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

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.