Celestron 21024 FirstScope Telescope
by Celestron
|
List Price: Our Price: $39.64 You Save: $34.31 (46%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $37.50 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Celestron 21024 FirstScope Telescope
Customer Review: Good starter scope, not so great eyepieces
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this telescope to gain some experience with telescope optics before spending "real" money on a more powerful instrument. In that capacity, this really is the perfect thing to buy. Celestron really did go to some trouble to design a decent telescope, but for under $50, you can expect to bump into the limitations fairly quickly. If you are trying to learn about telescope optics, this is actually a good thing -- you will learn as much from what this telescope cannot do as from what it can.
However, if you buying it to do astronomy (rather than to learn about optics), some advice :
1) Do *not* buy the accessory kit. There is no way you can get your head into a position where you could use the spot finder. Unless you are a squirrel.
2) *Do* buy some better eyepieces and a Barlow.
With the included eyepieces, Jupiter is a fuzzy orange circle. With a better eyepiece and a Barlow, I could see the bands, the Great Red Spot and the poles.
The weakness of this telescope is the included the eyepieces. However, in my opinion, you could throw them in the garbage and the FirstScope would still be a bargain. Eyepieces are replaceable, and you can use them on just about any other telescope.
Customer Review: Fun Little Scope
Summary: 4 Stars
I had a limited budget for a telescope, and this seemed like a good deal. I am not disappointed with it at all. I 5 year old sons have had a great time looking at the moon, Jupiter, and other stars and planets. It does have limitations, mostly as a result of its cost. After using it 15-20 times I decided I wanted a bigger telescope, but this was a great introduction and I still use it when I don't feel like hauling out the bigger scope.
The biggest problem with this scope is common to almost all amateur scopes now days, and that is that the images don't compare to what is seen on the internet and in books. My twins were disappointed to not be able to see as much detail on Jupiter and Mars through this as was in their book, which had images from the Hubble Space telescope. But they did think it was cool to see it themselves.
If I had been purchasing something for myself only, I probably would have chosen a decent pair of binoculars instead. While the light gathering ability would be less, the optics would be better, and also easier to point in the right direction. But a telescope is much more cool to a five year old.
Customer Review: Great Value
Summary: 4 Stars
This product was purchased as Christmas gift for my 8 year old son. My husband seems more impressed than my son, but both are enjoying it. We've seen creators on the moon and lots of stars. I think we've managed to locate a nebula, but it just looks like a glowing mass at this point. We bought this telescope after reading a very helpful review on Amazon.com (we did not purchase from Amazon this time)from someone who knows more about telescopes than I. He recommends buying a Barlow and better eye pieces - "celestron plossl: the 15mm first, then try something in the 4, 6 or 9mm range." We have not done this, but when it gets warmer, we certainly will. He also did not recommend the accessory kit, but we have found that it is very hard to locate specific items in the sky and I think the spotting scope from the accessory kit would help with this; we are also going to try that in warmer weather. Overall, we are pleased with the purchase and for the price, you can't beat it.Customer Review: Wonderful little scope!
Summary: 4 Stars
I belong to a pretty vibrant online astronomy community, and had seen some of our members chat about this scope. While I wasn't really in the market for a new scope,[...], it was too good to pass up.
I've written a full review on my blog, Faint Fuzzy, which can be read here: [...]
Review Summary:
PROS: Surprisingly good construction, very good views for a starter scope of this aperture
CONS: Eyepieces leave somewhat to be desired, they work acceptably well on the moon.
For the money, this is a solid little scope for those evenings when you don't want to lug out the big guns and just want a quick peek at some brighter objects. For kids or newcomers to the hobby, this little scope and a copy of Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them will get them jump-started very nicely.
Customer Review: Good Starter Scope
Summary: 4 Stars
This telescope is not a toy, and for the price, you can learn much from it. You will discover, due to the scopes limitations, the importance of a larger aperture and better quality eyepieces. If you put a little time into learning more about the night sky, via a good book or the internet, you will find each clear night an adventure filled with increasingly familiar objects. If you catch the fever, then you will be ready to buy a scope capable of seeing so much more. Don't waste money trying to improve this scope. Learn from it, and then spend your money wisely on something with as large an aperture and the best quality eyepieces you can afford. This starter scope can teach you a lot, and is well worth the small price. Just don't expect to see much very clearly beyond the Moon and Jupiter and 4 of its moons, especially if you live in a city.