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Sky-Watcher Evostar 120mm f/7.5 ED doublet apochromatic refractor

Regular Price: $2,490.00

Special Price $1,999.00

Availability: In stock

This 120mm Sky-Watcher Evostar 120ED is a premium doublet apochromatic refractor with highly-reviewed high contrast/high resolution optics that Sky & Tel said were on a par with scopes costing three times its price . . .

Our Product #: S11130
Sky-Watcher Product #: S11130
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Product Description

This Sky-Watcher Evostar 120ED apochromatic refractor has:
• 120mm f/7.5 apochromatic doublet optics using an ED element
• dual-speed 2" Crayford focuser with 10:1 ratio fine focusing
• 2" dielectric star diagonal with 2" and 1.25" eyepiece holders
• two 1.25" Long Eye Relief eyepieces (20mm and 5mm)
• 8 x 50mm right-angle finderscope
• dovetail shoe for installing on a Celestron AVX go-to mount or any Vixen-style altazimuth or German equatorial mount
• two-year warranty

The Sky-Watcher Evostar 120ED uses a crown glass element, an ED glass element, and state-of-the-art optical multicoatings in its apochromatic ED doublet optics. The result is images that are essentially free of the annoying halo of unfocused violet light (chromatic aberration) that often mars the view of bright stars and solar system objects. In addition, there is no loss in contrast such as you will find in reflector and catadioptric scopes that have a secondary or diagonal mirror hanging in the light path to scatter light..

The 120mm Sky-Watcher doublet optics are even more appealing when you consider that this Sky-Watcher apo is loaded with features other manufacturers charge extra for (or don't even have available) - such as an 8 x 50mm right-angle finderscope, a 2" dielectric star diagonal with 1.25" and 2" compression ring accessory holders, two 1.25" LE (Long Eye Relief) eyepieces (LE20mm and LE5mm); and a foam-lined aluminum-clad carrying case.

The Sky-Watcher Evostar 120ED has enough premium high contrast/high resolution optical performance to let you use it as the heart of your observing system. With a weight of 11.3 pounds, it will work well on most medium duty equatorial mounts, but may start to push the capacity of some altazimuth mounts. That said, the Sky-Watcher Evostar 120ED is still light enough to take out and set up for observing on very short notice. Considering its surprisingly low price for an apochromatic doublet, adding in the extra features you get at no extra cost, and in view of the great optical performance that comes as standard equipment, the 120mm Sky-Watcher Evostar 120ED is a terrific buy!

Features of this telescope . . .

Apochromatic ED doublet refractor optics: 120mm (4.72") aperture, 900mm focal length, f/7.5 focal ratio.  The ED element is precision-polished from high grade ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass. This ED element produces superior sharpness and color correction by minimizing the chromatic aberration, the "false" color fringing seen around bright objects when light rays pass through standard crown-and-flint doublet objectives. The result is to reduce spurious color halos and fringing to vanishingly low levels.

Fully multicoated optics: Each air-to-glass surface in the Sky-Watcher PRO 120ED doublet objective lens has MHC (Metallic High-Transmission Coating) antireflection multicoatings on all air-to-glass surfaces for high light transmission, minimal light scatter, and excellent contrast.

Internal light baffles: Contrast-enhancing internal light baffles in the tube and focuser drawtube and a specially darkened tube interior provide dark sky backgrounds and high terrestrial contrast.

Dew shield: The supplied dew shield slows the formation of dew on the lens in cold weather to extend your undisturbed observing time. It also improves the contrast, similar to the effect of the lens shade on a camera lens, when observing during the day or when there is excessive ambient light at night, such as a neighbor's backyard security light. The substantial 11. 3 pound optical tube measures 37.8" long, including the dew shield. A slip-on metal dust cap is standard.

Dual speed 2" Crayford focuser: The precision-made no-backlash focuser has dual-speed focusing. There are two coarse focusing knobs. The right knob also has a smaller concentric knob with 10:1 reduction gear microfine focusing. This provides exceptionally precise image control during high magnification visual observing and critical DSLR or CCD imaging. The large focus knobs have ribbed gripping surfaces so they are easy to operate, even while wearing gloves or mittens in cold weather. Lock knobs lets you adjust the tension on the drawtube to accommodate varying eyepiece/photo accessory loads, as well as firmly lock in a photographic focus.

2" dielectric star diagonal: The supplied standard equipment 2" mirror star diagonal of the PRO 120ED slips into the focuser drawtube's 2" eyepiece/accessory holder. The 2" diagonal has 99% reflectivity dielectric mirror coatings for high light transmission. A supplied 1.25" accessory adapter slips into the 2" diagonal to let you also use 1.25" eyepieces. The 1.25" accessory adapter can also be inserted directly into the 2" accessory holder on the focuser drawtube to let you use a 1.25" image erecting diagonal, or 1.25" photographic accessories.

Supplied eyepieces: Two 1.25" long eye relief eyepieces are supplied as standard equipment - a 20mm (45x) and a 5mm (180x).

Finderscope: The Sky-Watcher Evostar 120ED comes with an 8 x 50mm right-angle finderscope that is fully-multicoated to insure maximum brightness and contrast.

Mounting dovetail: The Sky-Watcher Evostar 120ED apo has dual hinged split-ring tube rings and a dovetail mounting bar that fits directly into the Vixen-style dovetail slot on the head of many of the most popular medium capacity altazimuth and German equatorial mounts. Such mounts include the Astro-Tech Voyager altazimuth II and the Celestron AVX Advanced Series go-to equatorial, among others.

Shipping/storage case: The scope comes in foam-fitted aluminum-clad shipping/storage case.

Two-year warranty: The Sky-Watcher Evostar 120ED doublet apo is protected by a two-year limited warranty against flaws in materials and workmanship.

Tech Details

Aperture 4.72"
Focal Length 900mm
Focal Ratio f/7.5
Highest Useful Magnification 257x
Weight 11.3 lbs.
Optical Coatings Metallic High-Transmission Coatings (MHC)
Resolution 0.97 arc seconds
Supplied Eyepiece two 1.25” LE (Long Eye relief) eyepieces (LET20mm and LET5mm)
Telescope Type Refractor
View Finder 8x50
Visual Limiting Magnitude 12.9
Warranty 2 years

Reviews

Review by:
Excellent optics for a doublet at this focal ratio. I upgraded the supplied V-style mounting bar with a heavier 11.5" ADM unit and placed the green anodized bar that came with the 'scope on top of the ample tube rings for use as an accessory rail. My only complaint is the 2" Crayford-style focus mount. A telescope of this optical quality and appealing aesthetics deserves a heavier duty rack and pinion focuser with a brass compression ring to handle a more robust load for astrophotography. I'd gladly pay more for a better focus mount. This 'scope is seeing much use at public outreach programs - it's easy to transport and set up. Color correction rivals the best APO's and this telescope balances better with the lighter two-element objective up front. Nice Airy disks and concentric diffraction rings inside and outside of focus. This 'scope delivers superb, high contrast views of the Moon, planets and double stars and the brighter deep sky objects. Overall, a great value for the money. It rides rock solid on my Losmandy GM-8 mount. (Posted on 2/29/2020)
Review by:
Grabbed one of these from Astronomics at the first of the year and am really, really pleased with the optics. Put off trying one for years and quite happy with my purchase. Didn't expect the optics to be this nice. Against costlier APOs this thing gives up very, very little optically, out of focus star test, while in focus images are much better than I was expecting. I figured I would be replacing the focuser from the get go but the thing arrived tuned just perfect and I've been using the Ethos in it and not the first hint of a problem. Light, nice optics, easy to move about while mounted, what's not to like. (Posted on 10/27/2019)
Review by:
This OTA is amazing for what it is. Mine has been star tested and is at least 1/6th wave. Maybe better. Hard to tell without using a DPAC. It's images are simply spectacular for the price. You could pay $100s or $1000s more and IMO all you'll get is higher quality accessories or build quality. You will not get a better image IMO. I do not image. I have the FF but have never used it. The finish is very nice. I like the black speckle!

The four stars is because as I just hinted, everything is is good (enough) quality. The cell is not colimatable. But mine was absolutely fine. The dew shield does not retract. The focuser is okay, it does not rotate which can be a pain on a GEM. The finder is super basic but works. The case is BARELY serviceable. Mine has edges coming apart. The rings are basic rings. The diagonal was okay but my star tests were done with a StellarVue diagonal. The two eyepiece are both surprisingly good. Not great. But better than you often get with a scope.

Seems SW spent the money where it should be on an APO OTA, on the optics!
I just do visual. Highly recommended. (Posted on 8/23/2019)
Review by:
I Love This Scope!!! The ProED 120 was my first scope and remains, to this day, my workhorse. Given my local seeing conditions and image scale for my CMOS cameras, the image scale is perfect for all of my deep sky imaging. Hoping someday to move up to a triplet, but until then, this is my most versatile scope. (Posted on 7/26/2019)
Review by:
I bought this scope from a different retailer couple of months ago and all I can say is that it's an excellent performer for an ED/APO doublet. It is lightweight, produces virtually no CA views even on bright objects like Venus, and one doesn't need a really beefy and bulky mount for it. I did not do (yet) any imaging with it but for visual use it's been a God-sent. The focuser on mine I silky smooth, no issues whatsoever even with a 2" diagonal with a 2" eyepiece. I use the LXD75 goto mount with mine and the setup is sturdy with no shaking. Accessories that come with it is are pretty goodm especially eyepieces (actually great for beginners), the 2" diagonal is ok tough I have and use better, and the case is fine for storage but I wouldn't recommend it for travel and use in the field (thin walls easily prone to dents and breaking). Overall, even with the current price, a great bang for the buck. (Posted on 7/24/2019)
Review by:
Purchased this one in 2018 right before the price increase and I must say optically it rocks! Even after the price increase I would still consider this one if you want APO Quality images with great contrast. I have a 150 mm refractor that I call my Yard Cannon, I call this one my Yard Bazooka, much more manageable moving in and out of the house and the images, while smaller than the 150 are sharper with better contrast - making details really stand out! (Posted on 7/23/2019)
Review by:
Great scope at a great price. Everything good you've read about these is true. Get one! The views are just about as good as refractors that cost 3+ times as much. Plus this thing is lightweight and easy to mount. (Posted on 1/8/2019)
Review by:
Having owned several APO refractors, I am impressed with the views and image contrast this scope provided. Images are right up there with scopes costing considerably more. Planetary views at medium power are stunning. My only complaint is with the focuser in that I found it to be difficult to get and maintain a precise focus. I also would prefer the finder bracket to be located on the tube body rather than the focuser unit. Otherwise, a great scope. (Posted on 12/20/2018)
Review by:
This is a cannon. Yet I mounted it on my Orion Skyview Pro GOTO (rated at 20lbs) and with a quick polar align I was getting 30 secs unguided.
From my urban Sarasota backyard I aimed at M16 as a joke and with my unmodded DSLR knocked out 30, 30sec subs and stacked them DSS .... unbelievable..... this scope on its first night out tracked so well the image was for me mindblowing. The scope is long all right at 42inches but only weighs 13 lbs. You may see my image on CloudyNights under my username gbgrimm. (Posted on 10/25/2018)
Review by:
This scope is perfect for me. 120mm gives a great view for the visual oberserver. This doublet scope is light and makes for a great grab and go ! (Posted on 10/6/2018)
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Supplied Accessories

  • 120mm f/7.5 ED doublet apochromatic optics
  • Split hinged tube rings with a Vixen-style dovetail
  • 8 x 50mm right-angle finderscope
  • 2" dual speed Crayford focuser
  • 2" dielectric star diagonal with 2" and 1.25" eyepiece holders
  • 20mm (45x) and a 5mm (180x) long eye relief 1.25" eyepieces
  • Dew shield
  • Dust covers
  • Foam-fitted carrying case.