The Best Beginner Telescope - Sky-Watcher Classic 250P Dobsonian 

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although i agree with the 10" dob a s a good choice...there are a few things : - Alt/az movement can be jerky (stiction) : replace the alt with proper bearings, replace the az circle with a bearing, use teflon pads. - Flock the inside of the OTA, blacken the back of the prim.mirror. blacken edges of sec.mirror - replace all sec adjustment knobs (bob's knobs), and the spring, also replace the 3 prim.springs (heavier load) - blacken the inside of the focuser, replace the bearings - add a setting circle between base and rotating plate for easy Az degrees - add an inclinometer to the OTA for easy Alt degrees (helps hugely in finding objects) - add a red dot/reticle/Telrad finder for large FOV - get rid of the pesky finder scope and get a 'Right side up' finderscope, also save's your neck a lot of pain - add some cheap book lights, and paint them red - DIY motorize your focuser!!!!!...cant stress enough how this will help you 1000 fold getting rid of shaky images - add a at least two bubble levels to the rotating base, trust me.....just do it - get a proper centralizer for your focuser, not hose cheap Antares self centering adapters but a Glatter Paralyzer - get a proper Focal Extender!!! not only will it cut down on your eyepiece collection but it will improve your FOV - make a 'clip on' fan for the back of your primary, if you add a potentiometer you can easily adjust the speeds - make a dew cap out of a black foam exercise mat , your neighbours will think you bought a cannon, plus it keeps the dew away And lastly: subsctibe to Cloudynights (www.cloudynights.com) there is no better source of helpful people.. Yea,...it's a lot of work...but thats what having a dob is all about...modifications! I did it, without any knowledge....so you can do it too

Took the smaller 8" / 200mm as beginner scope 4 years ago and i still love it. With some more budget i would've taken the 10", i think it fits the perfect aperture/incumbrace spot. Still really satisfied by the images i get, a lot more than expected

Before the post covid price jumps, the 8"f6 dob at under $400 was the best beginner telescopes. Now that prices have practically doubled, it leans more to the 6"f8 dob. And in the old days it was an equatorial 6"f8 newtonian. 10" scopes are more intermediate class, and since they tend to be f4.5, 4.7 and 5, they require a coma corrector and premium eyepieces to be sharp to the edge

Got into hobby four months ago. Bought a First Light 10" Dobsonian. Weighed 61 pounds. I am elderly and feeble. Could not drag it into the back yard. Gave it to a friend. Now have a Sky Watcher AZ GTi mount and a Bresser 102/460 refractor. Total weight 15 pounds. Much better for me.

Great video! Small Dobsonians (i.e., Orion Starblasts) are now being loaned out to folks for free of charge. I liked the intro with all the types of moons!

Thank you Elena, I do astrophotography and I like your videos but most important is that my 9 years old daughter loves astronomy and your videos are inspiring her to get more into it!. And talking about dobsonians I am picking up one 10" explore scientific today!!! Keep up the great work Elena.

This is a great video! Keep up the good work on this kind of stuff. Super informative and presented in a very relaxed way.

Awesome video Helena! I have a 10'' dob, and it's great!

i love astro so much like its so calming and just amazing, i used to have no interest in the sky and photography but i started watching astro vids and it really got me interested in how beautiful our universe really is and the best part about it is that you dont have to make the image true colours you can mess with it and make it exaclty how whomever wants so theres so much vary in photos from everyone because everyone has a different style and its just so perfect. Theres nothing better then going out at night and staring upo and just staring at the beautful stars and imaging just whats beyond what we cannot see, so far i have pics of orion nebua, lagoon nebula + very faint triffid and core of milky way. I use a nikon D5500 with my 3 lenses f.18 30mm / f3.5-4.5 18-70mm / f4.5-6.5 55-300mm, although i dont have the money to waste on a star tracker its still very fun

I am not a beginner but I really enjoyed watching this video! Very well presented. Thanks

Good video, I bought an 8" Stella Lyra Dobsonian as my first telescope. It's a beast. The 10 will be even beefier! I enquired on the skywaycher, but it was out of stock. I think they're the same just rebranded. The Lyra came with a spotter scope too. I've been meaning to get in the car and travel out to the country where there is less light pollution. I was taken back by how quickly you're off target when on high magnification due to the earth's rotation 🌎 Edit: I bought from FLO and it arrived the next day, to the opposite end of the country! Crazy fast delivery. I bought a Celestron Barlow Lens and some other eyepieces from Ebay. For roughly half of the retail price. Saved quite a bit.

I love my Coulter 10” dob I brought used many years ago. I have a whole bunch of different eyepieces. My favorite with this scope is my 24mm televue panoptic eyepiece. The views are spectacular. Love the simplicity of a dob and the light gathering. Thank for sharing Helena!

Thank you Miss Helena! I enjoy your astro equipment vids. I purchased my first smart phone a couple of weeks ago. I got this phone because it can be used to drive the Sky Watcher EQ6 R pro mount. I'll be on the lookout for your next vid.

This is the one I started with. Amazing to see the night sky with.

Keep up the great work!

Thank you for the video! I really want to get a visual rig as well.

Excellent presentation skills !

Hi Helena, I have a 10” GSO Dobsonian telescope and they are very good for visuals, you can for photos but you have to be very patient, a hug, love and greetings from Chile

Fantastic video!

Great video! Thank you Helena! I’m thinking of buying one of these telescopes - do I also need to buy a laser collimator at the same time?

Very useful information. Thanks Helena greetings from Norway!

I bought the 10 inch do Skywatcher scope and about 7 years ago, I paid about 550 dollars but I had to drive 3 hours to Seattle to get it since there's no telescope stores near me. It's a great scope, especially starting out. I did buy a bunch of new lenses, better quality then the three it came with. I definitely recommend this scope if anyone wants a great starter scope when starting out.

Hi Helena. Thanks for this video; it was nicely detailed and has given me some food for thought. I currently have a very old (23 yr old) 4” Newtonian reflector telescope (Helios 1141EQ1, I think). It’s been really good over the years, but the lack of accuracy is maddening, so I’m currently saving for something better. I hadn’t thought of a Dobsonian until now, but I may well look into it more. I’ve recently bought a Tridaptor phone mount, so I would be using my mobile phone for images until I can get to grips with it all and may be save for something a bit more photography friendly down the line (scope, as well as camera). Keep up the good work. All the best, Chris.

I just bought the Skywatcher 10. Great views so far! I am considering caster wheels with locks on them to ease in moving it around. Also I will be adding two lift handles to the base. New sub. To avoid mirror toggling due to 90⁰ tap add a rubber spacer or a cushion between the scope and base.

Thanks Helena! 2 years ago your videos helped me get my first telescope - the skywatcher 200P dob - for visual astronomy. I couldnt afford the 10" at the time but I regret not waiting and getting it from the start because now I really want to upgrade!

Would you reccommend the X-Cel LX and Luminos series for a 10 inch dobsonian telescope or just the X-Cel LX series of eyepieces?

I choose a skywatcher 120/600 as first scope and a 10" dob as second. Regardless of the various others that followed I'm still using them nearly every time. I'd add a good wide field ocular is the second best investment. (I've bought a TV ethos 21mm quite early on and it's still the most used part of my gear).

I bought the stellalyra 8 inch dob from flo.it’s quality with right angled finder a mirror fan and quality eyepieces. Great purchase!

Im gonna get one of these next week, where do you get those two extra eye pieces from that you mentioned ??

Yes great starter scope lots of stars and planetary details.

After nearly 60 years of experience with a number of scopes in different sizes, my choice for beginner would be a 6 inch F8 Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount. A 6 inch F8 is much easier to collimate accurately. And probably, if it’s a commercially made mirror. a more accurately made one. A generation ago when I started in amateur astronomy, it was the standard instrument of most amateur astronomers. And for good reason!

Hope you are doing well Helena. Thanks for feeding our curiosity.

I wanna buy a dobsonian but I am still confused about how I am going to travel with that base? I can put the tube in a bag but what about the base?

I own a 8" and I can confirm it's a huge telescope and defenedly not for beginners. 10 and 8 inch are both very big telescope and a true challenge to carry around. I recommend the 6 inch or lower because they are great for beginners. My 8 inch dobsonian is the 2nd telescope I bought.

Clicked on this to get some advice on finding stars and boom! Found one, you! You’re awesome! Excellent info and presentation. Thanks

Hi. I've been thinking about a dobsonian goto and wondered what your opinion is for astrophotography? Fae that guy doon the road. Getting different information. Thanks

Is there anything you could see nebulas?

Does a 2x 2inch Barlow lens like you mention mean you have to get 2 inch eyepieces. Thanks, Kev.

Hai! I have a question, does the skywatcher turn yellow due to uv rays?

I came here after seeing you on Astro Biscuit’s channel. Subscribed 😀

Great video

What about the 200p and 150p models? Are they "okay" for those on smaller budgets?

🌿🌿 ALIGNMENT - Helena, please please make slow. detailed video how to Brightest star Align Sky Watcher 250 equpped with SynScan To Go automation. I tried it few times following included instruction and could not succeed. My location is central Poland - 52:00N - 20:37E Michael, sky watching enthusiast 🌻🌻 I made initial setup - entered location, time zone (1), daylight saving setting (yes), each time I enter current date and time, Then the system suggests Capella a brightest star - I point the scope on the brightest visible star located +/- directly on the south direction at 22-23 hour time - is it Capella ???? I am novice sky observer.

A very nice video. When you think about it a scope like this is not for a person just starting out. This scope for the person who has used the binos and a star map and has learned what astronomy is and loves it. Maybe after you had that scope that you learned to hate. Abnd your now ready for a true scope. Think of getting one scope you can fly with or getting 3 or 4 that never work for you. This scope in an 8 or 10 inch is a true scope that you can use for a lifetime, and wont let you down. Remember a scope needs a dark sky too. Watch more videos to learn what size is right for you...

What’s the difference between all the other 10 inch dobsonian sky watcher seems a better price watch

Who ever thought that one day even astro stuff would be sold through videos. Some years ago I thought my hobby will probably remain a niche but look were we are now..

Jamazing Helena 😎

Great job! If you have dark skies, using a Dob is a fun way to learn the night sky. I was able to observe all of the Messier objects that way (8") when I started. Keep up the good work, Helena!🌠🌠🌠

Thank you.

Because of this video, I bought one yesterday from High Point Scientific. 30 bucks per month financing....gotta love it. I call that a credit builder lol. I bought a 80eq as my first scope and regret it so I had to make up for my mistake lol. Thanks for the advice! Keep smiling, it's infectious.

Great job...nice and simple....and I think you're correct.

Watching your video from 1 year ago wondering if you advanced on the application of photographing through your phone? What's the possibility of more information about the eyepiece, Plus adding additional filters for contrast for planetary observation. Hopefully you respond to this just acquired a telescope not as prominent as yours .

Helena! I need your help! Just bought a 10" dob and want some good eyepieces for it. Can you do a video on that? With some differences in purpose (dso/planets) and prices? Would be great!

How long have you owned this scope Helena?

That's another great video from you, so thank you. I bought this exact 'scope last summer and used it to learn the summer stars and constellations. I've recently (as in 'once') tried to take photos with my DSLR camera attached to the 'scope, and Saturn came out, well, blurry. I think I'm missing something important with this. Like an eyepiece that attaches somewhere between 'scope and camera, or a camera lens. Do you have any ideas?

Eyepiece FL div by Telescope F ratio max human dilated pupil is 7mm and 1mm to .5mm is about the extreme for higher power things like double stars and moon and planet detail. Have fun view. Well done my Sister your doing a great job here.

Parabolic lens ?

I think you should discuss exit pupil and it’s roll in visual astronomy

hmm, i think to hook someone with the stars, you need a scope which has three qualities: 1. ease of use (check) 2. Rewarding quality, so you actually see something, and not blurry smudges (check) 2. easy to carry up some stairs andlout onto a balcony (nope). I think a SW150P is the better choice... and it does not rip a huge hole into your purse, if you're not sure if you like the hobby.

Hello I'm looking at purchasing the Sky watcher classic 200 8" as I cannot afford to go up to the 250 10". I know you recommend getting eye pieces, if you could only get 1 or 2, what would you say are the most important sizes please?

can you do lucky imaging with a Dobsonian using a good ccd camera. Would a driven wedge mount for Dobs. be any good for astro imaging.

One question - can you see color with the 10" dob when just visually observing something like the Orion nebula for example?

I’m still thinking whether to get the apertura or the skywatcher 10 inch dob. I don’t know which.

I got the 10" StellaLyra from First Light Optics. And yes the views are definitely lit, vs my app guided Celestron 102 DX Refractor which does the job too. But different uses ofcourse. I would have opted for the 12" version for more light gathering capability but unfortunately it was not in stock at the time. As for the negative comments below. Yes a 10" is expensive and yes there are the 6" and 8" alternative but the 10" is another level atleast for me. And can be heavy for some. And the light gathering is better than the 6 and 8 inch. With handles installed, the OTA is easy to handle. But if you think about the equivalent of a 10" dob vs a 10" mak and sct Yes the latter mak or sct is also more portable than a dob but they are also much more expensive. Which makes a dob a good alternative. All that light gathering capability without the heavy heavy price. Albeit it being big and heavy for some. But there are ways to fix that.

Portability is very important, the easier it is to use, the more you’re likely to use it.

Can it be moved about easily? Or is it heavy? Please guide

It’s high weight of 32 kg will definitely be a problem is you have to move it and it also needs collimation which will also be a problem for a beginner.

Really useful summary of telescope specifications. Cheers.

Dobsonians are the very best scopes!

I'm scared of collimation - I don't like fiddling with things and I don't like to have to buy tools and painstakingly set things... could you make a collimation video about this specific telescope?

Há quanto tempo você faz astrofoto!

I was amazed by the heavens from a very early age, but I was so put off by the mediocre (bad!) views I got from my small toy-telescope that it almost killed my dreams. In 2002 I bought my first 'real' telescope - a 10" GSO dobson and looking back I don't think I could've have made a better choice! That 10" have given me so much joy and many great experiences. It is also very user-friendly, something that cannot be ignored. My advice would be something like this.. If you really want a (first) telescope then buy as big of a telescope as you can afford. If you want a refractor then a 4" f10 would be an excellent choice. A real workhorse that may be everything you need. It will need a big-ish mount, something like a EQ5 or a AZ-4. For grab'n go a ST80 on a Pronto mount is great. A big dobson? A 12" will go deep and show a lot, but it's BIG and a bit cumbersome to move around. So for me.. if the choice is between 8" and 10" dobsons then go for the 10". It really has that wow-factor and I agree with Helena.. it is the perfect beginner telescope! 20 years down the line I may have too many telescopes.. 😇

Would an 8 inch reflector with a 2000mm focal length be a good option, such as the Celestron Nexstar 8se?

250 Dob is one of the best bang for your bucks. But dobs are big et can be heavy (SW 250 weighs 12kg & 1,2m tall, rockerbox 15kg & diameter of 540mm ,and can't be folded). Be warned ! Best telescope is the one you use regularly !

❤️

Hi, You are wrong in focal length. The focal length of most telescopes ends up in a focus point that is slightly outside the opening of the telescope. So if you take your primary mirror out of the telescope and hold it at waist level and attach a flashlight to a chair about 3 - 4 meters away from your primary mirror so that its reflection falls on a wall, you will notice that the reflection will come to focus at a distance which is called the focal length of the telescope. This distance is not the distance from your primary mirror to your secondary mirror. It's more than that. This distance is where the tip of the cone of light is located which creates the perfect image. In your case, if your telescope has a focal length of 1200mm, then you should be exactly 1.2 meters away from the wall to see a crisp image of the light coming from the flashlight. This is supposedly what the manufacturer of the telescope says should happen. In many cases, this is not exactly 1200mm, its a +/- 5-15 mm, sometimes more. The reason for this is that some mirrors have imperfections during the manufacturing process and their curvature does not exactly come out the way it's supposed to. As a result, the focal length changes. The secondary mirror in a Dobsonian is placed to intercept the cone of light usually about 18-22 cm before the focal length mark is reached (ie behind the focal point). This 18-20 cm remainder of the light gets shifted upwards towards the focuser tube, at which point somewhere in there the image gets focused and goes through the eyepiece where it is shown perfectly. You need to know your exact focal length so that you can adjust your secondary mirror better for collimation purposes, which results in a crisper image. Best of luck and good wishes to you.

I'm a beginner in that I don't have a telescope yet. But I see and hear all the numbers. And the comments don't seem to come from beginners like me. I hear refractor and 4", then 10" reflector. If 10" is good, why not a 10" refractor? Newbies don't know these things. I'm curious to know how much mag power one needs to clearly see the rings of Saturn or the red spot on Jupiter.. Or even if you can see the ice cap on Mars. And do planets or the moon run out of your eyepiece before anybody else can change places with you and see. Not said, but I'm guessing the barlow darkens the picture a little ? If so, isn't there a minimum aperture before the contrast makes your image look like a dark spot? I've heard high power shakes a lot if your mount isn't stable as a rock (expensive?) or perhaps a dob is stable by nature? Sample planet pictures would be most helpful.... for example, here is Jupiter on a 10" dob at 120x versus a 4" refractor looking at the same thing. Or here is a galaxy at 56x with a 6" dob vs the same galaxy with a 3" refractor. In other words, we don't know what the numbers mean yet.

I have a 6 inch skywatcher dob

Donsonians are the BEST and most economical scopes in the case of aparture

I have it Its really good but expensive 😅

I am new to this field. But I have been studying astrology. I want to buy my first brand new telescope. I am interested in Dobsonian telescope. The person whom I'm buying the telescope from has given me two options . Meade flexible Dobsonian 10 inches (726$) or 12 inches(1050$) or SkyWatcher flexible Dobsonian 10 inches (750$) You are a very professional person so could you please advice me on which is the better telescope. Very Kind.

Dam girl you're a astro rockstar

I would say a 10" is not a beginners scope, dobs In the 10" range are very bulky and long tube, which you bang into doorways, etc taking them back In side, and out. A beginner want's something they can carry out in one hit, not make 2 trips. I recommend nothing larger than a 6" to start with as it can be carried easily in one go and light. A 10" dob is not a very light scope, and for a beginner may become bothersome to take out. A beginner needs a scope, that's light and not making a couple of trips to setup. The quicker a beginner can setup the more likely, he or she will continue with this hobby. In summer maybe fine, but winter will test anyone, so the faster the setup and take down the better. I would say a 10" is great if your decide to continue and get real keen, else it could put you off. And this is from someone who owns a 10" dob, very bulky and the reason I went with a Celestron 9.25". Tube much easier to handle. I find a dob just to bulky and it's collecting dust. The best telescope is the one you use the most. I disagree a 10" dob for a beginner and that's coming from a dob owner

She’s beautiful.

A barlow actually increases your focal length

It was a little frustrating to watch this video as i wish you'd talk more about the telescope itself, the quality of deep sky objects when viewing through the telescope, what additional mods you need to be able to actually track and view them, etc. First half of the video is just about what to look for in a telescope when we already have a telescope at hand, could've been atleast shortened

I would say a 8'" is best

Salut Merci pour tes tutos. Du coup j ai choisi un Dobson 250P. Le point faible est le manque de fluididé pour la suivi. Pour regler ce soucis de fluidite, je l ai motorisé, bricolage maison. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nIcH3tKIjt8.htmlsi=eDG5lFt44tJ8-Bk4

A telescope choice starts with mecanical components: mount and focuser. This needs to have good quality. Weight/size is next, I live in an appartment and had a 10inch newtonian for a while - was a bad idea. Get the biggest apperture with the longest focal length that covers the previous aspects and the budget. Get f6 f-ratio telescope of above. For someone starting, probably a good reference is: refractors up to 102mm, reflectors from 114mm upwards. Avoid expensive APOs for visual, that's only for the bragging rights (astrophotography).

I monetized my channel using this telescope with a smartphone mount 👀❤

Consensus is that best beginner scope are either 6" or 8" Newtonian. Simply because a 10" is to heavy and because the tube will have a tendency to tip forward depending on what you put in the focuser. Most beginners will eventually want to go to a setup with an EQ mount and either an SCT, Maksutov or a refractor scope. Especially when astrophotography starts making sense. 10" are known to be cheap second hand for a reason.

1:09 I can feel the seismic vibrational energy shift as all the astrologers get triggered by this diagram 🤣

How is this a begginer scope when it is more expensive than my monthly paycheck? Man some peeps be privileged fr.

Sigh. Purchase Helena without ads. :/

You can sell me anything one look in your eyes, and..... another thing sold.

You are just the prettiest girl! Great information, thank you!

Astronomy has never been prettier.

You are kinda cute but not sure you can convince me to spend $1200 cdn on my 1st telescope since i was about 10 yrs old which probly only cost me 50 bucks back in the day, lol

Refractors are too expensive.