Celestron Travelscope 70mm

[Jarvo]

Hello

Earlier this month for my birthday my wife bought me the Celestron Travel Spotting Scope.

I wanted a portable telepscope as I wanted to take it to Lanzarote in the Summer to look at the Summer Star fields this year.

I couldn't spend too much and it needed to be portable.

I bought this from little scope for £49.99 from a local electrical appliance stall.

OK let get the negatives out of the way first. The tripod is very wobbly and spindly. That said it collapses nicely to fit into the accompanying rucksack and takes seconds to assemble.

The eyepieces are basic and not being an expert on Optics I suspect the quality of the glass is not the best, but i don't think you can ask too much of a 50 quid scope?

The focal length is 400mm and the diameter of the Primary Lens is 70mm (10mm more than my first Tasco 60 mm refractor!).

I took this little scope into the garden the other night to look at a number of easy targets. I started off with the Pleides and was pleasantly surprised as the whole of the cluster fit nicely in the field of view of my TV32mm Eyepiece.

I moved onto M42 and could see the trapezium if I increased the magnification.

I then moved onto M35, an open cluster in Gemini. There were dozens of stars visable in the field of view.

I then swept throught the star field around Mirfak (alpha perseii) in Perseus and ended up at the Double Open Star Clusters (NGC884 & 869). I could just about fit both clusters in the same field of view at low power.

The joy of this scope is the wide field views you get. My other telescope is a 150mm Maksutov-Cassegrain - great for planets but you can't even fit the Pleides in the field of view at low power even with my TV 32mm Plossl.

Tonight I used the 'scope as a camera lense with my Olympus E410 DSLR. Took me literally 10 minutes to set everything up and be out in the Garden taking pictures. I've posted a sample below - 1 x 1/500s at ISO200. No lengthy preparation - just a point and shoot exercise.

In conclusion I love the portability, the speed of set up, (the price) and the great wide field views. Yes it is only a casual astronomical observing tool but if you want a low cost grab and go scope i'd recommend it.

Looking forward to the views of Scorpius this Summer

Thanks for reading!

Jarvo

[Altair]

Hey! i really enjoyed reading your review! Seems a great idea for taking on holidays. Makes me want to rush out and buy one.. I know what you mean about not being able to fit the pliedes into the field of view - i find that most annoying as having to then fit a reducer is an extra pain!

[GazA]

i brought this to start me off earlier in the year, the scope is a little beauty but the negatives and it is a big negative is the mount, to start off its great as the more you use it, the worse its gets still if you use it on its lowest setting and on a table/windowstill its great.

planning to take it on holiday to mexico this year to lay on the beach with a cocktail and possible devising a plan to mount it on the tube rings of my current set up.

[Timbo]

Hi Jarvo,

I enjoyed your post - even more so as I have the same 'scope; and combined with my 10x50 bins I am learning to get around the sky with both and a copy of Turn left at Orion.

I have plonked it on a Star 63 tripod for more stability though - patience and accepting the limititations of 'scope and tripod aside I'm hoping for happy hours out late on Dartmoor.

I'm sure the travelscope will reveal lovely views for a beginner like me as I have nothing to compare it with. Still loads to see with it and looking forward to new skies this Spring.

Good luck with your Travelscope.

[SplintUK]

I'm off boating on the Norfolk Broads in a little while, and since my birthday is conveniently soon, I've asked my wife to buy me a TS70. Hopefully it should be nice and dark there compared with my home just outside the M25 in Surrey.

Does the focuser on the TS70 have a T-thread on it? I have a T-Ring for my camera already for use with my main reflector scope, and I was wondering if I need to buy a T-Adapter or if the TS70 has one effectively built in with the focuser like my reflector does. It seems a bit daft to have to pay £30 for a little ring of metal with a screw thread for a scope that only cost £50 all in.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

These little scope offer a lot for very little money. However, almost without exception the tripods and EPs "leave a lot to be desired" (I can be very diplomatic when I put my mind to it ). However, if you put a half-decent EP in it, and set it up on a more robust tripod, a scope like this is completely transformed, and is still great value for money. When all else fails, you can make a monster finder out of it.

I had a similar cheap 70mm F/5 scope (now the aforesaid finder) and found it very useful for grab and go. I have since upgraded to a compact apo (WAY different price bracket) which supports 2" EPs. That gives a much bigger FOV, and starts competing with the 15x70 bins.

[StevieDvd]

...

Does the focuser on the TS70 have a T-thread on it? I have a T-Ring for my camera already for use with my main reflector scope, and I was wondering if I need to buy a T-Adapter or if the TS70 has one effectively built in with the focuser like my reflector does. It seems a bit daft to have to pay £30 for a little ring of metal with a screw thread for a scope that only cost £50 all in.

Yes it does, well mine does at least.

[li'l john]

Hi, I have a 70mm set up and ready all the time on a AZ3 and have also seen the Trapezium with it, admittedly on the best seeing night I have had so far. Even with the AZ3 it only weighs 5kgs. The whole thing cost £97. The ep's were ok, nothing special but for the money you can't complain.

[womblemaster]

I have one of these, and was pleasantly suprised by it. ALthough i was ripped off and paid 59+delivery for it )

very light and portable. Only downside is, it struggles with heavy eps in it, makes it unbalanced and increases vibration.

Havent got anythin under 10mm in my ep collection atmo, have you pushed it past 8mm yet?

[Timbo]

I've bought an Orion Shorty 2x barlow for my TS70mm. It enables me to view at 40x mag using the 20mm EP that ships with the 'scope. Which means I don't have to bother with the rubbish 10mm EP. Ought to just throw it away really!

The biggest problem is using the tripod - no surprise there then - or even the camera tripod I have, which is one of those gold coloured Star 63 jobbies. This is the most frustrating aspect of using this cheap but cheerful 'scope.

I'm considering going down the AZ4 tripod route in the hope that this will allow me to enjoy this little TS whilst learning the skies; and then buy a larger OTA to sit on the AZ4 later on.

What do you think? Anybody?

[Darren B]

Great idea, get the stainless steel legged version. You can never overmount a telescope.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Great idea, get the stainless steel legged version. You can never overmount a telescope.

Though mounting a TS70 on an EQ6 defies its purpose as a travel scope a bit . Mind things do not get too heavy!

[Timbo]

That tickled me Micahael.h.f.w. .

I'm trying to imagine my TS on that mount. Would it perhaps be mistaken for one of the control widgets on that mount? ha

I am atm, trying to decide on a mount for the TS and a Skywatcher ST102.

[Darren B]

Though mounting a TS70 on an EQ6 defies its purpose as a travel scope a bit . Mind things do not get too heavy!

I suppose there is a flaw in my comment.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I suppose there is a flaw in my comment.

A TS70 on an EQ6 is still better than a C14 on an EQ3:eek:

[SplintUK]

Mine just arrived today - looking forward to trying it out.

[Kepler90]

Hi. I just got mine (first scope!) yesterday.

Silly question but can you use the Diagonal piece and Barlow at the same time? I can't seem to have both screwed in, only one or the other, and the manual implies you should only use one at a time "remove diagonal and insert Barlow lense."

Any thoughts?

[Kepler90]

Update: he problem when trying to assemble with both is the thumb screw for the diagonal won't thread in to hold the Barlow, even though the screw and the thread is fine. (The screw tightens without the Barlow lense in place but not with)

[happy-kat]

Hi

Diagonal in first. Then you put the barlow in and then an eyepeice. Or diagonal followed by eyepeice.

[Kepler90]

Hi,

tried that, looks like the problem's in the threading of the diagonal piece after all because after it screws tight it loosens again.

I'll grab another diagonal of amazon I guess! 

Thanks,