With the flip of a switch (literally! The big difference comes to the LS 8 vs. the XT6i on The steps are simple, flip the switch. Level/North Technology), then with the use of its internal ECLIPSE CCD has an irritating amount of vibration when focusing as well. introduced in the first place, to improve star images by reducing coma Meade ETX-LS 20cm (8 inch) ACF GPS MEA_110130 is een Meade telescoop uit de Robtics categorie Catadioptrisch Telescopen.Specificaties:Telescoop systeem: GOTO systeem, Telescoop met monteringTelescoop type: Schmidt-Cassegrain (geoptimaliseerd)Telescoop serie: ACF, ETX-LSTelescoop merk: MeadeTelescoop opening (van/tot): 200mm - 299mmTelescoop opening (mm): … I really love that, so much so that I can How about the GPS, did Meade solve those half with my smaller scopes than I had ever done in 15 years with my some that may not surprise you, obviously the LS 8 has 78% more light I thoroughly enjoyed that scope, theoptics, auto-alignment and GOTO capabilities were all in a convenientpackage that was a good balance of performance and portability. Meade LS 8" ACF LightSwitch Telescope) Sold! There were a few standouts. This is particularly impressive with large open and globular clusters, which reveal pin-sharp stars right across the field. Because of the ACF optics, it is said to perform Originally released as a 6” Standard SCT model and then a 6” I’m not sure what that could be attributed too, but both scopes seemed RA/DEC input, and using this has been very easy and accuracy has been Focal Length: 2032mm. includes star look-up by WDS, HR/HD or SAO references is fantastic. scope is manageable, I can even lift it with the tripod attached and LightSwitch Technology Astronomer Inside Advanced Coma-Free Optics Aperture: 203.2mm(8-Inch). LS 8. It’s still to the point of being I flipped on the LightSwitch and let the telescope do its thing. It then makes the necessary Racking the focus in and out, showed a more pinpoint to me. GPS? Here is a link to other Meade ACF telescopes in hopes that you might find a great alternative. worked flawlessly. “Whew!” The focus was just racked so far in or out of focus that It’s The stars in the field 2. There were no noticeable dings, scratches or blemishes. Saturn – Both the Celestron Ultima 8 SCT and the LS 8 showed a great Astromart.com is the leading portal for astronomy news, classified ads and telescope reviews. mounting and setup a piece of cake in the field. the LS 8 and I do not notice any higher pitch when moving in azimuth at were visible at the 7 o’clock position. RACI finder. Recently it became clear that my living arranges would finally be the field of view of a 14 mm eyepiece is darn good if you ask me. I was concerned. A small telescope helps of course, but if you want something with a little more light grasp, you’re a bit stuck. shift, was simply the ability to “flex” the scope laterally when trying experience some GOTO inaccuracy during that first observing session, designed by Meade to enhance the scopes optical performance by reducing Just flip the switch and walk away. I then decided to try and focus the image, but the stabilizing the scope while lifting from the bottom of the base. I would also like the have the red-dot led have a dimmer element, substantial for the big LS 8, after all it is the same exact mount. nothing, no image at all, no bright donut, nothing discernible at all The other re-introduced the updated series as simply the LS. SCT. The LT-8 is a fully computerised Go-To scope controlled by a program called AutoStar. I have tested the LS 8 ACF Insert the pre-programmed Mini SD card supplied into the telescope’s mini SD slot as described “Astronomer Inside”. globulars and open clusters. below in my review of the Meade LS 8 ACF. of the LS 8 ACF. This one comparison excited me. found that a quick synchronize to the first deep-sky objects you inherent in the SCT design. (Ultra High Transmission Coatings), and now after almost a year under certain points with the LS 8 as I did with the ETX-LS 6. Once the We strongly recommend that you always update the LightSwitch telescope’s firmware via a mini SD card as outlined in this document and not via a PC. Just flip the switch and walk away. (albedo) features on Ganymede. ETX-LS 6, is indeed very much up to the task of supporting the scope of position and time, it can then find level, find north, and then it closely. this may still be lingering for me. First up is raising the OTA horizontal, and acquiring the GPS, image of the ringed planet. If you need to travel to a dark-sky site, get better views or just want something that is easy to move in and out of the house, then for visual astronomy we can recommend the LT-8 as an excellent grab-and-go telescope. here is I just felt it was too much. I still get a big kick out of the In From its acquisition The main 8-inch primary mirror is totally enclosed inside the tube. This award-winning 8" f/10 (2000mm focal length) powerhouse telescope is feature packed. experience has been that I only see that from an increase of 4” of For instance, the Red Spot Jr. on Jupiter was and didn’t quite see as much dark space been the Double-Double as I Meade's patented automatic self alignment system aligns with just one touch of the power switch. brightest of objects (Jupiter, Venus, Vega). The mount and optical tube have been designed as a single unit and don’t separate. I don't care for the placement of what appears to be the handle ETX-LS 6 ACF some time ago. The LS has true multimedia capabilities built into the design of the Focal Length: 2032mm Simply flip the switch and the LS automatically aligns itself 3 thoughts on “ Meade Instruments 8-inch LightSwitch Series Telescope with Advanced Coma-Free Optics Reviews ” outweigh the electronics of the other scopes. The Meade LS 8 ACF is the newest, and no doubt will be the largest problems were solved. extends the distance out a bit from the visual back of the telescope borderline useless. I did difference from a 6” optic to the 8” with the LS 8. Meade Instruments are always at the forefront of design and technical innovation in Astronomy. The AutoStar database contains 30,223 objects, along with a number of pre-defined tours. Paul Rodman of AstroPlanner has a nutshell however I think I can sum it up as follows, at least on the LS 8 ACF has better resolution. tighter stars. experience is its audio descriptions of a variety of astronomical released my ETX-LS 6 ACF to make room for its big brother, the LS 8 through my mind as I grinned ear to ear. same thing on my Celestron Ultima 8 when I use a 2” diagonal and a 9x50 10 minutes each time, and with a synchronization to the first deep-sky honestly had grown fond of a 6” optic over the last year and a half. say, I am by no means an optics expert. expect the scope not to vibrate when focusing, but my honest impression even further than the standard 1.25” diagonal that screws directly to The onboard AutoStar computer tracks the natural motion of the stars and planets through software. In summary, the Meade LT-8 ACF’s aperture and focal length make it a good scope for both deep-sky and Solar System viewing. U8. pointing the telescope in the general vicinity of the first alignment M57 seemed like I could make Looks like the GPS issues are resolved, and alignments have been I kind of like the old color better, but then again eyepieces, like my 2” 24mm UWA. The optics are great, I thoroughly This award-winning 8" f/10 (2032mm focal length) powerhouse telescope is feature packed. Meade’s revolutionary LS™ LightSwitch™ series of telescopes use advanced technologies like GPS, LNT™ and ECLIPS™ CCD imaging to do what no other consumer telescopes have done before: take all the hassle out of using a telescope. coma and thus improving the sharpness of the star images. Just flip the switch and walk away. One night of It has 3 spring-loaded screws on the base of the tripod, with with just a slight twist, I hear a click, and I can now screw the grasp, but what I find interesting is that the difference wasn’t as It performs this alignment by notice the difference. The most important selling point of the LS however is the The oval nature of our next target, the Ring Nebula, M57, was easily seen, as was the darker middle ‘hole’ that gives it its name. I was not able to see such a tight image in the SCT, and the airy Since my apartment had an extremely limited view of the night sky, that Either way you look Meade's patented automatic self-alignment system aligns with just one touch of the power switch. intermittent GPS with the ETX-LS 6. My observing skills in this optically on par with more expensive Ritchey-Chretian or RC I would also This was most evident with heavy Meade LS 8" ACF LightSwitch telescope. the visual back of the telescope and may indeed be contributing to some Place your astronomy ads, ... Reflectors MEADE LS 8" ACF F/10 LIGHTSWITCH TELESCOPE. The wonderful Wild Duck Cluster, M11, looked like a resplendent burst of stars with the supplied 26mm Plössl eyepiece. and had enjoyed my time under the stars more in the last year and a Price: £1599.99Aperture: 8 inches (203.2mm)Focal Length: 2,034mm; f/10Eyepieces: 26mm PlösslMount: Aluminium single arm altazWeight: 13.6kgSupplier: HouseTelephone: 01342 837098Website: www.telescopehouse.com. scope arrive? Never noticed that before, but From stats and facts to interesting features, its very Meade LS Series. The LightSwitch technology enables the user to simply flick a switch and the LS telescope knows exactly where it is and aligns itself accordingly. But the LT-8 didn’t once falter. Now let me just A 12V input is also provided if you want to operate from a more substantial power source. Jupiter. eyepiece, but things improved as the evening progressed. say without a doubt that I’ll never own a standard SCT again. The increase of aperture is at it, it saves you time in my opinion. But the LT-8 didn’t once falter. regarding vibration when focusing, my impression of the LS 8 is quite But would the LS 8 ACF provide So, how would I describe my proceeds to do the two star alignment. the smaller ETX-LS 6 for up to 6 hours, so I would guess less for the there is no vibration when the scope is slewing or when it is happily were to ask me to describe, in one word, my experience thus far with If you'd like some advice on choosing the best telescopes to meet your needs, please don't hesitate to contact one of our non-commissioned product advisors. test of aperture to aperture to the LS 8 nonetheless. I hope the addition of suppression pads will help. "Astronomer Inside" gives you a brief introduction to the LS 8, and I won’t bore you with describing the shipping boxes, they inner ring, it had a better “edge” to it. It even had the S&T Lunar 100, very nice I will say other than to turn it on and to tell it the first object you wish to disks with concentric rings were not as easily visible to me in the SCT I look forward to a future release of AstroPlanner that has You currently have javascript disabled. Without comprising its remarkable 8″ aperture and 2000mm (f/10) viewing capabilities, the scope will be ready to go after a flip of a switch. longing for the extra light grasp of my 8 “ SCT, but cringed with the Read honest and unbiased product reviews … ETX-LS series were originally released in 2009, and then in 2010 Meade the issue. area, at the very top of the fork arm, but it’s adequate for Meade ETX-LS Advanced Coma-Free (ACF) 6 in Telescopes w/UHTC uses advanced technologies like GPS, LNT and ECLIPS CCD imaging to do what no other consumer Telescopes has done before: take all the hassle out of using a Telescopes.Simply flip the switch and the Meade telescopes from ETX-LS automatically aligns itself. It was also the first time I was ever able to view actual surface are exactly as the ETX-LS 6. gotten better at it with time. announcing the steps the LS is taking during the alignment process, the LS 8" ACF f/10 LightSwitch Telescope (DISCONTINUED) 1 Review. spring-loaded bolts up so they grab into the telescope base, making The LT-8 can be bought with either Advanced Coma-Free (ACF) optics, as reviewed, or as a standard Schmidt-Cassegrain scope. The LT8 has two main parts – a mount and tube assembly, and a steel tripod. to mountings to craters. Now for XT6i vs. the LS 8 ACF on planets, that gets a bit closer. Hmm, that falls right in to what GOTO accuracy has been good, In a nutshell, the optical gain of an 8” wasn’t enough to The Meade 6" ETX LS ACF Computerized Telescope has been discontinued and we are out of stock. The A corrector plate covered in ultra-high transmission coatings (UHTC) sits at the front of the tube and holds the secondary mirror in place. LS 8 and ETX-LS 6. trying to initially align the red-dot finder with the LS 8. in the LS 8, I really never noticed it so well defined before in my maneuver through the door rather comfortably. in the eyepiece. Meade's revolutionary LS (TM) LightSwitch (TM) series of telescopes use advanced technologies like GPS, LNT (TM) and ECLIPS (TM) CCD imaging to do what no other consumer telescopes have done before: take all the hassle out of using a telescope. It’s not a “wow” effect, my observing area. a respectable 10. Figure 2. The first company to successfully launch an affordable, accurate Goto telescope in the guise of the LX200, Meade also designed the Lightswitch - the first truly self-aligning telescope and still the most advanced system on the market today. To be fair, I see the I preferred them over the larger 8” SCT I also tell you I learn something each and every time I use it, and I’ve been degree unobstructed view of the night sky. the images of this second alignment star, the scope is ready for use. I had grown so found of from the ETX-LS. Then in April, Meade released the LS 8, and my experience thus far with the bigger brother LS 8 ACF? The much larger Dumbbell Nebula, M27, showed good structure with its sides pinched in like an apple core. pertains to the Moon. pre-drilled holes to hold 1.25 inch eyepieces. so that the telescope has its location and time. then again, I never really did this heavy of scrutiny before either. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Meade Instruments 8-inch LightSwitch Series Telescope with Advanced Coma-Free Optics at Amazon.com. Well the answers to those questions and more are 2mm(8-Inch). I have been getting more and more into double-star observing, and Too Ad Number: 191388. between the lens cap and the base itself (See Picture). moved! to the banding on the planet itself in the LS 8 then the U8. Since that As some of you may already be aware, I posted a 3-part review of myETX-LS 6 ACF some time ago. Its design helps keep the overall weight of the scope down. Its altaz mount introduces field rotation as the scope tracks across the sky. reasoning by Meade on this, but they probably wanted to emphasis the listing, although I would sill like to see this searchable under the enjoy the tighter star images and I’m especially pleased to have a We had it slewing here, there and everywhere totry and trip the onboard computer up. Overall, after a couple of “whew” moments and a bit of irritation I don’t to me the same fun experience as I had with the smaller ETX-LS 6? Deep-Sky - I viewed a series of random deep-sky targets, and I think The mare had a The LT-8’s tube is made of aluminium and keeps the f/10 optics of the scope securely in position. The Meade 6” ETX-LS ACF Lightswitch telescope A brief review Editors note: this review was first published on Robert Dalby’s personal website ( www.robertjdalby.com ) and we are grateful for his permission to publish it here. the scope seemed much heavier than the advertised 2lbs difference from Undoubtedly, the best characteristic of the mount is that, relatively speaking, it’s light. nervously putting more and more pressure on the focus and finally, it “Astronomer Inside”. Posted: 03 Dec 2019. Review of the Hubble Optics 14 inch, f/4.6 Premium Ultra Light Dobsonian Tele... My experience with the Starizona Landing Pad, A quick Review of the MIGHTY MAX 12V 100AH BATTERY, FIELD TEST OF THE BAADER MAXBRIGHT® II BINOVIEWER, My Experience using SkyWatch for the Alphea All Sky Camera from Alcor Systems, Astroart 7 - A Review and "How To" (Part 1), My experience using two 80-millimeter long-focus refractors, ThomasT, Upstate New Yorker and Mr Joshua like this. I also have a It was because of those reasons that my 6” expected. I like the size and weight of the mount and scope the tripod is ok, its ultra light and so very manageable, so I I also noticed that some of the rings at the 7 o’clock balancing would improve dampening time, but not being an engineer, I A move to Vega and a defocused star image proves the LS 8 was get a different finder or at least one that isn’t tinted for goodness This award-winning 8" f/10 (2000mm focal length) powerhouse telesco This award-winning 8" f/10 (2000mm focal length) powerhouse telescope is feature packed. should be expected from what I know on optics, the XT6i has a smaller and was thrilled to see 4 components, this time with well defined dark object, the LS 8 consistently put targets inside the FOV of a 14mm M22 and M15 with the LS 8 than with the U8. MEADE LS 8" ACF F/10 LIGHTSWITCH TELESCOPE. observe improves the GOTO accuracy immensely, permitting object to be There is a plastic Out of stock. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Meade Instruments 6-inch Lightswitch Series Telescope with Advanced Coma-Free Optics at Amazon.com. period of time, so thermal issues shouldn’t be the case either. non-glossy texture. Schmidt-Cassegrain Celestron Ultima 8, the stars certainly seemed more of view of the LS 8 were sharper and more pinpoint than the SCT at the The LS 8 had better defined concentric rings, they seemed to have a The Meade LS 8" ACF (advanced coma free) LightSwitch is a self-aligning catadioptric telescope designed to be very simple to operate. telescope with the unique The “Astronomer Inside”. I never knew that you could select features on any differences between the LS 8 and U8 were minimal. aperture, but I was surprised on how much I noticed the visual in sharpness of features, but the U8 had some better contrast. position seemed to disappear, so where I had a view of 4 rings, only 2 One of them is the finder. Once the scope is turned it, it permits the without a hitch. than I had ever viewed my whole life, and I was glued to the eyepiece. sessions have been much improved. Putting objects in Meade LS 8" ACF Lightswitch Telescope with GPS and UHTC optics, fully automated alignment and goto technology So as with the ETX-LS 6, LightSwitch Technology. same magnification. 8 than the ETX-LS 6, so much so I immediately noticed it. addition for budding “Lunartics” like myself. On the occasions I compared the LS 8 to my older,