Is this Aldi Telescope any good?

[boundless]

Aldi have got a 76/700 Optus Reflector Telescope on sale shortly for $79.

Reflecting mirror diameter 76mm
Focal Length 700mm
31.7mm diameter eyepiece – 20mm, 12.5mm,6mm
erecting eyepiece 1.5x
magnification 35x-116x
finderscope 5x 24mm

Has anyone got one of these and is it any good?

Cheers

[erick]

It was discussed here and got the thumbs down:-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=37526

[mick pinner]

no.

[TrevorW]

Honestly save you money and don't buy a cheap plastic telescope from discount stores you'll be disappointed. Get a good pair on binoculars about $100 to start with they'll have better quality lens and EP's

Cheers

[GrahamL]

I've seen these on sale after x-mass for $40.. and you know .. I'd still say
no ... though I' did consider throwing the scope and keeping the tripod :)

welcome :) and spend some time looking around here its a great resource.

[seeker372011]

a friend of mine bought one of these... before he asked me I hasten to add...so i went along to his house to help him use it, for the first time ever maybe 9 months after he bought it

I was able to show him a tiny Saturn which gave him a bit of a buzz and a couple of the brighter deep Space objects-Jewel Box and Eta Carina and so on

he was mightily dissapointed with the image scale-he thought he should be seeing Saturn the size of a 50 cent coin ! Guess what, for 79$ you are not going to get that!

the mount is really painful to use -its typical department store rubbish

I'd save my money and buy a pair of binoculars and learn the sky.
As far as I know after that one night when i showed him how to use it, my friend has never used his scope again. that's what happens to all these discount store scopes-wind up in garage sales, having never been used

[AlexN]

I think these scopes might also be a reason more people dont get into astronomy, they look through a little department store cheapie, are disgusted by the difference between the hubble images on the box, and the views through the eye piece, put the scope in the darkest corner of the garage and never voyage into astronomy again...

[OneOfOne]

I think if someone gave you one as a present...you still paid too much.

[Jen]

:hi: Boundless :welcome: to IIS
stay away from aldi scopes they are only good to put in a kids xmas stocking that you dont like very much :lol::lol: even then $79 is a bit rich lol :Pget some binos instead :thumbsup:

[Omaroo]

Don't listen to any of them! They're jealous! I have one and love it - only I paid $39 for the same scope as the Aldi one, only sold through the Warehouse instead.

Through the supplied eyepieces, planets are visible, as is the moon. The alt-azimuth mount is pretty shakey, and is almost acceptable with the 20-odd degree shake it sports. If you slew it around to somewhere near the object you're after, let it go and go and make a coffee. By the time you've made AND drunk your coffee the scope should have settled down so that you can start viewing - as long as you're still somewhere near your chosen object. Damping could be better... and prey there's no wind. :D

Deep space objects? What are those? The finder scope is pretty-well...uhm... non fuctional :)

All in all - if you have a spare $39 to blow, then go ahead and grab one! They're fun if nothing else. If $39 is going to kill the bank, then maybe better to save for a proper telescope like a 6" Dob. :thumbsup:

[qld]

you should buy it and then go to Andrews or York and use it as a tradein
they looove to deal with first timers....this will give you the edge
:lol:

[Bassnut]

Umm, Chris, that would be $79, not $39, so, funny, but not "fun" to buy :thumbsup:. Anyway, no diff. This crap will only put you off, possibly for ever.

[Miaplacidus]

Hi,

There are some unique individuals out there who will attest that they got such a buzz out of making their first telescope out of two lenses, a ruler, and some plastacine that this was the only reason they persevered with the hobby. Some of them will claim that had they not "built it themselves," of if they had bought a stably-mounted half-decent telescope right at the start, or if they hadn't suffered numerous frustrations to begin with, then they would never have persisted, nor would they have developed such a life-long passion.

This is self-deception, pure and simple. They underestimate their own innate and peculiarly resiliant enthusiasm. Most people don't have this. I know I don't. (My first telescope — the equivalent of an Aldi special — deflated my enthusiasm so badly I lost all interest in the hobby for more years than I care to admit to. Sigh...) But who knows? Maybe you're different.

But if you're not, then you should be aware that the pathway of least frustration and maximum ease is to buy a dobsonian. (That is, after the binoculars).

Think about it. The heaviest part of a refracting telescope might be 8 feet off the ground. The heaviest part of a dobsonian telescope might be as low 8 inches off the ground. Which do you think is going to be the most stable and least wobbly?

[leon]

You have been given good advice here, so all I can say is NO.

Leon

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Boundless,

Nope, avoid it like the plague.

The BARE minimum would be something like this, which will cost you $199 from one of the cheapest suppliers around (in Sydney) or $249 from Star Optics for the same thing.
Skywatcher 70 x 500 AZ3 (it has slow motion controls too)
This can be used for land viewing also, in case you get bored with the night sky.

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-content-section-10-skywatcher.htm

If your budget can stretch to $399, you should entertain the idea of an 8 inch GSO Dobsonian, which you can buy from Andrews and will give you MASSIVELY better views than the scope above and is a doddle to use.
Guan Sheng GS-680 8"
200mm x 1200mm
Limited version
$399.00 AUD

As mentioned before, buy a pair of 11x70 or 15x70 binoculars from aforementioned suppliers in the range of $129-$160 and your money will be MUCH better spent on something you can use for the rest of your life.

If you have a lazy $400-$500 and are genuinely interested in telescopes, start around 8 inches (200mm) or you will be disappointed with the views, seriously... the difference between 4-5 inch scope and an 8 inch is not that much in price, but the views are substantially better. I know, I bought a 5 inch scope and have wanted a bigger one since I bought it.

Mine is quite good, but for the same price, I could have bought an 8 inch dobsonian which would have been a better buy.

Here endeth the lesson.

Chris ;)

P.S. Best value for money is FREE, head to your local Astronomy society's viewing night and have a look at the different scopes the club has or the members have as they will ALL show you their scopes, generally, its a great way to meet people, see amazing things and costs you very little to browse and decide which way you want to go. Check out the "Our Community" and Link pages on the IIS menu on the left for some Astronomy societies and clubs as well as suppliers websites. or just google for your area.

Cheers again

Chris

[Mrs Nagy]

Chris ;)

P.S. Best value for money is FREE, head to your local Astronomy society's viewing night and have a look at the different scopes the club has or the members have as they will ALL show you their scopes, generally, its a great way to meet people, see amazing things and costs you very little to browse and decide which way you want to go. Check out the "Our Community" and Link pages on the IIS menu on the left for some Astronomy societies and clubs as well as suppliers websites. or just google for your area.

Cheers again

Chris[/quote]
I agree with Chris, you should go to one of the viewing nights that many of the astronomical clubs hold every year and have a look through different scopes which will help you decide what is good and what you don't like. I did this years ago and although I have just managed to get my own Dobsonian it is what I knew I wanted once I looked through a variety of different scopes on a viewing night. Good Luck

[Screwdriverone]

Nice one Mandy!!!

:welcome: to Ice In Space!

I see you did your homework and purchased a nice "little" scope :lol:

12 inch Dobsonian, way to start small!!! :rofl:

Welcome aboard, and thanks for the contribution.

Cheers

Chris


I agree with Chris, you should go to one of the viewing nights that many of the astronomical clubs hold every year and have a look through different scopes which will help you decide what is good and what you don't like. I did this years ago and although I have just managed to get my own Dobsonian it is what I knew I wanted once I looked through a variety of different scopes on a viewing night. Good Luck[/quote]

[andrei23]

Hi there,

I unfortunately bought one of those cheapie 76/700mm Optus telescopes at a flea market for $20. Moon looked great, but most nights it was either moon or "dots", so after a couple of sky-gazing attempts I eventually lost interest.

I'm looking to upgrade my set-up with one of those GPS/GoTo/camera "idiot"-proof kits which seem to make astronomy so much more fun for the rest of us, and I think I've got it narrowed down to two scopes in terms of bang for the buck (both are about $650 for the entire kit):

One is a 6" reflector with 1400mm focal length and 140X magnification, 280X with the Barlow adaptor (eBay item # 140545877289). The other is a 90mm Cassegrain with a 1200mm focal length and 155X magnification (eBay item # 130518260467). Obviously the 6" collects more light, but I've been told that due to the Cassegrain's superior optics and shorter focal length that in a rural, low-light setting I may actually get clearer images. Intuition tells me to still go with the 6", as the wider aperture should make much more difference then 200mm of focal length, no?

Or am I better off saving my pennies a bit longer and getting an 8" because neither of these will really be much of an improvement over my 76/700? Only thing with the 8" models is they don't seem to have the auto-everything GPS & camera kits, not for under $2000 anyway. Is it really 4X "more scope", or can I find some amateur amusement also with a 6"?

Really appreciate the input of more experienced members - thanks in advance!

[jenchris]

But what about that 650x magnification and all those meteors colliding in fiery explosions I'm going to miss?
That unique cut off point at 100,000,000 miles that 'll never see past.... I'm a broken woman - I'm going to end it all - hand me my trusty steak knife with the loose handle.... and my 'that's not all', picture of Tasmania and a block of flats....

[renormalised]

Andrei, welcome to IIS:):)

You will be far better off if you look to buy an 8-10" dob than any of the scopes you have mentioned. The reason being apart from the cost, you will find them much easier to use and you will end up using it more often. A typical scope like an 8" Meade LX90 (http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=1-599-49-52-12953)/200 will set you back at least $2000 and that's just for the basics. Get into taking piccies with it and the cost will rise accordingly. The 8" LT series (http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=1-599-49-52-14966)is about the cheapest of the GOTO's of that size. As far as the dobs go, have a look here at these...

Orion SkyQuest Scopes (http://www.optcorp.com/ProductList.aspx?uid=1-600-609-1383)

SkyWatcher Scopes (http://www.optcorp.com/ProductList.aspx?uid=1-600-1396-1447)

If you save up a bit more, you can get a larger scope (10" or more), plus computer control as well.

One other piece of advise....join an astronomy club. There you'll get to look through scopes you maybe interested in, you'll make some great friends and learn a lot about scopes and the stars.

[jjjnettie]

You'll get far superior views through a $50 pair of Dick Smith 10x50 binos.

Lots of good advice here. :D

[Waxing_Gibbous]

Aldi do excellent marzipan chocolate and respectable peanut butter, but I wouldn't buy a telescope from them. :D

[jjjnettie]

Their version of Co Co Pops are better than the original and only $2 a box.
But their scopes are bottom shelf.

[Ric]

If you have a $79 telescope expect $79 views.

[tlgerdes]

Their blank DVDs and CDs do alright. Also their electric blankets do alright keeping the kids warm in bed.:thumbsup:

[tlgerdes]

Might have to try those....... love Coco Pops.:D

[andrei23]

Thanks for the great advice everyone! Glad I waited... just picked up a a used Celestron C10 N-GT with GoTo, MotoFoto, laser calibration, and all the perks for $200 less than I was going to spend on the 6"! (And I invested that in a used Deep Sky Imager II and an extra 82 FOV EP.) Happy camper here. :)

[Suzy]

Well done Andrei! :D
Here's hoping that you have clear skies for your first light, as soon as you get your scope.:)

[Astromaster90]

I dont think anyone is really jealous. I would definately not recommend this telescope. These cheap retail store scopes are junk and will but beginners off the hobby.

[jenchris]

There's a Celestron 127 Bird Jones in Cash converters Beenleigh for 126 dollars - this thread is a year old by the way

[IanPhillips]

Listen Guys I know its not the best and it is cheap but I bought one of these this Christmas 2015 and its my First real Telescope and I know I won't get to see Saturn in Crystal clear detail or any other deep space sightings.
However Last Night 27/12/2015 was a really good night in the UK it wasn't perfect but it was clear enough to see very detailed images of the moon and the surface so yes I am Impressed and no I am not going to argue the case with More experienced guys but if someone wants one of these as a First Telescope then yes they are good.:)

[AussieTrooper]

No idea what you lot are on about.
I bought one and have discovered 15 exo-planets with it. I'm naming them all Aldi.

[jenchris]

They were probably exodustbunnies