Best Beginner Refractor?

[ally13]

I'm thinking of getting my son a telescope for his 6th birthday. I've been looking around and have found that a 70mm refractor is probably going to be the best option in terms of image quality vs price at this stage. He probably wants to mostly look at the moon., maybe Saturn.

I don't live in a capital city so I'm probably going to have to buy online, which makes checking out things like tripod stability a little difficult.

Can anyone give me any thoughts as to a good telescope to start him off? I have come across the following options:

http://www.bintel.com.au/Telescopes/Refractor/Meade-Infinity-70mm-Refractor/1909/productview.aspx

http://www.telescopesdirect.com.au/Celestron-AstroMaster-70AZ-Refractor-Telescope?utm_source=google&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=CLnOnaW3r8gCFVgIvAodZOcGeQ

http://www.ozscopes.com.au/skywatcher-sw707-refractor-telescope.html

Also, would I need any extra eyepieces or filters?

thanks!

[dannat]

The Meade yolk & skywatchers mount are not good, the celestron on tripod is better, you can find the odd 70az on gumtree for cheaper if you look
As you're in Sydney check andrewscom.com.au, they have the 80mm /900 on az3 mount (more stable alt/as mount) for 249 on sale, a better telescope on better mount

Usually with a scope like this you get 2 eyepieces, the larger one will be fine to use(20 or 25mm) you may want to get one to replace the 10mm ep often sold (plastic rubbish)
You may want to geta 6-8mm eyepiec for lunar /planet views..

[ally13]

Thanks for the response. Sounds like the Celestron would be the way to go then.

Out of interest, is the Celestron Powerseeker 50 any good? There's one for sale near us on Gumtree. Or is it worth the extra for a new astromaster 70?

Would I need a moon filter for viewing the moon with a 70mm refractor?

[MattT]

I have a 70mm and a 50mm refractor. The 70 is the one to get and I don't use filters on the moon. As Dan said get a decent 7-8mm eyepiece too.
Matt

[brian nordstrom]

:) My money would go on that Celestron C102 in the classifieds , these perform wonderfully and sit happily on an EQ3 mount well .

Save your money and get a pair of good 50mm binoculars from Andrews , Bintel or similar
instead of the 50mm refractor , I grabbed one a few years ago at cashies and they are VERY !!! Hideous , terrible even.

Brian.

[ally13]

Ok, so it sounds like a 50mm isn't the way to go. It was for sale for $30 but obviously not worth it if it's not going to even show the moon properly.

Would anyone be willing to post a link to the type of eyepieces that I would need to buy?

[dannat]

How much do you want spend? If not much just try a plossl

[SkyWatch]

Hi Ally13. I concur that the Celestron with the steel tripod looks the most solid of the 3 70mm scopes (although there is a fair bit of plastic in the mount head...). I am not sure you need the extra eyepiece just yet: it comes with a 10mm and a 20 mm (90x and 45x respectively). I would practice with those first if I were you- it wont be easy keeping things in the field of view at 90x, let alone 120x with a 7 or 8mm eyepiece.
Later you might want a lower power eyepiece for terrestrial use (say a 30mm?). In any case, Andrews (http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm - go the the "Guan Sheng" section and scroll down) have GSO "super-plossls" for $39: they are pretty good value, or Bintel (http://www.bintel.com.au/Eyepieces-and-Barlows/Bintel-/Plossl/116/catmenu.aspx) have their own brand plossls for $49
- so if you want to go down that route they aren't a bad place to start.
You could also try Matthew Lovell at http://www.telescopes-astronomy.com.au/ (best to ring him, he is pretty helpful and his site isn't the easiest to navigate! However he has very competitive prices, and he can get things in for you too.)

Oh and I agree that the 50mm scope is not a good idea!

All the best,

Dean

[omegacrux]

Vixen a80mf acro there are a good scope but about $300-350 + needs a mount , mostly depending on your budget

David

[MattT]

Which eyepiece?

Get two, Bintel aka GSO Superviews 15 and 20mm. Buy a Bintel 2x barlow 1.25" and your set.

http://www.bintel.com.au/Eyepieces-and-Barlows/Bintel-/Superview/117/catmenu.aspx

The only problem I can see with getting a bigger scope is mounting it. The 70mm Celestron comes with a mount.

Andrews communications sell the GSO Superviews too.

Matt

[ally13]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm assuming then that I were to get the Celestron then the Celestron accessory kit (which I think is more expensive than the actual telescope) wouldn't be the way to go? I'd be better off to just get an extra eyepiece or two as needed?

[SkyWatch]

Celestron do a number of accessory kits, but if you are thinking of the one with 6 plossls, filters, etc., then I agree: it is not necessary and some of the prices I see on Aussie sites are way too high! (I see one site that has it at "51% off" at $435, compared to US$128 ($A177) at B&H in NYC!!!)

If you just get extras when you need them (and when you have a bit more experiences and really know what you want) I think you will be much better off.

[MattT]

The only kit I think you should buy is this:

http://agenaastro.com/meade-series-4000-eyepiece-filter-set.html

Optics Central sell a Celestron plossl kit for a very laughable $419....way way overpriced.

A couple of GSO Superviews and a 2X barlow will do and be cheaper but doesn't come with a nice case.

Matt

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: Good advise Matt .

And that C102 in the classifieds .... What an awesome set up that would make ? for little money .

Brian.