I am a professional photog but am brand new to astronomy. I am looking for a telescope that has a relatively low learning curve, will this be a fit?
459589
After unpacking, reading the manual, and following the hands controller instructions when using, I was able to use it with no problem. This was my first telescope, and my first time out I brought Saturn into view within about fifteen minutes. The only difficult part is viewing nebulae and deeper space objects; they will show up very faintly with this one, mainly because it is powerful enough for objects within the solar system, but not so much for outside it.I'd definitely recommend this as a telescope with a minimal learning curve.
459590
After unpacking, reading the manual, and following the hands controller instructions when using, I was able to use it with no problem. This was my first telescope, and my first time out I brought Saturn into view within about fifteen minutes. The only difficult part is viewing nebulae and deeper space objects; they will show up very faintly with this one, mainly because it is powerful enough for objects within the solar system, but not so much for outside it. I'd definitely recommend this as a telescope with a minimal learning curve.
459591
Greetings,This telescope has an alt/az mount. While you can take very good CCD images of the moon and planets (and solar with a proper solar filter), it CANNOT be used to image deep sky objects. You need a good quality German equatorial mount for that. The alt/az mount moves in little steps up or down and right or left. This does not follow the natural motion of the stars. A German equatorial mount, once properly set to the north celestial pole, will track deep sky objects by rotating on its polar axis just like the Earth. The alt/az will suffer from field rotation error and jagged images.Steve Franks Greetings,This telescope has an alt/az mount. While you can take very good CCD images of the moon and planets (and solar with a proper solar filter), it CANNOT be used to image deep sky objects. You need a good quality German equatorial mount for that. The alt/az mount moves in little steps up or down and right or left. This does not follow the natural motion of the stars. A German equatorial mount, once properly set to the north celestial pole, will track deep sky objects by rotating on its polar axis just like the Earth. The alt/az will suffer from field rotation error and... » Read More Greetings,This telescope has an alt/az mount. While you can take very good CCD images of the moon and planets (and solar with a proper solar filter), it CANNOT be used to image deep sky objects. You need a good quality German equatorial mount for that. The alt/az mount moves in little steps up or down and right or left. This does not follow the natural motion of the stars. A German equatorial mount, once properly set to the north celestial pole, will track deep sky objects by rotating on its polar axis just like the Earth. The alt/az will suffer from field rotation error and jagged images.Steve Franks « Show Less
459592
The Celestron is quite a good beginner scope,and is intuitive and simple to use. If you want to get into astophography,you can easily purchase an adapter for your camera.One caveat,however:begin with the planets and Moon,also read afew basic astronomy books.Good seeing!
459593
I have this scope and it was easy to learn how to use I also started to take photographs they turned out well the tracking is good for photos
890301
Its not too advanced. After an adult puts it together she can easily use it on her own. However, we have tried to use it at night and it only works well with a full moon and no artificial light around your house. Keep in mind this is a kid's telescope and not a fancy one that works like the ones that go for $100+
613056
First, which Meade 10 are you talking about. This is a Dobsonian style without a computer. It is a very good, inexpensive telescope. You need to direct it yourself, which means you have to know the sky, or be willing to learn it. If you are looking for quick an easy way to look at celestial objects without having to learn how to find them, a Schmidt-Cassagrain with a computerized guiding mount, while more expensive, is the way to go. Orion, Meade, Celestron are 3 of the biggest names in amateur astronomy (there are others.) All market both Dobsonians and Schmidt-Cassagrains and all make quality products, so brand preference is a personal thing.
1197063
You question is not very clear. What is your expectation? do you want to capture moving distance object? or nearby shots? This lens is for near shots with quality you may have to look for telescope lens for long distance shots. Hope it helps.
1066004
I think either one would do fine, IF you have a good tripod mount. You need to get one specifically designed for binoculars and for stargazing, not terrestrial viewing. The weight of the binoculars will get tiring fast. :-( Personally, if I were a beginner stargazer I would get a telescope. Better magnification and, due to the size of the optics, more light.
678881
I'm also a star gazer and, yes, the quality does translate to astronomy. Just know it will be limited by the 50mm light gathering power; given good, dark sky conditions, it will detect the brighter fuzzy M-objects (though small in the 10x power of the bino).
1619212
If you're asking about photographing the stars, then (in my opinion) it doesn't have enough magnification. It's a "normal" lens, not a telephoto which is typically used for that. If you're asking if it's good in low light, then the answer is yes, sort of. For the price it's great. It's sharp wide open (at f2.4). Some faster lenses that go down to f1.4 aren't sharp at that aperture, so they end up being usable only at f2.4 to f2.8. Dollar for dollar this is a very good lens.
78396
Thank you for your response Darrell, this discussion board seems pretty much dead so I thought I would never get answered, but I did, and a great answer at that.I've been thinking about buying the Orion XT4.5 now, I'm aware the image will not be as great as the 8 inch but I'll still be able to see Saturn right? Would this be better than a refractor telescope? Sorry for all the questions! No more questions after this, I promise.
529134
Be absolutely sure it does what you wznt. It's not really for astrophotography. It's a great scope for deep sky. A bit heavy
1025718
This is a good entry-level telescope for the price. But if you're looking to see Saturn's rings or Jupiter's moons, I'd recommend the Orion Starblast 4.5: Orion 10015 StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector Telescope (Teal)
1343355
I wouldn't be able to tell you what might be missing without actually seeing the thing. Other than that, compare the telescope with the user's manual. If you don't have the user's manual, go to the library and get a book on basic telescope parts and operation. You might also learn a little about what kind of eyepieces would be suitable to get started.
989234
No - I don't think so. My husband never owned a telescope before. He is a nature enthusiast and a photographer. I bought this for him as a gift and he was up and running in no time. I highly recommend you utilize the computer software that comes with it. My husband used it all the time at the beginning - you plug in the date/time/location and it will show you the night sky. That way you can go outside and easily start trying to find things and identify them. Go for it! This is a high quality telescope for a great value. Would recommend it to any beginners who have serious interest in astronomy. No - I don't think so. My husband never owned a telescope before. He is a nature enthusiast and a photographer. I bought this for him as a gift and he was up and running in no time. I highly recommend you utilize the computer software that comes with it. My husband used it all the time at the beginning - you plug in the date/time/location and it will show you the night sky. That way you can go outside and easily start trying to find things and identify them. Go for it! This is a high quality telescope for a great value. Would recommend it to any beginners who have serious interest in... » Read More No - I don't think so. My husband never owned a telescope before. He is a nature enthusiast and a photographer. I bought this for him as a gift and he was up and running in no time. I highly recommend you utilize the computer software that comes with it. My husband used it all the time at the beginning - you plug in the date/time/location and it will show you the night sky. That way you can go outside and easily start trying to find things and identify them. Go for it! This is a high quality telescope for a great value. Would recommend it to any beginners who have serious interest in astronomy. « Show Less
1017380
Yes, this is definitely not a portable telescope. Even around the vicinity of my house, I prefer using a wheelbarrow to transport it. You would also have to be very careful while moving it so as to not disturb the starfinder alignment.
1932885
Yes. I am a novice, and I love it. I would suggest that whenever possible, use A/C power instead of the battery option. Batteries have limited power and it seems to move slower. Batteries are good though when you don't have access to A/C power. The moon is awesome to look at. The detail of the craters are truly impressive and you can see the rings of Saturn. The other night we were able to see the Andromeda galaxy. I really like this telescope. I would also suggest that you buy the accessory case with teh filters and additional lenses. It gives you more viewing options.
1959651
If you are going to be a serious skywatcher/ stargazer, I would upgrade to a better telescope for sure. But if you bought the celestron firstscope for your children or grandchildren, just to get them interested in the universe around us, I would replace the lenses. Celestron may replace the broken lenses for you
97812
I've done some amateur stargazing, even built a telescope. Most astronomy authorities recommend a 7 x 50 set of binoculars. The higher the power, the more shaky the image is unless you use a tripod. And 7x50's aren't too, too big; they're still a manageable size for watching a football game, for instance. Google 'binoculars for astronomy' and you'll get lots of advice.
72106
I just ordered the Celestron Nexstar SLT 130, as recommended by a friend who has been into astronomy for years..as a beginner myself I would definitely recommend this telescope...I've used it every night since I've gotten it...the computer makes it really easy to set up and find planets and stars right away!