Telescope Reviews: ETX-LS... to be or not to be?

It's a nice scope and easy to use as advertised. There are quite a few reports of people who have received defective scopes. Of course this is the internet and you usually only hear the negative. If people buy a product that works as advertised they usually don't go posting about it "hey, it works!"

I posted a decent amount about mine in the now locked reviews thread. Everything is high quality and you can even do simple (1 min or less) astrophotgraphy with it.

The self alignment is convenient for when you're setting up. First I'll bring the scope out, turn it on and let it do its thing while I go get my accessories and chair (and warmer clothes if necessary) and by the time i'm out and ready to go the scope is done or finishing up. A big problem a lot of people have with their scope purchases (if they don't have a permanent observatory) is that when they first get the scope they use it every night they can but then as time goes on, they get lazy. The scope is either too big and cumbersome to move or a pain to setup in the dark. The scope gets used less and less. Whereas with a smaller and simpler scope you will guaranteed use it more often and see more with it. If it's a clear night, I tend to use mine every time for at least an hour or two. If you're newer to astronomy the LS will help you learn the sky quick too. The audio stuff is nice and the speaker can be turned down to a very audible whisper so you won't be disturbing neighbors or anything. The 6 inch aperture is big enough to see a lot but small enough to not strain your back every night.

A lot of what I said can be applied to the Nexstar or other similar scopes, but if the self aligning and audio presentation appeals to you, go for it. If not, save a few bucks. The general attitude among seasoned amateur astronomers isn't very positive for the LS. I know this just from various forums and even my local telescope shop. I imagine they all felt the same way when Go-To first came out many years ago, like it was somehow taking away from the hobby or an unneeded expense. Some do realize what tech like this does for general interest in astronomy though. I just hope it gets onto cheaper scopes, the ones newbies tend to buy. I have a friend who bought a cheap go-to scope a couple years ago and never got it to work properly. It advertised on the box that it did all the work, but really it didn't. He didn't see anything more than the moon and jupiter with it. After seeing my LS he is going to try and get himself one for x-mas.

--------------------
Meade ETX-LS 6" ACF
Celestron Skymaster 15x70