Re: Vivitar Telescope Question


Glenn Holliday wrote:
wsnell01@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Glenn Holliday wrote:
... Until you get above the $200 line, binoculars
of the same price are likely to be more useful and better quality
than a telescope.

I'll have to disagree with that. There are many decent telescopes
priced -well- under $200 that will show more and work better than
similarly-priced binoculars. Recognizing them is the trick. I would
guess that the eyepieces are the biggest problem with the OP's scope. A
better tripod wouldn't hurt either.

What do you recommend at that price?


At $100 the Orion Spaceprobe (3-inch Newtonian) is one possibility. I
used a similar model years ago that certainly showed more than any pair
of binoculars I could find. My scope even had 0.965-inch eyepieces,
instead of the much better 1.25-inch included with the Orion scope.

In the $200 range the Orion Starblast and XT4.5 reflectors come highly
recommended.

Lower on the price scale, I have seen 60mm refractors in the $50-$60
range, that might be worth a try.

(BTW, there are also some $200+ scopes that should probably be avoided
for various reasons.)

In the low-end price range you can look for:

3-inch Newtonians of f/10 or so, 60mm refractors of f/12 or so. Avoid
complicated optical systems.
AltAzimuth mounts with the scope supported between two arms of a fork.
1.25 inch eyepieces, either Kellners or Plossls, with glass lenses,
that yield both low (30x) and medium (50x -75x) magnifications.
Some type of adjustable finder or sighting device.

Paradoxically, the scopes that got many amateurs started, are sometimes
NOT scopes that they would later recommend to beginners. In some ways
this is understandable, but for every beginner who would buy a $200
scope there are probably many more who can afford only $100. If you
set the price of admission too high you might end up with fewer amateur
astronomers in the long run.

.

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