BARSKA 40070 Starwatcher Compact Refractor Telescope with Table Top Tripod And Carrying Case by Barska
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Digital camera reviews of BARSKA 40070 Starwatcher Compact Refractor Telescope with Table Top Tripod And Carrying Case
Digital camera Review: Don't expect too much...
Summary: 3 Stars
I am a pretty advance amateur-astronomer and have used a few different telescopes. I bought this as a "travel scope" and to use as a guide-scope for astro-photography.
I suspected it would be plastic and rather "cheapo" looking, and I was right... it is!
But, it is not wobbly or bad to handle, surprisingly sturdy and good optics considering the price.
You do get what you pay for when it comes to telescopes and expecting to see "Hubble" images through this scope is bound to make you disappointed.
I was actually pleasantly surprised by the crisp image this scope gave when looking at the moon.
The supplied barlow (3x) and eyepieces are laughable to a "serious" amateur-astronomer but they do actually perform very well. Unfortunately a 4mm eyepiece is too powerful for a scope like this, it would have made more sense to ship it with a 8 or 12 mm instead. The barlow is plastic but the lens is actually of quite good quality and does not stretch or blur the image noticeably around the edges. If you already have a set of eyepieces you can throw the supplied once in the garbage without any regret, if not, the supplied ones will work pretty good but don't expect any 300x magnifications to work, that's utter bull and shouldn't even be mentioned...
Make sure to use the 45 degree diagonal as you will not get focus otherwise...
You will get stunning views of the moon using this scope, you will also be able to see the bands on Jupiter and the rings on Saturn as well as track their moons.
I would rate the image quality of the scope to 4 stars considering the price but the poor quality of the eyepieces and the finder-scope takes it down to a 3 star.
Digital camera Review: Excellent value
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this scope based on positive reviews on a couple of web sites that cater to amateur astronomers. I wasn't disappointed. A couple of things prevented me from rating it a 5. The 45-degree diagonal and the tabletop tripod are better suited to terrestrial viewing. If you plan on astronomical use you'll want to use a full-sized tripod and add a 90-degree diagonal at some point if you don't already have one. Also, a 2x barlow lens would have made much more sense than the 3x. On the plus side the scope is sturdily constructed and has good optics for the price. I live in the heart of St. Louis and haven't been able to take it to a dark viewing area yet, but from my backyard the moon was excellent as was the Orion nebula, and Mars presented a nice sharp disk. The stock eyepieces are fine, but using a 9.7mm super plossl the results were great!Digital camera Review: GREAT VALUE FOR THE MONEY!
Summary: 5 Stars
I think this is perhaps the best value for the money to be had in a small, short tube, inexpensive portable scope. Images are crisp and clear for both terrestrial and celestial viewing out to about 60 - 70X, not bad for a scope this size. The included 1.25" lenses and 45 degree diagonal work well enough. One can, of course, use higher quality lenses and 90 degree diagonals for a better viewing experience.
A big advantage of this scope is that the included tripod has fine motor controls for horizontal and vertical movement, making it much easier to track celestial objects as they move across the sky. It appears to be identical to the Celestron Tabletop Tripod that sells alone for $20.95 here on Amazon. It's made of light plastic, but the controls work well enough. Most other short tube scopes in this price range that I'm aware of don't have tripods with this capability.
The Barska 40070 is definitely worth your consideration!
Digital camera Review: Great Bargain
Summary: 5 Stars
Very happy with the quality. Great telescope for a real beginner. Price was definitely right!!Digital camera Review: Nice Little telescope for the price.
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this telescope with a specific purpose in mind. My office overlooks a golf course where a PGA event is held. I bought this and a USB camera eyepiece, to watch the golf tournament on my laptop. Worked great and I was able to accomplish my goal for under $100.
This is a great inexpensive telescope that would be suitable as a starter or 1st telescope, worked well for the purpose I got it for.