Astromaster 70 EQ

Instructions are not that easy to follow. Good quality product which looks sleek once assembled.

This is my first telescope and it was really easy to set up. First time viewing the night sky i got to see jupiter and its moons and saturn and i could just make out the rings. I was super happy with this and really was an amazing experience. Now buying more equipment like a barlow lens to increase magnification and a colour filter but really wish i spent more money on the 90eq version now. However this telescope is amazing and don’t be put off by people having trouble setting it up. Just be sensible and look at the instructions and its all really self explanatory anyway. You can get apps on your phone that show you where planets/consolations/iss is etc that you can then easily track, making astronomy easy for anyone. Also i am in the centre of a busy city yet i was still able to see both these planets in an amazing way.... Cant wait to see the other planets now when they are visible in the night sky! 10/10 product

First time using a telescope and this is perfect for beginners got some good photos of the moon tonight so hopefully will get some more better ones and see some more planets! The photos were taken from a samsung galaxy

equatorial mount look like used, and reading already gone. Will ask for return and refund.

its well made very good for someone new to astronomy/ the only downside is you cant seem to get a carry bag for it?

We have never had a telescope before so was alittle complex to put together. But the results so far are great, we need to use this more to get a better understanding of what we are doing. However, overall we are really happy with it. 👍👏

I bought this as a second scope to use when I didn't want the hassle of setting up my NexStar 8SE Celestron NexStar 8 SE Computerised Telescope . For the price, it's a great little telescope but has some downsides, which is why I can only give it 3 stars. When trying to balance it initially, the instructions say to let go carefully after loosening the clamp, implying it will drop if not accurately balanced. However, the bearings are so stiff the telescope stays put wherever the weights are positioned! Also once the clamps (both RA and Dec) are tightened, I would not expect to be able to move the scope, except with the tracking knobs. However it remains completely moveable, which makes it difficult to line up on an object and keep it there. If you knock the scope, you lose the object. I'm sorry this review is turning out so negative, but I have to add that the red dot finder on this telescope is pretty much useless for lining up on an object. There is a similar one on my NexStar which works just fine. I suppose you get what you pay for!

Very new to this hobby and was a bit nervous about setting up the telescope. I needn't have worried. Following the step by step guide was simple and the telescope was set up in about 20 mins. Still getting to grips with using it but so far I'm really impressed. It's easy to move about and sturdy when outside. I'll be purchasing more lenses but so far have been ok using the two supplied and the additional moon lens I bought.

Télescope de qualité pour une utilisation non professionnelle. L'image est vraiment nette et les réglages faciles à prendre en main.

I wanted to get my feet wet in backyard astronomy, after getting bitten by the bug using a pair of Nikon 8x42 binoculars. The binoculars still are a must have item, but far to shaky and low magnification to get views of planets. So I researched telescopes, and decided on a refractor, due to having small children and little time to fiddle with collimation. My budget was low, to keep my wife happy. The 70EQ stuck out due to the sturdier CG-2 equatorial mount and tripod, and far more sensible and better eyepieces (Kellner) compared to the powerseeker models. I was able to assemble it in about 20min, got it outside, and found both Jupiter and Saturn in a few minutes. Absolutely amazing seeing both the Galilean Moons and Saturn's rings within minutes of getting it outside. The moon itself is spectacular through this scope at both 45X and 90X. The 10mm has considerably more chromatic aberrations than the 20mm, but it's not bad. After that first night, I got the mount set to my latitude, and polar alignment consists of setting the tripod up with the mount approximately facing North. For generally keeping Saturn in the viewfinder that's good enough. The EQ mount is a must have though. I love it. I have run into a problem with the red dot finder scope, it stopped working after about a week. I swapped in a couple of new batteries and still broken. So I quickly ordered a replacement for $14 and am back up and running. So far the new one hasn't faltered. I'd recommend this scope to anyone. It is usable right out of the box. I've seen all 8 planets through it. Uranus and Neptune are still tiny dots, but you can tell they're blueish color and that they are round, but that's about it. Saturn is my favorite, it's also tiny at 90X, but the rings are clearly visible and separate from the planet itself. Jupiter, I can faintly make out the cloud bands, the planet is small and contrast is low, but with patience and persistence they are visible. I haven't been able to make out the giant red storm, but I'm hoping to get a decent 7mm or possibly 5mm eyepiece to push into the very limits of this scopes capabilities and make it out, along with the Cassini division. But, if not, it gives me a reason to beg for an upgraded scope someday. I've also been mesmerized by the faint grey fuzzies that are up there. I've seen the Andromeda Galaxy, the Dumbbell Nebulae, and the Orion Nebulae, these are faint as the scope is a slow f/12.9, but again, with patience they are there yo see. Have fun, and get something, you can't see Saturn's rings without some sort of scope. 73

Excellent telescope for beginners. Enjoying it. Need to buy additional eyepieces to enjoy the full glory of the telescope. But the ones with telescope are not bad. Need to get used to the EQ mount. If you are just using for short time fun, go for AZ model of telescope.

Gift for my son (13). The product is very easy to mount. It is quite robust and we can see with good precision. We saw already many times the moon. It is spectacular. My son enjoyed a lot his present.

Dopo settimane di recensioni e comparazioni fra vari telescopi ho deciso di acquistare il mio primo telescopio. Sono rimasto davvero sorpreso dai dettagli che questo piccolo celestron riesce a tirare fuori. Premessa, cielo abbastanza buio in cilento, SEEING ottimo. In questa prima serata mi sono concentrato su stelle doppie, luna giove e saturno: 1. Sulle stelle doppie non c'è molto da dire, sono dei bei puntini. 2. La Luna è l'unico oggetto che sono riuscito a fotografare con il mio smartphone (huawei p9 lite, purtroppo la fotocamera non è un granché, ma sono soddisfatto del risultato). 3. Giove è spettacolare, si vedono bene i 4 satelliti galileiani e si percepiscono le fasce. 4. Saturno e molto diverso da come mi è stato presentato nelle varie recensioni (cioè una lenticchia gialla), colori originali e anello perfettamente visibili... assolutamente straordinario. Infine per quanto riguarda l'assemblaggio, l'ho trovato molto semplice, le istruzioni sono chiare. L'unica raccomandazione che vi posso dare è quella di collimare il mirino, io sinceramente non ne sono stato capace, ma alla fine anche senza mirino si riescono a puntare abbastanza facilmente, basta un po' di occhio.