If you are looking for a telescope at this price range we are going to consider that you are a beginner. Orion observer st 80 telescope is a bad purchase! Zhumell Z114 would be a better choice in this area. . They were amazing. For Feedback: telescopestobuy@gmail.com We think an equatorial mount is overkill for Observer 80ST. But I think it's worth fixing the shortcomings. The small aperture and wide field of view make it can excellent instrument for observing targets in the Solar System as well as bright galaxies, clusters and several Messier Objects. Orion is an experienced telescope manufacturer and Orion Observer 80ST is a decent telescope that will serve you well, The 80mm aperture and the 400mm focal length provide a, Deep space objects such as the Orion Nebula, Pleiades Star Cluster, and Andromeda Galaxy look bright and detailed, Deep space performance is especially good since refractor telescopes have more light gathering ability than reflectors. I purchased the Orion Observer 80ST a few months ago as a portable starting scope to use in conjunction with my 15X70 binoculars. The scope is attached to the equatorial mount with 1/4 inch screws that come out of the scope body and held on to the mount with 1/4 inch wing nuts. The equatorial mount takes some getting used to at first, but with a little patience and practice, it becomes very useful for tracking your target across the night sky. Called the company that day, they told me they'd get another out right away and asked for me to take some pics of the damage. I keep looking at the Stellarvue 80mm right angle finder offered at (among other places) OPT for $249. Ken made it so easy that I actually felt compelled to email him my thanks after watching his videos. Most of the Messier Catalog is easily visible with the Orion Observer 80ST. (10mm and 25mm) Although the finder is useful, the eyepieces are below average. If you want to attach a different telescope with a dovetail bar, you have to buy or make an adapter for an aftermarket dovetail clamp. The Orion Observer 80ST 80mm Equatorial Refractor Telescope was easy to install following the included instructions along with the videos provided on Youtube. Polar ice caps on Mars are also. It is easy to use if you learn how to use the equatorial mount. Can't beat the price. They will prove to be enough at the beginning. The equatorial mount was tight with no slop in the movement. Found that the finderscope shoe on the scope body was not aligned with the longitudinal axis, though you can adjust the finderscope screws to compensate the alignment of the finderscope. The 10 lbs(4.5 kg) weight would be considered as portable by any astronomer. . Now the scope is perfectly balanced and my RA fine tune knob moves smoothly back and forth with no play. Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2020. It goes without saying that if you get more expensive eyepieces you will get much better images. Compact and hassle free, it’s easy to take outside and set up, and easy to bring in when you’re done. with awful PowerSeeker’s and cheap toyshop models. The only problem with the optics is that there is some chromatic aberration. Please make sure that you are posting in the form of a question. Because I still really wanted THIS telescope. You will still be able to see incredible details, For more experienced astronomers this might be a huge problem, but we don’t think a beginner will notice it that much, The purpose of an equatorial mount is to be able to align the telescope with the Earth’s axis so you can be able to follow celestial objects easier. I also had to replace the bushing with a teflon bushing I found which I had to modify in order to fit correctly. Good starting point scope, but you will have to put some money into it to make it right. A good scope and mount for a beginner for operation of an equatorial mount in terms of cost. The EQ-1 equatorial mount is die-cast metal with aluminum tripod legs. visible. They were amazing. Tripod legs are not stiff enough which cause the telescope to shake when you are adjusting the focusing knobs. Also very trusting of us because we didn't have to send the other telescope back first. Max capacity for an EQ-1 mount is 7 pounds of telescope. The stability of the mount is more than enough for an f/5 refractor. The equatorial mount has metal pointers for the degree angle markings which were not square but only off by 1 degree. There are better choices for planetary performance. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. I had to disassemble the equatorial head, loosen the locknut to the RA one quarter turn and balance the scope correctly. Page 1 of 8 - The Venerable Orion Shorttube 80mm... - posted in Refractors : Say its not true! In terms of putting the scope together, I highly recommend watching the Orion instructional videos on YouTube. The telescope comes with a red dot finder and two Kellner eyepieces. I did and then printed out the label they emailed me for free return shipping. Just be sure to polar align it first. Craters and mountain ranges will easily be visible with a lot of detail. (10mm and 25mm) Although the finder is useful, the eyepieces are below average. Orion Observer 80ST is a well-made, entry-level telescope for deep space and planetary observations. A short optical tube design doesn’t require precise movements. great image once set up perfectly. This scope does the trick. I will give Orion a 5 star plus for all their help. The 80mm aperture is pretty wide for a refractor. It is a strong recommendation if you are willing to spend a little time learning how to use the equatorial mount and looking for above-average deep space performance, Orion Observer 70 II AZ Refractor Review: Good Value. Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2018. As I was really just getting started with more serious deep sky watching, I wanted something I could easily transport to darker sites, or just to move in and out of my house with little fuss. A decent telescope around the 100$ range is hard to come by. If it looks like Vixen, and acts like a Vixen, it MUST be a Vixen? The purpose of an equatorial mount is to be able to align the telescope with the Earth’s axis so you can be able to follow celestial objects easier. This versatile telescope's 80mm-aperture objective lens has a short focal length of 400mm (f/5), which makes the Observer 80ST extremely portable and compact. One of my many projects is to build an 80mm finder scope that will also work for some widefield views. The focuser is unbelievably poor quality, dollar store scope quality. The Cassini Division is not visible though. A Review - The Orion ShortTube 80MM Refractor. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, A Good, Wide Field Beginning Telescope for Amateur Astronomers Learning the Ropes, Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2018.