Any opinions on Jessop's 800-80 telescope?

[NeilFawcett]

A mate of mine is after a simple scope of his kids. This is reduced to just £40.

I'd imagine if he could see the moon's craters and possibly Jupiters moons, he'd be happy? Would he stands a chance do you think?

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/products/jessops/800-80-astronomical-telescope-75447/show.html?cm_re=Home-_-PanelScopes-jess-_-291112

Thanks for any advice...

[Biggazza88]

You won't have any problems getting the moon and Jupiter with that scope. People will say its nO good but it's 40 quid and it has the capabilities of getting these targets easily, you never know it may spark a interest! Go for it, it's only 40 quid!!

[Naemeth]

You may have more luck with: http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-heritage-76-mini-dobsonian.html

[Planetesimal]

I was about to post a link to the SW Heritage mini Dobsonian, but I see Naemeth has beaten me to it!

The quality of the optics will be better with the Skywatcher Dob. Definitely the better option I would say.

[Special K]

For kids that budget would be attractive. I was passing Jessops and didn't see this but the larger one for 80 caught my eye and stopped to look at the spec. The eye pieces will be fairly poor and this is a classic drug store scope which boats high mags way beyond the instruments' capabilities. The 80mm reflector shouldn't be used with more than 160x even though they state 399x as a maximum! Probably best views with this scope would be with the 20mm as it will likely have the largest field of vision. Should be easy to spot the Galilean moons with it. Then up the mag to 64x using the supplied 12.5mm. The 6mm could be tricky depending on the quality. An interesting configuration might be to put the 20mm in the 3x Barlow for 120x. This could be best as it will retain the widest field of vision at high mag. Should be able to make out the bands on Jupiter and the rings on Saturn with that! I would imagine kids will get a big kick out of seeing those planets and I'm always surprised how much mine enjoy looking. I think any telescope will be great for viewing the moon.

Drawback is definitely going to be that mount. It will wobble and is an alt azimuth with few adjustments to keep the target in view. There will be a lot of work to do as objects drift out of the FOV so Dad will have to be on the ball to keep the troops entertained. As mentioned the EP's may be poor but the scope has a high focal ratio at f/10 which will be more forgiving of poor EP's than my f/5. However your mate would have to spend from 75 upwards to start getting better quality. I looked at the link and notice there is also a refractor for the same price. This design is supposed to be better for viewing planets and the moon. I notice it also comes with a moon filter which is dead handy as the moon is too bright to look at and will protect young ones eyes. The 20mm should give a good view and use the Barlow to get maximum mag at 90x. I would leave the 6mm in the box...

For the kids I would get it! Think of it this way: in the 1500's those astronomers would have freaked out if they had one of these to play with! It would be serious fun to bring along some quality EP's to stick in these little scopes to get a maximum performance out of them! I would get the refractor if they have it in the shop! Happy Holidays!

[Catweazel]

+1 for the SkyWatcher, for an extra £10 it will be well worth it!

[gkec]

I think the SkyWatcher is this rebadged

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_28104.htm?WT.mc_id=2012-12-03-13-09

various incantations are available.

[gkec]

I would go for the Jessops. I think the Dob is just a rebadged cheap toy sold by all and sundry. I would check that the eyepiece is not sloppy in the holder and the focusser has smooth enough action.

[John]

I think the SkyWatcher is this rebadged

http://www.aldi.co.u...012-12-03-13-09

various incantations are available.

Other way around possibly - Synta is the manufacturer of Skywatcher, Celestron and a number of other brands and could well have made that scope, although the spec is slightly different from the Skwatcher Heritage mini. The "National Geographic" branding has appeared on some pretty poor scopes though so I think I'd rather buy a trusted brand from an astro dealer.

[nephilim]

IMO, I'd stay well away from it, these catalogue type scopes that promise amazing magnification that they will never live up to are usually of very poor quality & as Special K has said, the mount will be all over the place, if you do manage the cloud bands of Jupiter & rings of Saturn the scope will be 'bouncing' around so much you'll never be able to study either for more than a split second. For £40-£50 you'll be able to get a decent pair of binos which will be alot easier to use and the kids will get far more fun out of them. Sorry to sound negative but I dont like to see people ripped off by companies selling items they know next to nothing about.

[gkec]

IMO, I'd stay well away from it, these catalogue type scopes that promise amazing magnification that they will never live up to are usually of very poor quality & as Special K has said, the mount will be all over the place, if you do manage the cloud bands of Jupiter & rings of Saturn the scope will be 'bouncing' around so much you'll never be able to study either for more than a split second. For £40-£50 you'll be able to get a decent pair of binos which will be alot easier to use and the kids will get far more fun out of them. Sorry to sound negative but I dont like to see people ripped off by companies selling items they know next to nothing about.

I think this is tricky. Kids love telescopes. Kids find it hard to hold binoculars steady. Low end telescopes are problematic. Also the expectation is that you get to see huge planets and galaxies with these low end scopes. So what do you do? I think the Jessop's scope wins. It looks like a real telescope so is exciting from a Christmas present point of view. If the father has enough patience he can point at the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn so the kids can have a look and see something. And £40 is cheaper than an xBox.

[LeeB]

its a tough one, most astronomers that started as kids (like me had a small refractor 60mm or a similar small scope like the jessops one) I have no knowledge of the jessops scope but at 80mm f10 , the spherical mirror it will contain could still perform well. The mount is poor and will prove difficult to use on anything but the moon and the major planets. however it is only £40 and will I'm sure give reasonably good views of the moon. If the tube proves ok a small dobsonian mount could be made cheaply from 8mm ply after xmas. The eyepiece design is also of an older type with quite narrow fields of view but at f10 (if glass) will perform ok.

[nephilim]

I do see your point, it is a tricky one, I read a little more into this and the seller at the jessops shop when asked if he saw the moons of jupiter through it, he said he couldnt but hadnt been trying (as we all know u cant really miss them even in a scope of small apperture), it also says there an adapter to atatch a camera but I think it'd fall over with a even a small camera attatch. My reasons for been against these type of scopes is that many people who know nothing when they first start out (myself inluded) end up going into one of thes stores where the staff through no fault of their own are unable to understand the scopes 'real' pros/cons and it sometimes put people of buying a scope for life. A telescope is a scientific instrument and as such i think as John rightly said should only really be bought in shops dedicated to the hobby with the knowledge to match. Agreed, the binos can be a little triky to use for children but 'mount' them on a broom handle and u take away the wobble (to a point) and with the great widefield views afforded with them can give the little ones something to really 'Wow' about, rather than the parent finally getting Jupiter in view only for the hild to see it whizz past or bounce out of view. The planets are only going to look light bright disks & the only galaxy ahievable would be m31, but as we all know, in a sope its a fuzz and as it stretches so far out a good pair of binos would give a much better veiw. Binos give great views of the milky way and starting out with them is a great way to get them interested in taking it further.

BTW There was no disrespect meant towards your opinion & this discussing does have valid points on both sides.

Clear Skies

Steve.

[BinocularSky]

My advice, for what it's worth, is not to touch the Jessops one and go for the SKywatcher if you are determined to have a telescope for under 50 quid.

That Jessop thing has two advantages over the Skywatcher: it has a red-dot finder instead of the 5x24 finderscope (these can usually be improved by removing the optics and using them as a sighting tube!) and at f/10 is is slightly more forgiving on eyepiece quality. That's where it ends. The mount is utterly, utterly dire; the Barlow is appalling; the tiny field of view makes it difficult for youngsters to use; and lastly, as a matter of principle avoid anything that advertises a beginner telescope with a magnification of more than double the aperture in mm on the grounds that it can only be misleading advertising hype (I feel an ASA complaint coming on!).

Kids find it hard to hold binoculars steady.

Depends on the age of the child and how s/he is taught to hold the binocular. The lad in the pictures on this page on how to hold a binocular has been using a lightweight 10x50 perfectly successfully since he was 8 (I know that because he made an independent discovery of M34, and then devised a star-hop to show me what he'd found).

Whatever you get for a youngster, you will need to show him/her how to get the best out of it. With that in mind, I believe that s/he will get a lot of enjoyment form either a telescope of a binocular. I think the binocular is easier to use and has more uses but, if s/he can be shown how to use the telescope effectively, there is no reason that it will not be a worthwhile purchase.

[perrin6]

I would rather spend the £40 on a pair of binoculars (with at least 40mm wide objective lenses) and save for a better telescope !

[Special K]

Either way, better get down to the shops quick! I think the wow factor of a telescope for the kids is the key to this one. With patience the scope could provide enough enjoyment. Star clusters will also be on the cards so there is a nice variety of easy targets that will impress kids. We have to remember that the person buying this scope is perhaps not as experienced or demanding as those of us who are deeply into the hobby.

[BinocularSky]

(I feel an ASA complaint coming on!)

Done. I'll report the outcome in the Astro Lounge -- probably take a month or two. It would be really good to set a precedent where the ASA steps in where these misleading claims are made.

[NeilFawcett]

Either way, better get down to the shops quick! I think the wow factor of a telescope for the kids is the key to this one. With patience the scope could provide enough enjoyment. Star clusters will also be on the cards so there is a nice variety of easy targets that will impress kids. We have to remember that the person buying this scope is perhaps not as experienced or demanding as those of us who are deeply into the hobby.

Oh! The person being discussed has never used a telescope! So definitely a total noob to the field!

[Naemeth]

Done. I'll report the outcome in the Astro Lounge -- probably take a month or two. It would be really good to set a precedent where the ASA steps in where these misleading claims are made.

It would be good. Perhaps less will be put off if they try a 80mm reflector which claims a maximum magnification of 160x, than that same reflector claiming 1000x. If less were put off, it may be very good for the business .

[whooshbang]

+1 for binos. they can be used for wildlife, aircraft and boats as well as staring into the milky way which as a kid i remember doing all with great fondness.

[NeilFawcett]

+1 for binos. they can be used for wildlife, aircraft and boats as well as staring into the milky way which as a kid i remember doing all with great fondness.

My biggest four revelations with my first little childhood telescope were:-

1) The craters on the moon.

2) Jupiter and its moons.

3) Saturn's rings.

4) The Orion Nebula.

If the Jessops telescope can get those, I'm sure they'll be more than happy

Would be interested to see an image quality difference between the Jessops and similarly priced Sky Watcher 60mm refractor.

[BinocularSky]

It would be good.

I've spent the last 40 years or so moaning about it, so now that the ASA is empowered to deal with misleading advertising on t'internet, it seems appropriate to supplement the moaning with actually doing something about it. They might even appreciate having something other than spurious claims of health benefits to deal with .

[E621Keith]

My biggest four revelations with my first little childhood telescope were:-

1) The craters on the moon.

2) Jupiter and its moons.

3) Saturn's rings.

4) The Orion Nebula.

If the Jessops telescope can get those, I'm sure they'll be more than happy

Would be interested to see an image quality difference between the Jessops and similarly priced Sky Watcher 60mm refractor.

You can see all of these with a good pair of binocular. The Skywatcher 76 is an established mini dob and you can buy it from several department stores. I saw one in John Lewis yesterday and played with it a little. The focuser is better than I expected for a scope of this price and the mount seems solid and smooth.

http://stargazerslou...stscope-76-iya/

http://www.cloudynig...hp?item_id=2440

and if you are a crazy and stick a TV eyepiece in one

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/3289123/page/260/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1

The Jessops is a typical department store toy. It's quite common to go into Jessops and see one of these mounted upside down and pointed towards the ground. I used a few £40 photo tripod in the past, none can hold my 1.6kg spotting scope steady at 60x. This gives you an idea what a £40 scope's tripod will do.

The SW's dob mount is made from cheap but strong plywood and the tube out of cardboard (traditional dobsonian material), so most of the money can be put into the optics. A lot of money will be wasted on the Jessop's mount and cosmetics to make the Jessops look like a telescope, and very little will be left for the glass inside.

[JamesM]

One thing to remember with regards to combining children, astronomy and appropriate kit is how well can you share the view? To my mind telescopes have the slight edge here on binoculars, in that an object can be easily found and shared by both parent and child because there is some control over where to point it. Binoculars are great too but I see them more suitable for older children due them having further developed their hand/eye co-ordination skills. I agree with the consensus above that the Skywatcher suggested scope will be better value and will certainly have better quality controls in how it has been constructed.

James

[Huw Pryce]

Just set up my Jessops ta800x80 in the garden to look at the moon. I put the kitchen steps next to it and a succession of people came out to look at the moon. After several people, including my 9 year old, the tripod had been jostled sufficiently to knock the scope offline. My Mother commented that the moon was much smaller than it was to the naked eye, but the little stars either side were very clear. A look through the sight on the tube showed that it was now pointing straight at Jupiter and the 'little stars' were four of the moons. That's in suburban London without really even trying.