Meade LS-8 ACF LightSwitch Telescope

Comments about Meade LS-8 ACF LightSwitch Telescope:

So easy to use - switch it on and leave it to align for five minutes and it's ready to go. The Autostar computer is easy to use to find what you want to look at and there is a commentary that beginners will find useful (but that you can thankfully switch off!). All in all very user-friendly.

It does eat batteries, so I need to get an alternative power source and the moon is way too bright - I should have ordered a filter along with the scope. And I know this is supposed to be a lightweight scope - but it's right at the limit of what I can carry (17 kg) and I won't be carrying it far!

Comments about Meade LS-8 ACF LightSwitch Telescope:

I really like this telescope. Easy to setup and it self aligns even in my brightly lit neighborhood. I had an ETX-125 before I got the LS-8ACF and the two scopes are really night and day. No more trying to align stars (the LS-8 does it automatically) and it really does pull in a lot more light than the ETX-125, especially in a bright neighborhood like mine.

Don't bother using the telescope with C-cell batteries. This thing eats batteries. Get the car power cord or if you are using it near your house, a 100ft power cord and a 12v wall wart.

Also, ignore the problem reviews pre-2011. With firmware 1.6a, all the bugs and problems that people were having seem to have been fixed.

If you are beginner, the built in commentary is pretty good. It is great for showing friends and family, who are not familiar with astronomy, what they are looking at through the eyepiece. Best of all, you can always turn it off, if it is not your thing.

The LS-8 is lighter than a Celestron CPC800, but that lightness comes at a cost. When focusing, there is a long settler time. I have heard that the electronic focuser solves this problem. I can bearly lift a CPC800 and tripod combination, but the Meade LS-8 is a lot lighter. I do not have a problem lifting the LS-8 and tripod combination. The upside, is that I am more likely to take the LS-8 outside to actually use it. Don't get me wrong, the LS-8 is a lot heavier than an ETX-125, but not as heavy as a CPC800. For me, it strikes a really nice balance between telescope size and weight.

Comments about Meade LS-8 ACF LightSwitch Telescope:

Overall this is a great telescope for a beginner, provided you are willing to spend a bit of money. The descriptive audio and the self alignment all make this a very user friendly product. On the other hand, if you already know your way around the stars, then the Meade LX-90 series has a more solid mount and a nicer viewfinder scope (and still has the auto alignment.) For people debating between ACF and SC, the ACF is well worth it for photographers and people looking for a relatively undistorted image at the edge of your view.

Comments about Meade LS-8 ACF LightSwitch Telescope:

Wow, I was a bit nervous spending the amount of money on something I may only ue every now and then but the first time I saw Saturn all my fears were gone. I have used it every night and day since I got it and my six year old follows me out the door every time I go to set it up. My only fear now is what to do if they make a better one. Just one thing I had to slow down the max slew rate as it had trouble slowing down for some objects. But once done it was fine.

Comments about Meade LS-8 ACF LightSwitch Telescope:

For a beginner, this is a no brainer. This telescope uses its LightSwitch tech to position itself automatically. It eases you into telescopes rather than requiring you to know too much. One thing I do want to point out...you will want to buy a higher powered eye piece which lets you zoom in better. The standard eyepiece is good but I will be buying at least one more for now. Also, you WILL NEED some kind of filter to view the moon. It's way to bright to look at without a filter. So, plan ahead and get the filter (I'm looking into one myself).

Comments about Meade LS-8 ACF LightSwitch Telescope:

The Meade LS-8 ACF lightswitch telescope performs exactly as advertised. Turn it on and once it "thinks" a while, it finds the guide stars and works like a charm. However, as mentioned in the manual, the scope needs to "see" the guide stars, The further apart they are in the sky, the better the accuracy (think about it). But if you set up too close to your car, it does impair the GPS. I don't know if you need a full 50 feet, but it works. You don't need to know the constellations. Note that since it's not an equatorial mount or use a wedge, it's not suitable for long-exposure astrophotography,