I would like to purchase a telescope as a gift and know very little about them. Would I be better off with this type or a equally priced one w/ tripod
756959
I had gotten this telescope as a birthday present for my boyfriend so I can't say I've used it too much myself. From what I can tell though, it works amazing and he is very satisfied with the way it works. Its easy to transport and not at all difficult to figure out. For the price I would definitely recommend this product!
1273541
I accont provide you with a catalogue number but you need a heavy dutty one. The lens is heavy and you need a stable platform to get clear pictures. Took some Moon shot using a borrowed tripod as my basic one was not useful
85767
I'm pretty sure they are the same...the X2 "Shorty" Barlow...def worth it. The XT8 is a GREAT telescope.
1968793
1st, there is an adapter you will need to mount them on a tripod. More specific to your question, we have been using them with a very cheap tripod that came free with a camera purchase, our heavy-duty tripos being tied up with a small telescope at the moment. The cheap tripod holds the binoculars just fine (well, as steady as that cheap tripod will allow for at least), no weight issues. I would say you can spend as little as you'd like on a tripod for these. We have found that the stability of the tripod head is really the only issue...you can buy a step up or so in quality to alleviate that issue, but the cheap little one we're using allows us to just grab it an go...and, we have no issues with weight of the binoculars.
60427
The Dolica 68" tripod is the best tripod I own and I own a lot of them! It is an all-around great tripod. I use the Celestron 15x70 binoculars on it and it handles them wonderfully even when the tripod is extended all the way up and you're looking straight up at the night sky. What you really need, however, is a decent binocular to tripod mount because the plastic one that comes with the Celestron binoculars is no good at all and it causes an uncontrollable amount of image shake. It is hard to believe that such a thing would make much difference but it makes a HUGE difference. I bought the Barska tripod adapter on Amazon for $9.95 and it is solid. Hope this helps.... Clear Skies! The Dolica 68" tripod is the best tripod I own and I own a lot of them! It is an all-around great tripod. I use the Celestron 15x70 binoculars on it and it handles them wonderfully even when the tripod is extended all the way up and you're looking straight up at the night sky. What you really need, however, is a decent binocular to tripod mount because the plastic one that comes with the Celestron binoculars is no good at all and it causes an uncontrollable amount of image shake. It is hard to believe that such a thing would make much difference but it makes a HUGE difference. I bought... » Read More The Dolica 68" tripod is the best tripod I own and I own a lot of them! It is an all-around great tripod. I use the Celestron 15x70 binoculars on it and it handles them wonderfully even when the tripod is extended all the way up and you're looking straight up at the night sky. What you really need, however, is a decent binocular to tripod mount because the plastic one that comes with the Celestron binoculars is no good at all and it causes an uncontrollable amount of image shake. It is hard to believe that such a thing would make much difference but it makes a HUGE difference. I bought the Barska tripod adapter on Amazon for $9.95 and it is solid. Hope this helps.... Clear Skies! « Show Less
57363
The way it is, no. You'll have to add a 3rd party accessory. If this is your primary intention, prefer to buy a telescope.
913840
I bought a tripod setup made by Orion. Not cheap, but it is a really nice addition to give the SkyMaster more functionability. Here is the link for what I purchased http://www.optcorp.com/or-5379-paragon-plus-binocular-mount-with-tripod.html
596249
I would just hold it steady. For me, it works fine, and, I don't have no tripod! I got a lovely view of the Orion Nebula without that much shake. And, after viewing for a while, I would put it down and rest my arms. And for uses with telescopes, OH YES:D
1465893
It should be fine...i honestly feel this tripod is a little cheaply made...when it arrived some pieces were broken and panning left to right is a little "tight". Ive tried loosing it all the way and that didn't really help. My advice? Buy the one from best buy for $70 that one is an actual heavy duty tripod
529133
Probably. I don't know much about telescopes. It's really nice. My teaching partner bought it but no longer works with me. You can buy it from me for quite a discount.
401789
It's a basic spotting scope. The eye piece does not come off to adapt a camera. For photography you will need a higher quality lens. It's ok at 20 power for birdwatching or using it at the range but gets fuzzier at higher powers. Mine was very inexpensive $48. I use it for nature watching. For astronomy you will need a higher power telescope built for star watching. I have a couple of them at home but they don't have camera adapters. Even a student scope works pretty decent for looking at the moon. This scope would be ok for looking at the moon but that's about it.It won't be super sharp or zoomed in like one used for astronomy. When you are outdoors, you don't want something expensive because there's a good chance of it getting dirty or breaking. Photography is hard to find something inexpensive. My wife has lots of lenses and they are not cheap.
1159085
The site http://www.garyseronik.com/?q=node/25 has a very nice comparison of all of Canon's IS binoculars for stargazing. In summary, these are not the authors favorites (he prefers the 10x42 Ls or 15x50) but they will certainly work. I am considering these due to their combination of high magnification, decent (not great) optics, and light weight.By going to a telescope (and I mean a decent sized reflector, not a tiny $50 refractor from a department store) you are not necessarily getting a large increase in magnification; it depends on the eyepiece being used. But you are getting a lot more light gathering power to see faint objects. Many people into stargazing will have both binoculars and a larger telescope. The site http://www.garyseronik.com/?q=node/25 has a very nice comparison of all of Canon's IS binoculars for stargazing. In summary, these are not the authors favorites (he prefers the 10x42 Ls or 15x50) but they will certainly work. I am considering these due to their combination of high magnification, decent (not great) optics, and light weight.By going to a telescope (and I mean a decent sized reflector, not a tiny $50 refractor from a department store) you are not necessarily getting a large increase in magnification; it depends on the eyepiece being used. But you are... » Read More The site http://www.garyseronik.com/?q=node/25 has a very nice comparison of all of Canon's IS binoculars for stargazing. In summary, these are not the authors favorites (he prefers the 10x42 Ls or 15x50) but they will certainly work. I am considering these due to their combination of high magnification, decent (not great) optics, and light weight.By going to a telescope (and I mean a decent sized reflector, not a tiny $50 refractor from a department store) you are not necessarily getting a large increase in magnification; it depends on the eyepiece being used. But you are getting a lot more light gathering power to see faint objects. Many people into stargazing will have both binoculars and a larger telescope. « Show Less
867254
Seems like "Arush" answered appropriately. The newer version, that I have, is a really nice tripod. However, if you aren't going to use it heavily you would probably be fine getting the cheaper model.
1341986
Depends on the size of what you're looking at. This telescope is certainly not purposed for land viewing, since it's a reflector, which inverts the image. There are things you can do to correct the inversion, but that would be too much trouble and not worth it. You'd be better off getting a refractor telescope, and something on a tripod, since you need the scope high up to look at things on the same plane.
285424
Absolutely. You will need some additional parts, though. You'll need an adapter to mount to your camera, and a T-Adapter. Depending on your needs, you may also want a barlow lens. When you have all of that, you attach the camera, focus, and start snapping pics. It helps to have a remote for your camera so that you can snap the picture without touching the telescope, which could cause movement that would ruin your picture.
622876
If viewing relatively fixed objects at long distances is all you want to do, a telescope would be better. For general use and very basic star gazing, these would be fine.
2107778
While it is NOT a telescope I have used mine to look at the moon and Jupiter. You will need a good tripod of course. But it was quite clear at looking at the craters of the moon. A bit shaky if bumped. Like I said, it is not a telescope.