which telescope is the best in this price range?

Question

its sucks cus i can only buy one from target at the time, but which one is the best one out of these that are in the $100 price range? i cant go to far over $200. But i do plan on getting a better one after I learn more. I copied the page on target.com I was looking at....which is best on this page?

http://www.target.com/gp/search.html/ref=sr_bx_1/602-5381345-1918213?field-keywords=telescope&url=index%3Dtarget&x=0&y=0

Answer 1

Ouch...honestly, none of those are really very good. Do you have a Target gift-card or something to it *has* to be from Target?



Of the ones on that page, the "best" one would be the Dobsonian for $269 -- can you go that high? The problems with all the others is mainly that the tripods they come on aren't at all stable, and a shaky tripod makes it very hard to see anything. There are some things you can do to improve the stability after you get them, but...

After that the biggest problem is the sub-standard eyepieces they come with. Although some of them have somewhat decent optics, the eyepieces are mostly junk. If after you get it you can afford to spend $50-$100 on one or two decent eyepieces, you'll get much better results.



In order of "usable" I put them as:

1. The $269 Dobsonian

2. The FS-102DX ($179)

3. The FS-85DX ($129)



My web site is below, if you get one of these, drop me an e-mail at [e-mail], and I can help you improve what you got :)

Answer 2

Actually, all of these are horrible even for the pricerange.



If you can't afford a better telescope I recommend buying some quality 7x50 binoculars. Good ones will run you about $125. You WILL need these as an amateur astronomer.



If you are fixed on getting a telescope with the money then there are a few other options. Keep in mind that the absolute smallest it should be in aperture (diameter of the primary mirror) is 4.5". This is about 114mm.





1. You can buy a used telescope. These are usually 1/3 to 1/2 the price of a new one and often include accesories. Most people care for their telescopes very well so you aren't really getting second rate stuff. You are usually getting something which is just as good as a new telescope, without it being new. You can find used telescopes on http://www.astromart.com and even on eBay this time of year. You will want to search for a reflector and buying one a simple mount, such as a Dobsonian, will allow you to be able to afford a big enough one to see a decent number of things.



2. You can spend your money on a brand new super economy line telescope such as the Celestron FirstScope 114mm reflector, Meade 114 EQ AR Equatorial reflector, or the Orion StarBlast. I have to warn you, these telescopes are of questionable quality and you will have to buy a decent eyepiece yourself.



3. This is my favorite option. SAVE YOUR MONEY. You ALMOST have enough for a decent telescope. For about $200 more you can get a new 8" Dobsonian, or even an 8" computerized Schmidt Cassegrain if you buy a used one. For around $500 they are selling a 10" Zhumell brand Dobsonian on www.telescopes.com so why spend $200 on something not even worth it when you can save $200 more dollars and buy something more than worth it?

Answer 3

Orion Telescopes and Binoculars has a few telescopes in your price range. You can also try Astronmics.com. I very much suggest that you find a telescope from one of these dealers if you can at all. Department store telescopes notoriously have very poor optics. Some of them I have seen actually have a polished piece of aluminum as a mirror instead of glass. I also have to question the eyepieces that come with department store telescopes. Hopefully you can find a scope in your price range.

Remember that when buying a telescope that magnification is generally not useful above approx. 25-35 power per inch of aperture. Department store claims of 600 power with a 3 inch telescope are the first sign. For your price I would probably recommend Orions 70 mm Observer or possible Orions spaceprobe 3 eq reflector. The second scope mentioned is of larger aperture which will allow more magnification. Also I would suggest you use either Orion.com or astronmics.com web site as they both have a page to help you pick the right scope for you.

I currently am using my second scope that I upgraded to one year ago. I hope you can enjoy what ever scope you buy as much as I have mine. Good Luck.