Some people make the mistake of going down to their local department toy store to buy a ‘great value – high magnification‘ telescope. If there is only one thing you take from this buying a telescope guide, please don’t do this!
Why not?
Simply that department toy stores and other similar non-specialist retail stores don’t understand about telescopes. The amount of magnification you will be able to achieve with a telescope (using different eyepieces) is totally dependent on how much light you can get in through the aperture. In other words, it’s about how big the telescope’s aperture is – either the objective lens in a refractor scope, or a mirror in a reflecting telescope.
Here is a simple rule you can use. To find the best-case magnification you can achieve with a telescope, multiply the aperture size in inches by 50. So a ‘great value’ two and a quarter inch refractor scope from the toyshop, which boasts an incredible 600x magnification, will actually only be able to deliver up to 125x magnification using the correct eyepieces. And this is assuming that the telescope optics are excellent quality… which is probably not the case if the telescope is cheap.
So, DO buy your telescope from a specialist astronomy retailer (note, you can still buy from Amazon as many of these telescope stores sell their products through Amazon’s site and will offer support and advice).
Buying a Telescope Guide – Some Basics
People get into astronomy for a variety of reasons. For some, sharing the wonders of the night sky is a social thing. Others may be more content to gaze upwards on their own in the peace and quiet! Any telescope buying guide worth its salt should recommend that whichever method of observing you prefer – sociable or solo – it is a great idea to get involved in an astronomy club because you’ll learn a great deal about observing the night sky very quickly. More to the point, you’ll also have the opportunity to see other people’s scopes and listen to their experiences – maybe even before you’ve bought a telescope. It’s a smart thing to do.
Confused By Too Many Telescope Choices?… Some Guidance Questions To Help You
1. How experienced are you in observing the night sky? If you’re used to using star charts or planespheres and therefore adept at ‘star hopping’, then you many not want a computer automated ‘Go-To’ scope which will be more bulky and expensive. On the other hand, some people have fun using this technology (it is kind of cool!)
2. Your observing skills matter more than the telescope you use. An experienced star gazer will be able to find objects using a small telescope that a beginner will miss even with a scope that is several times larger. So it’s only going to be worth spending a lot of money on a great telescope if you are prepared to work on your observing skills.
3. The age old How-Portable-Is-Your-Scope question! Before buying a telescope, find out how much time it will take to set up. How bulky and heavy is the scope? A telescope that takes time and effort to set up, and is bulky to transport will most likely spend most of it’s life in the cupboard. This is especially true for beginners to astronomy – it is usually better to buy a smaller, portable ‘grab ‘n’ go’ scope, than a massive Dobsonian, at least until you are more experienced.
4. Are you happy being a ‘live’ observer, or would you like to photograph your astronomy views? Bear in mind that astrophotography can be a much more expensive hobby than normal ‘naked eye’ astronomy.
Hope you have found this buying a telescope guide useful. Have your say! Are there other important points that folks should know before they go out and buy a scope? Please leave a comment below.
Posted Under: Buying Guides
This post was written by K. Sutherland on September 19, 2011 Comments (0)
Coming in at No.10 is the Orion Spaceprobe 3. Affordability is one of this telescope’s best strengths, and less a carry pack, it comes with everything a beginner stargazer needs including two eyepieces, a collimation cap and an easy finder scope. However, setup does take a little know-how; about 30 minutes, and if you’re too rough, callibration may be needed. But the instructions do a nice job of guiding you through it.
9
At No.9 it’s the Celestron Nexstar. Compared to most telescopes for beginners, this scope really has some nice features that stand out, including a 16 character backlit liquid crystal display with language that’s easy for anyone to understand, an auxillary port for GPS accessories, and an internal battery to eliminate issues with trailing cords during use.
8
No.8 is the Celestron again, but this time it’s the Celestron Powerseeker 70AZ. Compared to other telescopes for beginners, the Powerseeker finds a good middle ground between balancing low price with good features. “The Sky” software, crisp views and easy set up all come for less than $100, and Celestron supports its products with a 2-year manufacturer warranty. It may let down some of the more experienced astronomers, but the Powerseeker 70AZ can be gateway to more advanced scopes.
7
Coming in at No.7 is… Celestron again, this time with their AstroMaster 90EQ, which shows us that experiencing the right first telescope experience will nuture a life-long love of astronomy. It provides great views of both the sky and the Earth, but the equatorial mount can be a little difficult to master.
6
At No.6 we have the Konus MotorMax. The Konus is a very versatile scope, and the lunar filter is really nice for viewing the moon. With the purchase of an additional accessory, you can attach a 35mm camera to snap some great photos of the night sky. However, the Konus website is not so helpful, so make sure you keep hold of your box and instructions as they will be hard to come by if you mislay them.
5
No.5 brings us to the Astroscan Plus. Though it looks like a toy, this is no Tonka truck. This little scope offers phenomenal viewing experiences and a lot of features that are great for families. The permanently aligned and sealed lenses mean the life of this telescope is greatly prolonged. Unfortunately the AstroScan Plus doesn’t include a tripod, so you’ll have to use a bench or table, which can be rather impractical if you’re not viewing at home.
4
At No.4 we have the Orion Apex 90mm Min-EQ Mak-Cass. Not only does it come with a long name, but it also boasts a long list of features -one of the best being portability. Lots of features in a little package! The levers and knobs can be a little intimidating for the beginner astronomer, but great 24 hour service from Orion is there to guide you through it. Note that you’ll most likely have to buy the tripod mounting separately.
3
On to the top 3 now, and here we have at No.3, the Orion Starblast 6 Astro. This scope is the bigger brother of the Orion 4.5, and it offers 73% more light gathering ability and more detailed views. Not to mention, the Starblast will be the easiest telescope you will ever assemble, albeit with only a few callibration details.
2
Coming in at No.2 is the Meade ETX-80AT-TC with custom backpack and tripod mounting, which shows us that great things can come in small packages! With a low price point and ultra-portability for less than $300, this scope packs quite a punch. Now while that may be a little more expensive than a parent would want to spend on a child’s first telescope, it does offer an excellent experience with software and features that can’t be matched.
1
Finally, at No.1 we have the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5. It includes everything you would expect from a first telescope, like great light gathering power and a compact size. The scope is not motorized, although it does provide computerized points for you. But that’s ok – this scope is all about learning the nuts and bolts of astronomy by putting you in the driving seat with a robust tripod and great portability.
So there we have it – a quick fly through a top 10 of beginner telescopes. Hope you found it useful for deciding your choice of telescope.
The Celestron AstroMaster 130 EQ – Reflecting Telescope
An Excellent Choice for a Beginner’s Telescope
Celestron’s smooth advertising (see video below!) for their Celstron AstroMaster 130 EQ reflecting telescope has created quite a buzz amongst both amateur and beginner astronomers alike. We’ve taken a look at 33 reviews across the web to find out what people are really saying and whether it lives up to expectations…
Value for Money: 53%
(10 positive comments)
General consensus is that for this price range (and if you can find a discount, even better) the AstroMaster 130 EQ reflector telescope is good value for money. Yes, Celestron may have slightly oversold the telescope with their swish advertising, as there are a couple of areas that could be improved. However, most people would agree that with adding a few small upgrades, you will be able to get as much enjoyment out of this 5” aperture reflector scope as you would from many other larger and more expensive telescopes.
Ease of Setup: 88%
(7 positive comments out of 8 total)
For complete newbies, this scope takes under an hour to set up and get to grips with. Other folks with a little more experience report getting the AstroMaster 130 EQ up and running in 10 minutes. Celestron’s ‘No Tool’ setup does indeed do the trick, and the clear instructions help make the balancing procedure very straight-forward.
Optics and Image Quality: 76%
(13 positive comments out of 17 total)
Most of the AstroMaster 130 EQ user reviews we studied were happy with the all-coated optics and there were several comments on the excellent quality of the primary mirror. However, as with many telescope ‘packages’, to get the best out of the Celestron 130 EQ, it really is worthwhile getting hold of some higher spec eye pieces, a Barlow lens and some filters.
The two eyepieces this telescope comes with (10mm and 20mm) are fine. The 20mm erecting eyepiece is great for terrestrial viewing, but suffers a bit from internal reflections when used for astronomy. The 10mm lens is fairly useful for nebulae and star clusters.
The drawback with both lenses is that the scope’s magnification is a bit on the low side, and you may as well use a good pair of large aperture binoculars to see the same detail. For that reason, many users have bought an extra eyepiece set, such as the Zhumell Plossl Eye Piece & Filters Kit, or the Celestron Accessory Kit. Alternatively, the Meade 2x to 3x Barlow with a 6mm Celestron Onmi eyepiece will also make a huge difference and give you many more observing possibilities.
Mount Stability and Tracking: 70%
(7 positive comments out of 10 total)
Once you have polar-alignedthe equatorial mount, you can track night sky objects easily by turning the RA slow motion control. The scope does tend to wobble noticeably at higher magnifications, which is always a challenge for telescopes in this price range.
That said, the majority of the vote was favorable for the AstroMaster’s mounting stability with a respectable review score of 70%. The tripod is a rugged affair with steel tube legs, so it’s a little on the heavy side – but then that helps stability.
Portability: 67%
(6 positive comments out of 9 total)
Which leads us to look at the portability of the AstroMaster 130 EQ. It’s a chunky piece of kit, especially with the weight of the tripod. However, the opinion of users is that this is a fairly portable reflector scope that is easy and quick to set up and take apart.
Although Celestron doesn’t make a carry bag for the AstroMaster 130EQ (why not?), the Orion Padded Telescope Case ( 47″x11″x14″ ) fits the scope nicely.
Build Quality and Design: 81%
(13 positive comments out of 16 total)
Most people were very impressed with the quality of the AstroMaster 130 parts and its sturdy build. It’s not perfect as there are a couple of minor faults such as slightly sloppy focusers and adjustment screws that keep coming loose. Overall though, and for this price range, Celestron have built a quality piece of kit.
Finder Scope Operation/Ease of Use: 13%
(2 positive comments out of 15 total)
Oh dear. We were doing so well… Whoever designed the AstroMaster 130 EQ telescope’s finder scope should take note… and make a better one!
To say its finder scope is slightly tricky to use is an understatement, and despite much perseverance, the vast majority of users just couldn’t use it. The display is too bright, triangulation is not long enough and, well, it just plain doesn’t work.
If you decide to invest in the Celestron 130 EQ, then do consider replacing the Celestron’s StarPointer with a Rigel Quickfinderor Telrad Finder Sight – either of these will do a massively better job.
Best Observable Objects
Users of the AstroMaster 130 EQ have reported seeing a variety of planetary and deeper space objects. Mars, and Venus and its phases are visible (although rather small – see our comment above on recommended eyepiece upgrades).
The moons of Jupiter and Jupiter’s two central atmospheric bands are visible, along with Saturn’s rings (again, quite small with the supplied eyepieces).
Reviewers also report viewing the Orion Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, 17p/Holmes comet (with its dust cloud in 3D!), globular and open star clusters, the Moon (of course), and even the M42 nebula.
Recommended Accessories for the AstroMaster 130 EQ
Everything considered, the Celstron AstroMaster 130 EQ reflector telescope turns out to be a very respectable product, and certainly excellent value for money in its price range. Despite a few shortcomings, many of the reviews we analyzed spoke highly of the AstroMaster’s quality and its suitability for beginners.
By investing a few more dollars by upgrading the eyepieces and finder scope, the Celestron AstroMaster 130 EQ will provide many years of enjoyable astronomy.
Like a reflector, light comes in through the corrector lens to the primary mirror at the back and then reflected to the secondary mirror. Instead of being reflected at 45 degrees, the light is then reflected again back down through a hole in the centre of the primary mirror and into the eyepiece.
The main advantageof a Cassegrain telescope is that it is very small in overall size. A Cassegrain telescope’s focal length is actually longer than a refractor, but is ‘folded up’ into a very small length. So it’s great for packing it away easily if you’re travelling and need a highly portable scope.
You can use it for daytime viewing as well as for the night sky as it shows the image the right-way round.
It does need collimation from time to time, but is generally less maintenance than a standard reflector telescope. Bear in mind that it does have a lens at one end, so try and avoid touching it… However, fingerprints can be wiped away with a specialized cleaning cloth.
Looking for the best telescope for a beginner – how about a Cassegrain Scope?
Consider the Orion StarMax 90mm Mak-Cass, which has a very long focal length and is therefore excellent for planetary detail. It features a very high contrast and will form sharp images so you’ll see some great detail of the Moon’s craters and other planetary features.
The other advantage of the Orion StarMax is that it is very small and compact – great for when you’re out and about.
What you can do with an Orion StarMax 90mm Mak-Cass – Video
A Reflector telescope uses two mirrors (instead of two lenses as in the refracting telescope) and can be one of the best telescopes for beginners for those who are just taking a first look into astronomy as you can get a lot more for your money compared with refractor scopes.
Light travels down, hits the primary mirror at the back, travels back up to the secondary mirror which is angled at a 45 degree angle and reflects the image to the eyepiece on the side.
It’s a simple system, but does need to be aligned, or ‘collimated’. If you anticipate your telescope being bumped around a bit (e.g. on the road, or in a backpack), the mirrors will most likely get out of alignment.
You won’t be able to use a reflector for daytime land-based viewing because the image is upsidedown and can’t be corrected. However, it’s great for astronomy because mirrors are cheaper to make than lenses so you’ll get more ‘bang for your buck’ than with refractors.
Recommended Best REFLECTOR Telescopes for Beginners?
We’d recommend taking a look at the Orion StarBlast 4.5” Equatorial reflector telescope. You’ll get lots of ‘bang for your buck’ with this scope, and it can be mounted on an equatorial or table-top mount for more compactness rather than using a large tripod.
Its 4.5” aperture size will allow you to see a whole collection of faint deep-space objects, such as:
The Messier objects (a collection of 100 of the best deep-sky objects) are within range of a telescope of this size
The Moon’s craters
The phase of Venus
You’ll certainly be able to have a lot of fun with a very moderately priced reflector such as this.
Grab ‘n’ Go Reflector Scopes
The best telescope for beginners is often found in a range of ‘grab and go’ telescopes which are very portable. A good exampleis the Orion range of high quality table top mounted scopes:
The Orion FunScope - 76mm reflector great for the first time buyer who is not really sure about astronomy. it’s very affordable and you’ll be able to see bright objects such as the Moon, Saturn’s rings, and the 4 brightest moons around jupiter. You’ll also be able to see brighter star clusters and nebulae such as the Orion nebula and Andromeda galaxy if you get away from city lights.
The Orion SkyScanner 100mm Reflector, and Orion GoScope 80mm Refractor.
The GoScope 80mm refractor can also be used for daytime viewing. The Skyscanner 100mm is only for the night sky, but its bigger aperture can see fainter objects. Both are big enough to see some deeper sky objects – such as the mezzier objects.
The Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector. This is a larger aperture reflector telescope, so it’s great for viewing fainter, deeper-space objects.
All the above reflector scopes (apart from 4.5” StarBlast) can also be mounted on any standard photo tripods.
These are the oldest design of telescope and probably the most suitable as a best telescope for beginners. Light enters through the objective lens, down the tube and usually there is an ‘elbow’ so you don’t have to strain your neck to look into the eyepiece.
Refractor telescopes start from 60mm (about $99) going up to 90mm. Because glass lenses are difficult to make, you don’t see very big refractor telescopes.
Advantages of refractor telescopes are:
They give a clean, sharp and bright image.
No alignment is necessary, so maintenance is low.
You can also use a refractor as a land-viewing scope.
What is the Best Refracting Telescope for Beginners?
This scope comes on an equatorial mount, so you can track objects easily through the sky just by twisting a knob (once you’ve set up the scope’s axis to point at Polaris). It’s also possible to add a motor drive at a later time. It has an aperture of 90mm diameter so it’s a medium-sized refractor telescope and you should be able to see:
The Moon and planets
The Rings of Saturn
The Cloud band around Jupiter as well as Jupiter’s moons
It’s also large enough to see some of the fainter objects such as some of the star clusters, brighter nebulae such as Orion Nebula and Andromeda galaxy.
The Orion Astroview 90mm Refractor – Video
Move on to read about REFLECTING scopes and find out which we would recommend as the best telescope for beginners…
Here are some tips and recommendations for selecting the best telescope for beginners. There are a lot of different makes and types to choose from. But answering these three questions will narrow it down so you can choose the best one for your needs.
1. Price
how much are you willing to spend? if you’re just starting out, then there’s no need to break the bank. There are good telescopes out there that start as low as $50 and which will enable you to see a surprising amount of detail.
2. Aperture Size
What do you want to look at? The moon’s craters? The Andromeda Galaxy? Or a combination of night sky and daytime land-viewing? The bigger the aperture diameter, the more light is let in… and the fainter the objects you’ll be able to see. So a small aperture telescope is great for the moon and planets, whereas a large aperture telescope will be better at seeing fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies.
3. Telescope size
How big a telescope would you be happy with? The best choice of telescope for a beginner will depend on what you want to do with it. If you want to hike up a mountain and use it as a spotting scope in daylight, then there’s no point in getting a long refractor telescope. Even if your intention is simply to set your telescope up the garden from time to time, it should be easy to take out and assemble.
Ok – I’ve Answered The Three Questions. What Are The Choices?
What Should I Be Looking For To Find A Best Beginner Telescope?
A telescope makes a fabulous gift for a budding astronomer, but how do you choose the best beginner telescopes or find a beginner telescope for kids? There are so many technical options to consider, ranging from telescope type, aperture size, eyepiece focal length, not to mention practical factors…
These days you can easily buy a good beginner telescope for under $100. It’s not going to be a top amateur scope for that money, but if it ticks the boxes for the beginner, then it will nurture the new astronomer’s enthusiasm and will be a stepping stone to higher specification models.
In addition to buying the right beginner telescope, it’s also a REALLY good idea to get hold of a pair of binoculars (large aperture e.g. 10 x 50) and a star chart such as a planesphere for your latitude and hemisphere. This will show what stars, planets and other objects are viewable for any time and night of the year – highly recommended for the young astronomer! The plastic ones are the best, as they don’t get soggy from evening dew.
Having some astronomy software to help learn the night sky objects is also a great idea (especially when it’s cloudy!)
So below are the key things you should be looking for when reviewing good beginner telescopes – including beginner telescopes for kids. We’ve placed them in order of importance – most important first…
Key Choice 1… Type of Telescope – Refracting or Reflecting?
Durability & Maintenance
Reflecting telescopes (the ones with the mirrors) can be fine for beginners and kids, but bear in mind that their optics are ‘exposed’ to the outside world, so dust and dirt can (and will) eventually get in, requiring careful cleaning. Over time, the mirrors may also need re-aligning (a process called collimation).
Refracting telescopes are more robust and easy to maintain as their optics are sealed. Their lenses are coated and you won’t need to clean them… unless you accidentally touch them, so make sure the telescope comes with protective lens caps!
Price
You will get a bit more ‘bang for your buck’ with a reflecting scope, as mirrors are a lot easier to make than lenses. For the same money, a reflector will usually have a wider aperture, which means it collects more light than a refracting telescope – and therefore can offer clearer images of distant objects.
A reflector telescope may therefore be a good choice for a new astronomer who wants to start at a budget.
Aperture Size / Objective Lens Size
Basically, the bigger the aperture (for reflecting telescopes) or objective lens (for refracting telescopes), the better! Why is that? The more light the telescope can collect, then the clearer the image will be. It will also mean that higher magnification lenses can be used which need more light.
3” (75mm) to 4.5” (115mm) for a reflector scope will be fine for a beginner
2.4” (60mm) to 3.1” (80mm) will be a good choice for a refracting telescope.
Key Choice 2: Portability – ‘Grab and Go-ness’
Most astronomers will agree that the most important aspect of good beginner telescopes is their ‘grab and go-ness’. This is especially true for a beginner telescope for kids. If it takes ten minutes to set up a telescope, then it won’t see the skies as often as a portable small scope that takes 30 seconds to set up (i.e. remove the dust caps and point to the moon!).
A beginner needs to see the night sky as often as possible in order to grow in astronomy, so a small and portable telescope will be a wise choice.
Key Choice 3… Eyepieces and Magnification
A quality eyepiece will make all the difference to the image. Aim for lenses that are fully coated and made by respected brands such as Kellner, RKI or Plossl. The recommended eyepiece focal length for beginners is 20mm – 32mm. The smaller the focal length, the higher the magnification – however, if you go too small, the higher magnifications will make it difficult for beginners to find objects in the night sky due to the limited field of view. But what about magnification? The Telescope focal length divided by the eyepiece focal length will give you the magnification. A good home telescope for beginners would have a magnification of 50x to 125x to view moon craters, Saturn’s rings and the moons of Jupiter. Beware of beginner telescopes that claim more magnification than this! Many telescopes come with a couple of eyepieces included. These are often on the ‘budget’ side so read the reviews carefully! It’s usually a good idea to buy your own quality lenses – look out for stock clearances and special offers.
Key Choice 4… Mount
Most astronomers will say that a telescope is only as good as it’s mount. For beginners, the mount should be stable, smooth, simple to operate and robust, whether it’s an Altazimuth or an Equatorial. Altazimuth is probably the best choice for beginners using lower magnifications (i.e. 20-32mm eyepieces) as it is a fairly straight-forward mount to operate, but check the reviews carefully. Some mounts are called ‘Goto Mounts‘ – with either manual or motorized adjustment. Goto Mounts can be useful for beginners who need help finding objects in the night sky, however they will add to the price. For higher magnifications a motorized mount will come in useful to keep the object in view. On the other hand, part of the fun of beginner astronomy is learning where the planets and stars are, and having the satisfaction of manually finding them in the telescope. Therefore, obtaining a star chart such as a planesphere (for your hemisphere and latitude) is an excellent idea.
Key Choice 5… Finder scope
A low power finder scope is attached to the main telescope will make targeting specific night sky objects so much easier. Some finder scopes come with a ‘red dot’ finder, which is very useful. Many best beginner telescopes come with a finder scope which can make all the difference.
We hope this guide will help you to choose the best beginner telescope for your requirements. What do you think? Please let us know your thoughts and experiences on this topic by commenting below!
Specialist telescope retailers often make their telescopes available through Amazon which is one of the best places to buy, compare and read reviews.
“The fact that it is so easy to use makes it a really great scope…“read more…
Image Quality:
75%
(4 reviews)
“Great optics… and good for viewing terrestrial objects too… I used a camera with digital zoom to look at the moon, the result is better than using this…“read more…
Portability
75%
(4 reviews)
“Compact & light enough to transprt easily…”read more…
Ease of set-up
91%
(11 reviews)
“Perfect for families just beginning to explore the stars, planets and moon… Requires adult assembly…”read more…
Mount stability
82%
(11 reviews)
“It has a very macho mount… The tripod is definitely made for children, rough on my back…”read more…
Durable / Build Quality
91% (11 reviews)
“A serious and well-made scope… The parts are sturdy enough for family use…”read more…
Product Support & Documentation
too few comments
“There is insufficient guidance on how to best utilize the infrared eye-piece that is battery-powered…“read more…
Eye pieces supplied
20mm and 10mm Fully Coated
“The clarity is good… You’ll be using the 20mm more than the 10mm…“read more…
E.g. Moon and Planets. For viewing brighter deep-space objects such as galaxies and nebulae, wider aperture Newtonian reflecting telescopes are recommended.read more…
Price Range: $45 – $75
Eyepieces supplied: 20mm and 4mm
Suggested minimum beginner age: 6-12
Recommended aperture size: 76mm (3”) – this is on the small side, but still ok.
“A great value in a starter telescope…This telescope is pretty good value providing you know its limitations… It’s not perfect out of the box, but it’s darn useful…”
Ease of use
88%
(8 reviews)
“I was excited to see how easy to use it was…I found it very difficult to get it to point to Venus [needs a finder scope]…”
Image Quality:
63%
(16 reviews)
“Jupiter is an awesome sight through this little guy… It has a really wide field, good optics… Very good views for a starter scope of this aperture… With the included eyepieces, Jupiter is a fuzzy orange circle…”
Portability
100%
(10 reviews)
“A great little scope in a compact package…”
Ease of set-up
100%
(5 reviews)
“Setup is a snap, and pretty much can be used immediately…”
Mount stability
73%
(11 reviews)
“The base is well made like a Dobsonian… The alt/alz movements are good… Horizontal rotation is smooth, but no way to lock… The base is so shaky…”
Durable / Build Quality
100% (5 reviews)
“Suprisingly good construction…”
Product Support & Documentation
50% (2 reviews)
“Celestron kindly sent me a replacement 4mm eyepiece but… A person new to astronomical telescopes will certainly want to get some better documentation…”
Eye pieces supplied
21% (14 reviews)
“Comes with two decent eyepieces… Do buy some better eyepieces and a Barlow lens…. Recommended lenses: 20 – 28mm Kellner, RKI or Plossl… The SR4mm is useless – too dark… The 4mm Symmetrical high power eyepiece is fine… The eyepieces work acceptably well on the Moon…“
Finder-scope?
No
“Do not buy the accessory kit. There is no way you can use the finder scope unless you are the height of a squirrel… Make sure you buy the accessory kit (with finderscope)…”
Most astronomers will say that a telescope is only as good as it’s mount. For beginners, the mount should be stable, smooth, simple to operate and robust, whether it’s an 
