Meade EclipseView 82mm Newtonian Reflector Telescope with 360 Degree Swivel Mount and Solar Viewing Filter

2017-09-17T15:20:43

pretty cool need to find a camera attachment

ARTHUR R.

2017-09-17T12:51:43

I had initially intended to purchase eclipse-specific binoculars, but they were apparently a popular choice for many others, and had sold out by the time I went to buy a pair online. I'm glad I waited: The only other option for magnified viewing was to buy an actual telescope with a solar filter, and the Meade 82mm reflector telescope seemed like a good choice. I found it easy to set up from the instructions, and ended up placing iit on the hood of my truck in order to watch the eclipse. I ultimately settled on using the 9mm eyepiece without the 2X extender for optimal viewing: I could even see sunspots, which was an unexpected benefit. Best yet, I was able to hold my iPhone camera up to the eyepiece and take several reasonably good photos to capture the event. Keeping track of the sun was very easy (I like the "pinhole" finder), and the base proved to be very solid and vibration-free. I love the telescope and couldn't be happier with the decision to purchase the Meade! I am thankful to Adorama for shipping it so quickly.

GEORGE C.

2017-09-07T08:50:35

The scope is very nice for the price, portable, lightweight & easy to use. The large white light filter being included makes the package a worthwhile purchase

Pierre C.

2017-09-06T11:41:27

This is a great great little telescope. The solar filter is fantastic.

Rachel S.

2017-09-03T02:42:14

It provides great viewing of sun spots.

KEVIN C.

2017-09-01T19:37:52

For as basic as this unit is; it was surprisingly effective. For the price, it was a very good valve, as it is both versatile and very compact. It needed a little tweaking to get the base platform to articulate smoothly, but once the friction points were adjusted, it moved effortlessly and held position. The Solar protective lens cover worked very well during the recent Eclipse, but this thing also does well at general Sun observances - you can actually see spots on the surface of the sun. (Just be sure to use caution and supervise when observing the Sun. Without the special filter, you'll definitely damage your eyes - it's a magnifier after all!) A good "starter" investment if you're looking to capture young minds and exploring this for either a hobby or for determining more serious aspirations. Good for beginners, but any other experience level will find this unit very basic and lacking on its capabilities. Still; better than those other, generic, basic, long, tubular units on tri-pods. Very compact, but packs a punch. This unit worked well enough to only make me want to get an even better unit for future and farther observations.

Keith K.

2017-08-31T22:07:03

Great price, fast shipping, easy experience

Eric C.

2017-08-31T14:14:05

had an adult set it up for younger children. , red dot solar filter difficult to use, however great value for first time eclipse use will purchase better unit for 2024 eclipse when youngsters are older and more knowlegable was bought as gift

THOMAS S.

2017-08-31T09:15:01

This was purchased as a secondary telescope for the 2017 Solar Eclipse. The scope arrived quickly and was exactly as advertised. As a tabletop model the scope is light and easy to move. Components were a reasonable quality. I liked the red dot finder for night viewing and the pin hole solar finder was a good touch. The included solar filter is ISO certified and seems to be high quality. The included eyepieces (17mm and 26mm) were the big drawbacks. Image quality was not particularly good. I substituted some spare plossils and the image was much improved. The focuser was also a detraction. Small adjustments resulted in considerable eyepiece travel and caused focusing challenges. I added a cheap iphone eypiece adapter and got some reasonable pictures. All in all a reasonable solar scope for casual solar observation.

Harald P.

2017-08-30T19:45:36

Used this to watch the Great American Eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. Great image of the sun, sunspots and, of course, the eclipse. Plus, no burned retinas! It was easy to assemble and use, and its compact size works well for storage. I especially like that it is not single-purpose -- that I can use it at night for stargazing. Build quality is fine for the price point, but you can't expect precision. For instance, pipointing the sun was off. I found it lined up better below the center point.

KRIS D.

2017-08-30T09:35:27

We bought this for the solar eclipse, and it has been a wonderful investment. We're absolute beginners at looking at the sky, but this worked very well and has certainly gotten all the kids in the family interested. I do wish the assembly instructions were a little clearer, but we figured it out. Lots of fun for looking at the sky, both nighttime and day.

Elizabeth W.

2017-08-28T11:27:22

The focuser is very sloppy. The sun would move out of the FOV with the slightest turn on the focuser.

JOHN A.

2017-08-25T13:44:19

This was just what we needed to view the total eclipse earlier this week. It was a great value and performed just as expected.

Anthony A.