Celestron FirstScope 60 EQ Telescope
Out of stock |
Similar in Telescopes
- Optical Diameter: 60 mm
- Max Useful Magnification: x 142
- Finderscope: Red-Dot
- Mount Type: Equatorial
- Focal Length: 900 mm
- Optical Design: Refractor
- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Clear views, easy operations.
Pros
Good Optics, nice mount. Excellent for the planets and moon.
Cons
Diagonal is cheap. Not good for Nebulae and galaxies.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
A good scope to learn the Astronomy hobby. Simple enough and no collimation headaches.
I bought this scope used over Ebay for $60.00. I started this hobby with a Konus 4.5" reflector that cost me nearly $200. I was getting frustrated with trying to collimate the Konus and also the Konus mount and tripod were pretty cheap.
Views: I bought the Celestron mainly for the mount and the extra eyepieces but was surprised when I compared the views of the planets between the two scopes. The Celestron was quite a bit dimmer and there was a definite yellow tinge to the views but the image itself was much sharper and revealed details like the belts on Jupiter and Saturn's rings much more clearly than the Konus. The big planet's images nearly filled the eyepiece at 180X. The Celestron views of the bigger nebulae like the Orion Nebulae are pretty dim and lifeless. The Konus is superior in this regard.
Mount: Look for a wooden tripod over aluminium. The Celestron mount is a lot more precise and vibration free. The Konus has way too much slop - especially in the Right Acension axis. After 2 or 3 viewing sessions with the Konus mount, you could turn the RA slow-motion control over half a rotation before it began to move. The Celestron mount is a lot more precise with no detectable slop. The setting circles are pretty small and hard to read in the dark with a red flashlight.
Eyepieces and Accessories. The Celestron "SMA" eyepieces are decent and I couldn't see any big difference between them and the Konus "Plossl" eyepieces. The Plossls are supposed to be superior but the only difference I could see was a little better color distiction with the Plossls on Jupiter. The 90 degree diagonal is cheap plastic but works well enough. It is a shame because everything else on the scope seems to be higher quality. The focuser is smooth enough and requires a lot less force than the Konus. The long 900mm focal length makes it easier to get a precise focus.
Summary. This is a good scope to learn the hobby. The mount allows you to find objects with the setting circles, something that takes practice and preparation but is satisifying when you can actually do it. This is quickly becoming a lost art in the age of go-to scopes. The mount and wooden tripod are much more stable and precise than the aluminium affairs you get with most starter scopes. The images of planets and the moon are excellent. I now use both scopes on any given night, the Celestron for planets and the moon and the Konus for Nebulae and galaxies.
Views: I bought the Celestron mainly for the mount and the extra eyepieces but was surprised when I compared the views of the planets between the two scopes. The Celestron was quite a bit dimmer and there was a definite yellow tinge to the views but the image itself was much sharper and revealed details like the belts on Jupiter and Saturn's rings much more clearly than the Konus. The big planet's images nearly filled the eyepiece at 180X. The Celestron views of the bigger nebulae like the Orion Nebulae are pretty dim and lifeless. The Konus is superior in this regard.
Mount: Look for a wooden tripod over aluminium. The Celestron mount is a lot more precise and vibration free. The Konus has way too much slop - especially in the Right Acension axis. After 2 or 3 viewing sessions with the Konus mount, you could turn the RA slow-motion control over half a rotation before it began to move. The Celestron mount is a lot more precise with no detectable slop. The setting circles are pretty small and hard to read in the dark with a red flashlight.
Eyepieces and Accessories. The Celestron "SMA" eyepieces are decent and I couldn't see any big difference between them and the Konus "Plossl" eyepieces. The Plossls are supposed to be superior but the only difference I could see was a little better color distiction with the Plossls on Jupiter. The 90 degree diagonal is cheap plastic but works well enough. It is a shame because everything else on the scope seems to be higher quality. The focuser is smooth enough and requires a lot less force than the Konus. The long 900mm focal length makes it easier to get a precise focus.
Summary. This is a good scope to learn the hobby. The mount allows you to find objects with the setting circles, something that takes practice and preparation but is satisifying when you can actually do it. This is quickly becoming a lost art in the age of go-to scopes. The mount and wooden tripod are much more stable and precise than the aluminium affairs you get with most starter scopes. The images of planets and the moon are excellent. I now use both scopes on any given night, the Celestron for planets and the moon and the Konus for Nebulae and galaxies.
