Sky-Watcher 150mm f/8

4.0 Skywatcher 6" F8

Crisp sharp images that snap into focus

Top heavy, some false color, focuser could be improved

First let me explain my high rating. For a 6 inch F8 complete refractor with these accessories, the unexplainable slight false color exhibited, the sharp/crisp/contrasty views, and an upgraded equatorial head, at this price is an exceptional telescope.

This is now my fourth Chinese made refractor that I have had the pleasure of using over the years (and have checked 3 other 6 inch achromats), and each one has been an unexpected surprise. Firstly my C102HD was a total joy, then a 5 inch photon was even better. Now I am just as thrilled with this 6 inch Skywatcher. Don't get me wrong, the optics on any of these scope were not perfect (all have showed undercorrection or spherical aberration during a star test - but these are not AP quality or AP in price either!). I also have to say that each has shown, crisp views that snap into focus and seems to hold up to magnifications of 50 per inch. They also have shown much less false color then I would have expected for such fast instruments. The Skywatcher 6 inch, as the Photon 5 inch are incredible performers at around $100 per inch for the OTA. I now own just the 6 inch Skywatcher (along with my Antares 812GP).

The instrument gave just as good an image as my previous 5 inch Photon, with the added advantage of more light gathering power-at roughly the same weight (15lbs vs 18lbs for the 6 incher). The accessories include with the Skywatcher are two nice quality Plossl eyepieces (10mm and 25mm), a very nice 8X50mm finder with the innovative spring loaded finder bracket assembly, a fair 2x short barlow with a camera adapter attached to the barlow (nice idea for twice prime focus photography), a piggyback camera mount, and also an improved CG5/EQ4 head. This scope has given me some fine views of DSO's/double star/and lunar viewing. You can't go wrong with any of the 3 scopes I have mentioned. Bob Midiri DVAA