Orion SkyView Pro 8 GoTo Reflector Telescope

I am brand new to stargazing and amateur astronomy, and I am still learning and heading toward astrophotography, so I got this telescope after some research. Overall, it is great, once you get everything set up.Follow the assembly instructions exactly. The assembly is a bit intimidating for first-time users, but I got through it just fine. I deducted a star from the rating because the first mount that was shipped to me was defective - Basically, the hardware inside the mount head was stiff, and so it was difficult to swivel, nearly impossible to balance, and the GoTo system wouldn't actually slew without grinding the gears. That was a bit of a disappointment and I was terrified that I did something wrong and broke it, but luckily, Orion was a phone call away, and sent me a new mount head with no problem, so props to them on that!The eyepieces that come with the OTA are alright, but they are only standard. I recommend getting the eyepiece kit from Orion, because this particular telescope has a pretty wide range of useful magnifications. Also, the eyepiece kit comes with some nice filters, especially the neutral density filter for viewing the moon (without it, it'll almost blind you!)It is very difficult to do a proper polar alignment without a Polarscope, and this package doesn't include one. You can do a pretty good rough polar alignment, but I've found that rough polar alignment is not quite good enough for the GoTo to function properly - You'll still need to make some adjustments after the motorized slew.Another slight issue that influenced my deduction of one star is the counterweights - They really like to slide down the shaft, unless you clamp them down unreasonably tight (which is hard on the hands). I have to wear gloves to tighten them.This scope is technically portable (my home is surrounded in trees, so I am a portable user), but it is very heavy, especially with the counterweights (which you assemble on site, but still). If you need to be extremely portable, it might be worth looking at other options.Overall, this is an excellent starter scope that I can see myself using for a long time. I will update my review once I get enough practice to set up an astrophotography rig. Also, any questions, please comment and I will answer to the best of my ability.