EvoStar 120

Best advice I have ever read regarding astronomy? The best scope you own is the one you use the most. I wanted a good sized APO, but something easy enough to limit grab and go. All my searches kept pointing to the Skywatcher 120ED. Here were the deciding factors: Aperture: 120mm is a really nice spot. I have noticed a considerable jump in what you can see between 100mm vs. 120mm and having a good number of hours with 80mm, 100mm and 120mm refractors I really wanted the extra lightgrab Price: I did not have a budget. My first choice was an NP-101. However the $1550 price tag for the SW was simply too enticing to pass up Size: The SW is a doublet making it much lighter than 120mm triplets. In my research we are talking 11lbs vs. 20(ish) for 120mm triplets. That was a big factor. Also the 900mm focal length was still short enough to do some wide viewing (2.7degree true field with my 31mmT5) Reviews: Many satisfied users and while some had complaints the consistent theme was incredible optics for that price level. Trigger pulled. *** a note on the type of observing I do: I am a nature lover first, scientist second. I love scanning the skies for stuff, and enjoying the pretty views along the way. Living in a light polluted area I love the open clusters and planets the best, but when at dark sites those still tend to be my favorite targets. I do most of my observing at the lowest magnifications the scope allows. My 24mm Pan is the work horse EP in my rotation. I will have hour long sessions and that EP doesn’t leave the scope. Next would be the 31mm Nagler. The big fella gets tons of love, but does push the optics of the ST120 and 9.25inch Evo OTA so the immersive feel is nice but it’s a bit soft around the edges. This EP does plays wonderfully with the ED80. A dark site joy. After those EPs the others are when I want more detail and I feel like studying. My patio (aka observing site) has tons of obstruction, so I observe first with what sky is available, and focus on targets after. First light: How often in life are things great right away? No adjustments, no telling yourself you will learn to love this or work around that… bam, just awesomeness right out of the gate? Rare in life but the Skywatcher did it. My first “peek” was at the moon for about 10 minutes and it wasn’t this night. It was while I was building the mount and it was pretty cloudy, but I caught some light through the clouds and wow. So I will include that in the list… Moon – Well, the APO is supposed to be a clear, clean and crisp and the SW did not disappoint. No CA at all and razor tight outlines on craters and edges. My first thought was wow, my 2nd thought was at some point I should get a bino-viewer. I am really looking forward to more time on Luna M36 (Pinwheel), M38(Starfish) and M37 – My eastern sky points to NYC and light pollution. My western sky is over rural NJ so it’s much darker. Starting there and scanning Auriga I found the brightest 3 open clusters easily. M37 is like someone dumped a chest of tiny sparking jewels into the sky. In the 2350mm Evolution these targets fill the EP. In the SW they are obviously not nearly as bright, but lovely to view. The surrounding sky also frames them. “Cluster” is the perfect name. Rosette Nebula – Whiff on nebulosity. *Maybe* I caught a little but I would not swear on it. However the handful of NGC open clusters were great to pick out so this was still a rewarding view. M45 Pleiades – Stunning. The view in the 31mm was perfect to show the brightest stars, the whole cluster and enough of the surrounding space to frame it. If you didn’t know there was nebula you might have thought there was some haze around the brightest stars… I didn’t get any contrast but the nebulosity added to this lovely site. The overall contrast was stunning. The brighter stars were crisp, but easily seen were also the fainter stars, and while I don’t think they are any carbon stars there are a couple with a nice deep orange in the 5-6 mag range that showed nicely. This is what I mean by “nature lover.” Like looking out at the Grand Canyon… this is simply a lovely view with great optics. Double Cluster, Owl Cluster, Caroline’s Rose, M52 – Poking around Cassiopeia is another great area to simply get lost and find stuff. The Double Cluster is a great test for optics and EPs. These clusters have tons of stars with contrasting colors and luminosity. The SW and Nagler did not disappoint. The scope really shows off great contrast. Caroline’s Rose was perfect. Its large and lacks the bright stars like the Owl Cluster, but it was lovely none the less. Pinpoint delicate stars everywhere. Really rewarding views. M31 (Andromeda) – One of the best views I have had of this from my patio. It was cold and crisp which really helps with the light pollution and it showed this night. The core was an alien and exotic glow with the extended dust lanes showing plenty of luminosity as well. The pair of dwarf galaxies were easy finds and served to add contrast to our closest neighboring galaxy. Orion (the whole thing) – Like most I love this constellation. Everything about it. I love the bright stars. Betelgeuse is one of my favorite stars to look at. It just so bright and pretty and I love the color. Alnitak’s companions were easy to pick out and there was plenty of nebulosity in that area with some good contrast. M42, the great Nebula (see pic) was amazing. The milky bright layers of the nebula showed lovely contrast, and the stars in the trapezium were pristine pinpricks working hard to light the whole thing up. Sirius- Finally the dog.. I tried to split it and see if I could make out the little pup. The 7mm Delite showed the best contrast, but I didn’t get separation. It looked like a blazing star with a little pimple popping out, so it was there, but not what double star fanatics (Im not one) would call a clean split. Finally when I had my fill I popped off the diag and put on the wife’s DSLR. I am not an AP guy, but I do like to get some basic photos of bright things. Getting the data is fun, but I have no stomach for the post processing or setting up auto guiding. At least not yet anyway. In any case thanks for reading. I really look forward to many years under the sky with this scope. I was shooting for a nice mix of portability, aperture and great optics and I feel like I really made a great choice. Optically this scope far exceeds anything else I have. This is everything I could have expected. Great APO optics. Pin point stars across the entire FOV. Even the 31mmT5 showed perfect stars in 95% of the view… only at the very edges was there any softening and nothing distracting. With the rings, dovetail and diag its about 15lbs. Attached photo is Orion Nebula M42, 30 second exposure

The Sky-Watcher Pro 120ED APO is very simply a first class telescope. I did a lot of research before purchasing and when I saw the amazingly low price on Amazon I jumped on it immediately. It comes in a first class aluminum carrying case that is well padded and includes a 2" diagonal and two eyepieces as well as the finder scope. Frankly I wish the finder had an illuminated reticle, but it is a good piece of equipment. Unlike Cassegrain reflectors there is no requirement to collimate mirrors or make other difficult adjustments. The Crawford two speed focuser works like a jewel. My final decision was made after reading a review on an astronomy website in which the reviewer had been using an 8" Cassegrain for years and at a star party got some time on the 120ED. He realized that he was seeing both moon images and deep space images better and easier on the 120 despite the smaller aperture. He reported doing some research and concluded that between the blockage that the front mirror causes in a short tube reflector and the light loss from the extra trips though glass at each reflection, the 120ED was actually transmitting more light to his eye than was the 8" Cassegrain! If there is a drawback it is that this scope is long. That means that in an overhead shot it is possible to have a camera or diagonal hit a tripod leg. That, of course, throws off the alignment and requires a complete new set of alignment shots. The problem is generated by a combination of the overall length and the need to extend the Crawford focusing tube, particularly when doing astrophotography. The solution is to balance the scope with the camera or diagonal mounted and the tube extended. That will move the scope forward in the mount and avoid the problem. If a person has been using a short reflecting tube the issue of scope balance is a whole new problem. The way the mounting rings are set up on this scope makes it a piece of cake. Just loosen the thumb screws a little and the scope slides smoothly up and down in the padded ring mounts. The perfectly machined and polished tube surface aids this process immensely. Overall the scope is very solidly built from the heavy metal dew shield to the Crawford mount and tube. This is a piece of craftsmanship on sale for about half what I would have expected to pay.

Here are a few photos I have taken with my Skywatcher evo-star 100. I haven't learned all the post processing, calibration frames, stacking methods, etc. but I did what I could at the moment. I wanted a good step-up telescope from my previous Solo mark 130eq. This seems like a good choice for me to learn on. It's a little big compared to some. You're going to want a good sturdy, expensive mount to go with it. Like other have said, the case it comes in is pretty flimsy, but is alright as long as you aren't doing a lot of traveling. The focuser seems to be on the cheaper side Aswell. It can seem to slip sometimes with a camera attached. The finder scope that comes with it is not really cheap, and it also is not expensive either. Good for visual, but not if your plan on using a guide scope. The image is a lot clearer, and crisp from other cheap telescopes out there. Overall, this scope is very good scope.

I originally got the 80, but the 100 went on sale in time for me to swap them out. Very sweet views. Sort of okay on DSO's but I haven't spent a lot of time on them. Mainly planetary and Moon viewing and it is crisp and color is quite nice. The focuser does not slip, as others have noted, however, mine is..chunky with the large knob. Sort of 'clicks' instead of smoothly rolling. Not a huge deal since the fine tuner works great. I have it on the smaller Go-To mount, which according to the specs can handle this scope, but it's so long that it does jiggle. I combat that with a sandbag in the tray and some damper pads under the feet and I'm happy with the results. Really nice scope, but it is up there in the price range, so it should be. Update after couple months: Absolutely stunning. Performs well around the board but especially planets and stars. Crisp views.

I had been eyeing this scope for a while, but already had a scope that worked just fine, until I dropped it and broke it. I immediately ordered this scope as an upgrade to my broken one. Just about every review I saw of the best refractor telescopes to get included this one. I would have liked to get the 120mm, but it's $2000. More than I can justify for a telescope. When I got it and took it out of the box I was immediately impressed. Much better build quality than my old $300 telescope. I comes in a hard aluminum case with form inserts for the telescope the two lenses 20mm and 5mm and the diagonal which can handle 2" or 1.5" eyepieces and the spotting scope. I had to buy a tripod as this scope doesn't come with one. looking through this scope images are much brighter than with my other scope. There is also no color fringing on the edges of planets which was a problem with my old scope. The images are crisp and clear. I haven't had it for long, but so far I have looked at the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn and Venus. My old scope was a 102mm so the same size this one, but this scope has a longer focal length of 900mm so I get more magnification from my eyepieces. If I have to find a weak spot on this scope, it might be the eyepieces. I think they are good eyepieces, but you could probably get better (which I will). Overall I am very happy with this scope and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good quality telescope.

This is an excellent budget APO scope for visual and astrophotography. The orion .8 reducer gives a completely flat field across an APS-C sensor, The focuser is better than online forums will lead you to believe. Just follow a tutorial on how to adjust it correctly, and don't over tighten the screws. I bought this scope slightly used ( probably a customer return) and someone had sheared the finder screw off and jacked up the focuser. After about 30 minutes of easy work I had a flawless spankin new scope for $550. Thanks Warehouse deals!!!. Some say the the ed80 or the skywatcher ProED 80 is the way to go. I won't disagree that you will get images a little faster. However, if your wanting to look at planets and brighter dso visually as well this scope is the one to get. AT F9 It is a true APO.. The 80mm at F7.5 will show a smidge of false color here and there. I think 900mm focal length is a good spot for DSO imaging. You can put the reducer on and Your shooting widefield or leave it off and enjoy a nice flat field and get some more resolution out of your target. This scope is easy to balance and is not objective heavy. I removed the long vixen dovetail and put on a shorter one that allowed piggybacking my ST80 on top as a guide scope. This works extremely well with an AVX mount (once you've tuned it and learned to autoguide). Bottom line.... Your not going to find an APO in this price range that can image this good and put up views of the planets this good. There is no other contenders in this price range. First rate optics in a 4" doublet!!!!

It's a great looking scope with great optics. Understand that now they are renamed EVOSTAR which is written on the side and comes with a green dovetail mounting plate. Optics are good. Well worth it for a 100mm apo on a budget. The case is just a case. Eyepieces are of regular eyepiece quality. The 5mm is a nice planetary EP if you don't own many eyepieces. Downfalls really only include that with the case, where the foam inserts are, you have to move your rings so that it will fit, rather than keeping them where you know you're balancing point is, makes setting up a few minutes longer. Edit. This is an amazing telescope. Seriously. The views are superb. Had it for almost two months now. Greatest under a 1000 dollars. The case isn't that bad. The eyepieces are actually quite good. You'll want better though. This scope deserves it. The planets are awesome through this scope. Wide field 2" eyepieces have stars looking pinpoint. Love it My second edit Since purchasing the 100ED, I went ahead and purchased the 120ED. This scope is amazing. Slightly more light gathering brings in slightly more planetary detail, slightly more stars, does amazing with doubles. By far my favorite scope I’ve purchased behind a 10” dob. Mounting is easy as it doesn’t take much more than what you needed for the 100ED. If you can afford the 120ED, I’d take it over the 100ED any day.

I have a Celestron 9.25 Evo which is a great scope but very large and heavy I got this for a grab and go. I really like this scope. The views, since it is a refractor are close to that of my 9.25. But, it is much lighter and more portable. Comes in a great aluminium case to carry it in. Build quality is good. Large enough to capture plenty of light for faint objects. At 900mm focal length it gives a fairly wide view of objects, but can still easily give high mag views of planets, etc. with a good quality eyepiece and barlow. The eye pieces it comes with are good quality and give clear views. This scope will definitely get more use than my 9.25. Highly recommend for anyone looking to get a good all round scope capable of both high mag and wider views of nebulae and star clusters. It does have some fringing on really bright objects, but is much less than with a standard achromatic scope. So far I really love this scope!

This is a very well constructed doublet by Sky-watcher... I have been impressed with the views I've had so far. Need more clear skies! The only criticism I have of the kit is the case is a wee bit flimsy, but it is functional. 2nd would be the finder scope prism has a lot of plastic and might not hold up over time. I think it used to ship with a field flattener too, now available separately. Small things and in no way take away from the overall rating.

Superb value for money. I'm not sure how I managed to get this telescope for so much less than the retail price, but it is a superb performer with excellent quality optics and mechanical parts for the price I paid. The trick I used was to look for USA listings that have a slightly different product title from what they use here in Australia. It works if you happen to be in the right place at the right time!

This was the bargain of the decade. It was literally a steal at the price. More than £500 cheaper than at any other telescope stores. This product is a premium ed telescope with lots of accessories which were worth quite a bit also.

Very nice telescope, But the price has doubled in less than 1 month. It’s way over priced now.

100 ED APO- Astonishingly inexpensive via Amazon compared to other sellers (£370). Was half expecting it to be canceled as a pricing error, but the whole OTA and eyepieces/case etc was delivered promptly. Has subsequently given wonderful views of nebula, galaxies and our local planets, Jupiter was magnificent. Would recommend.