What are the best criteria for a 1st telescope? I can hand you what I think, but I believe this would make a great detailed discussion. Christmas is comming, my niece is interested, and others on the forum have mentioned interest. I used to tutor Astronomy at SAC, so I can spell out what I told my students. In my best experience, look at the manufacturers who make some of the best larger telescopes, and look into their smaller ones. Celestron, Orion, TelVue, and Meade are some of the best makers. Findind the right Telescope Avoid anything you find at most any retail shop. Most often, these telescope promise whopping power like 500x but they don't deliver. The box the telescope comes in has breathtaking "WOW" photographs of deep-sky ojects from NASA or other observatories. Like anything else, there are a few exceptions. I've discovered that places you would expect to find a descent telescope at, like the Discovery Channel Store, Camera shops, and even general science shops carry crap telescopes. You might thing to check with the local Astronomical Society, but in my experience, these guys often suggest telescopes which are rediculously too expensive for most people. Most people don't have $400-500 to spend on a 1st telescope. I sure as heck don't! Qualifications of a Good Telescope 1) Stable Good Tripod & Mechanics 2) Good Primary Optics 3) Good Focus Mount & Eyepieces Of course, I'm most likely stating the obvious with those two suggestions but I mention the qualifications in that order for a reason. Many el-chepo telescopes have descent to rather good primary lenses, and mirrors. I've seen a numbe of rebuilt Tasco and Jason telescopes perform as well as if not superior to some of the best Telvue, Orion, and Celestron telescopes. El-chepo telescopes fall down however, on the quality of their tripods, focus mounts, and eyepieces. 1 out of 3 for effort is a poor showing. However, it's a good rule of thumb that a telescope with a descent tripod will have descent optics and focus mount. You can generally judge the scope by the tripod, in other words. Look for something with aluminum legs (NOT wood), and it's tall enough to be reached by an adult as well as children. Many telescope tripods on el-chepo scopes are often good enough to be used for children, but are not tall enough when fully deployed to be used by an Adult. Alt-Azimuth tripods are in itself OK - there are plenty of good scopes on that kind of mount, though nearly all El-Cheapo telecopes use it also. The best small telescopes have 1.25 focus mounts. Most of the El Chepo telscopes I've seen used older .965 eyepieces. Generally, you get more eye relief on the 1.25 eyepiece, and probably more resolution. Recommended Beginning Telescopes I'm a big fan of Orion. They offer GREAT telescopes and equipment at prices which should be pushing most El-Cheapo makers out of business. Celestron also makes some good beginning telescopes, but they aren't quite as nice as some of the Orion's I've seen. The criteria of my review is a sub-$200 budget - the amount of money most people would want to spend on a gift in general. There are other scopes from Orion inside this price niche, but the purpose of my article is budget for beginners. Orion Observer 60mm Refractor Alt-Azimuth ($80) Orion Observer 60mm Refractor Equatorial ($120) Orion Spaceprobe '3 Reflector Alt-Azimuth ($99) Orion Spaceprobe '3 Reflector Equatorial ($130) Orion Skyquest 4.5 Reflector Dobsonian ($199) Orion Apex 90mm Maksutov-Cassegrain ($199) NOTE: Orion is currently having a SALE on it's Spaceprobe '3 Equatorial telescopes painted in Classic White color. They are currently priced at ($79) - total $88 including shipping.
I used binoculars before I got a telescope. They are easy to use and you can look at craters on the moon for cheap.
Heres what I've been using for a long time, Fujinon marine binoculars and a Gruppo Manfrotto tripod: Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Fujinon 7x50 FMTR-SX Magnification: 7x Objective Lens Diameter: 50mm Eye Relief: 18mm Field of Vision at 1000m: 122m Angle of view 7ยบ Lens:Fujinon EBC Coated Weight: 910g Waterproof: Yes Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Strong, sturdy and reliable, the Triman tripod is the ideal studio tripod. The geared centre column has a non roll-black feature and has a threaded 3/8" mount on the bottom of the column to allow low angle shots. Twin shark leg design, built-in spirit level and rubber feet with retractable spikes.
That's a good suggestion Q. Anyone else have good ideas on 1st telescopes and suggestions for beginner?
reply to Xevious Excellent post and gift idead!! So, do you suggest going to Orion web site for purchase, or are there other distributors for Orion products? TIA
In my experience, Orion's website has always been cheaper than it's distributors if not equal in price. I order directly from them personally. In case you didn't know me from the thread "Telescope", I have a Spaceprobe '3 Equatorial. I've gone so far as to get the EQ-1 clockdrive for it, and trade out the crappy finderscope for a Telrad reflex site. It's a star performer for the price, and ideal for beginners. It will teach you basically everything you need to know in order to work with larger telescopes, and even get you started in Astrophotography. I do suggest ordering from Orion, but I want to talk about good entry level telescopes... not just reccomend. I wonder honestly about the entry level Celestron and Meade telescopes. Anyone know anything about them? I am also curious about other leser brands I've heard of like "Stargazer Steve".
NOTE: Orion is now having a sale on it's 4.5 inch Equatorial short-tube telescopes. They are currently going for $135+ shipping!! What a deal!
