2307 replies to this topic

[Anony]

Just thought I'd mention that Spectrum Optical is running a sale right now, if you order direct, and use their SPR25 discount code. Some folks over in the Cat section ordered the 70mm mak and have stated the mount is actually somewhat okay. 

 

Prices I am seeing:

 

60mm refractor (cheaper mount)-- $27

80 f/11 (slow motion mount) -- $94.49

70 f/10 (slow motion mount) --  $75

90 f/7.33 (slow motion mount) - $109.49

102 f/6.5  (EQ mount) -- $150

 

I realize many here are looking for Apos and pricey scopes. But figured I'd just mention these prices... again, seem so low that I expect they are temporary. If anyone buys one of these and thinks they are decent, they may be good options to recommend to beginners with limited budgets.

 

The 90mm seems like a good candidate for beginners, probably okay-ish with that mount, yet still decent aperature. And pretty cheap.

 

Although for $27 I'm tempted to get that 60mm even though I know I'd have absolutely no use for it. But it's sooooo cheap....

 

Edit: Code now is SPR15, 15% off. Not quite as good, but still decent.

Edited by Anony, 11 February 2023 - 11:54 AM.

[monolithic]

These prices? In today's world? What's going on? These are anywhere from 40 to 60% off!

[Anony]

And I see that didn't last long. Now they reduced the coupon to 15% off. Oh well.

[dwmedic]

I was able to pick up the 60mm f/8 just before they raised the price some and reduced the coupon.

[monolithic]

They're still discounted a substantial amount.

[Anony]

I was able to pick up the 60mm f/8 just before they raised the price some and reduced the coupon.

Glad at least someone got something. I expect a couple of orders may have went in, sort of triggering their 'Oh no, we are losing money' alarm, so they adjusted the coupon. Still not bad prices, just not quite as cheap.

 

I picked up the 70MM Mak myself at $75.

 

And although I doubt anyone will say they come with great eyepieces or accessories, they seem to be better than expected for cheapo scopes like these. Guess I'll find out when my scope arrives.

[Anony]

They're still discounted a substantial amount.

Yep. they are still a nice price.

 

I'm just not sure how well that mount would work with the longer (F/10-F/11) scopes. I expect wobbly, but just how wobbly is the question.  Guess if any guinea pigs here want to try some of those, they will let us know.

 

Would be interesting for a change to actually have an answer for when a beginner posts with like a $75-$100 budget. Or less. But unless owners chime in, kind of risky to suggest these just yet.

Edited by Anony, 10 February 2023 - 03:30 PM.

[scout]

 

I'm just not sure how well that mount would work with the longer (F/10-F/11) scopes. I expect wobbly, but just how wobbly is the question. 

Would be interesting for a change to actually have an answer for when a beginner posts with like a $75-$100 budget. Or less. 

It's the tripod that looks bad. Thin and rickety. Would drive a beginner crazy and turn him off from the hobby. Not to mention the department store MA eyepieces, which the company also sells separately as a "kit."

 

The longer focal length refractors themselves may be decent, for the price, but a beginner would be annoyed and quit before buying a new mount, tripod, eyepieces and most likely a decent diagonal. 

[Anony]

It's the tripod that looks bad. Thin and rickety. Would drive a beginner crazy and turn him off from the hobby. Not to mention the department store MA eyepieces, which the company also sells separately as a "kit."

 

The longer focal length refractors themselves may be decent, for the price, but a beginner would be annoyed and quit before buying a new mount, tripod, eyepieces and most likely a decent diagonal. 

I don't really have an issue with most MA eyepieces. They aren't great, but if done well, they aren't that far off from Plossls.

 

I'll find out how the tripod is when it gets here. I know for a small Mak, others have stated it's reasonably decent. But of course a Mak isn't known for its length or balance issues.

[John R.]

I ordered the spectrum 60mm f8.3 from Amazon yesterday for $31, supposed to be here Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope I have a break in the weather to try it out. There is a current thread about the joy of small refractors  that has been very active over the last several days. 
I intend to post first light experience with it and if not, general evaluation of build quality. 
Really, unless it is a coke bottle (a derogatory term for bad lenses back in the 70’s) how can you go wrong with that price. 

[Anony]

I ordered the spectrum 60mm f8.3 from Amazon yesterday for $31, supposed to be here Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope I have a break in the weather to try it out. There is a current thread about the joy of small refractors  that has been very active over the last several days. 
I intend to post first light experience with it and if not, general evaluation of build quality. 
Really, unless it is a coke bottle (a derogatory term for bad lenses back in the 70’s) how can you go wrong with that price. 

I'll be curious how it stacks up. I guess worst case it's a pirate-style, low power monocular.

 

I notice someone else bought the 90mm refractor and said it was decent -- at least optically anyway. 

[KWB]

I ordered the spectrum 60mm f8.3 from Amazon yesterday for $31, supposed to be here Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope I have a break in the weather to try it out. There is a current thread about the joy of small refractors  that has been very active over the last several days. 
I intend to post first light experience with it and if not, general evaluation of build quality. 
Really, unless it is a coke bottle (a derogatory term for bad lenses back in the 70’s) how can you go wrong with that price. 

From an optical standpoint, I'd guess it's probably pretty decent. I'd have real doubts as to the stability of the mount that comes with it. This one may not be so joyful as in effectively trying to use it. $31 doesn't buy much of a setup these days, even used.

[iseegeorgesstar]

I tried entering the coupon code on their website out of curiosity but it says not found. "SPR25"

[Anony]

I tried entering the coupon code on their website out of curiosity but it says not found. "SPR25"

Yeah, they changed it a short while after I posted here. Now it's SPR15 (15% off instead of 25%). So prices, while still cheap, aren't quite as cheap as before.

 

Guess compare to amazon/walmart prices, and direct from site w/ 15% off... I expect direct is still cheaper for most of their scopes.

[John R.]

From an optical standpoint, I'd guess it's probably pretty decent. I'd have real doubts as to the stability of the mount that comes with it. This one may not be so joyful as in effectively trying to use it. $31 doesn't buy much of a setup these days, even used.

Fortunately I also bought the 70mm mak from them, and it has a very decent AZ mount with slow motion control. From mounting my ST80 on it I’d say it will handle 4-5 lbs. My ST80 damps in less than two seconds at 45x. I cannot imagine this 60 weighs more than 2.5 lbs and should be about 21 inches long with the dew shield. At 500mm it lands right in the middle of my 60mm refractors with a 360mm short one and a 700mm antique. 

[Brianm14]

<snip>

 

And although I doubt anyone will say they come with great eyepieces or accessories, they seem to be better than expected for cheapo scopes like these. Guess I'll find out when my scope arrives.

Does anyone really expect better than adequate accessories?  I assume a telescope will at least merit better-quality eyepieces, and eventually a step-up in the diagonal will be likely.  Just buy hoping the optics are decent and the mount initially satisfactory.

 

The lenses on my first Edmund Sci reflector kit (mid-1960s) were held in flat black cardboard tubes but they were coated glass and opened a universe to me.

 

Too bad vendors don’t offer a basic as well as several upgrade accessory packages for the OTA and mount.

[Brianm14]

<snip>

I picked up the 70MM Mak myself at $75.

<snip>

Good deal!  Thanks for alerting us!  Did the same today, as a simple bday present for one of my grown sons, who isn’t sure about astronomy yet.

[Anony]

Does anyone really expect better than adequate accessories?  I assume a telescope will at least merit better-quality eyepieces, and eventually a step-up in the diagonal will be likely.  Just buy hoping the optics are decent and the mount initially satisfactory.

 

I usually expect much worse than adequate accessories. So when I say better than expected, I don't really mean good... I just mean usable.

 

Three eyepieces, barlow + phone adapter... that's more than usually comes with entry level scopes. Now they are MAs (and one appears to be an aspheric), but still... could be worse. If I recall correctly someone in the Mak thread said they were decent as far as MAs go. 

 

As for the 4mm aspheric, I expect it'll be terrible, but I recall reading about a little trick, removing one segment or something, and turning it into a decent 8mm eyepiece. That assumes it is the 4mm aspheric, just going by pics.

[John R.]

Also do not forget to factor in the ‘morbid curiosity’ reason for buying one of these. A few weeks ago Walmart had the Celestron Travel Scope 60 for $38. My morbid curiosity kicked in and…..

it is surprisingly not absolutely terrible. Just a few minutes ago I was looking at Jupiter. 
Started with a wide 20mm at 18x and then popped in a 6mm for 60x, at that magnification Jupiter was hard edged and the two major equatorial bands stood out clearly. The four major moons were pinpricks. There is a little bit of flare, I have lined the black plastic focusing tube with black construction paper but it probably needs flock paper. 
Yep, pretty much all plastic except the main tube but you know, the focusing is tight with no wobble or shift in or out, and even with a cheap 90 degree diagonal I had laying about its definitely worth the money. It weighs 1.5 lbs with an eyepiece and on that Spectrum AZ mount damps in less than one second! 

 

It has leather seats, whitewall tires and dual carbs……

 

just seeing if you were paying attention…..
 

PS: I now see these on ebay for $35 with free shipping….from Vietnam no less. 

[Anony]

Also do not forget to factor in the ‘morbid curiosity’ reason for buying one of these. A few weeks ago Walmart had the Celestron Travel Scope 60 for $38. My morbid curiosity kicked in and…..

it is surprisingly not absolutely terrible. Just a few minutes ago I was looking at Jupiter. 
Started with a wide 20mm at 18x and then popped in a 6mm for 60x, at that magnification Jupiter was hard edged and the two major equatorial bands stood out clearly. The four major moons were pinpricks. There is a little bit of flare, I have lined the black plastic focusing tube with black construction paper but it probably needs flock paper. 
Yep, pretty much all plastic except the main tube but you know, the focusing is tight with no wobble or shift in or out, and even with a cheap 90 degree diagonal I had laying about its definitely worth the money. It weighs 1.5 lbs with an eyepiece and on that Spectrum AZ mount damps in less than one second! 

 

It has leather seats, whitewall tires and dual carbs……

 

just seeing if you were paying attention…..
 

PS: I now see these on ebay for $35 with free shipping….from Vietnam no less. 

Something that would be interesting here would be a thread of cheap scopes (maybe one even exists that I'm not aware of). Not necessarily good scopes... just, well, best of the bad scopes I suppose? And not just for refractors, although they tend to be easier to find cheap. 

 

And my curiosity recently got the better of me with one of those nat geo 114mm reflectors. Someone posted here that he thinks they have parabolic mirrors. 

 

Well... don't think mine does. Still, after center dotting and collimation, I can get the main bands on Jupiter, four stars in Trapezium, and reasonable views -- basically not enough for me to want to keep the thing, but it's good enough for me to sell cheaply on the used market and not feel bad. It's okay at a super cheap price.

[KWB]

Fortunately I also bought the 70mm mak from them, and it has a very decent AZ mount with slow motion control. From mounting my ST80 on it I’d say it will handle 4-5 lbs. My ST80 damps in less than two seconds at 45x. I cannot imagine this 60 weighs more than 2.5 lbs and should be about 21 inches long with the dew shield. At 500mm it lands right in the middle of my 60mm refractors with a 360mm short one and a 700mm antique. 

You didn't say you would be using another mount in your last post and that doesn't change my opinion of the mount included with the $31 telescope.  Of course you can upgrade the mount you use with this 60mm scope. That changes the picture considerably. Now that the cats out of the bag, it fair game to chase it. If it were me, that 60mm telescope would be sitting on top of this mount, just like my ST80. A $350 mount works wonders for stability using these really small telescopes.

 

Using these bottom dollars telescopes with an upgraded mount is one thing. Reviewing one on the internet doesn't reveal to others what the experience of the original setup actually is like. I'd report on both experiences so anyone would know what to expect for $31.

 

[John R.]

It 

 

You didn't say you would be using another mount in your last post and that doesn't change my opinion of the mount included with the $31 telescope.  Of course you can upgrade the mount you use with this 60mm scope. That changes the picture considerably. Now that the cats out of the bag, it fair game to chase it. If it were me, that 60mm telescope would be sitting on top of this mount, just like my ST80. A $350 mount works wonders for stability using these really small telescopes.

 

Using these bottom dollars telescopes with an upgraded mount is one thing. Reviewing one on the internet doesn't reveal to others what the experience of the original setup actually is like. I'd report on both experiences.

 

Sure thing. Chase away. On one of Ed Ting’s videos he opined that cheap scopes were more suited for experienced users and not noobs. We can often work around the weak points of a cheap scope whereas someone new to the hobby wouldn’t know how. 
Nice mount, but I’d get beat up by the missus if she saw $350 on the Visa. (She is short but fast, and as Basil Faulty says about wife Sybil, ‘She can kill a man at ten paces with one lash of her tongue!’)
But other than that life is just peachy. 

Ok, just came back in. Looked at m42 and m45. Not too bad for a cheap scope. Most pleasant view is at 24x with a 15mm EP. 
About mounts. I have built, with maybe $10 in materials, an AZ mount that is very smooth and light and attaches to my medium duty Slik tripod. That rig at 24x damps in one second with this scope. 
The caveat of my homebuilt of course is, no slow motion movements. Didn’t want to get that fancy. 

Edited by John R., 10 February 2023 - 11:46 PM.

[Brianm14]

I usually expect much worse than adequate accessories. So when I say better than expected, I don't really mean good... I just mean usable.

 

Three eyepieces, barlow + phone adapter... that's more than usually comes with entry level scopes. Now they are MAs (and one appears to be an aspheric), but still... could be worse. If I recall correctly someone in the Mak thread said they were decent as far as MAs go. 

 

As for the 4mm aspheric, I expect it'll be terrible, but I recall reading about a little trick, removing one segment or something, and turning it into a decent 8mm eyepiece. That assumes it is the 4mm aspheric, just going by pics.

Thanks for clarifying your particular position.  My question in general still stands.

[Jon Isaacs]

Does anyone really expect better than adequate accessories?  I assume a telescope will at least merit better-quality eyepieces, and eventually a step-up in the diagonal will be likely.  Just buy hoping the optics are decent and the mount initially satisfactory.

 

The lenses on my first Edmund Sci reflector kit (mid-1960s) were held in flat black cardboard tubes but they were coated glass and opened a universe to me.

 

Too bad vendors don’t offer a basic as well as several upgrade accessory packages for the OTA and mount.

 

A better mount would probably more than double the cost. At that point, scopes like the AWB 130 mm F/5 mini-Dob need to be considered.

 

Jon

[John R.]

Posting again this morning to clarify that I really do agree with KWB’s point about being cautious in reporting results from cheap refractors. 
I figure in the main the audience here on Cloudy Nights is experienced enough to know about the importance of steady mounts. 
It always makes me laugh when a you tube video will feature a title like ‘Yes, you can do astro photography with a $39.99 telescope.’ Then bolt it to 10K worth of mountings and auto guiders. 
Right…..

To me cheap astrophotography is a homemade barn door mount, manually operated, your DSLR or mirrorless and a fast and not too long lens. No telescope required. 
Even that exceeds my personal computer skills, would rather just look.