Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Celestron: Celestron - PowerSeeker 80EQ Telescope - Manual German Equatorial Telescope for Beginners - Compact and Portable - Bonus Astronomy Software Package

Analog Nerd

Heavy but love it.

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2016

I'm giving it five stars because of bang for buck. I bought it after reading Gustav Mahler review and I'm not sure I can add to that review but I will try.First it came very well boxed three times in fact. There was a instruction booklet and for me the assembly was easy. I must say at first un-packing it it did seem intimating but the pictures help (stick to the pictures) because the side RA was turn 180 out to make packing possible. There were nine easy steps. There was a screw driver left over that looked like a part I missed. (Look says screwdriver on it). I didn't need a screw driver. I suggest you do not go any tighter than you need to and that is not tight. Too tight can do damage and many people tend to over do that. Its your baby go easy.
Con's - I was not happy with the finder scope. I think that could have been improved. The tripod was OK. It had points on the tips and not rubber feet. I have a Galileo tripod I use for a small 400mm-70mm scope I do bird watching with and I think I like that one better.
Pro's - I like the slow motion knobs. I thought I give them a try because too often in my pass I used a short scope with high power lens on a solid base to lessen the shaking due to moving it and near by earth movement, such as trucks going by when out on a patio. Those were better for those earthy harmonics than the long tube type. But with out the slow motion cables I over come the resistance that held the scope at aim and when it broke that hold the scope would over shoot and I would be way off my target. This cable knob type may be the lesser of the two evils and it gives me power like I never had.
The lens tray has a lip on it so I can just place my lens in that with there case's on.
It came with two CD disks. One instructions that was good but for the Polar alignment I like U-Tube. On that CD I couldn't get into accessory to see what the dove tail fastener was met for. I think its an optional digital camera holder. The second CD ( not II ). Asked for me to download a set up soft ware and I do not down load strange exe.
In short, it was like a telescope that cost twice what I paid. That and reviews is what drives Amazon I think...
IMPORTANT... This is a heavy scope with lots of cast iron to it. 18 Lps. It is a bad boy so if your female (like me) or not up to moving that weight, it may not be for you. I plan to back-pack the counter weight & my lens if I'm going too far with it. I wouldn't want a scope any more heavy than this.
There you have it. Not sure I did better than the Gustav Mahler review. He is right, optics are great. Five stars. I can't believe I got a scope this good for this cost. I have four telescopes now. This one is the power house but I still in-joy the others. They have there place.

11 people found this helpful

Very Pleasantly Surprised

Chad

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2013

OK. First off I am in no way, shape, or form well versed in Telescopes or astronomy other than finding Polaris to find north (that is a skill you will need for amateur astronomy though, so that worked out). I bought this because my 8-yo son has been asking a lot of questions about the night sky during our nighttime walks, but understanding the typical attention span of a 8-yo didn't want to spend a lot of money.

First...the bad:

-Finder scope is cheap and basically impossible to keep adjusted.with any sort of precision.

-Product comes with 20mm and 4mm eyepieces. The 4mm is pretty much useless and I believe only comes along as a means to claim a pointless magnification potential. Knowing what I've learned in the past few days this would have been much better with a simple mid-range 13mm eyepiece as the 2nd optic...not too big not too small. I'll probably invest in the accessories kit anyway though so.....

-3x Barlow is also pretty flimsy. Now, I've read a lot of reviews that say the Celestron Barlow is unusable, and mine was also when I first got the kit. I tried to clean the lens though, and ended up moving the inner piece forward. Don't know if they're supposed to move like that, but after pushing mine all the way forward in the Barlow tube it works like a champ. Paired it up with the 20mm eyepiece and got some awesomely nice images.

-Mount hardware in the Declination axis was a bit loose and caused a bit of wobble in the scope. Tightened it up a bit... holds like a champ now and moves very smoothly when making fine adjustments with the slo-mo cables.

The good:

-Super simple to get from box to stargazing. Instructions are very clear every step of the way from assembly, to balancing,to polar alignment. I downloaded the manual as soon as I ordered the telescope to familiarize myself with the different parts so I already had a basic idea of what and where Dec., altitude, & RA were as I was setting up and making adjustments.

-Comes with an Equatorial mount (hence the EQ designation) that when set properly gets you ridiculously close to what you are trying to find....leading to my next point.

-The SkyX First Light software is super cool. Gives celestial coordinates of most major sky attractions, and terrestrial cardinal headings for reference. Using a magnetic compass to orient my telescope and this software to tell me when & where an object will be, I've hit every target so far.

-Crystal clear optics. Only really used the 20mm up to now. Tonight is the first night I've successfully used the 3x Barlow with the 20mm. Got some really neat looks at Venus which is only about a 1/3 crescent right now, but super bright and clear. Jupiter hasn't risen yet, but we got a decent look at that one, as well as Betelgeuse, Arcturus, and the Geminids using the 20mm 3 nights ago. Can't wait to see it paired with the 3x when it comes up tonight if the moon doesn't overpower it. Speaking of which...beautiful moon view. Too bad it's so close to full. Not enough surface shadow to really nail the details tonight but got some nice looks the first night out. Can't wait to see Saturn, but it's rising too close to dawn now.

-Slo-mo cables smooth and solid. Excellent tracking.

Anyway, for this price you're gonna get what you paid for which is a mid-quality small beginner telescope. You're not gonna pull this out of the box and discover new planets, or even zoom right in on the ones we know about. If you have patience, take your time setting up, and learn a bit about your equipment, you will be well rewarded for the price.

95 people found this helpful

Awesome scope for beginners.

PRNLM

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2020

So I was in the market for an astroscope for my kids. It's been decades since I used to truck my newtonian reflector around and when I dug it out in the garage, I just didn't want to tackle the job of pulling it back from the brink and getting it into shape.

I read some fairly pannish reviews of the Celestron basic scopes online, including a fairly pannish review of this one, but I went with it anyway because it seemed that the price couldn't be beaten for an 80mm refractor.

I was apprehensive, but I need not have worried. Optics are great, very well aligned, very easy and smooth to focus, with very little in the way of chromatic aberration or visual defects. Got ahold of a variety of Plossl eyepieces from 26mm down to 4.x mm and have now had a chance to use all of them. Found all to be very usable.

The tripod is excellent for this price and I'm not going out on a limb to say that if you had to just buy the tripod from a science shop, you'd pay more in a retail store for the tripod alone. It's well made, the fine adjustments work well and are precise and modular, and it's just generally very robust.

This is a delightful beginner scope at a very, very affordable price and I really can't find anything to complain about. The reviews for this scope on hobbyist sites specifically mentioned a lackluster tripod, iffy optics, and a lackluster set of eyepieces included. I find all of these complaints to be either verrry nitpicky or just plain wrong.

The kids have already spent several evenings breathlessly exploring the surface of the moon in very good detail, and we've taken a few shots through it as well with a camera phone that turned out very nicely.

I guess if you're a serious hobbyist that has a $1k+ scope that you take to meet-ups or something then this may seem like an amateur piece. But if you're just a family looking to explore the sky and get excited while doing it, this fits the bill perfectly, and is a significantly better choice (IMO) than the 70mm scopes or scopes with worse tripods that will only save you $30-$50.

I'd argue that this scope strikes precisely the right balance between "serious" and "affordable" for any family with a couple curious, science-minded kids ready to pick up a new hobby. Then, if they get really into it, spend 4x-10x as much later, in a few years, when they really outgrow this scope—which won't happen for a while.

54 people found this helpful

Great value, easy to assemble and great for beginners.

Papaw Shane

Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2021

I had ordered this telescope without really reading reviews first. I looked it over, read the features, and figured this would be a great deal. For the price, there was a lot going on with this telescope. It was extremely easy to put together. You don't even really need the instructions (though I would still use them) it goes together seamlessly. I had it together and looking at the stars within the hour. It's easy to spot things in the sky, easily lined up and very clear to see through. The 3x Barlow lens that comes with it, really makes a huge difference as well. I would totally recommend this telescope for beginners and intermediate users as well.
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Reading the reviews afterwards, I noticed a lot of hate on the cell phone adapter that came with it. To be honest, they must have gotten something quite different than me. It fit my phone just fine (Pixel 4XL) and was easy to attach. It is however, a bit of a fight to get it to line up with the lens, but it can be done, and works quite well. I mean, don't expect to win any awards for the pics you will take, but they are still quite nice. If this adapter can fit my phone, it can fit almost any phones out there. I am glad I made this purchase, in the short time I have had it, I have really enjoyed. As a person who does nature and astrophotography, this was a fun, and very good buy.

2 people found this helpful

Good scope for beginners, bad finder scope.

Michael Dye

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2023

First of all the scope is decent for the price, the finder scope is trash. I had a red dot finder laying around so I replaced it. I got mine used so it came without a counterweight so I need a whole new mount.

Pretty sweet telescope. Better than expected! [updated]

Jimmy G

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2016

Amazing telescope for the money. I purchased it, not knowing fully what to expect because I am new to astronomy. The pictures that people have posted are totally accurate. I was able to zoom into the moon and see tons of details. On my first attempt I was also able to see Jupitor with slight stripes and it's moons! Super cool stuff.

I am still very new to it but I did purchase a lens and filter kit and the lenses that came with the new kit are much nicer than what comes with the scope. However the 20mm lens that comes with the scope is great for the moon and seeing groups of stars.

I didn't fully understand how huge this scope is, I actually purchased it to put in my camper, but we will make it work. The stand seems sturdy enough for the scope and has lots of little adjusters that help keep things in the field of view since the stars move across the sky pretty quick. When you are zoomed in it shakes quite a bit so you have to be careful. I don't know much about other stands to know how the others are.

Update!
So I only had this scope for 2 weeks before deciding I wanted to upgrade. The scope was great, but wanted something smaller that would be better for traveling. Got a SE4, stars and things look the same as they did with the 80EQ but I will say the mount is much better on the SE4. It doesn't wobble as much and is much easier to focus -- but at over 2x's the price the 80EQ is a great value.

9 people found this helpful

Excellent beginner level telescope

Jessica Guthrie

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2015

I bought this as a christmas gift for my daughter. This was her "Santa" gift. While it is a bit advanced for her age (7), we are both learning alot about astronomy in general, and this telescope in particular. I agree with other reviewers that say the tripod and mount could be better, but there are some hacks we are trying to improve them (namely, putting a weight on the tray or legs to give it a bit more stability - at high magnification the slightest breeze or bump will make it hard to see anything clearly). Also, the barlow lens is pretty useless. I would highly recommend buying a better set of optics, as other reviewers have mentioned. The set up was pretty easy via the "quick setup guide". I haven't been through the included CD's yet, but I'm sure they're helpful, too. We also bought the "Nightwatch" book, and it has been a big help. From our suburban backyard we have easily seen Jupiter and it's moons, a faint version of the Orion nebula, and lots of detail on the moon. I'm looking forward to going out someplace away from urban light pollution to see what we can see.

In short, this is a great kit for someone not wanting to spend a ton of money on what might be a passing interest. As with any new endeavor, there is a bit of a learning curve, and you will need to do some research on the equipment, as well as the stars. If you are frustrated with an aspect, there are tons of videos online explaining how to do it right. Take some time and you'll be rewarded.

7 people found this helpful

Yurieth Arcia de Padilla

Maravilloso

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2024

Feliz con esta compra

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S. Frede

Stargazing!

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2023

I recently purchased the Celestron PowerSeeker 70EQ Telescope, and I am extremely happy with my purchase. This telescope is a great value for the price, and it provides excellent views of the night sky.

The 70mm aperture and 700mm focal length provide clear and detailed views of celestial objects, and the fully-coated glass optics ensure bright and crisp images. The equatorial mount is also easy to use and provides smooth and accurate tracking of celestial objects.

I was a bit intimidated by telescopes at first, but the PowerSeeker 70EQ is very user-friendly and comes with clear instructions and helpful tips. I've been having a blast exploring the stars and planets, and I've even been able to spot some of the more faint objects in the night sky.

This item did seem a dit complicated to assemble so make sure to have someone with patience helping you. Also be sure not to leave this item out in the cold. My lense fogged up and it hasn't been quite the same since.

3 people found this helpful