Bushnell 28x to 660x Refractor Telescope Review?

Question

Is this a good telescope for a kid? I don't want to buy something to cheap.

Thanks guys. I know nothing about telescopes. What about the third one in the list provided by Geoff, the SpaceProbe3 Altaz? Should I buy reflector or refractor?

Thank you all guys! This is really helpful. One more question, we live in a town, lots of lights around us. Would this impact the decision of what telescope should I get, refractor or reflector? Maybe you have to live in the country to really enjoy it.

Answer 1

This is not a good telescope for anyone. Any telescope advertised by its magnification is guaranteed to be junk, and Bushnell is one of the worst brands out there. Poor optics, poor mount, hard to use. How old is the kid?

Here are some good starter scopes:
http://www.telescope.com/control/category/~category_id=starter_scopes

I particularly recommend the first two on the page.

Answer 2

Geoff said exactly what I would have said. The third one in the list in his source is good too. It is a little smaller than the first two (3 inch instead of 4.5 inch) which is why it is cheaper, but it seems like a fine telescope to me. You can buy either reflector or refractor, but a refractor will always cost more than a reflector of the same size, because they are harder to make. The fourth telescope on Geoff's source is a 3 inch telescope (actually a fraction less than 3 inches), but it costs more than the 3 inch reflector because it is a refractor.

The most important thing in a telescope is optical quality. Unfortunately that is impossible to judge without actually looking at things through the telescope. All the manufacturers will claim high quality, but there is no way to test that before buying. So stay with the reputable names. Geoff's source is a reputable name.

The next most important thing is size. Bigger is better. That is because it makes a brighter image and because magnification more than about 50 power for each inch (or more than 2 power for each millimeter) of objective diameter (the true measure of a telescope's size is objective diameter) will just make a big dim, blurry image. It will be totally useless and frustrating. That rule of thumb says a 3 inch should be good up to 150 power and a 4.5 inch up to 225 power. But the is really the upper limit and half that or less will give better images in most cases.

Answer 3

You'll get more bang for the buck from a reflector.

While the third one on the list is okay, I would really recommend going with the second. It's a good compromise on price and will certainly give better images than the third one. It also looks more stable...one of the most overlooked qualities of a beginner scope.

Edit: While B.'s advice isn't bad, I think it's a bit over the top. Under $200 is not a serious investment in a telescope. Still, joining an astronomy club will certainly increase the enjoyment of a first telescope and it will be useful when the astronomy bug really takes hold and you
(or the kid) want to invest some serious money into a larger telescope. By that I mean something six inches in diameter or larger...that's when you really want to be smart about what you're buying (or even making) because you will be spending over $1000, and perhaps much more.

Answer 4

Any of the recommended telescopes would be a good choice. The StarBlast is particularly good value.

The products of Bushnell & Co. are called "Christmas Trash Scopes" in astronomical circles. Well-meaning people buy them as Christmas presents because they don't know any better.

Answer 5

Geoff's suggestions are excellent and I would also recommend the same.

My advice to you though is to FIRST join a local astronomy club or astronomical society. That way you can try our many different scopes at star parties. You can also meet a lot of new friends who will be able to teach you about each scope and about the sky. They probably have presentations at their meetings and many have loner scopes too. Learn about which scope is right for your family first before you invest. The members in the club will also be able to teach you how to use your scope and help you find the treasures in the night skies.

Answer 6

If it advertises a power of 660x then no, it's a piece of junk. Stick with real brands like Meade, Celestron, or Orion if you want to buy a starter scope. They don't make junk.

660x magnification is pretty much useless under Earth's atmosphere, and the aperture of that telescope probably couldn't handle more than 100x to 200x anyway.

Answer 7

junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. junk. look at the orion starblast for an example of a low-cost telescope that isn't junk, and which is in fact highly recommended.