CelestronTravel Scope 70DX Portable Refractor Telescope – 70mm Aperture, Fully-Coated Glass Optics – Includes Bonus Phone Adapter, Backpack & More – Ideal for Beginners & Travel

I've had a 8" diameter dobsonian telescope for about 25 years but wanted a smaller scope I could take camping when I didn't feel like dragging the heavy, 4 foot long one with me. I also wanted one I could use as a spotting scope for birding.There are only two things I don't like about this scope. 1) tripod is way to wimpy. Even on a name brand heavier-duty tripod, it's less stable than a dobsonian. The tripod it comes with is barely adequate. It works best if placed on a sturdy table with the legs extended just far enough to make it less tippy. 2) There is some lense flare when looking at Mars, but this is to be expected for this price of scope. There is also some minor purple fringing around the edge of the moon, but the moon looks so gorgeous thru it that you forget to notice.Now for what I like:1) Portability - doesn't kill my back to haul it outside. Sets up in minutes. So easy to take outside, I use it all the time. I'd only haul my big scope out a couple times a year because it was too heavy.2) The moon looks so AWESOME thru this scope!!!3) Jupiter: you can see several of the moons. I haven't been able to make out any of the color bands as I kinda can with my bigger scope, but that's to be expected due to the size/cost of this one.3) Saturn: It's my favorite planet. Even though it looks tiny in this scope, you can see the rings and it's beautiful.I was able to see the nebula in Orion's sword from the city (I live on the outskirts of Salt Lake City) It was really beautiful on one especially dark night, but most nights it's not dark enough to see it well. I haven't been able to see other nebulas I've looked for. I expect that when I'm able to get away from the city lights I'll be able to see more nebulas and galaxies. (Nebulas and planets thru backyard telescopes don't look like most photos. You don't see the colors. Nebulas look like gray clouds. They can still be beautiful tho).The eyepieces feel cheap, very light weight, but are surprisingly good. Better than I expected for the price. They have enough eye relief that They work ok with my eyeglasses, but I prefer to take my glasses off when looking thru the scope.I haven't tried the digiscoping adapter yet, but I've experimented with a similar one on my other scope. Digiscoping is tricky and often not all you hope it'd be, but you might get some good photos of the moon.I haven't really tried it as a spotting scope yet, other than to look at some leaves at the top of a tree, and expect it'll be good for that. I'm considering buying a zoom eyepiece for that.All in all, I think this is an amazing scope for the price. Too bad the tripod isn't as good as the scope. If you can get a heavier tripod, you'll love this scope, especially if you can find some dark skies. But even from the city, the Moon, Saturn & Jupiter are so amazing thru this scope.

It's a cheap scope... but does what it's supposed to. Might work best for kids (or anyone) to look at the moon & saturn's rings. I grabbed it because I was traveling to the path of the 2024 eclipse, and didn't have room to pack a long telescope. I used the scope as a camera lens. I put a solar filter on the front end, then attached my dslr camera to the back end (using an adapter). I was able to focus reliably and it had a good field of view for grabbing something the size of the eclipse (with no eyepiece). I have not tried using eyepieces, but expect they work fine.

This was an interesting purchase. First, when it arrived, one part was missing (the smart phone adapter), and the cross hairs in the finderscope were way out of alignment. Contacting Amazon, I was given a choice to either return the telescope or contact the maker to see if they can help. I chose the second, as I wasn't in a big hurry to take photos. It is enough to learn everything else. They were very kind and shipped the parts with no problem. As for the telescope, I found a couple of areas they can improve. For one thing the scope is designed totally for right handed, or eyed, people. Needs mounting bracket on both sides. Also a more stable tripod. The whole assembly is wobbly, which makes finding targets very hard, and then keeping it acclimated is not easy. Really needs a more stable platform. The magnification is great. Can see the Moon very clearly, and planets are also visible, but less sharp. All in all a good value for startup.

- Carry Case -Backpack is padded. No sternum strap or waist belt. Two padded compartments for tripod and Optical Tube. Each compartment has a nylon strap (with velcro) to secure each piece towards the top of the pack. Internal zippered compartment for eyepieces.- Assembly -Optical tube is well built. Not at all flimsy.Deep Sunshade on the objective end.Rack and pinion focus on the optical tube feels sturdy and no slack in the gearing.Eyepieces come in waterproof, dust proof, plastic containers.Every opening has a dust cap when not in use.Sighting Scope has dust caps on both ends.No 2x Barlow Lens included. Showed it in the picture, but not in the text of contents.- Sighting Scope -Had to shim Star Sighting Scope to get it true. Used 1/4"x1" pieces cut from Good RX card (any plastic coated cardstock will do). Stack as needed. Shim from the front of the Sighting Scope mount then fine tune with the three screws at the back of the mount. Needs occasional re-tuning!Turn eyepiece end of Sighting Scope to focus.Star Sighting Scope mounts to Optical Tube with large curl nuts. Very secure and good grip.- Tripod -Foot/Shoe for tripod mates to two holes in optical tube housing. No wiggle room when connected.Foot to Shoe connection is tight. No wiggle room their either. Cam lock holds foot to shoe securely.Tripod head pivots 180 degrees in the vertical plane and 360 degrees in the horizontal plane.Tripod has a level built in.Panning is a little jerky.Tripod has hook in the center (at the bottom). You can partially fill an empty 2L pop bottle with water and hang it from the hook to increase stability - especially in cross winds.Overall tripod design is cheap. Subject to a lot of wiggling when main mast is cranked up. Best used on a tabletop with legs collapsed, and main mast lowered. Reasonably stable in this configuration.- Digiscope Adapter -Works but does not hold the phone as securely as I'd like. Clamping sides are vertical against the phone. My phone popped out twice during testing. For better security, look for an after-market digiscope adapter with clamps that tilt in at the cellphone screen (cradling the cell phone from side to side).- Optics -Objective Lens = 80mmMaximum Useful Magnification = 160x (Sky & Telescope formula)Focal Length = 400 mm20mm eyepiece = 20x magnification10mm eyepiece = 40x magnificationMinimum focal point w/ 20mm eyepiece = 12 ft.Lens have no distortion, clear edge-to-edgeImage is bright.Good Color.- Terrestrial Use -Can read the word 'TYVEK' off the insulation panels on new construction @ 1,900 ft (577m / 0.35 mi) w/ 20x.Can read a State Farm 12'x 24' billboard @ 1.37 mi (2.2km) w/ 20x.On a sunny day, there is a slight reduction in image brightness w/ 40x. (Expected)- Astronomical Use -Moon - OkayPlanets - Due to 40x, planets will just look like colored disks. Add on 2x or 3x Barlow scope would allow you to see more detail - but tripod wiggle looks worse as magnification increases.Open Clusters - Okay given caveat about tripod wiggle.Gas Clouds - To the naked eye they will look like B&W smears with 80mm - Needs larger scope for color. Cellphones are sensitive enough that they will capture some color in photos.- Final Thoughts -Telescope optical tube and optics are well made and give good performance.* Star finder scope is dubious at best, but I have yet to find a good one on any brand/model that have just 3 adjustment screws.* Tripod is the weakest link. In order to get the stability I wanted (lack of wobble), I had to buy an after-market fuild head tripod for video cameras.* Telecope magnification is fine for terrestrial use. It gives clear, bright images right-sdie up. It is however, severely underpowered for astronomy. Strongly suggest purchase of a 2x and a 3x Barlow lens to see the rings of Saturn, or the red spot on Jupiter. All other planets (except the moon) will only look like colored disks with this magnification/light gathering ability.* Due to the arcing motion of the planets and stars through the sky, this type of mount (alti-asmuth) will require adjustments in both planes (vertical & horizontal) often to keep the image centered. A fluid head mount is a step up in usability. An equitorial mount is a better (though more complicated) system for astronomy.* The telescope itself, is worth the money to me, but don't think that you'll get everything you need for astronomical use. Your getting what you pay for - a good tabletop terrestrial scope that can handle a bit of light astronomy (Unless you plan to upgrade it - likely costing as much as the telescope itself) I use the telescope for both modes (terrestrial & astronomy).

Honestly for me , a first decent beginners telescope. 👍

Bought this for my dad who lives out in the woods and he loves it! Great camera quality

Fantastic telescope. Light weight easy to learn and fantastic company