks that a 76mm Newtonian is equal to a 65mm refractor cant have used one or holds a bias towards Newtionians and is playing fast and loose with the numbers. Astrobiscuit recently made a video and a 60mm refractor wiped the floor against a 100mm Newtonian and the comment section is full of excuses about the 100mm being fast etc. that shouldn't matter, a telescope either works or it doesn't and if it doesn't, then its useless. As much as i love both types of telescopes equally, we are doing a disservice to the hobby by recommending optics that are not adequate because of our own bias and it sets up newcomers to disappointment and the only people benefiting are those taking the money from those who may be cash strapped and looking for a hobby that won't involve a hefty monthly subscription. Around the 114mm and 130mm Newtonian sizes things become more blurred, that is to say, this is where refractors and newtonians become more equal (as long as they are not bird jones telescopes) and you can't go wrong with a 130mm Skywatcher Heritage (AWB OneSky).
Hi Ed! Just found your channel, and WOW, really good! I’m in the market for my first scope, but my budget limits me to a 6” Dob. Do you think this is a good idea, or should I go with waiting for longer to get an 8” dob? Also, it doesnt come with filters or a Barlow, got any kits to add? Thanks!
Either the 6 or the 8 are ideal first scopes. I usually tell people to get the 8 because many 6s have plastic focusers. I've talked about this before, but you don't need the barlow or filters.
For a child (or for an adult for that matter) I'd still stick with the standard recommendations - the Orion Starblast, Orion Short Tube 80 (needs a separate tripod/mount) or the Sky-Watcher Heritage 130p (aka AWB OneSky, aka lots of other names). The problem is all this stuff has risen in price lately and it's hard to find anything in stock.
Hi Ed, I am getting a solid tube telescope. How can I determine if it is a buy .what do I do when I see the seller . In fact I didn't see the photo of the real thing the seller emphasize it is like new but his phone is from the website. Got me a bit worried. Someone from astronomy club suggested I need to check the eye pieces . The knobs and the mirrors. How can I check all that I am a bit worried . In fact . Any tips pleaee . I forgot did u say u have a zhumell telescope before or Not? U think I should bring a suitcase to put the base and bubble wrap the telescope tube and put in my backpack ?? Or how should I mm or should I just wrap the whole thing together . I think carrying it is a bit of problem .traveling back .so maybe I should separate ? The bade and the tube
@@edting I've received the StarBlast II. They changed the slow adjusters. They no longer use a set screw. The new design seems to be better. The focusing tube has a lot of play though. Can't even collimate the telescope. Any recommendation or should I just return it?
Hi, in my XT8 is use the 27mm Panoptic for wide field views. The 27 Pan is in the scope 85% of the time. For planets, I use the 13mm Nagler Type 6. If conditions are excellent I use the 7mm Nagler. Hope this helps.
While my 24mm and 19mm Panoptics were better, I found the supplied 25mm Kellner to be just fine. I found the supplied 10mm Kellner to be too strong for the mount though.
@@edting Thanks Ed! I have a 6” Dobsonian and have been struggling to see the nebulas despite using some good eyepieces. So I was surprised you could see them with a 3” budget scope. So I must just be in a bad area for observation. I’ll try heading to the mountains to try again soon. :)
@@edting I recently bought the 60mm Lunt and it has been a game changer for me. Solar astronomy is amazing. I also bought the Lunt eyepieces and they are great.
Basically a frustrating scope for beginners and experts alike. Last year I bought an Orion Fubscope for my grandson without checking it out first. Then I bought one myself and returned it because of poor optics. The best way to turn off young folks on astronomy is to buy them a cheap Orion telescope. In fact, my Kmart refractor bought for me in 1962 had better optics than the Orion Funscope. Ha! Ha!
Woah I'm very early, I have a 910/90 refractor and I'm looking into buying a 8inch dobsonian. I don't know how much I can sell my refractor for, but even if I sold it at the original price I'd need to sell another one in order to by the dob.
ED you should have assembled the mount sans telescope and the said " now that I've shown you how to assemble the mount here's what you should do with it" and then proceeded to pick it up and throw it out of the frame and only reviewed the optical tube. Maybe keep the cheapy plastic telescope ring and attach it to a vertical 2x4 attached to a base plate and make a de-facto dobsonian. Those eq1 mounts really are garbage
Hello sir.I want to import a telescope from china.The delivery system is ready.But the only problem is I can’t find a telescope shop in china.It you would be kind enough to suggest me a shop in china,that’d help me greatly!!!
Hey that's a good question. I don't know the answer to that one. If you find a store in China, please let the rest of us know here, in case anyone else has that question!
@@edting sorry but I don’t want to. Because then I won’t have it for the time it would take for a review. Just can’t believe there’s nothing for or about it anywhere
I haven't liked any of the Astromasters I've seen. The optical tubes have a lot of plastic, the eyepieces are not good, and the mounts are undersized for the tubes. What's more, at $279 for the 130, you are getting close to the price of an Orion XT6, which is a forever scope.
The AM 130EQ does not have a parabolic primary mirror and no center spot on the primary mirror to assist in collimation of the telescope. Also the supports for the secondary mirror are one solid piece of formed plastic and cannot be adjusted. All the knobs look and feel the same on the EQ head and the knob that holds the OTA in place can accidentally be turned in the dark while observing causing the OTA to slide right off the mount crashing to the ground. The focuser tube has a tremendous amount of slop and does not operate smoothly. Thank goodness the replaced the useless old stock finder and replaced it with a decent red dot finder.
Thank You ED i am from India and orion is very expensive in India. I have Celestron Am 130eq. The main concern to me is the spherical mirror i am a bit confused if it is a parabolic or spherical. Because in perfect collimation i didnt see any spherical abretions. Please clear me on that. I will be very much thankful.
@@smittysmith3227 Once i baught this telescope it fell down accidently by my maid while she was mopping. The ota knob which hold it get destroyed. I have printed a new with my 3D printer and attached a new screw in that now it works fine. I have a latest model with new laser finder in it.
Another excellent review, Ed! UA-cam offered a review of this competing beginner's scope this week: The Sarblue Planet Mate/Acuter Maksy. Astronomy and Nature TV gave it a surprisingly positive review: ua-cam.com/video/4cVid9aXkD8/v-deo.html . Like an educational scope you talked about earlier. this one lets you look at the guts to see what goes on inside.
This scope is simply to small to show very much. Saturn would look like a speck. That's why people lose interest in astronomy. I would recommend a 8 inch dobsonian reflector. Its the minimum size to really see the universe.
People lose interest in astronomy from a lack of knowledge. Armed with a small scope or binoculars with a book like "Turn Left at Orion" or "Nightwatch" there is lots to see. This $100 scope isn't a bad choice before investing in a larger Dobsonian.
@@robertsonsid theres a 70 mm astro tech apo for sale for 250 that Im considering buying. Although its limited in viewing I have heard that its sufficient for photography. I think about 150 times magnification would be the Max. Would be excellent for viewing the moon. I agree that to enjoy the hobby you need to know what your looking at.
@@johnwright291 Nice. I have never used an APO scope but only heard good things about them. That's a great price! One day I will splurge and get an ED or APO scope! Clear skies.
It's a good day when Mr. Ting shows up too! Reminds me of the Tasco reflector and mount I purchased in the early 80's. I spent much of my observing time fighting with that mount.
Haha, that's a good one!
It is always a good day when a new Ed Ting video arrives!!!!
Haha, thanks!
My first view of Saturn was through a three inch 700mm reflector and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. For someone on a budget, it's way better than nothing. I don't think the imaging criticism is completely fair here. This is not intended to be an imaging scope. Great review though, as always!
I was gifted a celestron 60 travel scope. I fell in love. I immediately knew the alt-az mount had to go. For 130 dollars this Orion is infinitely better. I polar aligned and was tracking whatever I pointed at with little to no dec adjustments. IMO this is an excellent starter scope to see if this hobby is for you.
As someone that has had for 30 years a telescope similar to this, just homemade, with a 78mm diameter, 750mm focal lenght CIO ground, polished and aluminized primary, in a 2X4 pier tripod like the one depicted by Sam Brown. I can tell that the 3 inch range can keep you busy learning the ropes, finding first and frustrating latter with the limitations of such a small telescope... In my channel there are some experiments of what I have done with that lil' scope. No motorizing, just hand tracking...
Thanks for the review. Will continue to save for the 8 inch Dobsonian.
Ed, I just got the Orion Space Probe 76mm for Christmas, and personally I'm pleased with the tube.
I do agree that the "Fine tuner's" on the scope eq mount leave little to be desired but, otherwise I have no beef with the eq mount or, the tripod.
The view that I have gotten so have been pretty good especially with 25mm eye piece but, the @x Barlow lens leaves little to be desired, (I think the same of All Barlow lenses).
I did pay a little for my telescope than you did through Amazon however, it came with a few more items to help in viewing the night skies.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the Orion Space Probe 2 - 76mm EQ Mount Telescope.
I got one of these OTAs for free a couple years ago. The mount had been discarded, I made an alt-az pipe mount for it and gave to a kid. At the time I had an XT4.5, so it was extra. Nice views for what it was though.
Ed,,
Hope you get this message. I remember you did a “review” of a tiny telescope that clips onto your smartphone pointing out how terrible it was.
Someone has recorded that, with some creative editing has made it sound positive, and has posted it on UA-cam ads for people like me that don’t pay UA-cam fees.
I first heard it this morning, watching CBS Sunday Morning while shaving and I heard your voice come on, touting the greatness of that little tiny scope!
Yeah. we're trying to stamp these out. The problem is, once we get one deleted, it appears someone else has picked it up.
10 out 10 for assembling with your jacket on
I've always thought this was a decent looking package. Thanks for your review and the comments about the alt-az mount available. I think I'll just spend a bit more and get a Porta Mount and a short tube refractor for casual viewing.
I think that is a good plan.
On the price variation: this is at least partly because of fluctuation in the exchange rate between China and the US. With small margin items, consumers bear exchange rate risk.
building a cheap dob mount will make this scope 1000% better! I did that with my 4.5" "Bushnell" and it's amazing how well it works. Put it on a 5 gallon bucket, and it sits at the same eyepiece height as a 6" or 8"
Yeah, good point! Maybe I can convince Scope Wizard to build me a mount...
it is a good day when your scope arrives.my 127mm iv Orion man-cass kit arrives tomorrow!
Indeed, a good day for both of us!
had a similar scope back in the '80s after being somewhat disappointed with my 50mm refractor mounting. It was quite an improvement in my viewing experience. shame the mount isn't fantastic but I am not surprised considering the price.
Ed Ting’s videos are the highest value on you tube. Keep up the good work!!! Ed… do you ever make it out to Cherry Springs state park in PA?
Keep in mind, Ed Ting is always Ed-i-ting.
Ed is better dressed unboxing a scope than I was at my own wedding! (I did wear a very nice suit for my divorce though 😉)
I think Ed was born in a suit.
Was thinking that exact thought, then looked down to see it in comment form
Ahh we know who the problem person was in this failed marriage xD
Ahh, brings me back to when Kurt Cobain showed up in his pajamas for his wedding.
You do really great reviews. Think you do need a catch fraise, "it's a good day when a telescope arrives at your house" is perfect
i like when the warts are shown and i can draw my own conclusions as to whether i can work with them.
i have this mount, but haven't used it because i thought you could only use the 2 tracking knobs.
i've been using a camera tripod, but it is so old the handle won't tighten as much as i need to keep it from unwantedly pivoting.
gonna give the eq another chance now that i understand it a bit more- going to get the aftermarket knobs, too.
i have an orion st80.
I got the ST80 too, about a month ago. It's my first telescope, and my first foray into the hobby. How has it been working out for you? It's the same exact kit as yours, thought I'd ask.
@@maurodudley1338 still haven't used the eq mount. maybe tonight (super moon). still no complaints about the st80. i've been trying to take pics of the moon, but it is too bright even with a polariser. a little digicam and an amazon tablet just won't work. been acquiring used mid-grade eyepieces. clouds have been awful for weeks. i haven't used the guide finder that came with it. i got a used green laser and just hold it in place on the rings.
one night i watched 2 jets cross paths, making a huge 'X' of contrails. it was cool. no ufos yet, but independence day is coming (i have the movie).
you might look at cloudynights.com . i kinda got kicked off because i wasn't serious enough. no ufos, aliens, or crazy stories allowed.
one ep i got from cl's classifieds was a used astro-tech 3.2mm. i wasn't sure whether it would over-magnify and blur everything, but it does work. it is very heavy and the clamp on the tripod won't hold the scope in place, hence looking around for something i can put on a bicycle, is simple, stays locked on, and doesn't weigh too much.
explorescientific.com has a twilight nano mount that i've been considering. simple, not for tracking.
It’s always a good day when an Ed Ting video is posted..
Mondays of late
Wake up - check UA-cam subscriptions for a new video from Mr. Ed - quickly get ready - watch the video - have breakfast - start work…
I have An Orion Funscope 76 which is A table top reflector, F4!! Great review ed, Love your Reviews, Very Enjoyable and Informative!!!
Great video Ed!
I've found that the alt-azumith mount on my Zhumell Z76 reflector (GSO) which is basically the same optical tube assembly as the Orion Space Probe 11 76, works well. It also saves time, not having to deal with the polar alignment. You just need to remove the slow motion control rod from the fork and OTA. It's really a great grab and go reflector for cold nights. I modded mine all out with a push pull, ventilated bamboo coaster mirror cell and a small computer fan. Plus a guide knob as all newtonian reflectors should come with :)
It is a fun little double star splitter and puts up really decent views for a spherical mirror. Thanks for your reviews Ed! I'm always looking forward to the next! Clear skies
I hv same 114eq model, happy to use still now
Really enjoy watching your reviews!
Hi Ed. I enjoyt your videos. I got started in astronomy at age 11. Im also a concert pianist. I find astronomy and great music go together very well.
If you're a concert pianist, you're way better than me!
@@edting Your playing is quite musical. I heard your Chopin video and your playing is closer than you think, to the other pianist. Ill keep watching, you keep practicing.
Ed,
Even collimating these cheap scopes is hit-or-miss and may not significantly improve the image (why I returned my Funscope)
Frustrated with mediocre focusing on cheap scopes I took the plunge and got an Orion 150 mm Maksutov and a go-to Sirius mount. However with the steep learning curve involved in using this computerized gear, I would not recommend it to my son or grandson. One company that has made things significantly easy for beginners (using an automated plate solving program to align) is the Stellina by Vaonis. At 4k consumers will spend about the same as I did - but will get started viewing and photographing immediately.
Nice review.
Love the intro :D
Another informative video. 👍👍
Rather than starting off with one of the cheapest options available like the scope seen here, I was looking at either the Orion XT8 Plus or the Celestron Nexstar 127SLT as my first scope. I like that the Celestron is a smaller Maksutov-Cassegrain style scope and it has a computerized mount, but the Orion dobsonian has a 3" larger aperture. They are both the same price. Any opinions?
Get the XT8, it's the best of the choices you listed here.
I tried to share your motto with my wife, Ed ("It's always a good day when a new telescope arrives at the door"), but I think it would have been better not to raise the subject. Now she's saying I need to get rid of one.
The worst is the cheap equatorial mounts have a finite range of motion on the fine control knobs. So often I bottom them out and have to unscrew the knob to "center" it.
Yes, I agree. The EQ-1 has the "finite range" problem. Just when you are about to center the object, you run out of travel...ugh.
You once positively reviewed the StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial version, which comes on the same EQ1 mount. I couldn't stand my 4.5 Bird-Jones on the Celestron EQ-1 (CG-2) (the optics were bad, but the mount was worse), and I always wondered how you could have spoken so highly about it compared to the sturdy tabledob starblast. Given that the SpaceProbe 76 shouldn't be that much different in weight, what's the difference?
I keep going back and forth as to whether I like this EQ1 mount or not. Some days I don't mind using it (I used it last night for example) but on other days it just doesn't seem precise enough.
Hi Ed, thank you so much for the review. I am very much a beginner, so apologies for the basic questions. I own a Orion Skyscanner 100. I notice that this tube is longer and skinnier. Can you tell me what that does for the magnification and the ability to resolve deep space objects? Thank you.
Your Skyscanner is a 4" f/4 (400mm), while the Space Probe is a 3" f/9.2 (700mm). So yours will show slightly brighter images and at lower power than this Space Probe. One isn't better than the other, they're just different.
@@edting Makes sense! Thank you! Love the channel!
I can’t find anything better than a Sarblue Planet Mate in its price range.
Mr. ting is this telescope easy to carry?
It only weighs about 12 lbs. That is almost always a bad sign. Good telescopes are not light.
Orion recently started displaying the Orion Observer 134 reflector. There are no reviews yet and can find nothing about beyond the description Orion has
Thanks. I hadn't seen that one yet. It can get hard to keep track of the huge number of scopes in the Orion catalog. Now let's hope one of these winds up here soon...
@@edting I look forward to seeing it on your reviews. The one I was wanting to get is the Astroview 120 ST. But it's no longer available for purchase
Very informative overview your videos are always well put together. I wonder looking at those nice prints, do you have any tips on what medium you get prints on.
Thanks! I use a local graphic arts company that prints and mounts them on foam board. It's not cheap, so I have to think carefully about which ones I want printed.
@@edting Thanks Ed good to know, I don't have anything quite good enough yet but thinking about it soon.
My opinion is avoid it or any reflector under 114mm.
I bought the horseshoe mount version around 3 and half years ago and have had extensive use of it so i think my opinion is valid. The mount is very light but easily remedied with a large bottle of water tied to the spreader but care needs to be taken because the spreader is plastic. Once that was out of the way, it was quite stable, much more than any EQ1 and EQ2 mounts i have tried and the AZ is much more easy in panning around or you could do what a friend of mind did, didn't use the mount and sat with it in his lap because its light.
The battery in the red dot finder lasts a long time but i could never get it to align, it was too loose.
Sometimes the mount would spin around even though everything was tightened, there is a huge nut underneath the mount between the legs, tighten that and it fixes it. Shame is never came with any tools to make it easier because i can imagine most people not having a tool for it.
Now to the nitty gritty.
I own 7 telescopes 8inch Newtonian, 2 130mm Newtonians, this 76mm Newtonian, 90mm/80mm/70mm refractors. I also experimented with aperture masks and a pair of broken binoculars, screwed the front 50mm lens portion of one side and used an extension tube with a zoom eyepiece, just for fun with interesting results but not recommended unless you already have the parts.
When we were stuck in lockdown, that gave an opportunity to experiment, nothing scientific, just comparisons between my telescopes as close to the magnification i could reach side by side and if i had known what i now know, i wouldn't have bought it. Some say that Newtonians minus an inch equal a refractor, i have also seen a info graph of aperture sizes on cloudy nights with the so-called light gathering area and it has the 76mm as equal to a 65mm refractor...let me say this now, it doesn't come close.
Using an aperture mask to 60mm on my 70/80/90mm refractors (all different focal lengths, different eyepieces to try and make the magnification the same) i could see when the atmosphere allowed banding on Jupiter and a hint at the red spot with averted vision, i saw the cassini division on the odd night, not easy to do, the messier objects i could pull out were reasonably bright but here is the thing, while the 76mm is supposedly equal to a 65mm refractor, there were no details to be seen on Jupiter, not with averted vision, Saturn's ring was easy and sharp but no cassini division and the messier objects i could see weren't all that exciting.
That didn't stop me from going further, i stopped down the 90mm refractor to 50mm and removed the front caps on my 70mm and 80mm which i think is a 43mm opening. I was actually surprised that Saturn's ring was visible in all of these (obviously no cassini division), no detail on Jupiter that i could see in the 43mm apertures but the 50mm looked like there were 2 very faint bands and the messier objects i could see looked pretty much the same in all telescopes. The binocular modification mentioned above showed Jupiter's moons and the moon was ok but broke down fast the higher you went, no surprise since binoculars are fast optics but i thought it was interesting.
From my tests and i spent quite a bit of time doing it, under my skies, a 60mm refractor is already pushing the lower limits but doable and a 76mm Newtonian is going too far for a Newtonian as from what i could and couldn't see, the 76mm Newtonian equalled the 43mm aperture stops of the 70mm and 80mm refractors. Collimation wasn't an issue and the slow optics of the Orion Spaceprobe ll is extremely easy to collimate.
Whoever thinks that a 76mm Newtonian is equal to a 65mm refractor cant have used one or holds a bias towards Newtionians and is playing fast and loose with the numbers.
Astrobiscuit recently made a video and a 60mm refractor wiped the floor against a 100mm Newtonian and the comment section is full of excuses about the 100mm being fast etc. that shouldn't matter, a telescope either works or it doesn't and if it doesn't, then its useless. As much as i love both types of telescopes equally, we are doing a disservice to the hobby by recommending optics that are not adequate because of our own bias and it sets up newcomers to disappointment and the only people benefiting are those taking the money from those who may be cash strapped and looking for a hobby that won't involve a hefty monthly subscription.
Around the 114mm and 130mm Newtonian sizes things become more blurred, that is to say, this is where refractors and newtonians become more equal (as long as they are not bird jones telescopes) and you can't go wrong with a 130mm Skywatcher Heritage (AWB OneSky).
Is there another suitable and relatively low cost mount you could recommend with this ota?
Hi Ed! Just found your channel, and WOW, really good! I’m in the market for my first scope, but my budget limits me to a 6” Dob. Do you think this is a good idea, or should I go with waiting for longer to get an 8” dob? Also, it doesnt come with filters or a Barlow, got any kits to add? Thanks!
Either the 6 or the 8 are ideal first scopes. I usually tell people to get the 8 because many 6s have plastic focusers. I've talked about this before, but you don't need the barlow or filters.
Ed. Does the focuser interfere with the light path when the eyepiece is focused? Typically Newts have a clear light path when the eyepiece is focused.
Yes the drawtube protrudes into the light path but I wouldn't worry about it. The images were just fine.
@@edting I wonder if you could cut the tube. Its 76 mm. You need all the light you can get.
You can, but I wouldn't risk it. The focuser is plastic and I'm not sure about getting replacements if you break it...
Are you seeing the Total Lunar Eclipse?
Hey Ed you should try Orion’s 130 st
What would you recommend for a good first telescope for a young child?
For a child (or for an adult for that matter) I'd still stick with the standard recommendations - the Orion Starblast, Orion Short Tube 80 (needs a separate tripod/mount) or the Sky-Watcher Heritage 130p (aka AWB OneSky, aka lots of other names). The problem is all this stuff has risen in price lately and it's hard to find anything in stock.
Hi Ed, thanks for the review. Is it the EQ-1b on this one the same than the EQ-1 on the Starblast 4.5 II?
Hi Ed, I am getting a solid tube telescope. How can I determine if it is a buy .what do I do when I see the seller . In fact I didn't see the photo of the real thing the seller emphasize it is like new but his phone is from the website. Got me a bit worried.
Someone from astronomy club suggested I need to check the eye pieces . The knobs and the mirrors. How can I check all that I am a bit worried . In fact . Any tips pleaee . I forgot did u say u have a zhumell telescope before or Not?
U think I should bring a suitcase to put the base and bubble wrap the telescope tube and put in my backpack ?? Or how should I mm or should I just wrap the whole thing together . I think carrying it is a bit of problem .traveling back .so maybe I should separate ? The bade and the tube
What's your opinion about the Orion StarBlast II 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope?
The optical tube is decent, like all StarBlasts, but mount is awful. I prefer the tabletop Dob version.
@@edting Thanks! Do you think it'd worth to check out Jupiter now that it's closer or would i need something bigger?
@@edting I've received the StarBlast II. They changed the slow adjusters. They no longer use a set screw. The new design seems to be better. The focusing tube has a lot of play though. Can't even collimate the telescope. Any recommendation or should I just return it?
What Tele Vue eyepiece do you recommend for an 8 inch dobsonian as far as planetary viewing goes?
Hi, in my XT8 is use the 27mm Panoptic for wide field views. The 27 Pan is in the scope 85% of the time. For planets, I use the 13mm Nagler Type 6. If conditions are excellent I use the 7mm Nagler. Hope this helps.
@@edting Ever use the 13mm Hyperion or the 24 Panoptic in the 8 inch dob?
Did you use the included eye pieces to see the nebulas with this scope? Or were you using higher quality eyepieces to find those items?
While my 24mm and 19mm Panoptics were better, I found the supplied 25mm Kellner to be just fine. I found the supplied 10mm Kellner to be too strong for the mount though.
@@edting Thanks Ed! I have a 6” Dobsonian and have been struggling to see the nebulas despite using some good eyepieces. So I was surprised you could see them with a 3” budget scope. So I must just be in a bad area for observation. I’ll try heading to the mountains to try again soon. :)
Tell me about Meade instruments, my friend want to buy Meade 16 lx200 ACF. But Meade not responding.
Any chance you’ll add solar telescopes to your reviews?
Yes, thanks. I'm supposed to get my hands on either an 80mm or 100mm Lunt soon. Stay tuned!
@@edting I recently bought the 60mm Lunt and it has been a game changer for me. Solar astronomy is amazing. I also bought the Lunt eyepieces and they are great.
Basically a frustrating scope for beginners and experts alike. Last year I bought an Orion Fubscope for my grandson without checking it out first. Then I bought one myself and returned it because of poor optics. The best way to turn off young folks on astronomy is to buy them a cheap Orion telescope. In fact, my Kmart refractor bought for me in 1962 had better optics than the Orion Funscope. Ha! Ha!
Woah I'm very early, I have a 910/90 refractor and I'm looking into buying a 8inch dobsonian. I don't know how much I can sell my refractor for, but even if I sold it at the original price I'd need to sell another one in order to by the dob.
I saw the national geographic az scope at 114/900. It looks like a good price and I was wondering if you could recommend this scope?
got one. lame optics. horrible mount I don't recommend it
Ugh, don't get that!
@@edting how is the orion starblast 4.5 dob?
ED you should have assembled the mount sans telescope and the said " now that I've shown you how to assemble the mount here's what you should do with it" and then proceeded to pick it up and throw it out of the frame and only reviewed the optical tube. Maybe keep the cheapy plastic telescope ring and attach it to a vertical 2x4 attached to a base plate and make a de-facto dobsonian. Those eq1 mounts really are garbage
Hello sir.I want to import a telescope from china.The delivery system is ready.But the only problem is I can’t find a telescope shop in china.It you would be kind enough to suggest me a shop in china,that’d help me greatly!!!
Hey that's a good question. I don't know the answer to that one. If you find a store in China, please let the rest of us know here, in case anyone else has that question!
@@edting sure sir.Thank you for your answer 😊
I HAVE BEEN USING AN EQUITORIAL MOUNT WRONG THIS ENTIRE TIME MR. TING.
Not free shipping. Shipping included.
Can’t believe there are no reviews or anything on UA-cam for orions newest scope. The Orion observer134eq3
If you want to supply one for me, I'll review it! I'm curious about many of the new Orion models.
@@edting sorry but I don’t want to. Because then I won’t have it for the time it would take for a review. Just can’t believe there’s nothing for or about it anywhere
Please reviev Celestron Astromaster 130eq MD.
I haven't liked any of the Astromasters I've seen. The optical tubes have a lot of plastic, the eyepieces are not good, and the mounts are undersized for the tubes. What's more, at $279 for the 130, you are getting close to the price of an Orion XT6, which is a forever scope.
The AM 130EQ does not have a parabolic primary mirror and no center spot on the primary mirror to assist in collimation of the telescope. Also the supports for the secondary mirror are one solid piece of formed plastic and cannot be adjusted. All the knobs look and feel the same on the EQ head and the knob that holds the OTA in place can accidentally be turned in the dark while observing causing the OTA to slide right off the mount crashing to the ground. The focuser tube has a tremendous amount of slop and does not operate smoothly. Thank goodness the replaced the useless old stock finder and replaced it with a decent red dot finder.
Thank You ED i am from India and orion is very expensive in India. I have Celestron Am 130eq. The main concern to me is the spherical mirror i am a bit confused if it is a parabolic or spherical. Because in perfect collimation i didnt see any spherical abretions. Please clear me on that. I will be very much thankful.
@@smittysmith3227 Once i baught this telescope it fell down accidently by my maid while she was mopping. The ota knob which hold it get destroyed. I have printed a new with my 3D printer and attached a new screw in that now it works fine. I have a latest model with new laser finder in it.
@@smittysmith3227 Thank You for the information. I want to know more about the optical quality with this primary spherical mirror.
Another excellent review, Ed!
UA-cam offered a review of this competing beginner's scope this week: The Sarblue Planet Mate/Acuter Maksy. Astronomy and Nature TV gave it a surprisingly positive review: ua-cam.com/video/4cVid9aXkD8/v-deo.html . Like an educational scope you talked about earlier. this one lets you look at the guts to see what goes on inside.
This scope is simply to small to show very much. Saturn would look like a speck. That's why people lose interest in astronomy. I would recommend a 8 inch dobsonian reflector. Its the minimum size to really see the universe.
True but at least the box wasn’t covered with impossible images of Saturns rings and far distant galaxies!
People lose interest in astronomy from a lack of knowledge. Armed with a small scope or binoculars with a book like "Turn Left at Orion" or "Nightwatch" there is lots to see. This $100 scope isn't a bad choice before investing in a larger Dobsonian.
@@robertsonsid theres a 70 mm astro tech apo for sale for 250 that Im considering buying. Although its limited in viewing I have heard that its sufficient for photography. I think about 150 times magnification would be the Max. Would be excellent for viewing the moon. I agree that to enjoy the hobby you need to know what your looking at.
@@johnwright291 Nice. I have never used an APO scope but only heard good things about them. That's a great price! One day I will splurge and get an ED or APO scope! Clear skies.