Orion SkyView Pro 8" Equatorial Reflector Telescope

by Orion

Product Details

• ASIN: B000M88AAC
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 1, 2003

Product Description

Prepare to be amazed with our SkyView Pro 8 EQ reflector. It's got a full 8" (203mm) parabolic primary mirror, which gathers 73% more light than a 6". Observe the Messier Catalog and a host of other deep-sky objects with the reach of this scope! And if you're into the Moon and planets, SkyView Pro 8's 1000mm focal length (f/5) gives you the appropriate image scale to resolve the finest detail. The tube features an upgraded 2" Crayford-style focuser with a 1.25" insert, which affords a limitless choice of optional 1.25" and 2" eyepieces (two 1.25" Sirius Plossl eyepieces are included). The secondary mirror is securely mounted in a sturdy 4-vane holder. An 8x40 finder scope on a quick-release bracket helps you locate your targets. The stalwart SkyView Pro EQ mount features enclosed 360-deg worm gears, dual manual slow-motion controls, and steel tube tripod legs for excellent stability. One-year limited warranty.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars used telescope review, March 7, 2010

By 

thinker - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Orion SkyView Pro 8" Equatorial Reflector Telescope (Electronics)

Item was delivered fast, which I did not ask for.
However, item quality was more serious issue; 1st of all, item showed serious amount of wear & tear on it. Just about every part had visible scratches even including eyepiece.
Many mechanical parts & hardware had rust built-up. One of tripod extending screw was rusted shut; it took many sprays of penetrating fluid to loosen it up. It seems that item had not been used gently or carefully, it's been handled rather roughly, showing so many scratch marks and dings. Even the primary mirror glass had crack on back. Secondary mirror holding screw had serious wear; it's very difficult to collimate optical system accurately.
Item had not been maintained well or cared for for a long time, it seems. I did not see any lubrication on mating hardware surfaces. Besides, camera adaptor, finder scope bracket o-ring, and 1 of 2 counterweight stopper were missing. I even noticed that two 2mm set screws for secondary mirror was let loose inside optic's tube; I hope it did not damage mirror surfaces.
But as far as Orion telescope, it seems to be ok with not too bad mount, yet, I thought that they could have lengthened focal length by about 200 mm or so for higher megnification.

Isaac