Please help me choose which scope

[portisheadstars]

Hello everyone. 

I thought id join here as i'm looking for advice on a telescope for a gift.  

I bought a celestron 130eq a while ago.   I use it to look at the moon really and that's as far as I got and quite honestly I love it.  I've no idea if its any good or not.

Anyway, id like to get a telescope for a friend for a gift .  I wondered if any one could say if either of the attached are any good or not and if they would be basically similar to the eq130 and give similar views.

They are -  a Celestron 21044 PowerSeeker 76 Reflector (There appears to be a lot of this exact looking design by different brands labeled 700 x 76) 

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-21044-PowerSeeker-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B0002CTZB6/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1495308894&sr=1-2&keywords=celestron+76az

And -celestron powerseeker 76az refractor

 http://www.ukcamerastore.co.uk/acatalog/Celestron.html?gclid=CPe64rab_9MCFQs_GwoddSgAYQ

 

Thanks for your help eveyone. . Are they of any use for the money ? Do they compare to the eq130 

[John]

Hello and welcome to the forum

The two scopes that you link to are much less capable than your Celestron 130 eq. One has a 76mm mirror and the other is a 76mm refractor. The refractor would be better than the mirror scope when working with just 76mm of aperture but neither would have the light grasp or resolution that your Celestron 130 eq has.

Your budget seems to be in the £60-£70 range which, to be honest, makes it difficult to find a scope that can be recommended I'm afraid.

If you can push the budget up a little something like this Skywatcher 100mm reflector would be a better choice I feel:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-100p-tabletop-dobsonian.html

Interesting choice of username by the way. Is the Portishead reference to the band or to the town ?

 

 

 

[Cosmic Geoff]

I'm not convinced of the merits of your proposed present.  As the other poster says, these are very basic entry-level telescopes and the recipient may find them unsatisfactory.  What is the age and observing experience of the proposed recipient?

[Charic]

Gift them your 130EQ and get yourself a (6") 150P or an (8") 200P Sky-Watcher telescope.

The gifted scope will either entice your friend to get more involved, or put them off altogether ?
Although the money spent on say an 8" (thats the preferred one to get) is more than you envisage, if you thought the 130EQ was good, your in for a surprise?

As already reported, your choice of gifts are less than capable then your present scope, also, for around the £70-100 mark, another nice option is a pair of binoculars, which I believe would be of more use and benefit than the two scopes you listed as gifts.

Last but not least, welcome to the SGL.
 

[portisheadstars]

Hi John,Geoff.

Portishead is reference to where I live!  

The recipient is 30 something and has no telescope experience.  The same le as me! 

I was just looking at buying a birthday gift really. 

[Mr niall]

I bought a generic 70mm refractor and immediately wished I'd got something bigger. The aperture is one of the most important aspects. Honestly if your budget is strictly at that level then it may be worth holding off for a bit, if your friend gets bitten by the bug they'd probably want to upgrade pretty quickly anyway! What about a pair of binoculars instead? May be worth considering, I really really wish I'd started with binoculars instead of a scope!

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/all-binoculars/opticron-oregon-observation-70mm-binoculars.html

 

[John]

10 minutes ago, portisheadstars said:

Portishead is reference to where I live! .....

 

Well there is a coincidence - me too

[Galen Gilmore]

What is your friend interested in? The moon, planets, deep sky objects, or all the above? A small refractor/reflector would be good for the moon, and ok for planets, but no good for DSO's except for the brightest Messier objects. You would need a larger aperture for that.

[Cosmic Geoff]

11 hours ago, portisheadstars said:

The recipient is 30 something and has no telescope experience.  The same le as me! 

I was just looking at buying a birthday gift really. 

Not a child, then. Whether you are hoping to launch or feed an interest in astronomy, it would really be better to provide a better quality instrument. 

Many people decry small aperture telescopes these days, with the 'aperture is king' slogan, but a good quality small refractor can perform surprisingly well on the right kind of objects (planets and double stars). Indeed some people claim that a small aperture triplet refractor is the ideal instrument for planetary observation.  But 'good quality' here is likely to refer to instruments costing hundreds of pounds.  Check out the price of an APO 80mm triplet refractor, or a top of the range 76mm terrestrial spotting scope, and you will see what some people are paying for quality. I have had two small refractors, a supermarket 70mm (naff) and a vintage brass 70mm by Ross (awesome).

If you are prepared to spend a bit more, I suggest  a small Maksutov telescope. These are of reliable quality, and the small size and bulk lends itself to a variety of uses, as an astronomical starter scope, an astronomical second scope/grab'n go/travel scope, or for terrestrial uses (with a terrestrial prism diagonal). Better than a budget astro scope on a cheap mount.

[Alan64]

I got one of these quite recently...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/celestron-astromaster-series/celestron-astromaster-70eq.html

Tada...

The 70mm f/13 achromat(refractor) is a bit long for the EQ1-type mount.  I purchased the kit mainly for the mount, and for my smaller and shorter 50mm, 60mm and 80mm achromats, and also for a 100mm f/4 Newtonian.  The mount, a Celestron CG-2, is a deluxe EQ-1, and with a Vixen-style dovetail-clamp.  I saw the mount alone online being sold for $120, but then B&H Photo in New York was selling the full kit for $115, so I essentially got a refractor thrown in not only for free, but for $5 less to boot.

Still, it doesn't perform half bad.  The images do wiggle a bit when focussing or adjusting the RA and DEC axes.  Here, an afocal image of the Moon taken through the bundled 20mm eyepiece...

Not bad, eh what?

However, I would suggest this one instead for a beginner...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/celestron-astromaster-series/celestron-astromaster-90eq-telescope.html

But the 70EQ, again, isn't half bad.  Both the 70EQ and 90EQ AstroMaster kits represent the best values within the Synta(Celestron) AstroMaster and PowerSeeker lines.

There's nothing like a fine crown-and-flint doublet...

...especially at f/13.  Both the 70EQ and 90EQ achromats would need a proper star-diagonal for use at night.  The included Amici-diagonals are for use during the day, for land targets.

[Ben the Ignorant]

A solid 10x50 binocular is way better than a toyish 76mm scope, and costs around the same amount. Everyone who started with a wobbly undersize telescope instead of an "adult" binoc later regretted not starting with the binoc after they realized how capable the carryable twin scope is. 

[Alan64]

A binocular is an adjunct to a telescope, at best; not a replacement, not even a temporary one.  With a telescope, one can alter the magnification, such power, and among the entry-level kits the telescope comes with a mount.  Holding up even a lightweight pair of bins requires holding one's arms up in order to direct it across the sky, constantly; tiresome, tiresome, and tiresome still.  The arms grow weak, quite quickly, and the bins fall to the thighs; exhausting.

Having only a pair of bins is like dabbing one's finger at the side of a cake, and for an ever so fleeting taste of the frosting.  But having a telescope is having one's cake, and eating it, too.

A 130mm f/5 Newtonian is most versatile, for observing the gamut, as my own 150mm f/5 has taught me well...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

[TareqPhoto]

How about this one?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/evostar/skywatcher-evostar-90-az3.html

[Astro Imp]

@Alan64 Great post mate, I couldn't have expressed it better.

[domstar]

I have a 70/700 refractor from Lidl and I love it (after a 20 quid eyepiece upgrade). The moon is good in any telescope, Jupiter has bands and 4 moons, Saturn has rings, double stars can be split, open clusters can be enjoyed and a few galaxies can be seen with a lot of patience. The Orion nebula looks great too. Ok it took a bit of patience failures and learning, but it's what got me into the hobby. I only wish I'd found star gazers' lounge earlier.

I've recently upgraded and I still see the same stars and planets but a bit more clearly. Open clusters still look great but not very different. I must say galaxies are much easier to spot now, though. (my scope still has less aperture than yours)

I know I'm in the minority here but I would recommend a cheap 70mm refractor to anyone with a bit of patience and willingness to persevere. The biggest step is finding your next target after the moon and Jupiter.

Ferrari drivers would laugh at my old Skoda but I can still enjoy a drive in the country and I'm not afraid to park it in the shopping centre carpark.

[portisheadstars]

Hi all.

Would this be OK as a starter? 

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/99493/Show.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA&utm_term=900x114 Telescope&nst=0&gclid=CPnU88TbjdQCFda4GwodaAkHlQ

 

[Louis D]

On 5/20/2017 at 16:14, Mr niall said:

I bought a generic 70mm refractor and immediately wished I'd got something bigger.

I already have much larger Dobs and Maks and an old ST-80, but I wanted something small, portable, and yet capable.  So, I picked up an AT-72ED and love it.  It will go up to about 125x on the planets and show detail much more sharply than an obstructed design.  Maybe not as fine a detail, but it has more snap to it.  Where it really shines is on wide field views up to 6 degrees, as around Orion's belt, with a widest FOV 2" eyepiece.  All I'm saying is don't discount what a decent quality 70mm-ish refractor can do.  Yes, the department store short tube 70mm refractors aren't very good, especially their mechanics (focuser, mount, tripod, etc.).

To the OP, I would say look for a more capable telescope and give them your 130eq as Charic suggested.

[Mr niall]

53 minutes ago, Louis D said:

I already have much larger Dobs and Maks and an old ST-80, but I wanted something small, portable, and yet capable.  So, I picked up an AT-72ED and love it.  It will go up to about 125x on the planets and show detail much more sharply than an obstructed design.  Maybe not as fine a detail, but it has more snap to it.  Where it really shines is on wide field views up to 6 degrees, as around Orion's belt, with a widest FOV 2" eyepiece.  All I'm saying is don't discount what a decent quality 70mm-ish refractor can do.  Yes, the department store short tube 70mm refractors aren't very good, especially their mechanics (focuser, mount, tripod, etc.).

To the OP, I would say look for a more capable telescope and give them your 130eq as Charic suggested.

Yes good point, well made. I tried s starwave 70ed recently and it was very much a different beast!

[Cosmic Geoff]

18 hours ago, portisheadstars said:

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/99493/Show.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA&utm_term=900x114 Telescope&nst=0&gclid=CPnU88TbjdQCFda4GwodaAkHlQ

This is a step up on your original choices. It's hard to advise on this kind of low budget item, but the language of the sales page indicates that it is designed to extract money form unwary beginners. A friend of mine bought a similar sort of instrument for his daughter and neither of them use it. If you were to offer me this as an addition to my collection, I'd decline.

 

13 hours ago, Mr niall said:

 All I'm saying is don't discount what a decent quality 70mm-ish refractor can do.  Yes, the department store short tube 70mm refractors aren't very good, especially their mechanics (focuser, mount, tripod, etc.).

I'd agree with this. A top quality 70mm can show a lot, but the cheap ones may be disappointing, asides from having poor mechanical parts.

I bought a pair of 10x50 binoculars from the Lidl store for a mere £15, and they worked quite well for day and night observation. Good enough for me. Except that they went out of collimation after a few years and I had to try adjusting them myself. A pair of binoculars can cost up to £500 for a top of the range item.

[Louis D]

14 hours ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

 A pair of binoculars can cost up to £500 for a top of the range item.

Generally, the more expensive binoculars use roof prisms which require expensive phase coatings to make them equivalent to much cheaper porro prisms; however, they're more compact and lighter in weight.  They also use internal focusing and are weatherproofed.  Finally, they often use ED glass in their objectives to reduce color aberrations.  Taken together, the price can indeed climb pretty quickly for high end binoculars.