There's the Moon...oops...There....oops....Dammit!
Written: Sep 22 '07 (Updated Sep 23 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Canvas case, It really goes far when you sling it.
Cons: Cheap & weak tripod, loose mounting, can't maintain viewing field.
The Bottom Line: This telescope will bring nothing but frustration to the person using it.
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| cmaw63's Full Review: Celestron PowerSeeker-2 60 (175 x 60mm) Telescope |
I am a diet coke addict. What does that have to do with the Celestron PowerSeeker-2 60 Telescope? I redeemed my CokeReward points to get it. Hey Coke...I want my points back!!
The Suckestron PowerSeeker-2 60 (175X60mm) Telescope
This telescope came packaged nicely in a black canvas carrying case. It has light padding and secures all of the parts nicely. The parts included in this telescope package are: Adjustable aluminum tripod with altazimuth mount and stabilizer, accessory tray, three 1.25" eyepieces, 3x barlow lens, 5x20 finder scope.
As a first time telescope owner I had planned to learn what each of the items did as I used them. Some are simple to figure out. The accessory tray, of course, holds the parts of the the telescope, and in my case eyeglasses, that aren't being used. It attaches to the center of the tripod where the leg supports meet underneath the telescope.
The tripod...what to say about the tripod? Easy, it is junk. This 3 legged, lightweight, aluminum tripod is as about as stable as Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Any slight touch, as in to rotate the tri-ocular eyepiece holder, will cause you to lose the viewing area you had. The altazimuth mounting allows up and down pivoting and horizontal rotation. The mount is loose and even after tightening the available knobs there is a vibration. That means every time you pivot, rotate, or otherwise touch the scope you have to try and find your viewing field all over again.
The three eyepieces, 3x barlow lens, and 5x power cross-hair finder scope that come with the Celestron PowerSeeker 2 60 let the user have options on how they view things. I was never able to distinguish the differences as, again, I could not maintain a viewing field. I do know that with glasses on you will not be able to see anything. Taking my glasses off I was able to place my eye against the black eye cups and view the moon as it slid from sight as the tripod and/or the mounting caused a shift.
The square tube design of the telescope gives it a modern day look. I am not sure that it enhances anything, except its appearance.
As I stated earlier, I planned on learning how/why each thing worked the way it did. I didn't get that far. The frustration of trying to maintain a viewing field was more than I could handle. Two other people that tried to lock on to the biggest viewable object in the sky, the moon, both said words that I can't repeat here before giving up. The third night of my trying to use the Celestron Powerseeker- 2 60 Telescope resulted in me slinging it from my deck. Finally, a bit of good news. The telesope and lenses are well built. They had hardly a scratch on them after hitting the ground. The tripod on the other hand has gone to wherever bad tripods go when beyond repair.
You can find this telescope online in the $70 to $90 price range. But, why would you want to?
Technical Details
Optical design: Refractor
Aperture: 60 millimeters
Focal length: 700 millimeters
Focal ratio: 12
Finderscope: 5 x 20
Mount: Altazimuth
Eyepiece 1: 20 millimeters to 1.25 inches
Eyepiece 2: 4 millimeters to 1.25 inches
Eyepiece 3: 4mm SR - 1.25" (175x)
Barlow lens: 3x to 1.25 inches
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
cmaw63
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 in Pets, Home and Garden, Books |
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Member: Julie
Location: Illinois, USA
Reviews written: 307
Trusted by: 73 members
About Me:
Looking forward to my first grandbaby. She's due November 24!
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