Saturday, December 06, 2014

Skywatcher Heritage 130P


My new telescope. Although I already have a Skywatcher 130m complete with EQ2 mount and Skywatcher 80ED Pro I decided to add to my collection.
I wanted a 'Grab and Go' type scope that is light and folds up into a small compact size, the Heritage 130P fits the bill perfectly!

I am amazed at this scope, the Dobsonian mount makes it easy to use on a small table and is very well made. The tube extends and contracts easily. I have to be a bit careful with stray light as the tube is open so as I found, the garden light next door did get into the tube. The answer is simple, just move the scope into a shadow and it works fine!




The images of stars are and the Moon are very clear, certainly as good as, if not better than my big Skywatcher 130m. With the 130m I always had problems acheiving focus with a DSLR camera and could never use it. However, with the Heritage 130P it is possible to use a DSLR by simply shortening the adjustable tube until the DSLR acheives it's focus.
The two eyepieces are of good quality, but I already have a set of good eyepieces which work really well on the scope. The Heritage 130P also comes with a Red Spot Finder, which is perfect for finding the objects for viewing.
Before buying the scope I looked at lots of reviews as I was a bit concerned about the simple, but novel focus unit. It is unlike any that I have used before, you twist the top of the eyepiece holder and it moves on a thread. Simple, but effective, I found it quite easy to use and no problem at all focusing, even with my DSLR and webcam. You can see from my previous post of the Moon that it focuses quite well!



This scope is good value for money for both beginners and like myself, for someone that wants a small, compact and powerful telescope.

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