Overall it seems like Meade does a better job, but within the Celestron models I mostly prefer the PowerSeeker models over AstroMaster, partly because they all use ring mounts for the tubes which seems better than fastening a dovetail plate directly to the tube.
I have the 102 & have used the 90.I found the 90 was a bit better even though it has less aperture.There is CA on brighter planets such as venus and jupiter with the 102.I think this is due to the 90 having a longer FL, which helps to lessen the CA and give a better contrast on brighter objects.
@@geoffh784 the point is. That I used my 1958 Lafayette eq mount for long exposure astrophotography .. and it worked great. No motor. All done by hand.. it’s a way to start. And track something through the sky
You've got your max magnification WRONG To know the max magnification of any telescope you simply double the aperture in mm so for instance a 90mm telescope the max magnification is 180 x
Even though Celestron is a major manufacturer, and make some fantastic scopes, they do have plenty of junk too... Unfortunately, the astromaster line is of very poor quality.. the mounts are awful and the optics on all are marginal at best.. do to price increase lately, a good beginner scope is going to cost about 300-500+.. though there are some really good scopes for less. The AWB one sky or the Skywatcher Heratige 130 and 150 are about 200-300$ and are outstanding. The Celestron Omni 102 AZ or Explore Scientific 102 are good refractors in similar price point. A good 6-8" dobsonian, which are the best bang for your buck and are great for beginners and astro veterans alike, can be found used for 2-300$ quite frequently. Do research before buying!
Do you think $80 is good for an Astromaster? I ordered the 70AZ last night on Walmart website after doing a bit of research and finding most of the budget recommendations being around $200-$300. I did see that the astromaster normally sells for close to $200 and comparing it to others around its price range it does seem like it's not a good choice, but I thought for $80 it can't be bad since nothing else is around the $80 price I found it for. Anyways if it ends up being bad I'll just end up returning it
Well, not sure you if you got it or not, but imho… it’s absolutely fine for an entry level scope, and brand new at $80 is a GOOD deal. I’d get it as a beginner (or even a travel) scope and if you like it, upgrade to something that collects more light like a dobsonian or even an Astro Master model with a higher aperture like the 90mm or 102mm. Just an idea, hope that helps!
@@siri.9000 thanks for the reply! I actually did end up getting it for about $60 and it's been awesome for me. Definitely makes me want to get something better in the future but for now it's great. I wanted something cheap as a try it out kinda thing and I've enjoyed using it
Sounds like you have read too many forum posts that are full of shit. I have used them all and this is my very basic review. I have owned a Astromaster 90 AZ for years, the mount is solid and the optics are sharp and clear and F/11 i have yet to see any chromatic aberration but it must be said that the mount on the 60/70mm versions look similar but are much more flimsy, however the views through the 60/70mm are much improved over the travel scope millions buy every year. The 60/70mm versions are so light they fit on a Zomie Q111 cheap tripod and are quite stable or just tie something slightly heavy between the tripod that comes with the 60/70mm versions to make it more stable, like a bottle of water. The Celestron Astromaster 130 has a spherical mirror and best avoided unless you get a very good deal, same with the 114 version, these usually come with an EQ mount, its on par with the Skywatcher SkyQuest 130p mount but the Skywatcher has a superior parabolic mirror. The Astromaster 102 refractor has the same mount as the 90 AZ and like the Skywatcher 102 refractor, has chromatic aberration and the 90AZ out performs both in terms of image quality and detail because of the slower focal ratio and has a narrower field of view due to its longer focal length and only 1.25 inch eyepieces. The 90AZ is the only one i would recommend however. The Skywatcher 130 Heritage is also a nice scope, i own one, fits in nicely with my Skywatcher Explorer 200P/90AZ/ST80 but the price has jumped to almost double in some countries and people can only buy what they can afford. Something is better than nothing, there are work arounds to make cheaper telescopes more stable to use and putting fear into people who can't afford some of the equipment many do in this hobby is the wrong way to encourage people to take up the hobby. When i started out, i bought a 76mm reflector, this was a long time ago, it wasn't bad, my ST80 with the front cap off (43mm) has about the same image quality and detail, that is to say that no detail on Jupiter, 3 moons of Jupiter were visible as were Saturn's rings, phases of Venus were easy, mars was a red smudge as were Neptune and Uranus tiny smudges, quite a few messier objects were visible and much more, however, a 50mm telescope i used once showed more detail, 2 belts on Jupiter were visible but a 60mm refractor showed much more, glimpsed the Cassini division on Saturn's rings, Jupiter's red dot was a faint smudge...more aperture more detail when the atmosphere allows is no secret but we should never discourage someone from trying the hobby and small telescopes can show much more than the naked eye for those who cant afford telescopes in the 100s.
@@allnamesaretaken thanks for the detailed reply, I did read a lot of bs about it lol now that I actually have it and used it I've been very amazed by it. I recently saw the 5 planet alignment with the 70az and I'm amazed by it. It's encouraged me to get a better one when I get the money for it, but for now I'm going to keep using it. I think it was completely worth it especially at the price I got it for. Like you said, many "starter" telescopes I've seen websites and whatnot recommend ones that are way too expensive and completely trash the cheaper options. I'm sure they're worth the money but for someone who's curious and doesn't want to spend too much too start it's very off putting and now that I've used the cheaper option I can say it's not bad at all lol
1. Check the screws n loosen them which are there to fix the eyepiece. 2. You probably got a different barrel sized eyepiece. Usually there are two standard barrel sizes, 1.25 inch n 2-inch. 3. It can be manufacturing defect, in this case go for replacement of telescope. Hope this helps 🤗
