First designed by John Dobson in 1965, Dobsonian telescopes have been revolutionary in bringing astronomy to the average person with their simple design, built in alt-azimuth mounts, their light weight, extreme portability, and affordable manufacturing cost. Many amateur astronomers began their journeys with a Dobsonian, and the telescope is well respected and appreciated by even the most practiced observers. The Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope is the middle grade of Sky-Watcher’s Classic Dobsonian line. Crafted in Sky-Watcher’s Dobsonian tradition, with a sleek white optical casing, a sturdy built in alt-azimuth mount, and an eight inch aperture that allows for optimal viewing of deep sky objects. With prices starting at $445, this telescope combines the tradition and dependability of Dobsonian design with a wealth of modern upgrades, resulting in a telescope that will remain a handy part of your celestial viewing arsenal for years to come.
As for the brand itself, Sky-Watcher might not as immediately recognizable as industry leaders, such as Celestron, Meade, or Orion, but the company has been making a name for itself in recent years with many of their telescopes topping consumer review charts. Truly, the company has joined the rank of the elite, and true to this form, Sky-Watcher’s products often share a vast overlap with the top three as all turn to Synta manufacturing for their telescope parts and components. As a younger brand, founded only in 1999, Sky-Watcher telescopes offer the same quality make and design of their competitors, and often at a much lower price. And what’s more, is that the company got their start exclusively manufacturing Dobsonian telescopes, to the Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope is a brand specialty. In a consumer market full of cheap telescopes that don’t function as advertised, Sky-Watcher is a growing brand that can be trusted and relied on.
Eight inch aperture and 94% reflective mirrors
In order to see most deep sky objects, you need an optical tube that will allow enough light in to realize these wondrous targets. With an eight inch aperture, the Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope fits the mold of the classic Dobsonian light bucket design. Its light gathering capabilities easily outrival telescopes of similar price, and has almost double the aperture of refractor and other Dobsonians in the same range, allowing deep sky objects to be viewed with incredibly rich detail and contrast. You will be able to view nebulae with color rich patterns, as well as the planets and galaxies.
Dobsonian telescopes utilize a Newtonian design, meaning that light is accepted through the opening in the optical tube, travels the length of the tube, where it is then reflected by the primary optical mirror, onto the secondary mirror, and into your eyepiece. After all, Newtonian Reflector telescopes are some of the most ideal for deep sky viewing, and the optical mirrors are what unlocks this potential. Quality craftsmanship of the optical mirrors is a high priority in creating a top-tier telescope, and Sky-Watcher’s design takes this into account with mirrors that allow for reflection of ninety-four percent of incoming light. This level of reflective capability is practically unheard of, especially at this price point. This is accomplished with fully multi-coated borosilicate primary and secondary mirrors that have a parabolic design that help to eliminate spherical aberration. The mirrors themselves are coated with a combination of quartz, titanium, and silicone dioxide, allowing for crystal clear viewing of deep space objects of up to the fourteenth magnitude, meaning there are very few deep sky objects that this telescope cannot capture.
Whether this is your first telescope, or you are upgrading from your first refractor telescope, or even if you’re in the market for a new Dobsonian, the Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope has the light gathering capabilities to bring the deepest parts of the universe within reach. And at this low of a price, you would be hard pressed to find another telescope with this level of capability with such little risk on your wallet.
Easy to transport and maneuver with a sturdy design
The Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope is larger than it might look in pictures. The eyepiece is mounted at a height of forty-five inches, meaning that the telescope rises to a height of almost four feet. While this allows for comfortable viewing, it can be a little intimidating when it comes to storage and transport—after all, you will get your best views far from the inconvenience of city lights. Thankfully, Sky-Watcher took transport of this telescope into consideration. The base, which measures twenty-nine inches by twenty and a half inches, easily disconnects from the optical tube, allowing the telescope to be broken down into two easy to move pieces. This makes not only for easy transport, but also for more options regarding storage, and that the telescope will not have to remain assembled in the corner of your room or garage. The optical assembly of the telescope weighs in at twenty pounds, while the base weighs in at twenty-five pounds, resulting in a combined weight of forty-five pounds when fully assembled. That means that moving and assembling each piece won’t break your back, and is as simple as lifting a large bag of dog food.
Because of the built in alt-azimuth mount inherent to the Dobsonian design, the telescope is able to rotate on the y-axis where the base and the optical assembly meet, and on the x-axis thanks to the mount’s lazy-Susan like method of rotation. In order to ease these movement and adjustment of the telescope’s sights, Sky-Watcher has included tension control handles on either side of the base. The tension control handles also function as a means to secure the optical assembly in place once oriented to a specific celestial target, able to be tightened or loosened as needed. The telescope also makes use of Proprietary Teflon bearings in the alt-azimuth mount, to ensure smooth movement and control in orienting and slewing the telescope. Even with the size of this telescope it is easy to maneuver, in a manner that won’t test your strength. The base also features an additional handle for easy carrying.
Despite the fact that the Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope is designed for easy transport and maneuverability, it does not sacrifice the sturdiness of the telescope. The base rests firmly on the ground, and since it weighs more that the optical assembly there is no risk of tipping or pushing the telescope off balance. The optical tube also has a closed assembly, meaning that the mirrors are protected from any kind of damage.
Plenty of accessories
The Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope also comes with a number of accessories that can aid in viewing certain targets, and they can all be stored in the base’s built in storage rack. These accessories include a 9×50 finder scope that will allow for an easier time locating your viewing targets, as well as a bracket for mounting the finder scope on the optical assembly. You will also receive a Crayford style focuser, two Plossl styled eyepieces—one ten millimeters and one twenty-five millimeters— and a one and a quarter inch eyepiece adaptor that allows for more versatility in the types of additional eyepieces that you can purchase.
Features and specifications
- The Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope features a large eight-inch aperture, allowing for a bright and bold viewing experience that costs much less than telescopes of similar design
- The telescope utilizes fully multi-coated borosilicate primary and secondary mirrors that allow for reflection of ninety-four percent of incoming light and prevent spherical aberration
- The telescope is able to detect stars with as low a magnitude as fourteen, and as a focal length of twelve-hundred millimeters
- The telescope is built with Proprietary Tension Control Handles for stability and eased and accurate motion
- The telescope weighs only forty-five pounds when fully assembled, and can easily be broken down into two pieces for transport and storage
- The Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope includes a number of accessories, such as a two inch Crayford-style focuser, a one and a quarter inch adapter, two wide-angle eyepieces, and a finder scope
User impressions
The Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope is featured on a number of different retailer sites, including Sky-Watcher’s main site, OTP, and Amazon. With just under two-hundred reviews between these sites, most customers report a sense of satisfaction regarding their investment, with the telescope holding a 5/5 on OTP, and a 4.1/5 on Amazon.
What consumers are saying is that this telescope is “very well made and easy to use”, as well as “an incredible bang for the buck.” One user reported that “the difference between this and pretty much every other telescope I’ve ever owned is impressive,” and that “the Orion nebula popped right into view with exquisite detail” and “the Andromeda Galaxy was spectacular to see as well,” highlighting the telescope’s deep sky capabilities. The telescope also provides a fantastic view of planets with incredible detail, including Jupiter’s colored bands, and the Saturn’s Rings and their shadow.
Although the Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope is “massive” and “huge”, many customers found that the telescope is easy to move, and you “can pick this thing up by the base with the telescope attached and move it wherever” needed without much effort. User have reported being able to transport the telescope in everything from an SUV to a Prius. The build is of high quality and “everything on the tube is metal and feels sturdy”, although “the stand is wood, but that is also sturdy.” Users also report that assembly was “very easy” and a “cake walk”, and that even after shipping the “telescope came almost perfectly collimated.” Assembly takes “about half an hour” and “all parts and tools are provided.”
However, there have been a sizable number of customers purchasing the telescope from Amazon that have experienced shipping issues, which considerably weigh down Amazon’s score of the telescope. There were no such experiences reported from Sky-Watcher’s main website.
Other critical reviews have mentioned that the “lenses that came with it are of an inferior quality, especially the 25mm, which showed a blurred image along the edges” and that the focuser as well as the finder scope might be something worth upgrading. As one user puts it, you should “be prepared to spend a bit on quality lenses, a quality barlow and some essential upgrades if you really want to enjoy it to its fullest.” Users also recommend a Moon Filter, as the optical tube collects so much light. Since this is a Dobsonian reflector telescope, the Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope also requires some maintenance, such as semi-frequent collimation—or the aligning of the optical mirrors—and that “collimation can seem difficult at first, but a month later it is a breeze.”
To summarize, the Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope makes a great telescope for either the beginner or the seasoned amateur astronomer. It has large eight inch aperture that collects enough light to allow for exquisite views of both planets and deep-space objects alike. It is easy to transport, breaking down into two easy to lift pieces, and has a sturdy metal build that will allow the telescope to last for years. The mirrors are high quality and multi-coated with a parabolic design that allows for ninety-four percent reflection and prevents spherical aberration. As a reflector telescope, the Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope will require occasional maintenance in the form of collimation, a process that takes some practice to master. While the telescope does come with a number of accessories, with more use many customers found the need to upgrade the eyepieces and the focuser to better quality products. For the price, however, this telescope offers a level of quality and sight that can’t be found in similar products, and because of this the Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope comes highly recommended.
Comparable telescopes
While we endorse the Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope, you might also consider the following products:
Additional accessories
Here are some accessory suggestions that will improve your experience with the Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope:
- Orion RedBeam LED Motion Sensing Headlamp
- Celestron X-Cel LX 2X Barlow – 1.25″
- Orion LaserMate Deluxe II Laser Collimator
