Celestron C70 Mini Mak 70mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Spotting Scope with 45 Angled 25x - 75x Zoom Eyepiece

2011-11-04T21:00:00

I bought this scope to use for solar observations which I can do quickly. I didn't want to drag a heavy Dobsonian to a telescope-friendly park to make a 15-minute observation. This scope is great for that purpose. I use it on the supplied tabletop tripod with the supplied zoom lens and a Kendrick solar filter. At 25x my views are sharp enough that I can sketch the sunspots and my drawings compare favorably with the online Solar Dynamics Observatory images. At 50x the image is starting to go a little soft but I can still make out more individual spots than I see at 25x. I think 75x is nearly useless. The image is really soft and lacking in contrast. Focusing is a pain but I have found that to be true of ant Schmidt scope I have used. Once you go past the point of sharpest focus you have to crank a lot in the other direction to bring it back. I can't rock the focus the way I do with my binoculars or big scope to slowly zero it in. I guess Schmidt scopes have a lot of slop in the focus mechanism. The weakest part of this telescope is the tabletop tripod. The geared head is a nice touch but it is really jittery. The tripod legs themselves have a wide spread and are very stable and the center post even feels solid but above that point it all goes downhill fast. I am even taking this scope out at night when I am feeling lazy or am going to a meeting before observing and need to travel light and compact. Last night we were observing Jupiter and one of the moons was being occupied. At 50x I was able to see that moon as a pimple on the limb of the planet and was picking out some surface banding. Getting it pointed at anything isn't easy as it doesn't come with a finder and has no provision for attaching one. I built a plastic box that I cable clamped to the front of the scope and mounted a dovetail shoe to it. I got an Orion EZFinder Deluxe that I use at night and am in the process of making a sun finder for day use. I tried it out once with the 1.25" eyepiece adapter and the eyepieces from my big scope but don't remember which ones were usable and since I am getting the results I want from my solar observations I haven't tried the other eyepieces again. I guess I should give them another try as almost any fixed focal length lens is better than a zoom lens. I haven't been out birding with this scope yet so can't report on how it does at terrestrial observing.

CHARLIE R.

2011-10-16T21:00:00

For close range up to 100 yards very sharps and easy to focus in, definately sharp image. As you increase the power to 75x it is almost impossible to focus to a bright view unless it scope is very steady!Focus is very sensitive at high power! Can identify a 1/4" black hole placement at 800 yards on a white background!It does take some time to do so due to the focus at 75x but can be done!

Merwin10

2009-12-28T19:00:00

I purchased this spotting scope a few months ago with the intentions of using it for solar photography. After purchasing the Thousand Oaks Solar Filter 2 for Celestron (also available from Adorama) I was amazed at the clarity of the Sun through the C70. Early morning viewing is the best for this small telescope since atmospheric conditions are usually at their best. Sun spots are easily viewable with some more prominent convection currents showing on the photosphere.I would recommend getting a better tripod. While it is fine for general use the all plastic construction makes it is easy to strip the internal gears making them have slop in the control movement. Adding a camera extension makes it worse but it was not designed to have a camera extension anyway.I highly recommend this small spotting scope, along with the proper filter, for anybody thinking about getting into solar astronomy but does not want to spend [$]to find out if they like it or not.Oh yeah – last point - NEVER, EVER, EVER look at the Sun through a telescope or other magnification device without proper solar filters – it will cause harm to you.

Earl