I BOUGHT a new TELESCOPE!😅 But is it any good?? At least it was cheap :) Skywatcher Quattro 150P

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Are you as surprised as I am by the performance to price ratio of this scope?? And for once it's cheaper in Japan than in the US apparently!! Edit: I found why it is cheaper! The focuser provided in Japan is inferior to the one in the US!!! Support me on Patreon!: www.patreon.com/cuivlazygeek Telescope link: bit.ly/3BABCxl And I was wrong, the focuser tube is aluminium! That felt a lot like plastic...

[@dankahraman354]

Japan is next door to China. The U.S. is not...more middlemen between the U.S. and Synta. In N.A. everything goes through Celestron, by everything I mean all SW branded products, even if they are not intended for Celestron.

[@JonnyBravo0311]

At the end of the day, you bought a $450 scope, so yes, you're going to have to do some performance modifications. You're also pairing it with a very demanding sensor (APS-C with 3.76 micron pixels). The result you got is quite good for that kind of setup in a very light polluted location. I know a few guys who image with this scope - well, it might be the Orion branded one - and get great results after doing some mods. Granted, they don't image from Tokyo, though :). I actually just bought my first fast newt... the SharpStar 15028HNT. Should be here end of the week, so my journey into the wild world of fast imaging newts is just about to begin. Going to be quite a switch from my 8" EdgeHD and WO GT81!

[@jasonpatterson8091]

Honestly, not really surprised at all. I started imaging with a 200mm/8" f/5 Newtonian. It took a little doing to get decent images (and I'm nowhere near great at it still) but all of the doom and gloom that people constantly push on astrophotography forums about not starting with what amounts to half of a pair of binoculars for a scope is a bunch of garbage. Mirrors are cheap and easy to make, the rest of it is a tube. With some tweaks this should be a decent scope for imaging. Flocking the tube (particularly next to the primary and all the way around the secondary, especially opposite the focuser tube), blocking any stray light, installing a ring over the edge of the primary to cover the mirror clamps (to get rid of the extra fuzz/diffraction spikes on the stars - modifying the cell to hold the mirror by the sides instead of a clamp that protrudes over the mirror's edge would work as well), and putting a better focuser on it would make it vastly better. Aside from the focuser, those are all easily done for under $100 total. Once you've collimated it a couple of times it's a lot quicker, especially since it won't be out of collimation by much, if at all, most times. If you're a bit of a tinkerer, a Newtonian is a lovely telescope to have. It's cheap enough that you're not going to cry yourself to sleep if a modification goes a little wrong as well.

[@enolmatilla]

Newtons are the cheapest in aperture/price stock, but a lot of people upgrade the focuser, mirror celd, spider, flocking or painting, etc. Also the collimation is a pain if you move a lot the scope in a car. But it's a pleasure when all works well. I used refractors, but now I have the little brother 130PDS and is a joy to use. Greetings.

[@dankahraman354]

@@enolmatilla The problem was with two hex screws which attach the spider vane to the secondary mirror support. They were loose causing the entire secondary mirror to acquire a list which could not be addressed by any means of collimation....In short the tube, albeit being very thin does not suffer from flexure.

[@rv3211]

Newts are amazing. As soon as you get used to collimation and the minor maintenance, it all gets very simple. Newts offer a relatively cheap way to gather a lot of light and a wider aperture gives you great resolution and resolving power. I'd go for a reflector over a refractor any day. You'd have to spend thousands to achieve the same performance level in a refractor. Newts aren't as portable, but with a permanent setup, it becomes a non-issue, but it depends how mobile you want to be.

[@40Sec]

I need to pack everything in a hiking backpack and ride the bus to a darker area. A newt would be miserable for that, haha. I do dream of the day I have better transportation and can add newtonians to my imaging options, but it's amazing what doublet refractors are capable of.

[@testboga5991]

If you want portability, telephoto lenses might often be a better deal than actual apos

[@testboga5991]

​@@40SecJust get or built a foldable one!

[@olkar100]

Congrats to your new OTA. A video on the collimation process and the autofocus adaption required would be highly appreciated. Thanks a lot!

[@lukomatico]

Congratulations on the new scope mate!! :-D For the price this comes in at it looks like a wildly potent setup for someone willing to do a bit of fiddling & fettling! Absolutely not a 'turn key' solution for a beginner but that's why we have refractors hey! :-D Thanks so much for sharing this, it's always interesting to see new gear getting a good thorough inspection and test - Well done! 👍👍

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Luke! And yes, definitely not turnkey :D

[@clearskiesastro1028]

"The stars aren't perfect....but they are PERFECTLY fine"

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Mwahaha that's what I get for not having any script for my videos!

[@anavarrocoquimbo]

I've changed the spider. Perfect stars now

[@NckBrktt]

A circle of black cloth held on with an elastic band for the back and a dew shield for the front will eliminate most of the reflections/light leaks. I have a 150PDS newt. The focuser tube is solid aluminium, I am surprised yours is plastic. Replace the thumb screw holder on the focuser with a brass compression ring one. All these modifications are pretty effective and also very cheap to do. F4 (fast) newtonians are usually more difficult to collimate. Did you get rid of your OCAL ? This give perfect collimation and makes it easy to recheck any time. Great stuff.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Apparently I was wrong the tube is aluminum, it felt a lot like plastic!

[@victorvillenapenas4274]

rotation is only a problem if you rotate the whole OTA on the rings, otherwise its not a problem at all, you could rotate the camera and the diffraction spikes will look exactly the same after stacking.

[@robinell]

Congrats Cuiv! I have the SW 130pds. You will love it.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!

[@davidharris8037]

I have the Orion brand labeled of basically the same scope. Adding to comments made by others: Flocking the tube combined with sealing the light leaks on the back make a big difference with these.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks David!

[@krystlih]

I have this scope and I do love it. My sky is very limited and I have sporadic weather so I may only get 3-4 hours max of data on a target before it's gone for a season. Because of that, I choose to go with a fast scope and also OSC camera vs Mono. When I heard about this scope I was excited, I had been using an 80mm F6 (with reducer) refractor prior and while it worked great, I knew going with something faster would help my particular setup. Since getting this scope I have taken some of the best images I've ever gotten of both Narrowband and Broadband targets. I've also struggled with the same issues you have Cuiv, Collimation, Tilt, Backfocus, and light leaks. One big tip is for me the light was actually leaking around the edge of where the mirror cell connects to the main tube. I put electrical tape around that and that cut my light leaks significantly, but I also probably deal with less stray light than you do. Also I do run this scope on an EQM-35 and it runs fine with also an EAF. But I do have the scope pointed downward it really helps center of balance. I typically guide around 0.6-0.9RMS. One thing that helps since the scope tends to be very front heavy, is making sure your guide scope is connected on the tube rings and towards the back of the scope. This also helps balance. Great content as always!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks so much for the tips!! Very useful!!

[@Mike_Gibbs971]

Another great review - I'd LOVE to see you collimate the scope as that is the issue I have with my 6" newt. I just can't seem to get decent collimation, but it is my only newt and have never used one before... Thank you again!

[@uschi414]

I'd love to see a video where you go into the details of adjusting focuser! Looks like a great scope for the price - the results are impressive!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'll likely do a tuning video :-)

[@uschi414]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek thanks! I'm considering the 8" Skywatcher Quattro so I'm interested in tuning.

[@jackwmes]

great job with the audio on this one cuiv! you could see how windy it was out on your balcony but the audio was crisp👌 always appreciate wind noise being removed

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Jack I'm so glad you noticed!! I actually spent $300 for DaVinci Resolve Studio just so I could use their AI Audio Isolation after seeing how awful the wind noise was in my footage :-)

[@ShevillMathers]

Cuiv, Collimation is critical with fast Newtonian’s. First step which many overlook it to ensure the focuser is precisely at 90 degrees to the tube. I have spent a lifetime collimating fast optical systems. I am currently converting a Meade SN-10” to a single mirror system with a Baader Planetarium corrector and a reducer to go from its standard f/4 system to f/2. PS a good Cranford focuser will have 4 adjustments screws to get it 90 degrees to the tube. It looks like a can of worms has been opened, some comments are sensible and doable but some of the suggestions require a level of mechanical dexterity some may not possess, and in these projects a little 'knowledge' can be a bad thing-I know that you don't like the DIY side of things, I do, but don't like the software side so that is where you win over me hands down, combine our skill sets and we are rocket men!! Greetings from Tasmania Australia.🔭👍😁🇦🇺

[@wanderingbrummie]

How do you know when the focuser is exactly perpendicular to the tube? How do you measure this? Thanks

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Oh I want to learn more Shevill!! I may contact you some more if I have issues!

[@ShevillMathers]

@@wanderingbrummie Rack out the focuser so nothing is protruding into the scope tube. Get a decent laser with a neat fit in the focuser draw tube, if it is slack, wrap with a strip of copy paper until a snug fit. Turn the laser on and it will point to the opposite inside of the scope tube. Take a ruler and slide down the inside of the scope tube until the laser beam strikes the edge at a measurement line, mark also the ruler edge at the outer rim of the scope tube. Move the ruler to the opposite inside scope tube until the laser beam just hits the same ruler mark. Note if it hits exactly the same line on the ruler?. On all good quality focuser base mounts, there are 4 bolts to clamp it to the scope tube, also there are 4 grub screws inset from these, they are to adjust the tilt of the focuser unit until the laser beam is exactly on the same distance mark on the ruler. Pretty simple really but a very important first step that many people miss out when starting to collimate a scope. Lots of great articles on the web about Newtonian collimation, just Google it and read the more detailed examples, precise collimation is critical on fast Newtonian's to obtain the best detail, providing the optics are fault free. Read about mirror testing etc. how good is the surface of the main mirror and elliptical flat. Interesting topic when one delves deeper into the topic. Regards, Southern Cross Observatory-Tasmania 42 South.

[@wanderingbrummie]

@@ShevillMathers thanks for the detailed reply, I agree that what you suggest would work in principle, but I think there are a couple of things that will limit the accuracy in practice. First, if the laser isn’t perfectly collimated, or it’s mount doesn’t fit perfectly so the beam flies exactly along the axis of the draw tube, then the beam that we are adjusting to will be travelling along the wrong axis relative to the draw tube. So we need a way to check this before adjusting anything. Second, if the ruler is just slid into the main tube by hand then it’s unlikely to be perfectly parallel to the OTA main axis, which could introduce a couple of mm error into measuring the beam position. So we need some kind of jig to hold the ruler so it must lie parallel to the optical axis. Or better still a jig to position an aperture within the tube at the require depth. I’ll have a think about this, I used to align lasers and spectroscopic instruments in a previous life, must be a simple reproducible way to do this. In practice I guess as long as the primary and secondary mirrors are well collimated with respect to the draw tube, you should get good focusing, and you can live with the draw tube being slightly off perpendicular with regard to the OTA axis. I would always start by looking at a star and its appearance as I focus before I change anything.

[@philleng480]

@@ShevillMathers I think one of the issues with this scope is how stiff the OTA walls are. I strongly suspect the the optical train from the focuser out, especially with mono cameras, filter wheels etc actually droops when at its greatest leverage. I have seen extra rings added adjacent to the focuser. Better still would be an internal support, or both. Measurements of all of these effects would be good, if anyone fancies it?

[@gregengland7355]

Ordered one of these for myself last Thursday :) matching it with my 533 mono in the interim. Great review as always. Agree the focuser was one of the upgrade options I had considered before purchasing as I had heard it was a weak point. Your videos are always a pleasure to watch and are coming out at a great rate the past month, please don't burn yourself out mate!!! Wouldn't mind seeing another road trip/ paragliding adventure either :)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks so much Greg! I go paragliding every weekend (if weather allows) but I've been too lazy to take any footage :)

[@cherylwilcox9648]

I'm considering this for my 533MC Pro.

[@user-pi5xu7qs7n]

I just did the same thing. I got a 6" GSO F/5 with a GSO coma corrector and it comes out to 850mm. Perfect for me and galaxies. You will probably need an aperture mask to clean up stars due to mirror clips.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Ooh I see! Good idea on the mask

[@divye.ruhela]

Need more info on this. Is a aperture mask needed for the gso 6" f/5? Do you have a product suggestion?

[@baz_astra]

Would love a collimation guide! Just picked up an 8".

[@vampolascott36]

I had a fast 6 inch Newtonian with a metal plate on the mirror end that you can screw on after collimation to block light to the bottom of the mirror.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That should come default with all newts!!

[@marvinahr]

I do have the Same Telescope. I Bought a CNC Milled Secondary Mirror Holder and a Carbon Tube from Backyard Universe. Also i 3D printed some holders for the Tube and installed a Fan to the Back of the Telescope. I have to say that i am really happy with it ! CS

[@robertocenci4615]

hi does the carbon tube fit well? can you provide me the link to buy? Thank you

[@marvinahr]

@@robertocenci4615 please search for backyard universe yourself, cant post links here..

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Oh wow, those are not cheap but they look beautiful!

[@samuelgrund8316]

I've had this scope for quite a while now and I'm really impressed with it. It was my first telescope and honestly I have had very little issues with it. focusing and collimation was easy with a laser collimator, but I have also experienced the same light artefacts as you pointed out in the video. Since it's my first telescope I was not sure where they came from, but it makes perfect sense that they could be light leaks. If you end up designing a cap for it, please do share!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I've plugged all the light leaks that I can think of and I still see the artifacts... so I'm a bit at a loss to be honest!

[@TevisC]

Glad the focuser is working well for you. I'll have to look at adjusting mine. I have good start shapes as well, however, even though calibration frames remove the vignetting, the SNR in the corners of my 533mm really suffer. Budget allowing I intend to get a Baader mkiii cc. Can we expect a series of videos tuning ? :) 3d print primary clip masking, dew shield, flocking, rear cover, etc..

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yes you can expect tuning videos :)

[@tommyozzy317]

So happy you got good results. Actually had mine on order for a little while. I spoke to the sky watcher people at NEAF and they said it hopefully should be in stock shortly.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Fingers crossed it comes back in stock!

[@Reverend-JT]

Interesting point on the diffraction spikes over multiple sessions. I'd never considered that issue before.

[@Apagadorable]

When you combine multiple nights, ca you just remove the stars in all of the stacks, build the final image and then use the stars from one of the nights? Usually you don't really need as much exposure time for the stars as you need for the nebula. Easier than rotating the camera every night 😅

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I hadn't thought of that I guess it could indeed work!

[@robkiefer822]

Are the spikes removed as well with starnet or star-x? That is the main reason not going for Newtons - spikes.... I am not having a permanent set-up, so I cannot imagine that I will be able to get everything in the exact position for multi-nights or changing camera (except hours of fiddling...). Maybe I am wrong here?

[@robkiefer822]

Just read another post that explained it... do not rotate OTA, camera can rotate. Makes sense....

[@davidaucoin4990]

Can the focuser be replaced with an after market focuser, like a Moonlight focuser or an Antares Low Profile 2" focuser? What about using some Silicon Caulking around the focuser to help with stray light? I have watched many of your videos and I am impressed with your range of helpful guides and look forward to many more!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks David! For now I'll keep the stock focuser as I want to stay as budget as possible! But yeah I'm worried about not being to catch all the light leaks...

[@davidaucoin4990]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I thought I would mention that the 6” Quattro OTA is $595 here in the USA. I was thinking of buying the GSO 6” F/4 astrograph instead for $399 and buy the GSO 2” photo-visual coma corrector for another $120. That comes to $519 and a Svbony collimator for another $25. Do you have thoughts about the GSO brand of telescopes?

[@ronhaggett2211]

Cuiv, for a "Lazy Geek," you sure have been busy lately! Thanks for all you do.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Ron!

[@garycampbell9709]

I have been using the Quattro 150 since last summer. I love it, I bought it to up grade from the Skywatcher 130pds. I bought it because of the speed. I noticed that the focuser on your 150 Quattro is the same as my 130 pds. My Quattro came with the same focuser as the bigger Quattro 8 and 10 inch. Notably more robust. Ohhh ps....I havnt had to colimate since I first bought it. Every time I check it's spot on. I love it. I think you will to😊 I look forward to your work with this telecope Clear skies!!!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Interesting that the focuser on mine seems to have been "downgraded"! Thanks for the feedback!

[@garycampbell9709]

I am thinking that maybe only the first batch of them were built with the Quattro focuser, possibly there was a review done after this!!! A complete guess...but maybe they became popular and were able to down grade focuser and make them even cheaper. I'm glad the focuser is working for you tho, my 130PDS focuser done the trick. My 150 Quattro £489 GBP a little more expensive but not much. I got no eps with mine either...Still and absolute bargain. F3.45🙌 It works perfectly with the Antlia ALP 5nm dual band filter. I worried that band pass shift would have caused issue, but I at least i am lucky enough to be getting Halo free, rapid images. Clear skies!!!

[@pablosuarez91]

@@garycampbell9709 Hola. Tengo la duda entre comprar un 130PDS o un 150Quattro. Para visual es mejor el 150Quattro? Gracias

[@dasimcoes]

I was just looking at the Quattro 200. Thanks for the review.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

My pleasure! As I understand it, all the Quattro 200 do come with a decent focuser!

[@FABIOB-s9q]

Congratulations for your videos! I also own this sky-watcher model, I would be grateful for your new video where you explain how to collimate. I often find myself in difficulty to collimate the secondary mirror. Thanks!

[@A0111.]

Make a pinhole at the centre of an eyepiece cap, look through it, and adjust secondary mirror to get primary at the very centre of the field of view, then use star method (Google it) to collimate the primary mirror.

[@syberand]

I can only recommend a dew shield, "primary mirror ring shroud". And the focus tube probably sticks into the main tube, which is hard to fix without cutting or changing CC (have the 150pds myself)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I can probably have a ghetto solution of a tube of fairly large diameter that just envelops everything

[@petecarpenter1068]

Yes please to the adjustment of the draw tube and any collimation tips , I have the 200 Quattro and am confused by the offset to the secondary mirror which is apparently required and can’t find any decent explanation of collimating it. Down to you Cuiv. Thank you.

[@antonypage1442]

Put a dew shield on it. Should stop some of your light leaks. Worked for me on the 200PDS.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Antony!

[@fromupthere.2209]

Thanks for the video on this, I have the 200 version. I have learnt more about the 'tuning" of these from this vid and the viewer comments in the last 30 mins than in the 18 months I have owned it. I think I may have finally worked out where my light leak was coming from..

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hahaha this comments section is amazing isn't it??

[@claudiotenreiro3111]

Yes please, it would be quite interesting to know how did you collimated it.

[@TomDenbo]

For backgrounds with patterns try this. In DBE, In Pixinsight: Tolerance: 2.0 Shadows relaxation: 10 Smoothing Factor: .2 Default sample radius: 20 Samples per row: 100 Correction: Subtraction Generate Sample generation leaves out nebulosity and stars. Take a while to generate the points, but sure beats setting points by hand.

[@koomber777]

The light leaks are almost certainly from the primary mirror assembly. Black shower cap will help

[@ianspector1357]

Really interesting. Newts are such great value for money. If I could make one suggestion, perhaps you could have mentioned the price of the package. Perhaps you mentioned it and I missed it in which case I apologise.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Mwahahahaha I'm so sorry that's what I get by being unscripted. Oh and did I mention it was $450?!??!😁

[@stephengrundy6248]

I recently bought one of these too. I haven't had much time as it has been fairly cloudy but really pleased with the images I have so far. One tip I would have is to make sure that the draw tube is aligned currectly with the main telescope tube (There are three push/pull screws around the outside of the focuser). Mine was quite far out when it arrived. I'd certainly be interested in a collimation/adjustment video to see if there are alternatives to my current method. It's also interesting that yours came with an eyepiece. They don't have that here in the UK.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I see, so you can adjust the squareness of the drawtube. How do you actually measure that??

[@icespray247]

Hi Cuiv, thanks for sharing. Possible to do a video on collimating the newtonian?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Will do, thank you :-)

[@RigoFromSpain]

I have this scope for 2 months and it is fantastic, just did one collimation in the beginning and it stayed perfect in balance, you will love it !!!, and because you bought it I maybe become a patreon on your channel LOL 🤣

[@citelgr]

nice review al always cuiv! btw, which coma corrector is that? i cannot find the corrector which is also reducer... for the one you show, i cannot find any specs where it states that works also as reducer... thanks!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It's bundled with the scope! I don't think it's sold separately!

[@JustAGuyRichie]

The ring / oval might be the 2ndary mirror and could be caused by too long exposures under a bright sky. Might not be caused by stray light, but by the too bright exposure. You are exposing 120s with f3.45 from a what - bortle 9? For me in bortle 4 with f5 240s is almost too bright. Now calculate.. f5 to f3.45 is about a stop, half the time. When I‘m getting too bright in bortle 4 at 240s you are way too bright in bortle 9 with 120s. Try 60s or less and your „stray lights“ will be gone as they are not, but it is the reflection of the secondary mirror which becomes visible when exposing too bright.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Will try thank you!

[@douglasfleming1]

Lots of great suggestions in your video (and in the chats) that I'll pay attention to. I have an older C8 Newt astrograph. Great scope. Bought used and cheap. Upgraded the focuser, used black electrical tape to eliminate the light leaks, installed anti-dew strips up against the secondary mirror, flocked the tube, upgraded the knobs, mounted a USB hub, mini computer, power distributer, and auto focuser. These little upgrades made a big difference. Also found collimation easy and straightforward with practice (yes, I broke down and bought a laser colinator). 😊

[@antoinec3990]

HI Cuiv, following the channel since a while, really great content, thanks a lot. Just a question, did you actually replace the C6 + hyperstar by the 150/600 quattro newt F3.45? Just interested to know which one was the winner after all. Thank you !

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I dropped the C6 and it's dead now...

[@antoinec3990]

I see thank you 😬. I will try to avoid doing the same.

[@2epete]

I've been eyeing this exact scope up. So looking forward to yourtesting and use.

[@jimwaters304]

Hi Cuiv - I have the SW 200mm f/4 scope and have the same problem with reflections or distortions in the background. I covered the rear of the scope with a black plastic plate and two layers thick black cloth. I blackened the bevel around the secondary and stopped light from reflecting down the draw tune. I also added a 10” long dew / light shield. I have been unable to eliminate the reflections or distortions. An astro buddy has the Orion version of the scope and has had no issues. IMO this scope isn’t usable in strong light pollution areas. I am at Bortle ~8.5. My SQM reading is 18.13. Jim W

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'll see whether I can solve the light leaks

[@alexindub]

I'd love to hear more about the "updated" Touptek camera you mention! I'm about to order a RisingCam with 571 sensor but maybe I'll hold off if this is a significant upgrade... Any timeline on when you'll post info about this!?

[@sasithawathmal]

Thank Cuiv, love your videos and have learned a lot from your channel. I would love to see a collimation tutorial as well.

[@tonyzinnanti5905]

Sky Watcher needs to up their game on quality. Sorry if I'm bursting anyone's bubble. I bought the 8" Quattro. After paying $800 for the OTA, I dumped another $630 into it to make it a workable "astrograph" - not including the flattener/coma corrector (by Starizona). The focuser is terrible. It was replaced with an Omegon from Germany (which is actually white box stuff from Taiwan - but pretty good). I replaced the secondary and put in a holder out of fear that the secondary would eventually fall off the adhesive mount. The GSO 70mm secondary fits a particular holder sold on eBay. But, you have to secure the secondary with a latch/screw. Finally, this is the only Newtonian astrograph in its class that doesn't have a fan. It was reasonably necessary to construct one. The thermal stability of the 25.5mm thick mirror is pretty good and the cooling actually helps. The bottom line is that, for the cost of the OTA and the upgrades, I could have bought a RASA. While the f2 8" RASA is a "one trick pony," it does that trick real well. Something to consider ....

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

For sure! I intend to try and make it work "stock"! We shall see....

[@anthonyzinnanti7933]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I'm curious to see the results. I love your channel. The content is great and I learn so much. Be well and clear skies!

[@robinell]

Please make more videos on collimation and focuser. Thanks!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Will do, thank you!

[@frontyardastro6304]

I have the same Telescope ordered, can’t wait to get mine. Great Price! I paid $600

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Awesome! I hope it works out for you!

[@linuxastro]

I have a SkyWatcher 250P with one of those awful Crayford focusers. When I took it apart and saw how it operated, I was amazed it worked at all. I make my own auto-focusers and it works OK with one, if you are willing to accept that the number of steps to the focus point is likely to vary significantly from session to session due to slippage of the friction unit for long travel distances. Short distance travel, such as determining a curve close to the target focus point, seems to be accurate enough for reliability. I am fan of simple reflector telescopes for imaging.

[@alexandervarakin9478]

Great video! I also bought this scope recently and started playing around with it. My biggest issue was with irregular diffraction spikes, which were fixed by careful adjustment of spider vanes and applying a 3d printed mask over the mirror holding clips. After doing those two things, the diffraction spikes look perfect, like from my RCs. @Cuiv, you should not worry about spikes rotating. Surprisingly, the spikes do not rotate even if you have your camera rotated. Spikes will only rotate if you rotate the scope in the rings. It is very easy to fix the gradient with DBE - set tolerance to higher value (e.g. 3) and smoothing factor to 0. I was able to remove dust motes with such settings.

[@tehriskies]

Welcome back to the Newtonian club 😁 I have the GSO 6”F4 and it works great. I am gradually getting closer to right collimation day by day.

[@yomichee]

I had been in the market for a faster scope, looked at refactors (shooting through a redcat 51 and star field 80 currently nice scopes) but terrible weather had limited me to OSC cameras and the need for speed. I watched and read many review and decided to pull the trigger and get this scope with a baaaad reputation. I really think its a roll of the dice, my scope came almost perfectly collimated (took no more then 3 min to align) the focuser I could hang off of it, focuses beautifully and holds its focus. mind you I am hanging the 294 and filter drawer with spacers off of it (would like to add a rotator when I figure it out) Held focus over two nights of imaging with no need to adjust. I did shroud the back and placed two strips of the fuzzy end of velcro on the curved side of the focuser to prevent light leaks others have complained about. The primary end definitely needs a shroud. BTW collimation was a breeze. I love this scope and its resulting images are beautiful and FAST! even in my Bortle 7/8 backyard during a waxing 85% moon phase lol I will not perform any modifications to this scope.

[@testboga5991]

Since the focuser is so trashy, would it potentially make sense to just get a mirror set and built the rest? 3D printer, steel tube, good focuser, finished.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yeah apparently that's what a lot of people in China do with this scope!

[@johnbudden613]

Great review. I have a 6inch Astro-Tech f 4 and would like to see how you would do colomation.

[@entropytango5348]

A good video, but you were perhaps a little tough on the collimation of the secondary and the spider. I have a 10" F5, 8" F5 and 10" F4 GSO/SW and collimation doesn't shift if you lock them down. Covering the back of the primary mirror cell is a good move (did anyone say shower cap!). Lastly black flocking material behind the secondary will definitely improve contrast. Thanks Cuiv

[@deep_space_dave]

That's a bargain for such performance! Thanks for the review!

[@mschmalenbach]

This is $564 shipped from the UK to the USA, $595 + tax & shipping from the main US dealers, both include the corrector/reducer. I have the 130pds and get wonderful images with it via the Baader corrector, even more so once the light leaks are taken care of.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's really weird in terms of prices, almost like an arbitrage opportunity...

[@amrchhhh]

I have a similar model , the good ol' 150 750. And it's really lacking that matt coating on the secondary mirror and also focusing tube doesn't coated as well which is shame. This could be responsible for the flare too.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

So at least SW did improve :)

[@thimitri1]

That's a good comparison between an astrograph and a refractor. the mirror just grabs more light in the galaxy.. superb picture from Tokyo...

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!

[@Jonasastrophotos]

Also their might be a light leak if the coma corrector isnt sitting completely level in the tube.... Learned it the hard way 😥

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

So many ways to have problems :)

[@fabriziocanale9768]

A video about collimazione would be highly appreciated. I’m going crazy trying to collimate my TS Optics 200/800 f4. Thanks, Fabrizio

[@goldfish31ful]

I have the Orion 8" Astrograph riding on a Celestron AVX and I love it! Yes I check collimation everytime I set up but that's part of the game.

[@livepege8409]

Thanks for the video! It was very interesting to see how this telescope works, because I plan to buy the same one.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'll see if I can fix the light leaks!

[@MrWacha]

Ah, the "DIY-er heaven" scope? Nice one Cuiv, welcome (again) to the club, lol. I have a TeleskopService issue of this reflector (some minor differences) and I love it. Mine has a beanie hat at the back for light leaks - temporary solution awaiting 3d printer (which I just got - this machine will be busy printing stuff for me newt!). Gosh, what is the name this reducer/CC? I need one of those, so far I'm on .95 maxfield @570mm - it does the job!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It comes bundled with the scope, I don't think they're selling it separately!

[@Bogfra1]

Dear Cuiv I own the previous model the 150/750: and have the Pegasus astro focus cube on it but indeed the focus must be properly adjusted or it just shifts and it is impossible to use a focus motor now that the Artesky brand had a replacement for this with REK transmission but unfortunately it has disappeared from their program so I also have to continue to do it with the original focus; which I however, you can recommend the Bobs Knobs for the catch gel makes collimating a lot easier. Greetings Frank from Belgium

[@luboinchina3013]

Black electrical tape can fix the light leaks. Seeing the spikes from the bright stars, I really like them. I am thinking about putting cables or strings on my sct 8HD to create artificial spikes. What do you think? @All Please reply what is your opinion.😊

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hey if you like star spikes go for it! I'd personally just 3D print something, probably the easiest and longest lasting!

[@Klyress]

My telescope, Skywatcher 150/F5 also got the ring pattern after flat calibration, I'm struggling with this for several months. Looking forward to your solution if you can remove it perfectly!

[@BensAstroStuff]

I had the same issues with my 150/F5. Make sure that the back of the mirror is covered. That's the biggest area these light leaks are getting in. I also flocked the tube. It was a big improvement. EDIT: I also blacked out the edges of both mirrors with matte black paint. Some of the reflections might be coming off the side of the secondary.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you will provide updates!!

[@chuggy9531]

Thanks for the review. I am keen to get one when the money is there! Keep up the amazing work. :-)

[@tubedude54]

You can fix those protruding screws on the dovetail bar real easy by hitting them with a grinder... just put a good quality steel nut on them first so after you grind them you can back the nuts off to clean up the threads. Looks like a decent scope though... I may have to look into it.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Now that is a take no prisoners approach, I love it :-)

[@Stefaon]

Hello, I have the 150/750 from the same brand, and I put a woolen hat on the back of the telescope (un bonnet sur le côté mirroir), it prevent light problem by this side.

[@garyschmelz6728]

Chic, what happens if you put a dew shield on? Will that help with stray light which at times cause light intrusion?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It should help! I'll be designing solutions for this :-)

[@garyschmelz6728]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek sorry, I didn’t see the auto correct on your name.

[@mleslie1080]

While you are on reviewing economical options, would you be able to review the Svbony SV220 7nm dual band filter? I really enjoy your videos.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I've been meaning to get my hands on one!

[@ShevillMathers]

Good buy for the price and with a few refinements to eliminate reflection and improve contrast, even adding baffles at the correct distances, you will be pleasantly surprised. I have also found using thin cork sheet spray or -painted with flat black blackboard, paint or flock the tube, use a tube ‘lens hood’ I use camper-mat high density foam-spayed Flat black. Black velvet opposite the focuser is the best light absorbing non reflective material. There are many simple refinements one can make that collectively make a big difference. I speak from years of tweaking fast reflectors up to one metre diameter. Greetings from Tasmania Australia 👍🔭🇦🇺🦘

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks so much Shevill! I'll work on it :-)

[@ShevillMathers]

I’ll add a PS, I suspect that a 6” Newtonian at this level is a tad above an entry level scope, and may have limitations when hanging a swag of gear on the end of a budget priced Crawford focuser. Having built all my own Newtonian scopes, I am not familiar with low cost/budget Newtonian’s as to scope tube type/steel/plastic, whatever. However, I would not be surprised to see some sag and poor collimation when going from an eyepiece collimated scope to one with a filter wheel, camera etc. hanging out the end. It will be interesting to see your results and maybe a more detailed description of the scope’s mechanical qualities. An unknown are the quality of figure of the primary and secondary mirrors, and probably tedious to test if not set up to do so. There are many excellent articles on Newtonian collimation by the top end ATM’s, which may be too involved for the average newcomer, and may in fact make a reasonable scope, worse by making adjustments without understanding the consequences.🥲😢

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

@@ShevillMathers Yeah I think I'll stay simple for a start!

[@chhupparustom]

I had a cheap student microscope many years ago that used friction to move the tube for focusing. The mechanics was thus: the spindle attached to the focusing knob was inserted into a rubber tube - it was tightly snug fit on the spindle. (The rubber tube actually was the tube normally found in the valve assembly of the bicycle tube to keep the air pressure from leaking, if you know what I mean). This rubber tube covered spindle was in contact with the focusing tube assembly such that when the focusing knob was rotated, it would move the focusing tube due to the friction caused by the rubber tube - just like rack and pinion mechanism, but without any gears. I am curious what mechanism this telescope used for replacing the gears by friction.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I took it apart and it's literally a smooth metal rod against a flat aluminium (I thought it was plastic) surface with a bit of surface roughness. It's terrible and amazing it even works!

[@ferenc-x7p]

I have 2 x 6" fast Newts I use regularly. They are the same thing as what you have here , beside a focuser upgrade I did on one. My older had some issues with the tube being bent, so I got another same thing (under different brand) and transferred over the focuser that is better than whatever it came with. Initially, there will be money spent to fix these cheap Newtonians, but keep in mind that because they are budget friendly , you can transfer over your upgrades to a newer one if anything happens. Newts are a gateway drug for fast imaging. I mean I got refractors too, but why would I image at F5.6 or F6, when I can image at F4 or F3 at the same focal length? 😊 Yeah, some messy stars at the corners happens, but with careful backfocus and collimation adjustments they get better. Also, do you final collimation on a star, but make sure it's centered and bring it back to center after adjustments, because if it's not, it's going to fool you, since a fast Newtonian out of focus shows elongated star shapes away from the center, and they only get rounded up when you return to in star-focus if you are using a CC that is also a reducer. Only adjust the primary though. Leave the secondary alone, if you laser centered it already. Also, don't sweat it too far, chasing a perfect collimation can drive someone crazy. It will NEVER be perfect, especially if you are a perfectionist. But you can get very close to it! 😎😎

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks for the tips! I tried adjusting the secondary placement using the central screw and quickly regretted it :-) Now I'm back to where I started (I think!)

[@ferenc-x7p]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Yes, that could be a problem! Like not being perfectly centered under the focuser. These very fast Newts are off-centered a bit, so when it is actually under the focuser it looks a bit off. The best way I managed to center it back , have the secondary somewhat centered by just looking down the focuser and eyeball it, then laser collimate it the the way it is. Using a Cheshire eyepiece and turning the focus knob in-and out and looking at the primary inside the secondary and see if the primary mirror's edges getting cut off when you focus outwards. If the edges of the primary mirror on the left or the right side are either getting cut off or just being unequal. Move the secondary in-out as needed again, collimate it again and test it again. It can take a bit of time to find the best position for the secondary.

[@ronboe6325]

The first runs always show "problems" that need to be addressed. Some scopes need a wee bit of fussing, others prove to be too fickle and frustrating. I'm keen to see where this one lays on the spectrum. Just how much effort you have to put in to correct, what seems to me to be pretty simple corrections.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

If I can get the light leaks under control, we'll be golden! Stay tuned! Weather hasn't been nice since...

[@baa-austria]

Soince the Starizona Comacorrector is more than the whole set it would be interesting to know more about the associated comacorrector within this set - is it avaiable standalone? Do you have a clue about the quality? What would be the price...? - so many questions... :-) regards, Gerhard

[@astroberg4774]

Just ordered one. It was either this or an RC6. Due to limited clear skies in the UK, i found the need for speed overwhelming 😂

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Speed is everything :D

[@fazergazer]

It would be interesting to find the source of the light leak! One point about the coma corrector…this one is unusual in that they have it designed as a reducer as well. Most plain coma correctors have some barlowing!😊

[@ferenc-x7p]

I use 2, the Starizona CC is also a reducer. Pricey though. The other was cheaper and does a 0.95X reduction (Sharpstar).

[@betafoofoo270]

Excellent review and your thoughts as always insightful Cuiv. These fast rigs I think are going to feature more prominently in manufacturer's line ups. Here in the UK the increasingly short weather windows means astrophotography with a fast telescope is definitely something to consider. The price point of that Skywatcher Quattro 150P is compelling especially considering that the tinkering you pointed out for say the focuser, collimation and light leaks is fairly straightforward to achieve. Again excellent review Cuiv, thanks for sharing it.

[@Groeko]

Please show in one of your next videos, how you adjust the focuser and collimate the Newtonian!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Will do!

[@rvoykin]

I had the Quattro 200 and used it with the Starizona.75 reducer, correct or so it was F2.9 it was really fast, but it was almost impossible to get perfect stars even they couldn’t tune it perfectly. Same issue with screws had to had a William optic dovetail bar and replace that green POS that came with it

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

F2.9 is really, really difficult :-) The focuser makes adjustments impossible...

[@larrymatney52]

Nice interview Cuiv. For the price it looks good. You will need to do a bit of work to track down the light leaks but that should be doable with some patience. I have the 200p Quattro and use it for imaging with an ASI2600mm Pro. I did put a light block on the back and use a dew shield. I collimate each time I setup but that is quick and easy with a laser. My focuser has a metal draw tube. It is not great but works well with my EAF. I really like my 200p but it requires patience or folks may not be happy with this series.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Apparently the drawtube (which felt like plastic) is aluminum so there's that :-)

[@Seafox0011]

'The need for speed' with the leaky light bucket ;-) But what you get for the price - excitement! (Liking the low light 'fuzzies' capture too).

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Fun stuff for sure!

[@ohata0]

i think i have the orion equivalent 6" f/4 imaging newtonian. i don't know if you have access to bob's knob' stuff in japan, but you can replace those hex screws with knurled knobs you can turn by hand, if you're worried about losing your tools on the ground or worse, dropping it on your primary. how do you think the newt would be on the am5? i'm assuming it should be fine as it's a 6" (150mm) and not 8 or 10. i am planning on getting the counterweight bar whenever i do order the am5, and would probably use it with the newt.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'm sure it would work great on the AM5! Also I'm not such a huge fan of Bob's knobs, I had those on an old SCT, and while they made collimation easy, they also made it less stable... I ended up putting back the original screws.

[@peterlaubscher3989]

I have the ten inch f4 version - am using it as I type - love it.

[@astroberg4774]

Well i had first light with this scope. And instantly found something not right. The secondary was twisted slightly😮 and i could see the sides of the tube. 10min to fix with a laser and a cheshire. All is good again. Just got to get some clear nights now 😢

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I had more issues with the secondary - twisted and placed incorrectly, buy I'll have that in a further video!

[@astroberg4774]

@Cuiv, The Lazy Geek i will watch out for that video👍. Keep doing what you do, your astro videos are the best dude👌

[@angusfraser5562]

DBE for me is the same with my 8 inch reflector in Bortle 9 in London. In DBE after a starless image try and set a very low smoothing factor it really makes a difference.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!

[@kooi1970]

A tip: 3D print a deflector for your primary mirror! The bright stars will look much better with that. A simple ring thot blocks the outer 1mm of the primary mirror will make a big change.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Seems like something to do indeed!

[@JVRost]

It was interesting to watch, because I have one in one the same set of cameras and telescopes, the only thing is the GSO 150/600 telescope, but this does not change the essence. The same problems, the Sharpstar X0.95 coma corrector, the field is slightly vignetting, the camera is on top, the Ioptron CEM 25 mount, each session starts with adjusting the entire system, but this will soon end with a hospital and it will be easier.) Not the best combination, but the most budgetary.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Volkov! It's not a turnkey system for sure!

[@ech0tang0]

Congrats with the new scope. I hope you mod the heck out of it and show us what you did :)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Will do for sure :-)

[@AndreH3d]

Nice to see you with this newt, I was trying to buy one but they were backordered and I ended up buying an Apertura 6"f4, with the Badder CCMP but I still fight the coma... fo the light leaks in the mirror you can use a Beanie, easy and cheap! Fortunately my backyard is pretty dark despite my bortle 8-9 sky in Orlando FL, so I dont use this trick but saw it in a channel... my newt focuser is metal not plastic tho...

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'm told the focuser tube is actually aluminium (although it felt a lot like plastic!)

[@valentinotera3244]

Hi lazy greek freak! When you integrate different sessions do you use all the single light frames or do you combine only the master lights you got from each session? I mean, if I think at winjupos I'd say master lights are enough but, experts says to me all the single RAW light frames are needed. It's alot of hardware space and a lot of software work.

[@james123j1]

Make a shower cap out of blackout material - a very easy way of eliminating the light which pours in around the mirror.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks James! Seems to be a common solution!

[@actudoran]

sold my PDS... got an APO ... ok so it was about 3-4X the price but ... very sharp ... holds focus like a champ through the night and I just wish I had the Starizona apex 0.65 FR ... 800 is a bit much for some nebula or M31 and the like ... got some crazy pics of Jupiter too with it! enjoy your tinker scope ! 😅

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Tinker scope :-) love that name!

[@KevinRudd-w8s]

I started imagining with a 150P F5 Newtonian and nearly gave up. It was'nt that the scope was particularly bad but it took too much time to set up, by which time the clouds would have started to roll in. I still use it for lunar photography. Personally I like using the Samyang (Rokinon) 135 F2 Lens which is available ( in the UK) for around the same price and is a lot less hassle to use but each to their own, I'm sure plenty of people will enjoy using this fast Newtonian and will capture some amazing images as well. At the price you paid upgrading the focuser and perhaps replacing the tube rings could still result in an overall very reasonably priced scope.

[@mistaskate8715]

Incredible! Well done 👏 I actually like the reflections. Maybe you should keep them and consider it an artistic touch :)