Celestron 70mm Refractor vs Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 vs Celestron FirstScope?

Question

Hi guys,

When I was 9 years old my dad bought me a pair of 4x35 binocular for my birthday present.... I love them.... But, now I know it's a toy binocular poor optics and i can't anything except the moon.... Haha... So, I want to upgrade to a better binocular or a telescope.... Which one do you prefer for me? Celestron Powerseeker 70 or Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 or Celestron FirstScope would be a better choice for a beginner like me? What can I see with them in a clear dark sky? Thank you very much!

Celestron Powerseeker 70:
PowerSeeker 70AZ Telescope [item # 21036]

Celestron SkyMaster 15x70:
SkyMaster 15x70 Binocular [item # 71009]

Celestron FirstScope:
FirstScope Telescope [item # 21024]

Answer 1

As Digquickly says, the Powerseeker 70 and FirstScope are pretty much toys. I have the Orion equivalent of the FirstScope, and it's not bad for the money, with a decent mount and so-so optics, but only slightly more money will get you into a more serious telescope, something like an Orion StarBlast 4.5 or 6. I have the Celestron 15x70 binocular myself, and it's amazing value, but really requires a tripod to steady it for observation, and this leads to problems with objects overhead. I find my 10x50 binocular much more useful. I'd suggest joining a local astronomy club and using other people's telescopes while you save up more money. You may also be able to get something decent second-hand from a club member, as we are always trading up.

Answer 2

If these are going to be your primary observing instruments for the time being either would be a reasonable option but the 15x70s will only be practical when mounted - they are simply too large and too high power to be useful handheld except for the most casual use. Since you don't mention a mount and a decent mount is itself going to cost more than £50 I'll assume you intend to use them handheld in which case the 7x50s are the better option. 7x50s are not a bad option for a general purpose pair of binos. I see several here are pointing you to 10x50s instead which is the other common general purpose size. Which is better largely comes down to peronal preference - personally I prefer 7x50s. I find going up to 10x50s you lose more than you gain - the higher power is a plus but the narrower field of view and greater shake are drawbacks. Remember that the best nights for astronomy are also frequently the coldest and you can't hold binos very steadily if you are cold. As for those specific binos I think I've used them before but it was a while back. If they are the ones I am thinking of they are among the better options on your budget. They are properly coated and Bak4 glass but otherwise there is not much good to say about them. However, the same can be said of any binos at the £50 price level. If there is any flexibility in your budget I would strongly advice spending a bit more: there are several half-decent binos at around £80, the Opticorn Vegas for example. I know that is more money but ultimately much better value, since there is not really any comparison between the budget binos and something even approaching a decent pair.

Answer 3

Well, ..., First, the PowerSeeker 70AZ and Celestron FirstScope a pieces of junk don't buy either them, period. next the Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 binoculars are a decent pair of binoculars, however, any binoculars greater that 50mm are difficult to hold so they would need a parallelogram mount (which you can build easily enough - See the first four links below). If you're going to stick with binoculars and you don't want to build a mount the I suggest a set of 10x50 or 20x50 porro prism binoculars from Celestron or Bushnell (I own a pair of 10x50 Powerview porro prism binoculars and they're fairly decent.)



Now my question is this ... Is your budget only $90? for ~$310 you could buy your dad a decent 6" reflector that would be very durable and easy to use yet provide some amazing views of the night sky. If you can afford it read the article below.



How to buy a telescope

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When considering a first scope I suggest that you read the following article. It will give you some information on how telescopes work, as well as, additional buying tips: http://www.raleighastro.org/observing/general-articles/102-purchasing-a-telescope



For more advice I would suggest that you contact your local astronomy club. You don't have to own a telescope to join! Joining your local astronomy club is the best way to nurture your passion for astronomy. Plus, you'll find that they'll be able to provide you lots of great advice and support for acquiring and operating a telescope.



Now the best pricing for a decent first scope that I can suggest is a Dobsonian scope with a 6" or 8" mirror from Orion (e.g. Orion XT6 - $310 or XT8 - $360).



The two dobsonians I suggested are great visual beginner scopes and are super for just taking out to the backyard for casual observing but will definitely hold their own at any amateur astronomy gathering. They are also easy for young people to use and operate. You can do short exposure astrophotography with them but not long exposure astrophotography (for that you need a lot more money - See "Astrophotograpphy for Web Cams - Robert Reeves").



The 6" or 8" Dobsonian scope will be much more durable, of higher quality, than a department store scope and you'll be able to see all of the Messier deep sky objects (DSO's) plus many of the brighter NCG DSO's, many many stars plus: Mercury, Venus, Earth's Moon, Mars, Jupiter and it's moons, Saturn, its rings and moons, Uranus, Neptune and the dwarf planet Pluto, as well as, many of the minor planets, comets, and asteroids. Additionally, it's easy to transport, setup, and use (under 60 seconds from car to ground ... no kidding).



Bottom Line: any scope with less than a 6" mirror with a 1200mm focal length, IMHO, would be a waste of money. See the links below for low priced dobsonian scopes with 6" and 8" mirrors. However, the larger the aperture (size of primary objective ... like an 6", 8", 10", 12" mirror or larger) the better. Also, there are many brands of dobsonian scopes made by many different companies that you can choose from. I only offered these as examples because they are popular with our club members.



Look at the links to the www.telescope.com site that I've provided below and you'll find that they do have quite a selection of standard, push-to, goto dobsonian scopes that could fit your needs.

Answer 4

Celestron Skymaster

Answer 5

Celestron Skymaster Giant 15x70

Answer 6

The skymaster looks like a good choice, due to the many features it offers,

it also has many accessories to suit your needs.

I don't really know about the other 2.