Check out the Meade DSI PRO II at Telescopes.com

Let’s look at what Meade DSI PRO II owner’s have to say on the Web:

for the price, this is the easiest “introductory” camera I have used, and is definitely capable of imaging virtually all of the Messier catalog with an impressive effort-and-cost-to-results ratio…”
snippet from an expert-level reviewer at cloudynights.com

… The DSI is easy enough to make it relatively easy to use, but sophisticated enough to do a lot with and it’s the later that offers a lot of growth and potential challenges…”
snippet from an owner’s feedback at weasner.com

“… I purchased this a few weeks ago and have been very happy with it. I’ve finally been able to image deep sky objects. Even with short exposures, I get a reasonable amount of detail…”
snippet from a Meade Deep Sky Imager user’s review at telescopes.com

“… camera itself is sensitive and you can make quite good pictures of Deep-Sky objects and Moon, For planets it is not so good because of sensitivity but it can be made…”
part of a response to a query about the Meade DSI posted at answers.yahoo.com

Here’s what the manufaturer claims:

If you’re gonna buy this instrument, we recommend

Telescopes.com for best price & after sales support

By Matthew Kriebel

The sheer, overwhelming amount of light pollution from a city can lead many of its inhabitants to believe that there is no way they can view anything from urban areas. Its not just residents who feel this way, I’ve even talked expert astronomy authors who have told me that there was no reason to get a telescope larger than 3″ diameter for city use as the light pollution would make that extra aperture useless.

The real truth of the matter is a bit different: While city astronomical viewing is hardly ideal, it is far and away from the futile effort that many ‘experts’ would have you believe. In fact, there are a few tricks you can do that may actually give you a decent viewing experience:

Look Up!

Its a sad fact of life in the city: People rarely actually look up! And when they do, it is usually to admire some brightly lit building. But if you get in the habit of looking up in the sky at night you will start to notice that on clear nights there are objects in the sky that can be seen, and there’s more than just the Moon up in the sky! Getting into this habit will also let you spot the ideal nights for viewing. Of course, make certain you are not looking up at a tall building or street light first!

Get Away from the City Center

The center area of any city is where its light are brightest and its building are tallest. Getting just a mile or two, or even just a few blocks away from brightest buildings can result in some surprisingly excellent views of the night sky. I myself have been able to naked-eye view the Orion Nebula (with averted vision) from both the Ferry Docks in Manhattan, as well as in Northeast Philadelphia!

Get High!

The vast majority of light pollution in a city comes from its street lights. The trend in cities is to add more street lamps instead of removing them, so don’t expect them to go away anytime soon. But the good news is that most of street lights’ light is pointing down (and sadly, being reflected back up, but that’s another story). If you can get above these lights (which usually reach the third floor in most cities) by going on roof of a tall house or deck high above the ground you will avoid a large portion of the light pollution the city produces. Decks and roofs are not ideal for astronomy. Most decks are wood and prone to bouncing when you walk on them, your telescope image will shake accordingly if someone is moving around on your deck. In addition, not all roof decks have access that is easy to bring a telescope up to. Your mileage may vary.

Pick Your Nights Wisely

If you want a chance to see more than just the Moon and Planets, you will need to be choosy about which nights you want to do city observing. In addition to clouds, haze is a frequent factor in the night skies over cities in the warmer months and will spoil most viewing. The best nights for viewing will probably be in the Fall/Winter months.

Adapt your Eyes!

Amateur astronomers write volumes on getting their eyes to adapt to nighttime so that they can get the most out of their telescope viewing. They are, of course, assuming that you are working with excellent dark skies far away from any light pollution, but don’t let that fact put you off letting your eyes adapt. All too many urban astronomers walk out of their lit buildings and glance immediately up into the sky, without allowing their eyes any night adaptation whatsoever. This is not a good way to assess the night sky; instead give your eyes a few minutes to adapt to conditions. To do this avoid looking at any lights. You can sit in a chair and look up at the sky and you can actually see the effects: More and more stars will seem to ‘appear’. Its not that the city sky is improving, its just your eyes adapting to the night.

Choose Your Targets Wisely

Even with all these hints, you should be be judicious in what you want to view in the urban night sky. Trying to view Magnitiude 15-20 (the higher the magnitude, the fainter the object) objects is a daunting task even in the darkest skies and so should probably be avoided. Targets you should consider instead would be:

The Moon: The moon is utterly unaffected by light pollution. In fact, even in the city you might consider using a Moon Filter as the light can be quite bright through a telescope. Keep in mind that the best time to view the Moon is when it is waxing or waning, not when it is full. Why? Because when the Moon is full the light is shining right down of the surface and so you get few shadows to show you details.

The Planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus are also little affected by light pollution. You can enjoy the rings of Saturn as well the moons & bands of Jupiter with any decent telescope. Venus and Mars can also be enjoyed, however the former is very bright and shows only its crescent shape, wheras viewing the latter is often dependent on how close it is to Earth.

Brighter Deep Sky Objects: You won’t get magnificent images of nebulea and galaxies, but you still enjoy them with a decent telescope. The Orion Nebula is one of the easiest objects to find in the night sky, while the Andromeda Galaxy can it least be partially seen on clear nights from the city. Make certain you have a decent star chart or Planisphere to pick your viewing targets.

In Conclusion

Urban astronomy will never match finding true dark skies far out in the country, but don’t let naysayers tell you that you “Can’t see anything in the city”. You most certainly can!

About the author

Matt Kriebel is the owner of the telescope & science store Spectrum Scientifics. Spectrum Scientifics is your source for telescopes, microscopes, binoculars, science toys, weather instruments, robots, and much, much more.

Spectrum Scientifics: Telescopes, Science Toys, and Science Fun! www.spectrum-scientifics.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Kriebel
http://EzineArticles.com/?Urban-Astronomy—Seeing-the-Skies-in-Light-Polluted-Areas&id=1468200

We’ve favorably reviewed this bestselling beginner telescope before, but decided to get other owner’s impressions from all over the Web:

“… Overall, the Celestron Powerseeker 114 is a budget priced telescope with good optical performance, especially when using the low power K20 eyepiece…”
snippet of an AstroMaster 114 EQ owner’s review from washingtonpost.com

“Easy assembly right out of the box…1st view of the moon was awesome…sturdy tripod..everything seems to be built to last…”
AstroMaster 114 EQ owner’s feedback at optcorp.com

“… Optical alignment seems as good now after shipment and backpacking as it can be, but there are all the usual adjustment screws for when needed… …suitable for an amateur astronomer…”
114 EQ owner’s feedback at amazon.com

“… all in all, this in my opinion is the best bang for the buck telescope out there for beginners on a budget! “
another owner’s review at amazon.com

“… Set it up in my livingroom, and had most of the basic operation figured out in less than an hour (attributed to reasonably clear instructions)…”
“.. noticed that the focus was real touchy, especially at 100x…”
“… but I had a good time staying fixed on my target at 100x, with only the fine RA adjustments. Getting used to both the delicate focuser, and the wobble. My touch is getting very light, especially on the slow adj. knobs…”
a series of reports from a beginner at the cloudynights forum

All in all, this is a great beginner’s scope. If you’re someone that likes to buy something more advanced then have a look at

Consumer Opinions: Celestron NexStar 6 SE Telescope Reviews

We were quite impressed to see that Telescopes.com offers the best deal on the AstroMaster Reflector - they even beat the mighty Amazon on cost.

Here’s a summary of the Astromaster 114 EQ’s features:

Included: Telescope, Tripod/Mount, Starpointer Finderscope, “The Sky” Level 1 planetarium software

There are several telescope buyers guides available on the Internet, some good, some not so good. Many of them carry far too much information that a beginner doesn’t need. This guide is from our experience with telescope customers and hope it is simple and helpful in helping you choose a telescope!

Towards that end, the first and in some ways only rule of telescopes is:

Aperture is King!

Aperture is the diameter of the main lens or mirror of the telescope. The bigger it is, the more light the telescope gathers. Do not judge a telescope by its magnification, and stay away from any brand of telescope that sells itself on excess magnification claims (300x!, 600x!, etc.). This is sure sign of poor quality.

More light gathering means better, brighter images, assuming all other things being equal. Decent commercially sold telescopes usually start about 60mm in size (about 2.3″) and go to 20″ diameter or more. Roughly speaking, every 2 extra inches of aperture doubles the light gathering capacity of the telescope.

The big problem with getting more aperture is that it increases the size and weight of the telescope. Having a huge, giant telescope with lots of light gathering power has little benefit if it is so heavy you never want to take it out and use it! A minor, but critical caveat to the ‘Aperture is King’ rule is that the small, portable telescope that gets used all the time is more powerful than the giant telescope that never gets moved out of the garage.

What Kind of Telescope?

There are three types of telescope: Reflector, Refractor, and Cassegrain. For beginners purposes, only the first two should be seriously considered. Cassegrain telescope are very nice, but are a bit advanced for first time scope buyers.

Reflector: telescopes use parabolic or spherical curved mirrors to gather and Reflector Telescopeconcentrate light. The advantage of reflector telescopes is that they are the most economical for larger sizes. The disadvantages are: in inverted image (meaning a reflector telescope cannot be used for looking down the street) and a need for occasional maintenance: the mirror must occasionally be aligned, or collimated to ensure the telescope is working at its best.

Refractor: telescopes use two or more lenses to gather and bend (or refract) light. The Refractor Telescopeadvantage for refractors is that, at equal sizes, they provide a more crisp image of the object being view versus a reflector telescope, refractors also can be used for terrestrial viewing (i.e. Looking down the street again), and they do not need to be collimated like reflector telescopes. The disadvantages to refractor telescopes is that as refractor telescopes get larger, they increase in price at a much faster rate than reflectors. At smaller sizes, say 2-3″ in diameter, the prices are roughly equal for reflectors and refractors. But by the time you reach a 5″ aperture, the price of the refractor will be at least double that of the reflector.

Due to the difficulty of grinding larger lenses, the weight of those lenses, and an optical effect called chromatic aberration (where the light is broken up as it travels through the refractors lens in a manner similar to prisms) refractors generally are not made larger than 5-6″ in diameter.

What Kind of Mount?

Any telescope is going to need a mount! There are three different mount designs to consider: altazimuth, equatorial, and dobsonian. Whatever mount you decide on, it should be strong enough to hold the optical tube without wobbling. Nothing is more annoying than trying to view an object in the sky, only to have it bounce around and be unwatchable because of a poor mount.

Altazimuth Mounts: Altazimuth mounts are simple mounts designed to help aim the Altazimuth Mounted Telescopetelescope in simple up/down (altitude) and left/right (azimuth). Altazimuth mounts are simple and intuitive, and work well for beginners. They are also useful if you wish to use your telescope for terrestrial viewing. The problem with altazimuth mounts is this: objects in the sky do not move in convenient up/down, left/right motion. They move through the sky in an arc (or at least it seems that way to us!). This means that trying to track celestial objects using an altazimuth mount can be like drawing a curve with an etch-a-sketch! For most beginner viewing, this is not an issue, and one can always reacquire an object that moves out of the field of view. But it does mean that if you find a nice object with your telescope, and leave to go let your friends know, it will likely move out of the eyepiece view by the time you come back!

Equatorial Mounts: Sometimes called German equatorial mounts, are distinguished by Equatorially Mounted Telescopetheir counterweights that are needed to keep the telescope properly balanced. Equatorial mounts require more setup than altazimuth mounts as they must be adjusted to your latitude and aimed North. They are also not as intuitive to aim as altazimuth mounts as they do not follow left/right up/down motions but instead move along declination and right ascension. This follows the path of stars, planets, and deep space objects, but takes some getting used to. The advantages of equatorial mounts are that they can track objects with a turn of a knob, or they can even be motorized. The other advantage is that with some study, the equatorial mount’s setting circles can be used to actually find objects in the night sky! Equatorial mounts are also required for any type of astrophotography, but for beginners this should not be a great concern.

Dobsonian Mounts: Some consider the Dobsonian to be just variant of the altazimuth Dobsonian Telescopemount, and they are not completely wrong. Dobsonians have the same advantages and disadvantages of altazimuth mounts: intuitive movement, no tracking, etc. But the difference is that a Dobsonian mount uses a lazy-susan style platform to move in azimuth and usually some form of hubs to move in altitude. The result is that a Dobsonian mount can handle much, much heavier optical tubes than most altazimuth tripod mounts are capable of handling. Thanks to several improvements in design, Dobsonian mounts have become more and more popular as they are one of the most economical telescope designs on the market today.

Other Considerations:

The optical tube and mount are major concerns, but they are not the only things one should consider when buying a telescope:

Eyepieces: Eyepieces are often overlooked when buying a telescope, but they should be considered seriously by the beginner as they are 50% of the overall optical system. Almost all telescopes include 1 or 2 eyepieces, but by no means are all eyepieces created equal. Cheap telescopes usually include old, cheap eyepiece designs such as Ramsden or Huygenian designs that actually can make the image worse. The telescope you buy should come with eyepieces that, at a minimum, are Kellner or preferably Plossl design. These eyepiece designs are considered the standard for decent eyepieces.

Finder Scope: Every telescope needs a finder scope, a small telescope that sits on top of your main optical tube and aids in aiming the telescope. Most lower end telescopes these days use a reflex finder which projects a red dot onto an optical window to show where the telescope is pointing. These reflex finders are actually easier to use than a cheap finder scope would be. However, for larger telescopes a 6×30 (which stands for: 6 magnification, 30mm aperture) finder scope is much more appropriate. Larger telescopes may also have even larger finder scopes. Avoid telescopes with old 5x finder scopes, or at least be willing to try and attach some sort of reflex finder in its place.

Optional Accessories: Not everything you need for observing the night sky will come with your telescope (and if it does, beware, some companies gussy up cheap scopes with cheap accessories!). There are some things that should be in any astronomer’s ‘kit’. Such as:

1. A Planisphere: Make certain this is one you can read easily at night with your red flashlight!
2. A Red Light Flashlight: A red flashlight prevents you from losing your night vision the way a regular (white) flashlight would.
3. A Barlow Lens: A Barlow lens is a lens you slip your eyepieces into that then doubles or triples their magnification. Having a barlow is like doubling the number of eyepieces you have. Make sure you have a barlow before you go buying additional eyepieces.
4. A decent Astronomy book: Don’t just buy a book with pretty pictures. Make certain it is a useful book that gives helpful instructions and advice on how to use your telescope, find& observe night-sky objects and other hints. Make certain to read it fully before you go observing, then refer to it during your observation session.
5. Time and good weather: Make certain that you have time for your new hobby. It takes some commitment for even casual viewing. Also, make certain that before you go observing that the weather is decent for viewing. There’s no point in going observing on a night where haze clouds everything in view.
6. Warm clothing: OK, you should really have this stuff already. But it is important to know. Even in warm summer months the temperature can get surprisingly cool at night. Be certain that you are ready for the weather, wherever you are and whenever you observe.

Other accessories you should consider, but are not as crucial as the above items are:

1. Filters: There are a lot of filters available, and they all help with viewing certain objects. Moon filters cut down on the bright moon (which can actually be painful to view through a large telescope!). Color filters help bring out features of the planets. Sky Pollution filters reduce (but do not eliminate) the effects of light pollution. Read up on their effects and decide if any of these filters are right for your needs.
2. A Carrying Case (for accessories): Eyepieces, barlows, filters, books, & planispheres! All these little parts can be hard to carry and just shoving them into a bag isn’t a very good idea. Consider buying an accessory case to put your eyepieces, etc in for easy transportation. The time to consider getting a carrying case is when moving the accessories is starting to get in the way of your night sky enjoym
3. Binoculars! :If you haven’t already gotten a full sized pair, you should. Binoculars make for easy viewing, help find night sky objects. And are great for quick viewing. These need not be specifically astronomy binoculars, just a decent pair of full-sized binoculars will work fine.

There is plenty to consider when buying your first telescope, but some things should not be worried about. These include:

1. Astrophotography: Astrophotography, even in the age of digital cameras, is pretty advanced stuff that requires a lot of time and equipment. Trying to jump into it, or making your telescope buying decisions based on it, is like learning to swim by jumping into a the deep end of the pool. First make certain that you enjoy astronomy, and can commit the time for basic viewing before you even consider taking up astrophotography. Remember that if you need a different mount than what you initially buy as your first telescope that you can usually sell the old telescope at a reasonable price.
2. Ultra-High End GPS Super GoTo Computer Guidance Systems: These systems, while great, can actually be problematic. They are expensive, aren’t the ‘idiot-proof’ systems some folks make them out to be, they limit you from learning about the night sky, and many designs actually require that you aim with the computer. This means if the computer’s motors run out of battery power, you can’t even aim the telescope yourself! Basic guidance systems, such as the Orion Intelliscope line are useful for finding objects in the night sky without taking the experience away from you! Consider these instead of completely controlled systems.
3. Color! If one were to look through a book of astronomy picture you would think that every view of the night sky through a telescope is awash in bright, pretty colors. Sadly, this is not the case. Most of these photos are taken with long exposure photography and show colors that, while there, are not apparent to the human eye. Be realistic about what you see, and make certain that the telescope you buy doesn’t have tons of unrealistic photos on its box (which were usually taken by the Hubble Space Telescope or the Viking and Voyager probes!).

With this guide we hope that you will have the ability to make a much more informed decision about what sort of telescope you want. Whatever telescope you buy or where ever you buy it, happy observing!

About the author

Matt Kriebel is the owner of the telescope & science store Spectrum Scientifics. Spectrum Scientifics is your source for telescopes, microscopes, binoculars, science toys, weather instruments, robots, and fun and useful science items.

Be sure to read the Spectrum Scientifics Store Blog: blog.spectrum-scientifics.com!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Kriebel
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Uncluttered-Telescope-Buyers-Guide&id=1468252

Just to ensure that new readers understand the aim of these posts, here’s some background:

We obviously cannot review all optical instruments ourselves and we have therefore decided to collect opinions from consumers and post them in a single place for a single instrument. Real user accounts are excellent at cutting through the hype and marketing that traders use so well online to bamboozle consumers into making a purchase.

We feel that this strategy also counteracts our own biases and provides consumers with a more accurate idea of the quality and real world ease-of-use of the instruments we post here.

Just to be clear: these are not recommendations, but do provide a kind of ‘user opinion poll’.

OK, let’s have a closer look at the Celestron NexStar 8 SE:

Go to the NexStar 8 SE page t telescopes.com

Owner’s opinions:

“… easy for me to align, and the GoTo really helps to find objects when viewing from my semi light-polluted back yard…  …Worth every penny…”

snippet of an owner’s feedback at telescopes.com

“… a great product, in fact the best scope I have ever owned… … eats double A batteries pretty quickly - You will need the power tank accessory…”

snippet of another owner’s feedback at telescopes.com

“… really loved everything about this telescope and the dislikes are trivial (and hence the 5 star rating)…”

snippet from an owner’s feedback at Amazon.com

“… Once I used SkyAlign to set it up, I was finding nebulas and galaxies that I had never seen before. 8 “AA” batteries do not last long in this scope, so if you plan to use it for hours at a time, I would suggest that you purchase the AC Adapter, Car Adapter, or Power Tank to go with it…”

another owner’s feedback at Amazon.com

“… There are two streetlights fairly nearby, the first about 80 feet away and the second roughly 100 feet away. In spite of that, I have been able to see objects I never expected I would be able to see, even given these less than ideal viewing conditions… … a magnificent instrument for visual observation. Its expansive 8″ aperture, high quality optics, and nearly flawless, easy to use, GoTo and tracking systems, make it a joy to use…”

snippet from an expert user’s review at cloudynights.com

Manufacturer’s description

An 8 inch telescope is the right amount of aperture for viewing just about anything in the night sky. This telescope sets up and breaks down quickly and is great for taking to dark sky locations. The largest of the NexStar SE family with 78% more light gathering than a 6-inch model, the NexStar 8 SE will enable you to see deep into the universe. The distinctive patented fork arm with ergonomically designed integrated hand control cradle gives solid support to Celestron’s classic 8-inch optics. The NexStar 8 SE features Schmidt-Cassegrain 8-inch aperture optics with our premium StarBright XLT coatings and a powerful 2,032mm focal length and f/10 focal ratio.

The NexStar 8 SE has all the same features as Celestron’s most advanced computerized GoTo telescopes, including our revolutionary SkyAlign™ alignment technology, a sky tour feature, a database of over 40,000 celestial objects and easy to use hand control.

Plug the optional CN-16 GPS Accessory into NexStar’s auxiliary port and download data from orbiting GPS satellites for truly quick and easy alignments. The universe may be full of mysteries, but using the NexStar 8 SE isn’t one of them.

In the tradition of Celestron’s famous orange optical tubes, the new NexStar SE family combines the classic heritage of the original orange tube telescopes with state-of-the-art features including a fully computerized operating system, flash-upgradable hand control, our superior StarBright XLT coatings, our revolutionary SkyAlign™ telescope-alignment software, and much more.

Whether you are a seasoned astronomer looking for a portable scope with advanced features, or just starting your astronomy adventure and looking for an easy way to enjoy the night sky, a NexStar SE will help you take a closer look.

Every NexStar SE includes a version of The Sky® software Level 1 Planetarium software for exploring the Universe on your PC and printing out custom star charts of the sky. In addition, you receive our NexRemote software that allows you to operate your telescope via your PC. Software package valued at over $100 included free with your NexStar SE!

Celestron’s Revolutionary SkyAlign

General

• 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope
• SE combines the classic heritage of the original orange tube telescopes with the latest state-of-the-art features
• StarBright XLT high transmission coatings come standard
• Quick-release fork arm mount, optical tube, and accessory tray for no-tool setup
• Celestron’s unique patented single fork arm with integral hand control design provides a rigid and smooth operating structure for the optical tube
• StarPointer finderscope to help with alignment and accurately locating objects
• Sturdy computerized altazimuth mount
• Ultra-sturdy steel tripod with accessory tray
• Star diagonal provides more comfortable viewing position when observing objects that are high in the sky

Our rating: 9.5

We have put this scope through it’s paces many times and our opinions coincide with the owner’s independent feedback reports we have found on the Internet.

Go to the NexStar 8 SE page t telescopes.com

To new readers, here’s the background to these ‘opinion/review’ posts:

Since we obviously cannot review all optical instruments ourselves, we have decided to collect opinions from consumers and post them in a single place for a single instrument, and then give it an overall rating based on real user experiences. This eliminates our own biases and therefore provides consumers with a more accurate idea of the quality and ease of use of the instruments we post here.

To re-iterate: these are not recommendations, but do provide a kind of ‘user opinion poll’.

Let’s have a closer look at the

Celestron NexStar 6 SE Telescope

Actual owner’s reports/opinions:

“… a useful telescope for the beginning astronomer, as well as experienced observers, because of its portability. I just want to stress what a great price point this is for a serious, practical instrument…”

expert astronomer’s comment at tomsguide.com

“… I find the scope very sturdy and compared to my previous scope, focussing is much easier and disturbs the image much less. It’s build quality seems very good robust…”

snippet of an owner’s opinion at stargazerslounge.com

“… Optical quality is excellent, the tripod is rock solid, and the sky align technology can’t be beat. Also, the quality of the included eyepiece is really nice…”

snippet of an owner’s opinion comment at hawkee.com

“… there are bigger scopes out there but the prices and size of these telescopes make this one a great compromise on size, performance and “bang for the buck…”

snippet of a owner’s comment at amazon.com

Manufacturer’s Description
Portability and serious performance come together in the NexStar 6 SE. Celestron’s first new Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system in over a decade is now available in a high performance altazimuth computerized telescope. With a total weight of 30 pounds including the tripod, the ultra portable 6 SE features a precision optical system with 1500mm focal length (f10) and offers 44% more light gathering than a 5-inch telescope.

The NexStar 6 SE has all the same features as Celestron’s most advanced computerized GoTo telescopes, including our revolutionary SkyAlign alignment technology, a sky tour feature, a database of over 40,000 celestial objects, and easy-to-use hand control.

Plug the optional CN-16 GPS accessory into NexStar’s auxiliary port and download data from orbiting GPS satellites for truly quick and easy alignments. The universe may be full of mysteries, but using the NexStar 6 SE isn’t one of them.

In the tradition of Celestron’s famous orange optical tubes, the NexStar SE Family combines the classic heritage of the original orange tube telescopes with state-of-the-art features including a fully computerized operating system, flash upgradeable hand control, our superior StarBright XLT coatings, our revolutionary SkyAlign telescope alignment software, and much more.

Whether you are a seasoned astronomer looking for a portable scope with advanced features, or just starting your astronomy adventure and looking for an easy way to enjoy the night sky, a NexStar SE will help you take a closer look.

Check out the Celestron NexStar 6 SE page at telescopes.com

To re-iterate: these are not recommendations, but do provide a kind of ‘user opinion poll’.

Canon 10×42 L Image Stabilization Waterproof Binoculars

Canon claims that its10×42 L Image Stabilization Waterproof Binoculars with its large diameter lens & 4.2 millimeter exit pupil diameter provides an exceptional view even in low-light conditions.

Let’s see what actual owners of this binocular have to say:

“… The Canon 10X42 L WP binocular is the ultimate choice if your hobbies are varied like birding, boating or astronomy. It’s like having your cake and eating it too…”

snippet from a very long and detailed review at cloudynights.com

“… the sharpest binoculars I ever looked into and have no noticable chromatic aberration on axis and very little near the edge… … The only con is the added weight over the 12×36’s but since the 10×42’s are waterproof and have much larger exit pupil I don’t mind it… …the bottom line is the view is as good as it gets in a 10x binocular…”

snippets from an owner’s feedback on birdforum.net

“I have several different binoculars from small hand held to a large pair of Nikon’s I use for wildlife spotting. I have never had anything that performs nearly as well as these do.”

snippet from an owner’s comment at amazon.com

Manufacturer’s Specs

Features

Technical

• Type: Prism binoculars
• Magnification: 10x
• Objective lens effective diameter: 42 millimetersmm
• Filter size: 52 millimeters
• Real field of view: 6.5 degrees
• Apparent field of view: 65 degrees
• Objective lens construction: 4 elements in 3 groups
• Eyepiece lens construction: 7 elements in 5 groups
• Exit pupil diameter: 4.2 millimeters
• Eye relief: 16 millimeters
• Prism type: Porro II
• Eye width adjustment: 57 to 75 millimeters
• Focusing method: Manual focusing by turning the focusing ring
• Dioptric correction: plus or minus 3.0 diopters
• Closest focusing distance: 8.2 feet / 2.5 meters
• Image stabilizer: Vari-angle prism
• Correction angle: plus or minus 0.8 degrees
• Tripod socket: Yes
• Power source: 2 AA batteries
• Dimensions: 5.4 x 6.9 x 3.4 inches
• Weight: 2.3 pounds

Click here to see Amazon’s deal on this instrument

To re-iterate: these are not recommendations, but do provide a kind of ‘user opinion poll’.

Nikon Monarch ATB 10×42

Nikon markets the Nikon 7432 10×42 Monarch binocular as being able to “do their job impeccably, under practically any conditions”.

Let’s see what actual owners say:

“… I have had my monarchs for two years and i have put them to good use. I hunt a lot and i think that overall the glass is great,very clear and crisp…”

snippet of owner feedback at eopinions.com

“… Rugged, great focus and very good optics for what is really a pretty inexpensive binocular..”

snippet of owner feedback at amazon.com

“…I’ve had these binoculars for 4 years now, and there is nothing about them that I don’t like…”

snippet of another owner’s feedback at amazon.com

“…Nikon 10×42 Monarch are good all-around binoculars that can find service with birders, hunters, boaters or just about any outdoor activity…”

snippet from an expert’s review at howstuffworks.com

Product info from the manufacturer

Features

Technical Details

• Prism: roof prism optical design with Nikon’s exclusive Eco-Glass (made without the use of arsenic or lead) for all lens and prism elements
• Coatings: phase-correction coatings and high reflection mirror coatings; all lenses and are fully coated with multiple layers of anti-reflective compounds
• Magnification: 10x
• Objective lens size: 42mm
• Exit pupil size: 4.2mm
• Close focus: 8 feet
• Field of View: 314 feet at 1,000 yards
• Body: durable alloy body housing; waterproof, fogproof and shockproof; rubber armor
• Size: 5.6 by 5 inches
• Weight: 21.1 ounces
• Warranty: 25-year limited

Price: $199.00

Our rating: 9.5/10

Current best deal: binoculars.com

To re-iterate: these are not recommendations, but do provide a kind of ‘user opinion poll’.

Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium

Celestron’s SkyScout was designed to be a break through point-and-click handheld device that uses advanced GPS technology to identify stars, planets, constellations, etc. While obviously useful to the beginner astronomer, it’s ease of use should make it useful to more advanced hobbyists as well - enabling more viewing and less searching for things to view.

That’s the theory.

Let’s see what actual users have to say:

“… I’ve been into astronomy for almost 7 years and I think this is definitely NOT just a toy for beginners or kids …”

Partial comment from a Celestron SkyScout owner - opticsplanet.com

“… I’m a beginner in astronomy and I am very impressed. I’ve never been more motivated to learn about the different stars and the location of different planets…”

Partial comment from another Celestron SkyScout owner - opticsplanet.com

“…I have had mine 3 years. Great product!”

Partial comment from a long-time Celestron SkyScout owner - binoculars.com

“… It works great and it’s super easy to operate. No astronomy background needed…”

Partial comment from a  Celestron SkyScout owner - binoculars.com

“… Does it have some problems? Yes. But it DOES work flawlessly. Overall, I consider this an excellent product for the money…”

Partial comment from a  Celestron SkyScout owner - eopinions.com

Features (manufacturers claims)

• Identifies celestial objects with the click of a button.
• Locates over 6,000 stars, planets and constellations from built-in celestial database and provides scientific information for each object.
• Provides comprehensive text and audio descriptions providing history, mythology and other entertaining information for the most popular objects.
• Tonight’s Highlights: a customized list of the 20 best objects to view for your exact date, time and location anywhere in the world.
• Constellation lessons: if the star you identify or locate is part of a constellation like the Big Dipper, you can actually take a guided tour through all the stars in that constellation and even see an onscreen map of the constellation.
• Built-in field guide includes:
  • Introduction to astronomy: a six part audio lesson on the origin and history of astronomy
  • Glossary of terms: text defining popular astronomy terms including planets, comets, galaxies and more
  • Great Astronomers: text bios on some of the world’s greatest astronomers including Galileo, Einstein and Copernicus
  • Man-made space objects: text description of some of the coolest objects man has sent into space including the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Space Shuttle
  • Comet guide: text descriptions about history’s most famous comets including Halley’s Comet and Comet Hale-Bop
• SD card slot: for optional Sky Tour audio presentations that provide hours of entertainment on a variety of topics
• USB port: allows database to be updated with new objects as they are discovered, comets, etc.
• Simple enough for all ages: just turn it on and it’s ready to use
• Built-in help menu: includes a quick start instruction guide for using the SkyScout
• Bring it anywhere: compact and light design makes it easy to carry and durable construction makes it safe for rugged environments
• Backed by Celestron’s 2-year warranty

Price: $199.00

Our rating: 9.5/10

Check out the Celestron SkyScout at Telescopes.com

To re-iterate: these are not recommendations, but do provide a sort of ‘user review’.

Meade 12 Inch LX200-ACF page at telescopes.com

Claimed to be the most widely used research telescope on earth, which uses technology and optics found in most observatory telescopes, as well the Hubble Space Telescope.

Actual consumer feedback

“The optics on this telescope are outstanding. The tripod needs a better design”

Owner feedback at buzzillions.com

“not really a telescope for the beginner, more due to its cost as its ease of use would allow a beginner to use it. Astronomy is not for everyone, especially on a cold winters night, but when looking at something like saturn through this scope it makes it all worth while!”

Owner feedback at ciao.co.uk

“It’s easy to use and simple to start finding your way around the sky. It’s quick to set up after the intitial input of data such as your latitude and longtitude etc…  … theoretically, portable but you’ll need a car and a willing friend… A good but expensive option…”

Another owner’s feedback at ciao.co.uk

Features

Price

$4,999.00 at telescopes.com

Our rating: 9/10

Go to the Meade 12 Inch LX200-ACF page at telescopes.com