the image he shared in video for this particular video had shown both the 10" and 12" dobs to have same F/4.9 aperture, but the focal length is more on 12", so they increased the focal length and to maintain same f stop they had to use a 12" instead of 10" dob.
The best Dobsonian in the UK at the moment is undoubtedly the Stella Lyra Dobsonian. It comes a dual speed focuser, a 90 degree RACI, a primary mirror cooling fan, roller bearings for azimuth movement. It’s basically the same scope as yours with a different label. But it’s cheaper
So this is a GSO telescope which is a very good telescope brand indeed. Sold under a few names across the world and i would say a bit better than Skywatcher those mirrors plus usually cheaper or at least it is in my country.
This concretes my decision to go with a reflector ! I was already very confident but this really sealed the deal. I live in kansas and at 9:00 pm it can still be 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I think 12" will be to much aperture and am still wavering between 8 and 10 inch. I fear even 10 and I will still be fighting atmosphere.
@kevingumfory A 10" reflector would be a great choice even if the ground takes longer to cool in your region. On clear nights the difference between an 8" and 10" is significant. The 10" will show you more details.
@Janham's Astro Thank you! I can relate. I had the same thought when I was considering upgrading my 8" last year. I finally went with the 12" and I couldn't be happier. Yes, it's heavy and bulky, but it makes everything up with awesome views of the night sky. A 10" would be more manageable. If you plan on moving it further then your yard, then it's size might become a challenge, but then an 8" would be challenging to transport as well. Dobsonians are simply bulky and heavy.
No problem. Its easy to make that mistake being that about everything else is made in China. It is an excellent choice in scope. I have a Zhumell which is the same thing. Glad i did not get the 8in but not sure if I should have got the 12.
Hey man, i was thinking about getting an Orion XT10. It seems though that the 10 or even 12 inch dobsons of Omegon are a better deal, especially since they include a SWAN 32mm eyepiece which appears to be quite decent for an included eyepiece(I have watched your review on that too, good job I would say!). Could you tell me how Omegon compares to Orion? Both of them are fairly expensive(though perfectly reasonable) and I dont want to spend a lot of money on the wrong scope. I also think your videos are of fairly high quality even though it appears you have just started, keep it up!
Thank you! I just started making videos and it's nice when you get positive feedback. Regarding Orion vs Omegon, I don't think there is much of a difference between these brands in terms of quality. Both the XT series from Orion and the ProDob from Omegon should use the same optical components. I think that the friction system used for the ProDob series is generally a good one. I can't speak for the one used on the XT series as I haven't tried it out yet. I my opinion the only area where the ProDob has an advantage over the XT is regarding the accessories that come with the telescope. The 32mm SWAN eyepiece is indeed a nice eyepiece. Also offering a Radiant (Telrad) as a finder scope is a bonus. At the end of the day I don't think you can go wrong with either brands. Get the one that is available where you live and maybe the one where you can get a nice deal on 🙂
Thanks for this video. There isn't much about them on UA-cam. Could you tell me what is your max magnification before struggling too much with the tracking ? Thanks again. Can't wait too see more of your videos.
Thank you! I would say that up to 400x it's fairly easy to track manually. Above this threshold you will need very smooth telescope movements. My old 8" dob had teflon pads instead of a needle roller bearing for the base and the tracking at this magnification was always a bit choppy. Having a roller bearing on my 12" dob helps a lot with tracking beyond 400x.
I sent an email to ProDob (Omegon) asking them if they ship to the U.S.A. and they did not get back with me, yet. I don't think that they ship these larger DOB's to the US.
@@BogdanDamian Cu placere. Am si multe tutoriale si recenzii Ma bucur ca ti-au placut. Ma gandeam sa incerc un newtonian de 8 inch pt observare si planete, dar nu am gasit review.
@Galaxy Art Media Primul meu telescop a fost un dobson de 8 inch de la Skywatcher. Pentru planete și dso-uri mai luminoase este perfect. Din păcate l-am vândut înainte de a incepe canalul de UA-cam că altfel i-aș fi făcut un review. Însă pot să îl recomand fara ezitare. Sistemul optic este top și este îndeajuns de transportabil, încât să îl poți duce pe camp.
@@BogdanDamian Am montura care suporta pana in 10 kg cu siguranta, daca cumpar newtonianul maxim planete voi putea folosi cu traking, ma glandes SA optez pentru un Maksutov ca e mai usor si are tub mai mic, dar pretul e mai mare
@Galaxy Art Media Daca vrei sa observi doar cu ochiul liber atuncea îți trebuie o descriere de cel puțin 6 inchi că să poți obține 300x magnificatie. Un tub de 8 inchi are sub 10kg. ProNewton de 8 de la Omegon are 9,5kg. Daca dorești și astrofotografie cu el, atuncea s-ar putea sa nu poți focusa cu el cand folosești adaptoare pentru dslr pentru că focuserul nu intra destul de mult înăuntru. Un Mak ar fi mai bun in cazul asta.
Hi Bogdan, nice video! Some people complain that needle rollers are a little bit too easy moving the azimut-axis if compared to good teflon based axis. Would you say with rollers it is too easy to move or did Omegon/GSO a good job here? Thank you!
@Jens Leuteritz Hi! The needle roller bearing can be a valid point for concern and it has a lot to do with personal preference. The base definitely rotates a lot easier than with the teflon pads. However, you can increase the friction by tightening the central knob in the base. Before getting the ProDob I had an 8" dob with teflon pads and now after experiencing both alternatives I can say that I like the needle roller bearing base more. At higher magnifications (over 300x) the movement it's just smoother and this allows me to follow the planet more easily.
@bogdan damian hi bogdan. thank you for this great video. I subscribed to your channel immediately after watching this. I own an Orion Skyquest XT6 dob. So it's a 6" telescope. The samples you shared in this video were actually a bit of a disappointment for me because they didn't seem too different from what I see with my 6" mirror. Especially the planets. Is that really the case? I hoped they would appear bigger, more detailed and brighter. Should I not consider going bigger with the telescope if I won't see any difference?
@canbalcioglu Thank you for subscribing! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. The images I'm showing in the video are only simulated view using the software Stellarium. So this isn't exactly how you would see the planets with the naked eye through the telescope. In reality you would get a sense of the planets being bigger because your eye will automatically focus on them completely ignoring everything around the planet. With a bigger aperture you mostly get brighter views with more details. You can also use a much higher magnification to obtain a bigger planetary disc in the eyepiece, but this is rarely possible and isn't the main reason to choose a bigger telescope. Seeing conditions will limit the useful magnification in a 12" just as it does in a 6". 150x - 300x is what's tipicaly possible. Usually you want to upgrade the aperture size to let in more light information which translates to brighter images and more details visible.
@P B The total length of the tube is 146cm including the dust cap at the front and the collimation screws at the back. Without these the tube is only 144cm long.
Excellent channel. just subscribed! May I ask what is your fav planetary view setup with this telescope? which eyepiece combinations do you use for this? also, may I ask which you spend more time using the telescope for? is it planetary viewing or DSO viewing? and finally which is your most used eyepiece? sorry for the many questions. :). thanks very much!
@Merna Safwat Thank you for subbing! I currently use the ProDob mostly for planetary observations (75% of the time) and I almost always combine it with the 9mm DeLight from Tele Vue. If I need more power, then I simply add a 2x Barlow also from Tele Vue to the mix. For DSO observations I mostly use the 32mm Swan from Omegon and on occasions the 24mm Panoptic from Tele Vue. If you have more questions, I'll be happy to answer them :)
@@BogdanDamian thanks for the quick answers :) televue is too expensive for me. the Delight is more than 400 euro now :( . any other cheaper options? maybe for less than 300 euros? another question do you think it is better to get 5mm or 10mm and 2x barlow?
@Merna Safwat True, unfortunately Tele Vue gear got even more expensive as of late. Look at Explore Scientific 62° and 82° series for an excellent alternative which is also less expensive. An even less expensive alternative but still great, would be the SWAN series from Omegon. Regarding the Barlow, if we are talking about a premium Barlow like the 2x from Tele Vue for example, then I would get the eyepiece + Barlow combo because it won't have a negative impact on the views and it will effectively double the focal lengths at your disposal.
Hi, thanks for the great videos and lots of useful information. I got the feeling that you know the Omegon brand very well. I am a beginner in this beautiful hobby. Now I have a smaller telescope. I would like to buy the OMEGON Dobson ADVANCED X series mainly because it is more affordable than the Omegon Dobson ProDob. I know that the accessories are worse with the Advanced X series. I would like to know if you have information on whether the main mirror of the Advance X series is of the same quality as the ProDob series. I apologize that the question is not quite in the right place, but there is not much information about it... Thanks for the answer.
@DSCH Hi, that is a very good question. The mirrors on all the Omegon Dobsonian telescopes should be of the same quality. I'm not aware that they are treating their series differently from another. There are differences only in terms of tube/base features and accessories. Optics are the same.
Hi friend, I really liked the video, I had never heard of this brand, so when I looked more on UA-cam and found your video, I'm thinking about buying the omegon 203/1200. What do you think? and a good Brand? it is worth it?
@Paulo-zi9wl Hi Paulo, I think that the 203/1200 Omegon Dob is really good. I never had any problems with mine. If you have the possibility, then get the ProDob version because it has a lot of nice accessories included in the box, such as avery good 30mm eyepiece.
@paullawrencesmith9554 Hi, I currently use a Svbony sv171 zoom and a 24mm Panoptic for the medium range and a 32mm SWAN from Omegon. I like all three eyepieces very much and can recommend them without hesitation.
Hello! It seems that these Omegon ProDob telescopes come equipped either with the Radiant finder or the LED dot finder. Seeing that the Radiant finder attaches with adhesive tape, does the Radiant finder version of this telescope have the dovetail attachment that can be used for other viewfinders? The LED dot finder version does have the dovetail.
@@BogdanDamian Thank you! I have another question regarding the light path corrector accessory for using a DSLR with this telescope. I can't seem to find one. Could you post a link, so I can see what it looks like? Thanks again.
@OnAironaut Hi! I would geht a decent Barlow lens instead of a light path corrector. It's going to work the same way, but you can use it with eyepieces as well. I would however try the DSLR camera without any light path correction first, just to see if the focuser alone provides enough back focus. If you can't achieve focus, then a 2x Barlow should be enough.
Hello Bogdan. Firstly, great video. I have SW Dobson 200P and I can imagine how beautiful is watching through this 12"... Also, I wish to ask you what you think about OMEGOM binoculars Nightstar 15x70 and 20x80? Thanks in advance. Kind regards from Serbia Aleksandar
@Jokssa84 Thank you! I haven't had the chance to test the binoculars yet, but I'm planning on making a video about binoculars in the near future. I'll have to see which model I can get my hands on. Clear skies!
@jackfrost4033 Hi! I don't have problems removing the tube, but I can confirm that the cutout are very narrow and have almost no spare room for the tube handles. It's a flush fit and I noticed that if I don't raise the tube perfectly straight up, it won't come out at easily. The same applies to when I want to put the tube back in. I have to lower it perfectly straight down. For this I always tighten up the handles on the tube so they cant move while I raise or lower it.
@Kakashi - Leonhart I've purchased them on Amazon. They are simple M4 x 30mm thumb screws: www.amazon.de/dp/B01JVR9T3Q/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_T329NTP1SNZEA5GW60CJ?
Hi Damian, your review was decisive for the choice of my new telescope. I also opted for the omegon 300mm Pro Dob. Fantastic! I wanted to ask, do you use paper circles to find items?
Thanks Bogdan.. just last question. Would you consider necessary a go to system for tracking in visual? I come from manual dobs and never have experienced a go to (again for ttacking, rather than pointing)
@ubiond1182 It's definitely not necessary. Most of my favorite telescopes (reflector and refractor) are with manually tracking. Go to only becomes a necessity when thinking about astrophotography.
Bogdane, tata, doua jde kile doar tubul in sine, is prea mult pt spatele și hernia mea. Acuma îți pun întrebarea, de binevoiești să îmi răspunzi: De ai avea de ales intre un apocromat de 100 mm, și un Mak de 150, ce ai alege? Multi zic că Maksutovu având focala de 1800 mm, e mai îngust la câmp, plus că durează mult aclimatizarea. Ce ai alege?
@gabrielgabriel3852 Salut! Daca Mak-u are suprafețe optice se calitate (ex: Schott de la Skywatcher) atuncea eu as alege Mak-u. 200x max pt planete in cazul unui APO ar fi umpic cam puțin pentru gustul meu. Daca vorbim și de astrofotografie atuncea situația se schimbă și as alege APO-ul că are fov-u mai larg.
@@BogdanDamian Mulțumesc pt răspuns. Astrofotografia o exclud. Ok. Rămâne Maksutovu. Cât timp îți ia sa ți se aclimatizeze dobsonianul tau mare. Dar Maksutovul tau micuț? Durează ore?
Poti sa scapi fara aclimatizare la la mak sau sct daca il invelesti cu un material izolator. Problemele apar nu atunci cand telescopul este mai cald decat aerul din afara, ci atunci cand telescopul fiind mai cald, incepe sa se receasca. Schimbul de cadura cauzeaza problemele (turbulente), iar daca blochezi schimbul de caldura, nu se mai creeaza acele turbulente, deci nu mai ai nevoie de aclimatizare. Am vazut pe forumuri persoane care au folosit cu success un fel de folie izolatoare care se numeste "Reflectix", dar banuiesc ca orice alt material bun izolator termic va functiona. Mai sunt si alti factori care influenteaza decizia. Eu am renuntat la un SCT de 200mm in favoarea unui refractror ED triplet 100mm F/10 pentru ca oricum in zona in care locuiesc nu pot sa merg mai sus de 200x din cauza conditiilor atmosferice, iar imaginea in refractor avea contrast mai bun.
Daca singura problema e greutatea, eu as opta pentru un dob mai mic. Un dob de 200mm cu tubul de 10Kg si baza de 12Kg e mai performant decat refarctorul de 100mm sau mak de 150mm si la observatii vizuale si la DSO. In plus, nu va vibra atat de tare ca si celelalte doua.
Hi just got the 10inch version. When moving it, do you just let the tube rest on the bottom screws on the floor (while moving the base) ? feels like it might affect collimation. thanks :)
@Nils Eriksson Very exciting, congrats on the new telescope! Whenever I need to move the base separately from the tube I put the tube on the couch horizontally. Leaving it upright on the bottom screws would be way to unstable and risky for my taste. Additionally the full weight of the whole tube might bend something inside the mirror box. It's better to avoid that. Clear skies!
@Stephen-gp8yi Hi! StellaLyra dobs are just like Omegon ProDob rebranded GSO telescopes. So everything I said in this review applies for StellaLyra as well :)
HI, I really wanted this ProDob but you can't fit the Omegon Omegon Push+ Go Standalone kit to it. which put me off and I think I will get the Advanced X version which can fit the Push+ kit
@Wayne Garrett Hi! You are correct. Unfortunately the Push+ Go upgrade won't work with the ProDob. If you know from the start that you want that Upgrade, then it might be a good idea to go for the Advance X version. It's cheaper than the ProDob and from the price difference you could get the Push+ Go upgrade.
I just bought Apertura 12" AD12 Dobsonian , what's your opinion? I can't find any reviews on this bucket. It is very similarity your zdobsonian from what I saw on your video. The price was $1000. Also, I made some modifications pervious video. Caster wheels & the know for now. Question, why change the Knobs for primary collocation? Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you Bogdan, love your videos....clear skies my friend! George Correa
@George L. Correa Congrats on your new telescope! Its awesome and it will offer you some amazing views of the night sky. From what I can tell it should be identical with mine from an optics point of view. Both being manufactured by GSO. I don't know if you haven't done so already, but if not then you could add thumbscrews for the secondary mirror as this will allow you to easily collimate the telescope. Also add a guiding knob to the underside of the optical tube. This will allow you to navigate the night sky much more easily. Check the collimation every 2-3 observing sessions to make sure everything is properly aligned. You don't need to change the collimation knobs for the primary mirror as the originals work very well. Also when preparing for an observation session, move the telescope outside 30 minutes in advance so everything has time to reach ambient temperature. Clear skies!
@Bogdan Damian Thank toy so much for your response Bogdan. Yes, I have the thumb screws for the secondary mirror and will change today. Also today I put on the caster wheels from mobility at my home. The knob I have to find still. Thank you again, clear skies ! George
@fausin Dipende dalla tua esperienza con i telescopi Dobson e da quanto inquinamento luminoso c'è nella tua regione. Scegli l'ES se non ti dispiace collimarlo ogni sessione osservativa e se c'è poco inquinamento luminoso nella tua regione. Anche perché l'ES è molto più leggero e compatto, è molto più facile da trasportare. Altrimenti prendi il ProDob.
@Julien Maurice Well, it depends on what you are interested in observing. If you want to observe planets, then you need a higher magnification and the eyepiece would be of a 1,25" size. For DSOs a low magnification 2" eyepiece is best. As a rule of thumb you can say that the lower the magnification and the wider the AFOV is, the bigger the lenses inside the eyepiece need to be so they would require a 2" eyepiece size. Hope this helps. And your English is just fine 🙂
@@BogdanDamian yes, thank you of course that helped me. I am a novice and I ordered the same size gso dobsonian as yours but it has not yet arrived. I had some questions including this one as well as the fan of the primary mirror when it should be started and if it should work all the time? Thank you for these answers and for the time spent making your informative videos. continue like this 👍💕💞
@Julien Maurice Thank you! I'm glad you find my videos helpful. The fan is used to bring the mirror to ambient temperature faster. So start it as soon as you set up your telescope outside and let it run for 15 - 30 minutes whilst you make your adjustments. After that period of time you can turn it off otherwise it might produce unnecessary vibrations that can reduce the quality of the image you are seeing. You picked out a great telescope there! It will give you lots of great views of the night sky. Clear skies!
I bought the 10" dob , but i am pretty sure they shipped me the wrong one ? its so huge i think they sent me the 12" instead :) how can i check that and be sure , what size in centimeters should the top of the scope be and how long ? compered to a 10"?
@SOLiDWiNG99 Congrats on the new telescope! If it's a 12 then the diameter of the optical tube should be roughly 35cm and the length a little under 1500mm.
Hi Damian, thank you for your video, it has lots of good information. How would you compare omegon’s prodob vs orion xt plus? Are the bearings better? What about the optics? Which one would you choose and why? Thank you and may the force be with you
@cerealcito Hi and thank you! I only got to try out the 10" Orion XT Plus for a brief moment, but I can tell you that the base is a bit lighter than the Omegon's and I liked that fact that the XT Plus comes with collimation thumb screws for both mirrors and a sun filter out of the box. What I didn't like was the friction system for the y axis. Here the Omegon's system is better. Also the XT Plus didn't come with a fan for the primary mirror. A great advantage of the ProDob is the bundled 32mm SWAN eyepiece. I have a review on that on as well. The XT Plus only comes with a 28mm Plösel and some smaller eyepieces. The optical system on both telescopes should be identical - here both are great. If I had to choose, than I would go with the ProDob. Except for the design of the base, which I find a bit heavy and outdated, I love everything about it. Hope this helps with you decision.
@Galaxias In theory you could observe Titania and Oberon on a very clear night with excellent seeing conditions. The other moons would be either to small or to close to Uranus to spot. Here you'll need a telescope with an aperture greater than 20".
@@BogdanDamian thank you for letting me know, I have bortle 5 and most of the time bad seeing conditions, but I will still try to find titania and oberon
@RC Maniak True, but you are only partially right. The maximum useful magnification always depends on the seeing conditions. If these are really bad, then the value is 0.5x rather than 2x. For moderate seeing conditions it sits somewhere around 1x aperture. Only for really good seeing conditions you may use 2x the aperture. So the limiting factor is not the telescope itself but the seeing conditions. Maby I should have said "up to 2x aperture" in the video. Thanks for pointing this out!
@syform No, not really. I tried once to focus on a construction crane about 500m away, but that didn't work. The crane was to near. One thing is sure - getting this thing up a high enough vantage point to really do some terrestrial observations would be a very challenging task.
@syform The eyepiece might have been too powerful and I didn't try that hard to make it work. It was more of a quick alignment check to test a new finderscope during daytime. Unfortunately I don't have any highground around my house I could focus onto, but the next time I get to another observing location, I'll try focusing on a terrestrial object and report back.
@syform Not necessarily. Of course it will depend on the image-erecting eyepiece and on how high your focuser is, but it should be possible to achieve focus. There are special eyepieces that can do just that, like the 1.5x erecting eyepiece from Omegon: www.omegon.eu/erecting-lenses/omegon-erecting-lens-1-5x-1-25-for-reflectors/p,2284. Unfortunately all come with some kind of magnification and will deteriorate the image a bit because of the extra lenses introduced to the system. Dobs just aren't meant for terrestrial use. It could work, but I don't think that it would be an ideal solution.
@darshanbohra1975 Thank you! You can get an erect image by using an erecting eyepiece designed for reflectors. Here is an example: www.omegon.eu/erecting-lenses/omegon-erecting-lens-1-5x-1-25-for-reflectors/p,2284
I went from a 10" DOB to a 12" DOB, and I can attest that the 40+ percent more light gathering is very noticeable. Totally worth it.
the image he shared in video for this particular video had shown both the 10" and 12" dobs to have same F/4.9 aperture, but the focal length is more on 12", so they increased the focal length and to maintain same f stop they had to use a 12" instead of 10" dob.
GSO must be the manufacturer as it looks identical to many other brands of this Dobsonian.
thats right
This is the best telescope review I have ever watched, great info and I loved how you showed what the views would look like
@Logan Doubleyou Thank you! I much appreciate it
The best Dobsonian in the UK at the moment is undoubtedly the Stella Lyra Dobsonian. It comes a dual speed focuser, a 90 degree RACI, a primary mirror cooling fan, roller bearings for azimuth movement. It’s basically the same scope as yours with a different label. But it’s cheaper
So this is a GSO telescope which is a very good telescope brand indeed. Sold under a few names across the world and i would say a bit better than Skywatcher those mirrors plus usually cheaper or at least it is in my country.
I bought my son an Orion XT8 and it has bigger cutouts which make maneuvering easy as well as assembling and taking apart to move.
@Original Ghoul Nice! That is something I wish my ProDob had as well. I also think that the mount on the XT is better thought out. Clear skies!
Your channel is great, keep up the good work! Keen to hear your thoughts about truss tube Dobsonians in future reviews!
@Lindile Manzingana Than you! I'll try and get my hands on a truss tube Dob in the future and review it.
Because of you sir i found omegon and the 10 inch with fine focusing is my next upgrade.
Even your lamp looks like a telescope. ;-)
Yeah, I think that's probably intentional.
Great video mate
I’m subscribing!
Very thorough.
This concretes my decision to go with a reflector ! I was already very confident but this really sealed the deal. I live in kansas and at 9:00 pm it can still be 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I think 12" will be to much aperture and am still wavering between 8 and 10 inch. I fear even 10 and I will still be fighting atmosphere.
@kevingumfory A 10" reflector would be a great choice even if the ground takes longer to cool in your region. On clear nights the difference between an 8" and 10" is significant. The 10" will show you more details.
Cool dob! Nice review!
Thank you! I have enjoyed your videos as well. Well done!
Very useful videos Bogdan. I’m looking at a 10 inch Dob but am a little hesitant due to its weight.
@Janham's Astro Thank you! I can relate. I had the same thought when I was considering upgrading my 8" last year. I finally went with the 12" and I couldn't be happier. Yes, it's heavy and bulky, but it makes everything up with awesome views of the night sky. A 10" would be more manageable. If you plan on moving it further then your yard, then it's size might become a challenge, but then an 8" would be challenging to transport as well. Dobsonians are simply bulky and heavy.
I wonder if you could use two magnets to decrease the force and friction on the base rotation.
@user-fo4eb1gw5x In theory, yes, but I suspect you'll need very strong magnets. Electromagnets might make more sense.
I believe GSO is made in Taiwan. I have the 10 in version and it is great!
@Iornaz1975 I believe you are correct. GSO is a taiwanese manufacturer. Thank you for pointing this out.
No problem. Its easy to make that mistake being that about everything else is made in China. It is an excellent choice in scope. I have a Zhumell which is the same thing. Glad i did not get the 8in but not sure if I should have got the 12.
I miss the days when 12' dobs were $700 and 10s around $500
Does GSO also make DOBs for Celestron, or is Celestron purely makes their own dobs form scratch?
Hey man, i was thinking about getting an Orion XT10. It seems though that the 10 or even 12 inch dobsons of Omegon are a better deal, especially since they include a SWAN 32mm eyepiece which appears to be quite decent for an included eyepiece(I have watched your review on that too, good job I would say!).
Could you tell me how Omegon compares to Orion? Both of them are fairly expensive(though perfectly reasonable) and I dont want to spend a lot of money on the wrong scope.
I also think your videos are of fairly high quality even though it appears you have just started, keep it up!
Thank you! I just started making videos and it's nice when you get positive feedback.
Regarding Orion vs Omegon, I don't think there is much of a difference between these brands in terms of quality. Both the XT series from Orion and the ProDob from Omegon should use the same optical components.
I think that the friction system used for the ProDob series is generally a good one. I can't speak for the one used on the XT series as I haven't tried it out yet.
I my opinion the only area where the ProDob has an advantage over the XT is regarding the accessories that come with the telescope. The 32mm SWAN eyepiece is indeed a nice eyepiece. Also offering a Radiant (Telrad) as a finder scope is a bonus.
At the end of the day I don't think you can go wrong with either brands. Get the one that is available where you live and maybe the one where you can get a nice deal on 🙂
Omegon charges a lot of shipping for some reason
@@epic_playz4283 depends, if you want an intact telescope, you pay more
@@epic_playz4283 depends
Could be for package safety
Thanks for this video. There isn't much about them on UA-cam.
Could you tell me what is your max magnification before struggling too much with the tracking ?
Thanks again. Can't wait too see more of your videos.
Thank you! I would say that up to 400x it's fairly easy to track manually. Above this threshold you will need very smooth telescope movements. My old 8" dob had teflon pads instead of a needle roller bearing for the base and the tracking at this magnification was always a bit choppy. Having a roller bearing on my 12" dob helps a lot with tracking beyond 400x.
I sent an email to ProDob (Omegon) asking them if they ship to the U.S.A. and they did not get back with me, yet. I don't think that they ship these larger DOB's to the US.
Nice video! Cer senin !
Multumesc frumos! I've checked out your channel and I really like your time lapse videos of the night sky
@@BogdanDamian Cu placere. Am si multe tutoriale si recenzii Ma bucur ca ti-au placut. Ma gandeam sa incerc un newtonian de 8 inch pt observare si planete, dar nu am gasit review.
@Galaxy Art Media Primul meu telescop a fost un dobson de 8 inch de la Skywatcher. Pentru planete și dso-uri mai luminoase este perfect. Din păcate l-am vândut înainte de a incepe canalul de UA-cam că altfel i-aș fi făcut un review. Însă pot să îl recomand fara ezitare. Sistemul optic este top și este îndeajuns de transportabil, încât să îl poți duce pe camp.
@@BogdanDamian Am montura care suporta pana in 10 kg cu siguranta, daca cumpar newtonianul maxim planete voi putea folosi cu traking, ma glandes SA optez pentru un Maksutov ca e mai usor si are tub mai mic, dar pretul e mai mare
@Galaxy Art Media Daca vrei sa observi doar cu ochiul liber atuncea îți trebuie o descriere de cel puțin 6 inchi că să poți obține 300x magnificatie. Un tub de 8 inchi are sub 10kg. ProNewton de 8 de la Omegon are 9,5kg. Daca dorești și astrofotografie cu el, atuncea s-ar putea sa nu poți focusa cu el cand folosești adaptoare pentru dslr pentru că focuserul nu intra destul de mult înăuntru. Un Mak ar fi mai bun in cazul asta.
Hi Bogdan, nice video! Some people complain that needle rollers are a little bit too easy moving the azimut-axis if compared to good teflon based axis. Would you say with rollers it is too easy to move or did Omegon/GSO a good job here? Thank you!
@Jens Leuteritz Hi! The needle roller bearing can be a valid point for concern and it has a lot to do with personal preference. The base definitely rotates a lot easier than with the teflon pads. However, you can increase the friction by tightening the central knob in the base. Before getting the ProDob I had an 8" dob with teflon pads and now after experiencing both alternatives I can say that I like the needle roller bearing base more. At higher magnifications (over 300x) the movement it's just smoother and this allows me to follow the planet more easily.
@@BogdanDamian thank you for your input and the informative videos you create! Clear skies to you!
@bogdan damian hi bogdan. thank you for this great video. I subscribed to your channel immediately after watching this. I own an Orion Skyquest XT6 dob. So it's a 6" telescope. The samples you shared in this video were actually a bit of a disappointment for me because they didn't seem too different from what I see with my 6" mirror. Especially the planets. Is that really the case? I hoped they would appear bigger, more detailed and brighter. Should I not consider going bigger with the telescope if I won't see any difference?
@canbalcioglu Thank you for subscribing! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. The images I'm showing in the video are only simulated view using the software Stellarium. So this isn't exactly how you would see the planets with the naked eye through the telescope. In reality you would get a sense of the planets being bigger because your eye will automatically focus on them completely ignoring everything around the planet.
With a bigger aperture you mostly get brighter views with more details. You can also use a much higher magnification to obtain a bigger planetary disc in the eyepiece, but this is rarely possible and isn't the main reason to choose a bigger telescope. Seeing conditions will limit the useful magnification in a 12" just as it does in a 6". 150x - 300x is what's tipicaly possible. Usually you want to upgrade the aperture size to let in more light information which translates to brighter images and more details visible.
@@BogdanDamian Thank you again. this is highly appreciated. I found the info I've been looking for so long. Keep up the good work👌
I cant find the tube length, in order to know whether it fits in my car trunk.
@P B The total length of the tube is 146cm including the dust cap at the front and the collimation screws at the back. Without these the tube is only 144cm long.
@@BogdanDamian Thanks a lot!!
Excellent channel. just subscribed! May I ask what is your fav planetary view setup with this telescope? which eyepiece combinations do you use for this? also, may I ask which you spend more time using the telescope for? is it planetary viewing or DSO viewing? and finally which is your most used eyepiece? sorry for the many questions. :). thanks very much!
@Merna Safwat Thank you for subbing! I currently use the ProDob mostly for planetary observations (75% of the time) and I almost always combine it with the 9mm DeLight from Tele Vue. If I need more power, then I simply add a 2x Barlow also from Tele Vue to the mix. For DSO observations I mostly use the 32mm Swan from Omegon and on occasions the 24mm Panoptic from Tele Vue. If you have more questions, I'll be happy to answer them :)
@@BogdanDamian thanks for the quick answers :) televue is too expensive for me. the Delight is more than 400 euro now :( . any other cheaper options? maybe for less than 300 euros? another question do you think it is better to get 5mm or 10mm and 2x barlow?
@Merna Safwat True, unfortunately Tele Vue gear got even more expensive as of late. Look at Explore Scientific 62° and 82° series for an excellent alternative which is also less expensive. An even less expensive alternative but still great, would be the SWAN series from Omegon. Regarding the Barlow, if we are talking about a premium Barlow like the 2x from Tele Vue for example, then I would get the eyepiece + Barlow combo because it won't have a negative impact on the views and it will effectively double the focal lengths at your disposal.
Looks just like my GSO apart from colours so I suspect it's made by Guan Sheng Optical.
@mudbutton2 You are correct. The ProDob from Omegon is just a rebranded GSO Deluxe Dob.
Hi, thanks for the great videos and lots of useful information. I got the feeling that you know the Omegon brand very well. I am a beginner in this beautiful hobby. Now I have a smaller telescope. I would like to buy the OMEGON Dobson ADVANCED X series mainly because it is more affordable than the Omegon Dobson ProDob. I know that the accessories are worse with the Advanced X series. I would like to know if you have information on whether the main mirror of the Advance X series is of the same quality as the ProDob series. I apologize that the question is not quite in the right place, but there is not much information about it... Thanks for the answer.
@DSCH Hi, that is a very good question. The mirrors on all the Omegon Dobsonian telescopes should be of the same quality. I'm not aware that they are treating their series differently from another. There are differences only in terms of tube/base features and accessories. Optics are the same.
@@BogdanDamian You are right, today I also received a message from Omegon that the main mirror is the same for both series.
Hi friend, I really liked the video, I had never heard of this brand, so when I looked more on UA-cam and found your video, I'm thinking about buying the omegon 203/1200. What do you think? and a good Brand? it is worth it?
@Paulo-zi9wl Hi Paulo, I think that the 203/1200 Omegon Dob is really good. I never had any problems with mine. If you have the possibility, then get the ProDob version because it has a lot of nice accessories included in the box, such as avery good 30mm eyepiece.
Hello, I hope you are well. I’m considering a 10”- 12” dob and wondered what the lowest to mid magnification eyepieces you suggest and use in yours.
@paullawrencesmith9554 Hi, I currently use a Svbony sv171 zoom and a 24mm Panoptic for the medium range and a 32mm SWAN from Omegon. I like all three eyepieces very much and can recommend them without hesitation.
Hello! It seems that these Omegon ProDob telescopes come equipped either with the Radiant finder or the LED dot finder. Seeing that the Radiant finder attaches with adhesive tape, does the Radiant finder version of this telescope have the dovetail attachment that can be used for other viewfinders? The LED dot finder version does have the dovetail.
@OnAironaut Hi! Yes the version of the telescope with the Radiant does have a dovetail attachment as well.
@@BogdanDamian Thank you! I have another question regarding the light path corrector accessory for using a DSLR with this telescope. I can't seem to find one. Could you post a link, so I can see what it looks like? Thanks again.
@OnAironaut Hi! I would geht a decent Barlow lens instead of a light path corrector. It's going to work the same way, but you can use it with eyepieces as well. I would however try the DSLR camera without any light path correction first, just to see if the focuser alone provides enough back focus. If you can't achieve focus, then a 2x Barlow should be enough.
Hello Bogdan. Firstly, great video. I have SW Dobson 200P and I can imagine how beautiful is watching through this 12"...
Also, I wish to ask you what you think about OMEGOM binoculars Nightstar 15x70 and 20x80?
Thanks in advance.
Kind regards from Serbia
Aleksandar
@Jokssa84 Thank you! I haven't had the chance to test the binoculars yet, but I'm planning on making a video about binoculars in the near future. I'll have to see which model I can get my hands on. Clear skies!
Dear Bogdan
Do you have problems with the rocker where are the axis openings too narrow and we can't remove the tube?
@jackfrost4033 Hi! I don't have problems removing the tube, but I can confirm that the cutout are very narrow and have almost no spare room for the tube handles. It's a flush fit and I noticed that if I don't raise the tube perfectly straight up, it won't come out at easily. The same applies to when I want to put the tube back in. I have to lower it perfectly straight down. For this I always tighten up the handles on the tube so they cant move while I raise or lower it.
where did you buy the thumb screws for the small mirror ? great review
@Kakashi - Leonhart I've purchased them on Amazon. They are simple M4 x 30mm thumb screws: www.amazon.de/dp/B01JVR9T3Q/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_T329NTP1SNZEA5GW60CJ?
@@BogdanDamian thanks :)
Hi Damian, your review was decisive for the choice of my new telescope. I also opted for the omegon 300mm Pro Dob. Fantastic! I wanted to ask, do you use paper circles to find items?
@rxcasabona Hi, glad I could help with your decision. Do you mean like on a star chart?
@@BogdanDamian
Hi, I mean the circular paper installed on the base.
@rxcasabona Hi, I still don't understand what paper circles you mean, sorry. DM me on Instagram and we can talk there.
Really good video, thanks a lot.
I had a question. Say I own 1,25” eye pieces, could I use them on this telescope?
@selicatoart3362 Absolutely! Both 1.25" and 2" eyepieces can be used in combination with this telescope.
@@BogdanDamian THanks a lot dude!
hi bogdan, is the inner of the tube painted with reflected black or it absorbs reflections well?
@ubiond1182 The whole inside of the optical tube is painted in a coarse dark grey color that is designed to reflect as little light as possible.
Thanks Bogdan.. just last question. Would you consider necessary a go to system for tracking in visual? I come from manual dobs and never have experienced a go to (again for ttacking, rather than pointing)
@ubiond1182 It's definitely not necessary. Most of my favorite telescopes (reflector and refractor) are with manually tracking. Go to only becomes a necessity when thinking about astrophotography.
@@BogdanDamian Clear help, thanks a lot!
Bogdane, tata, doua jde kile doar tubul in sine, is prea mult pt spatele și hernia mea. Acuma îți pun întrebarea, de binevoiești să îmi răspunzi: De ai avea de ales intre un apocromat de 100 mm, și un Mak de 150, ce ai alege? Multi zic că Maksutovu având focala de 1800 mm, e mai îngust la câmp, plus că durează mult aclimatizarea. Ce ai alege?
@gabrielgabriel3852 Salut! Daca Mak-u are suprafețe optice se calitate (ex: Schott de la Skywatcher) atuncea eu as alege Mak-u. 200x max pt planete in cazul unui APO ar fi umpic cam puțin pentru gustul meu. Daca vorbim și de astrofotografie atuncea situația se schimbă și as alege APO-ul că are fov-u mai larg.
@@BogdanDamian Mulțumesc pt răspuns. Astrofotografia o exclud. Ok. Rămâne Maksutovu. Cât timp îți ia sa ți se aclimatizeze dobsonianul tau mare. Dar Maksutovul tau micuț? Durează ore?
@gabrielgabriel3852 Nu așa de mult. Ăla mare cam ia 30-40 de minute și Mak-u cam 20 de minute.
Poti sa scapi fara aclimatizare la la mak sau sct daca il invelesti cu un material izolator. Problemele apar nu atunci cand telescopul este mai cald decat aerul din afara, ci atunci cand telescopul fiind mai cald, incepe sa se receasca. Schimbul de cadura cauzeaza problemele (turbulente), iar daca blochezi schimbul de caldura, nu se mai creeaza acele turbulente, deci nu mai ai nevoie de aclimatizare. Am vazut pe forumuri persoane care au folosit cu success un fel de folie izolatoare care se numeste "Reflectix", dar banuiesc ca orice alt material bun izolator termic va functiona. Mai sunt si alti factori care influenteaza decizia. Eu am renuntat la un SCT de 200mm in favoarea unui refractror ED triplet 100mm F/10 pentru ca oricum in zona in care locuiesc nu pot sa merg mai sus de 200x din cauza conditiilor atmosferice, iar imaginea in refractor avea contrast mai bun.
Daca singura problema e greutatea, eu as opta pentru un dob mai mic. Un dob de 200mm cu tubul de 10Kg si baza de 12Kg e mai performant decat refarctorul de 100mm sau mak de 150mm si la observatii vizuale si la DSO. In plus, nu va vibra atat de tare ca si celelalte doua.
Hi just got the 10inch version.
When moving it, do you just let the tube rest on the bottom screws on the floor (while moving the base) ?
feels like it might affect collimation.
thanks :)
@Nils Eriksson Very exciting, congrats on the new telescope! Whenever I need to move the base separately from the tube I put the tube on the couch horizontally. Leaving it upright on the bottom screws would be way to unstable and risky for my taste. Additionally the full weight of the whole tube might bend something inside the mirror box. It's better to avoid that. Clear skies!
Do you not rate the stellalyra dobsonian?I think it’s excellent quality.has a crayford and fan also!
@Stephen-gp8yi Hi! StellaLyra dobs are just like Omegon ProDob rebranded GSO telescopes. So everything I said in this review applies for StellaLyra as well :)
@@BogdanDamian ok thanks I thought they were very similar!thanks for all your excellent content✌️
HI, I really wanted this ProDob but you can't fit the Omegon Omegon Push+ Go Standalone kit to it. which put me off and I think I will get the Advanced X version which can fit the Push+ kit
@Wayne Garrett Hi! You are correct. Unfortunately the Push+ Go upgrade won't work with the ProDob. If you know from the start that you want that Upgrade, then it might be a good idea to go for the Advance X version. It's cheaper than the ProDob and from the price difference you could get the Push+ Go upgrade.
I just bought Apertura 12" AD12 Dobsonian , what's your opinion? I can't find any reviews on this bucket. It is very similarity your zdobsonian from what I saw on your video. The price was $1000. Also, I made some modifications pervious video. Caster wheels & the know for now. Question, why change the Knobs for primary collocation? Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you Bogdan, love your videos....clear skies my friend!
George Correa
@George L. Correa Congrats on your new telescope! Its awesome and it will offer you some amazing views of the night sky. From what I can tell it should be identical with mine from an optics point of view. Both being manufactured by GSO. I don't know if you haven't done so already, but if not then you could add thumbscrews for the secondary mirror as this will allow you to easily collimate the telescope. Also add a guiding knob to the underside of the optical tube. This will allow you to navigate the night sky much more easily. Check the collimation every 2-3 observing sessions to make sure everything is properly aligned. You don't need to change the collimation knobs for the primary mirror as the originals work very well. Also when preparing for an observation session, move the telescope outside 30 minutes in advance so everything has time to reach ambient temperature. Clear skies!
@Bogdan Damian Thank toy so much for your response Bogdan. Yes, I have the thumb screws for the secondary mirror and will change today. Also today I put on the caster wheels from mobility at my home. The knob I have to find still. Thank you again, clear skies !
George
ciao! tra questo telescopio, e lo EXPLORE SCIENTIFIC Ultra Light Dobsonian 305mm quale mi consigli? grazie!
@fausin Dipende dalla tua esperienza con i telescopi Dobson e da quanto inquinamento luminoso c'è nella tua regione. Scegli l'ES se non ti dispiace collimarlo ogni sessione osservativa e se c'è poco inquinamento luminoso nella tua regione. Anche perché l'ES è molto più leggero e compatto, è molto più facile da trasportare. Altrimenti prendi il ProDob.
Thanks, wich size of eyepiece buy? 1,25" or 2" ? Wich as better? Sorry for my english🙏💕
@Julien Maurice Well, it depends on what you are interested in observing. If you want to observe planets, then you need a higher magnification and the eyepiece would be of a 1,25" size. For DSOs a low magnification 2" eyepiece is best. As a rule of thumb you can say that the lower the magnification and the wider the AFOV is, the bigger the lenses inside the eyepiece need to be so they would require a 2" eyepiece size. Hope this helps. And your English is just fine 🙂
@@BogdanDamian yes, thank you of course that helped me. I am a novice and I ordered the same size gso dobsonian as yours but it has not yet arrived. I had some questions including this one as well as the fan of the primary mirror when it should be started and if it should work all the time? Thank you for these answers and for the time spent making your informative videos. continue like this 👍💕💞
@Julien Maurice Thank you! I'm glad you find my videos helpful.
The fan is used to bring the mirror to ambient temperature faster. So start it as soon as you set up your telescope outside and let it run for 15 - 30 minutes whilst you make your adjustments. After that period of time you can turn it off otherwise it might produce unnecessary vibrations that can reduce the quality of the image you are seeing.
You picked out a great telescope there! It will give you lots of great views of the night sky. Clear skies!
I bought the 10" dob , but i am pretty sure they shipped me the wrong one ? its so huge i think they sent me the 12" instead :) how can i check that and be sure , what size in centimeters should the top of the scope be and how long ? compered to a 10"?
@SOLiDWiNG99 Congrats on the new telescope! If it's a 12 then the diameter of the optical tube should be roughly 35cm and the length a little under 1500mm.
Nice
Hi Damian, thank you for your video, it has lots of good information. How would you compare omegon’s prodob vs orion xt plus? Are the bearings better? What about the optics? Which one would you choose and why? Thank you and may the force be with you
@cerealcito Hi and thank you! I only got to try out the 10" Orion XT Plus for a brief moment, but I can tell you that the base is a bit lighter than the Omegon's and I liked that fact that the XT Plus comes with collimation thumb screws for both mirrors and a sun filter out of the box. What I didn't like was the friction system for the y axis. Here the Omegon's system is better. Also the XT Plus didn't come with a fan for the primary mirror. A great advantage of the ProDob is the bundled 32mm SWAN eyepiece. I have a review on that on as well. The XT Plus only comes with a 28mm Plösel and some smaller eyepieces.
The optical system on both telescopes should be identical - here both are great. If I had to choose, than I would go with the ProDob. Except for the design of the base, which I find a bit heavy and outdated, I love everything about it. Hope this helps with you decision.
@@BogdanDamian thanks again, just subscribed!
Are the moons of uranus visible through this telescope?
@Galaxias In theory you could observe Titania and Oberon on a very clear night with excellent seeing conditions. The other moons would be either to small or to close to Uranus to spot. Here you'll need a telescope with an aperture greater than 20".
@@BogdanDamian thank you for letting me know, I have bortle 5 and most of the time bad seeing conditions, but I will still try to find titania and oberon
His question went right over your head, didn't it?@@BogdanDamian
For newtonian telescopes maximum useful magnification is 1,5 not 2 x aperture.
@RC Maniak True, but you are only partially right. The maximum useful magnification always depends on the seeing conditions. If these are really bad, then the value is 0.5x rather than 2x. For moderate seeing conditions it sits somewhere around 1x aperture. Only for really good seeing conditions you may use 2x the aperture. So the limiting factor is not the telescope itself but the seeing conditions. Maby I should have said "up to 2x aperture" in the video. Thanks for pointing this out!
First I have heard that
have you ever tried it for terrestrial view over long distances?
@syform No, not really. I tried once to focus on a construction crane about 500m away, but that didn't work. The crane was to near. One thing is sure - getting this thing up a high enough vantage point to really do some terrestrial observations would be a very challenging task.
@@BogdanDamian you failed to focus at a distance of 500 meters? if this happens you can try to focus on something terrestrial, I'm very curious.
@syform The eyepiece might have been too powerful and I didn't try that hard to make it work. It was more of a quick alignment check to test a new finderscope during daytime. Unfortunately I don't have any highground around my house I could focus onto, but the next time I get to another observing location, I'll try focusing on a terrestrial object and report back.
@@BogdanDamian thank you very much, one last thing, can you mount an image straightener on a dobson or does it eat too much back focus?
@syform Not necessarily. Of course it will depend on the image-erecting eyepiece and on how high your focuser is, but it should be possible to achieve focus. There are special eyepieces that can do just that, like the 1.5x erecting eyepiece from Omegon: www.omegon.eu/erecting-lenses/omegon-erecting-lens-1-5x-1-25-for-reflectors/p,2284.
Unfortunately all come with some kind of magnification and will deteriorate the image a bit because of the extra lenses introduced to the system. Dobs just aren't meant for terrestrial use. It could work, but I don't think that it would be an ideal solution.
Looks like a gso scope
@TexAu It is a GSO Deluxe Dob rebranded as a Omegon ProDob. Specs and features are identical.
Can we get a erect image in this telescope?
Sir very well explained appreciate your work welldone sir :)
@darshanbohra1975 Thank you! You can get an erect image by using an erecting eyepiece designed for reflectors. Here is an example: www.omegon.eu/erecting-lenses/omegon-erecting-lens-1-5x-1-25-for-reflectors/p,2284
esti Roman
for one moment I thought you're romanian
@Alina Research Facilities Well, that's kinda true. I was born there and then I moved to Germany
@@BogdanDamian i n t e r e s t i n g