Celestron - PowerSeeker 80EQ Telescope - Manual German Equatorial Telescope for Beginners - Compact and Portable - Bonus Astronomy Software Package - 80mm Aperture

I'm giving it five stars because of bang for buck. I bought it after reading Gustav Mahler review and I'm not sure I can add to that review but I will try.First it came very well boxed three times in fact. There was a instruction booklet and for me the assembly was easy. I must say at first un-packing it it did seem intimating but the pictures help (stick to the pictures) because the side RA was turn 180 out to make packing possible. There were nine easy steps. There was a screw driver left over that looked like a part I missed. (Look says screwdriver on it). I didn't need a screw driver. I suggest you do not go any tighter than you need to and that is not tight. Too tight can do damage and many people tend to over do that. Its your baby go easy. Con's - I was not happy with the finder scope. I think that could have been improved. The tripod was OK. It had points on the tips and not rubber feet. I have a Galileo tripod I use for a small 400mm-70mm scope I do bird watching with and I think I like that one better. Pro's - I like the slow motion knobs. I thought I give them a try because too often in my pass I used a short scope with high power lens on a solid base to lessen the shaking due to moving it and near by earth movement, such as trucks going by when out on a patio. Those were better for those earthy harmonics than the long tube type. But with out the slow motion cables I over come the resistance that held the scope at aim and when it broke that hold the scope would over shoot and I would be way off my target. This cable knob type may be the lesser of the two evils and it gives me power like I never had. The lens tray has a lip on it so I can just place my lens in that with there case's on. It came with two CD disks. One instructions that was good but for the Polar alignment I like U-Tube. On that CD I couldn't get into accessory to see what the dove tail fastener was met for. I think its an optional digital camera holder. The second CD ( not II ). Asked for me to download a set up soft ware and I do not down load strange exe. In short, it was like a telescope that cost twice what I paid. That and reviews is what drives Amazon I think... IMPORTANT... This is a heavy scope with lots of cast iron to it. 18 Lps. It is a bad boy so if your female (like me) or not up to moving that weight, it may not be for you. I plan to back-pack the counter weight & my lens if I'm going too far with it. I wouldn't want a scope any more heavy than this. There you have it. Not sure I did better than the Gustav Mahler review. He is right, optics are great. Five stars. I can't believe I got a scope this good for this cost. I have four telescopes now. This one is the power house but I still in-joy the others. They have there place.

Terrific beginner scope for adults or families that can teach older children it's use. A little more complicated to use the Equatorial mount than a simpler alt-az mount but necessary to learn how to find faint objects using the North Star polar aligned mount and star maps. The 80 mm objective lens is a good size for the money and provides good clear sharp images from stunning views of the moon and some planets to nebulla. If you are a beginner, don't be overwhelmed by the appearance and instructions for polar aligning and use of the mount. It's very much worth the effort to learn. I recommend YOUTUBE videos on use of Equatorial mounts. I found Dean Fuller's video too fast but very good and after just a couple of repeated views was an old hat at using the telescope as this was my first Equatorial mount. The eyepieces are very good and I chose to buy a 2x Barlow lens to replace the supplied 3x Barlow lens. The finder scope is a challenge to align and use as it seems to be too close to the tube and difficult to hold a solid alignment. I bought a better finder scope and it works out much better and holds alignment between uses. An issue occurred with the mount still under warranty and I received dependable, fast, rock solid, exemplary service. I also have another Celestron; an Astromaster 130EQ Reflector with similar excellent image clarity. I managed to observe the Cassini divide in the rings of Saturn and the red spot and bands of Jupiter and four moons during moments of atmospheric stability on a good viewing night with the 80 EQ.

This is a perfect scope for the price range! The whole assembly is moderately heavy. The tripod legs are not very rigid but if you tighten the top screws it will help alot. My first order had to be replaced due to several metal shavings on the back side of the objective lens. I was impressed at first untill i saw the shavings, but i must say my replacement has cured the negativity i had towards the product. The eq mount is solid and tracks very good at 180x magnification. The replacement came quickly and seems to not have any major issues. Rest assured Amazon Customer service has you covered if you have problems. Other than the metal shavings causing distortion in my original order; the replacement seems to be great. Do yourself a favor if you order this and purchase the astromaster accessory kit. The astromaster kit works with this scope and is well worth $50. I also suggest getting a sighting compass (brunton9077) it will really help with polar alignment. This product is capable of showing jupiter quite well and several nebula. Although nothing like the photos most of us see on tv you will still be stunned by the beauty it can reveal. I would not recommend this for anyone under 13 years old. Don't be shy about an eq mounted telesope, the standard manual has enough info to get you accustomed to it. You also get wonderful software with this and it very well could replace the need of buying star charts. The included eye pieces and accessories are of medium low quality but are fine for planet viewing. The 4mm alone is more than enough for this scope @ 225x it will give good veiws of planet and nebulas. Also the astromaster kit comes with color filters that really help contrast the cloud bands of jupiter and the outer rings of saturn. This product would make a teen or adult an awsome holiday present.

جا فكرتون مرتب ماشاء الله وسهل التركيب طريقة استخدامه فيه مقاطع كثيره باليوتيوب لطريقه التكريب والاستخدام شكرا على سرعة التوصيل

A special birthday gift. Seems of good quality, son says it was quite easy to assemble, and looks very good. He recommends purchasing a separate filter as there is some glare when looking through at the moon. But was thrilled to receive it.

Recomendo

Compré siendo principiante en la astronomía. Vivo en una zona concurrida, con contaminación lumínica y de aire. Esto no detuvo al telescopio pues logré ver sin mucho problema Venus, muy brillante. Jupiter, Saturno y Marte igual bien con sus colores. Para observar la Luna también resultó genial. El lente que trae de 20mm es de muy buena calidad y en verdad los planetas se ven geniales. El lente de 4mm ya no tanto, recomiendo comprar uno mejor. La montura ecuatorial es perfecta y resistente

Assembly was done within 30 minutes The tripod stand is light to carry and features a holder for various lens and their covers. The eye-piece is a little surprising in that it rotates about the main telescope axis very freely and does not stay in a fixed position. The mechanisms to lock movement about the any particular axis aren't obvious especially in the dark. It would help to keep a small light handy while using the scope. The view finder does not point in the same direction as the telescope in general, it needs adjusting using the alignment screws provided. The knobs provided for Ra and Dec adjustment are made of bendable plastic tubes that keep the instrument light while allowing fine movement of the scope. I was not able to use the 3x barlow extentsion along with the provided 3mm and 20mm eye-pieces to get a zoomed in view of whatever was in focus. Overall, I'm happy that I was able to observer celestial objects more clearly. It is a decent telescope for beginners that delivers on the promise while introducing you to the world of astronomy and all its technicalities. The constant movement of closer celestial objects like the moon and jupiter make it tricky to keep the scope alinged at an object constantly.