CelestronPowerSeeker 80EQ Telescope - Manual German Equatorial Telescope for Beginners - Compact and Portable - Bonus Astronomy Software Package - 80mm Aperture

I'm giving it five stars because of bang for buck. I bought it after reading Gustav Mahler review and I'm not sure I can add to that review but I will try.First it came very well boxed three times in fact. There was a instruction booklet and for me the assembly was easy. I must say at first un-packing it it did seem intimating but the pictures help (stick to the pictures) because the side RA was turn 180 out to make packing possible. There were nine easy steps. There was a screw driver left over that looked like a part I missed. (Look says screwdriver on it). I didn't need a screw driver. I suggest you do not go any tighter than you need to and that is not tight. Too tight can do damage and many people tend to over do that. Its your baby go easy.Con's - I was not happy with the finder scope. I think that could have been improved. The tripod was OK. It had points on the tips and not rubber feet. I have a Galileo tripod I use for a small 400mm-70mm scope I do bird watching with and I think I like that one better.Pro's - I like the slow motion knobs. I thought I give them a try because too often in my pass I used a short scope with high power lens on a solid base to lessen the shaking due to moving it and near by earth movement, such as trucks going by when out on a patio. Those were better for those earthy harmonics than the long tube type. But with out the slow motion cables I over come the resistance that held the scope at aim and when it broke that hold the scope would over shoot and I would be way off my target. This cable knob type may be the lesser of the two evils and it gives me power like I never had.The lens tray has a lip on it so I can just place my lens in that with there case's on.It came with two CD disks. One instructions that was good but for the Polar alignment I like U-Tube. On that CD I couldn't get into accessory to see what the dove tail fastener was met for. I think its an optional digital camera holder. The second CD ( not II ). Asked for me to download a set up soft ware and I do not down load strange exe.In short, it was like a telescope that cost twice what I paid. That and reviews is what drives Amazon I think...IMPORTANT... This is a heavy scope with lots of cast iron to it. 18 Lps. It is a bad boy so if your female (like me) or not up to moving that weight, it may not be for you. I plan to back-pack the counter weight & my lens if I'm going too far with it. I wouldn't want a scope any more heavy than this.There you have it. Not sure I did better than the Gustav Mahler review. He is right, optics are great. Five stars. I can't believe I got a scope this good for this cost. I have four telescopes now. This one is the power house but I still in-joy the others. They have there place.

Terrific beginner scope for adults or families that can teach older children it's use. A little more complicated to use the Equatorial mount than a simpler alt-az mount but necessary to learn how to find faint objects using the North Star polar aligned mount and star maps. The 80 mm objective lens is a good size for the money and provides good clear sharp images from stunning views of the moon and some planets to nebulla.If you are a beginner, don't be overwhelmed by the appearance and instructions for polar aligning and use of the mount. It's very much worth the effort to learn. I recommend YOUTUBE videos on use of Equatorial mounts. I found Dean Fuller's video too fast but very good and after just a couple of repeated views was an old hat at using the telescope as this was my first Equatorial mount.The eyepieces are very good and I chose to buy a 2x Barlow lens to replace the supplied 3x Barlow lens.The finder scope is a challenge to align and use as it seems to be too close to the tube and difficult to hold a solid alignment. I bought a better finder scope and it works out much better and holds alignment between uses.An issue occurred with the mount still under warranty and I received dependable, fast, rock solid, exemplary service.I also have another Celestron; an Astromaster 130EQ Reflector with similar excellent image clarity.I managed to observe the Cassini divide in the rings of Saturn and the red spot and bands of Jupiter and four moons during moments of atmospheric stability on a good viewing night with the 80 EQ.

Please read this! It will only take a couple minuets!This is a great telescope for beginners! If you are a professional, definitely don’t buy unless you are looking for something to carry around town. but if you are a beginner that wants to get into astronomy and you have a budget of $100, this may be the telescope for you.I rate this four stars, only because some of the controls feel difficult to turn, and the parts that you grab to make it turn, are made of cheap plastic. Also the finer scope is crap. I haven’t looked, but I’m pretty sure you can get sturdier parts such as a finder scope.This is very easy to assemble, I did it in less that 7 minuets. But one last downside about it was that it didn’t come with a bag. Sometimes it is herd to carry the telescope by yourself and you have to find a ziplock bag for the extra parts that you don’t use. You have to take a couple round trips to get everything if you are by yourself. So I recommend getting a bag.What I also recommend is reading the instructions. Not only of course the setup instructions, but the full manual, (it’s only around ten pages... nothing huge). There is a lot of helpful material inside the manual, such as how refractors and reflectors work and how to setup you finder scope.I went out tonight and I saw Venus bright and clear, Polaris, Pollux and Caster, and even the shape of a whirlpool galaxy which I believe was M51. Therefore great for beginners and I 100% recommend this product.