3 best portable telescopes
Portable telescopes, including monoculars, binoculars, scopes, and camera photo equipment, are optical devices designed for various applications, such as astronomy, bird watching, wildlife observation, and photography. These devices are known for their compact and portable nature, making them suitable for on-the-go observations and capturing distant objects. Here's an overview of each type:
Monoculars:
- Monoculars are single-eye telescopic devices that are similar to one half of a pair of binoculars.
- They are lightweight and compact, making them easy to carry in a pocket or small bag.
- Monoculars are commonly used for activities like hiking, sporting events, and general outdoor observation.
Binoculars:
- Binoculars are optical instruments with two eyepieces, allowing for a more immersive and comfortable viewing experience.
- They come in various sizes and magnifications, suitable for different purposes, such as birdwatching, hunting, and stargazing.
- Binoculars are often characterized by numbers like "8x42," where the first number represents the magnification, and the second represents the diameter of the objective lens in millimeters.
Scopes (Spotting Scopes):
- Scopes, or spotting scopes, are designed for high-magnification, long-distance observation.
- They are commonly used by bird watchers, hunters, and amateur astronomers.
- Scopes often have interchangeable eyepieces and may be mounted on tripods for stability.
Camera Photo Equipment:
- This category includes various camera attachments like telephoto lenses, teleconverters, and adapters that can be used with digital cameras.
- Telephoto lenses provide a zoom capability, allowing photographers to capture distant subjects.
- Teleconverters can further extend the focal length of existing lenses, increasing the magnification.
- Adapters enable the attachment of cameras to telescopes for astrophotography.
Electronics:
- Some portable telescopes and optics incorporate electronic features like image stabilization, rangefinders, and built-in cameras.
- Image stabilization reduces image shake, ensuring clearer views, especially at high magnifications.
- Rangefinders help measure the distance to objects, which can be useful in various applications.
- Built-in cameras allow users to capture still images or record videos directly through the telescope.
These portable telescopes and optical devices cater to a wide range of interests and hobbies, making it possible for enthusiasts and professionals alike to explore and document the world around them, whether it's the night sky, wildlife, or sporting events. Their portability and versatility make them valuable tools for outdoor enthusiasts and photographers.
Below you can find our editor's choice of the best portable telescopes on the market- 【High Quality Optics】400mm(f/5.7) focal length and 70mm aperture, fully coated optics glass lens create stunning images and protect your eyes. Perfect telescope for astronomers to explore stars and moon.
- 【High Magnification】Come with two replaceable 1.25" Kellner eyepieces(K6mm/67X, K25/16X) ,5x24 finderscope with mounting bracket and cross-hair lines inside make locating objects easily.
- 【Satisfaction Warranty】 2-year warranty and lifetime maintenance. If you have any question about product and service, please feel free to contact us, we will do our best to help you.
- 【EASY TO OPERATION】 No tools are required for refractor telescope even for the novice. Adjusted from about 17.7-inch to 35.4-inch. Allowed for many different observational positions and keep the whole tripod steady with castor wheel.
- 【SHARING IN REAL TIME】You can take pictures or videos and share them with your family and friends in real time with the phone holder. Star telescope is suitable for kids who love science to discover the mystery of universe.
User questions & answers
Question: | Can I use another tripod I have a bigger sturdier and has wheels |
Answer: | Yes and you should! The tripod is the weakest link on this product. This isn't a mark against the company, as the tripod is often the weakest link in any optics set up. I am not sure why your tripod has wheels or how that would benefit, since orienting objects are easier to do using a stable base and the spotting scope attachment along an axis, but hey, follow your heart! |
Question: | How do you attach the cell phone holder? It is not even mentioned in the instructions |
Answer: | There is a part of the cell phone holder that twists. As you twist clockwise or counter clockwise the opening widens I order for the eyepiece to fit in it. Once you are able to fit the cellphone holder on the eye piece you tighten the twisting part to fasten the cellphone holder in place. I hope that helps. |
Question: | Does it can see the moon |
Answer: | Yes it can does see the moon.... Really it just magnifies the light that comes into your eyeball which your brain interprets as the moon. |
Question: | What all can you see with this telescope |
Answer: | The parking lot across the street was all ilI could ever see. It is absolutely trash. The company must be giving all these great reviews |
Product features
TELMU telescope for kids and adults is the best gift to teach people explore nature and life.
Our 70mm Telescope is a compact and universal telescope with bright image quality and high magnification power. Very suitable for beginners to explore the vast sky, like the moon, the planet, star clusters and fog and so on. At the same time you can watch endless landscapes, mountains, rivers, flowers and birds, animals. Stay away from computer games.
WARM NOTES:
- If it shows a blurred picture, please adjust focus using focus wheel.
- Please open the window when observing an outdoor target with an astronomical telescope indoors.
- Use a telescope outdoors, please wait for the temperature of the product is the same as the outdoor temperature, the performance will be better.
- Avoid accidentally taking the telescope into a larger temperature difference environment because the moisture in the air will condense on the objective.
- While observing the sky, only can see the outline of the moon, can't see the star or other planet clearly.
- When receiving the telescope, please check whether the package is complete and the parts are complete, to prevent inconvenience caused by transportation problems. If you have any questions, please tell us at the first time.
- Please read the instructions carefully during installation and follow our video.
- Our Phone Adapter is extra gift
Portable Backpack-Take It and Ready To Go!
- Optical Design: Refractor
- Aperture: 70mm(2.75in)
- Focal Length: 400mm(15.75in)
- Resolution: 3 secs
- Focal Ratio: F5.7
- Finderscope: 5*24
- Zenith Mirrors: 45°Erecting prism Diagonal
- Diameter of the Eyepiece: 1.25"
- Phone Adapter: for any model
Upgrated Tripod
- 360 ° rotationto provides full range of observations.
- Using the bionic design and the shape of a hoof make the tripod station more stable.
45 ° Diagonal Mirror
The image of the refractor is inverted, the image passes through a 45-degree diagonal mirror and the image is positive both up and down.
Special Design
- Put the light things on the hook to make a balance
- The powerful and larger clipps will make it more steady and safer.
Mutiple Eyepiece
K6mm(67X), K25mm(16X) magnification eyepieces give you variety for any viewing.
Product description
Designed with American innovation for beginner stargazers, the Celestron Travel Scope 70 is a professionally engineered refractor telescope that is perfect for celestial or terrestrial viewing on the go. It’s the perfect telescope for adults and kids to use together with its fully-coated, high-quality glass optics, including a refractor-style 70mm objective lens. The aperture allows high-resolution viewing, without adding a lot of extra weight. Added coating on the 70mm lens allows light to enter, providing sharper, crisper viewing of celestial and terrestrial objects during the day or at night.
The Celestron telescope for beginners is designed with several operating features that make it exceptionally user-friendly. Our precision manufacturing standards and high-quality materials are unmatched in the industry. We’ve included two quality eyepieces (20mm and 10mm) and a star diagonal for crisp low- and high-power viewing during the day or at night, allowing you to enjoy close-ups of wildlife in nature or stargaze with family and friends.
The Celestron Travel Scope 70 weighs just 3.3 pounds and assembles in seconds with no tools required. It’s easy to use to navigate the sky. When your observing session is over, everything packs up into the handy included traveling backpack.
Your purchase also entitles you to a FREE download of Celestron’s BONUS Starry Night Astronomy Software with information on thousands of celestial objects, printable sky maps, and more. It’s the best way to learn about the night sky and plan your next observing session.
- Superior optics: The Celestron 70mm Travel Scope features high-quality, fully-coated glass optics, a potent 70mm objective lens, a lightweight frame, and a custom backpack to carry it all. Its quality is unmatched in its class and against competitors.
- Powerful eyepieces for up-close viewing: Our telescope for astronomy beginners is equipped with two high-quality eyepieces (20mm and 10mm) that provide low- and high-power views of celestial objects at night and terrestrial objects during the day.
- Large 70mm objective lens: Our refractor telescope is equipped with a large 70mm aperture objective lens that provides enhanced, brighter views compared to the 50mm model while adding very little additional weight. Setting up and using the Travel Scope is quick and easy.
- Bonus bag, tripod, and software: This Celestron telescope and full-height tripod can be taken anywhere in the included travel backpack. Accessories also include a FREE download of one of the top consumer rated astronomy software programs.
- Unbeatable warranty and customer support: Buy with confidence from the world’s #1 telescope brand, based in California since 1960. You’ll also receive a two-year warranty and unlimited access to technical support from our team of US-based experts.
User questions & answers
Question: | can this scope be used as a spotting scope for bird watching |
Answer: | Excellent for bird-watching. At 20x, it's fine. At 40x (long distance) you may want a strudier tripod, and because it's daylight, you can look through the smaller 42mm hole (take off the little cap) in the dust cap and that will improve the sharpness at high power. If you want a better spotting scope, simply buy a fancy wide-angle/high-performance 1.25 eyepiece (super-plossl, etc), around 15 mm focal length. |
Question: | You say that any tripod that I use for photography should work. Does that mean that I can screw my tripod head into the telescope |
Answer: | Yes. As others have said, the tripod that comes with the telescope is reallllly flimsy. There are a couple of screw holes on the bottom of the telescope. I was able to attache the telescope to my other tripod using the detachable head on the tripod. |
Question: | I'm a real beginner/plan to purchase this for my son so we can both explore the night sky, etc. Is it really easy to setup?/How long will it take |
Answer: | The scope is really good for beginners and it is easy to set up. As others have said the the included tripod is small for portability and not very stable. If used fully "retracted" on the hood of a car for example, it's OK. I've used it with a Celestron 7.5MM eyepiece and a 2x barlow lens and it can still resolve the rings of Saturn on a clear night. It's not designed for that kind of magnification but for an inexpensive scope with simple lenses I was impressed. I wouldn't recommend trying that though until you have some practice on focus, finding objects in the sky, and purchasing a heavy duty camera tripod. You must remember even with the highest power eyepieces, which you only want to consider using for viewing planets, objects are really small which is due to it's 400mm focal length. Overall it's WAY better than spending 40-50 dollars on a cheap toy at the local discount store. Another good option comparable to this is the Orion 76mm Fun Scope. It's really only for table top use but it's easy to swivel up/down left/right. It is a reflector though and images don't appear as crisp in my opinion. You'll find out that half the quality of a telescope is how good the tripod or mounting set up is. For the price you can't go wrong with this scope. I own several telescopes from computer driven to large reflectors and still grab this for quick views of Orions belt, Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon, and star clusters like the double cluster and the Pleiades. Just to add to an already long answer, I added an inexpensive laser object finder (similar to the Celestron Star Finder) instead of the mostly useless viewfinder. It makes it ten times easier to point the scope at objects you're trying to look at and it doesn't take much modifications to get it screwed to the scope tube or stuck on with foam tape. Your son will thank you! |
Question: | can i see with my left eye |
Answer: | Only if you look at objects on the left....use right eye for objects on the right side....if its straight above you , you can use both eyes. |
Product features
Travel Scope 70
Grab the Celestron Travel Scope 70 and go anywhere—from your backyard to another continent. Ample optical performance is packed and ready in this ultra-portable backpack kit.
Better Viewing
Accessories include two eyepieces (20mm and 10mm), erect image diagonal, and a travel backpack.
Product description
Size:10-300x40mm
Description:
Color:With Black or silver tripod
Objective lens diameter: 30mm
Magnification: 7-17 times (corresponding to adjustment level 10X100)
Eyepiece diameter: 22mm
Exit pupil diameter: 4.2-1.7mm
Eye relief: 14-12mm
Field of view: 230-110FT 1000YDS
Field of view: 4.4-2.1 degrees
Minimum focusing distance: 2.5m
Size: 173/128x43mm (stretching and shrinking)
Weight: 300g
Prism: BAK4 prism
Coating: FMC
Colour: Black
Eye mask: rotating eye mask
Waterproof: Life waterproof
Tripod can be connected: Yes
Connected phone: yes
Used for: racing, beach, bird watching, boating/yachting, horse racing, hunting, outdoor activities, sports, theater, travel
Material: optical glass
Type: Monocular
Advantage:
1. It can be connected to a mobile phone to take pictures and watch alone.
2. High magnification does not shake, and the details are clear.
3. Simply stretch, rotate and zoom, it can be used by children over 5 years old.
4. ABS plastic steel synthetic material, lighter and more textured than metal.
Note:
1. Do not observe the appearance of the sun directly through the telescope, otherwise it will damage your eyes.
2. It cannot be used under heavy rain or immersed in water for a long time. If it is not used for a long time, please store it in a dry place.
3.Note: Friends who use the zoom telescope for the first time need to be patient in debugging, and the focusing process takes a little time.
Products include:
1x 10-300X40mm telescope monocular
1x tripod
1x Dust bag
1x Description
1x Mirror cloth
1x rope
1x Universal phone clip
Size:10-300x40mm
Description:
Color:With Black or silver tripod
Objective lens diameter: 30mm
Magnification: 7-17 times (corresponding to adjustment level 10X100)
- 【High definition monoculars】: The zoom high-definition high-power Monoculars adopts BAK4 prism design, which brings you clearer and colorful scenery. Ensure excellent light transmittance and brightness, make your vision brighter, clearer and provide clear images.
- 【Easy to operate】:There is a smartphone Holder and Tripod connector at the bottom of the binoculars. The stand can better adapt to the phone, allowing you to take beautiful photos. The adjustable monocular can be easily and quickly for the best viewing effect.
- 【Excellent focus function】Monocular telescope has 30X ultra-telephoto focus function, clear lens allows you to better observe people or things at a distance.Note: The product requires manual focus. If you have any questions about the operation, please see the operation example or contact us!
- 【Lightweight and portable】:Composed of ABS plastic steel material, more texture than metal, lighter weight and easier to carry.Waterproof, dusproof, shockproof anti-shake design.
- 【Widely Used】:Ideal for outdoor sports enthusiasts and wilderness explorers, use for boat bird watching, hunting, hiking, boating, camping, travel, wildlife, scenery, etc. This is a good gift for family or friends.
User questions & answers
Question: | How is the clarity of the binoculars |
Answer: | This works well for me because I like to observe eagles nesting in nearby trees. I like to see all kinds of animals in the nearby fields. The image is clear with this single-tube telescope. I am very happy to answer this question |
Question: | What is the magnification of the monocular |
Answer: | Dear friends, yes our monocular telescope comes with the newest quick alignment phone holder and high quality tripods.Perfect for i-Phone X/ i-Phone 8/8 plus, 7/7 plus, 6/6s plus, Sam-sung GA-LAXY S9/S9 Edge, S8/S8 Edge, S7/S7 Edge, and almost all other smart phones on the market.Super easy to install, provide HD photo and video to share with your friends |
Question: | Are these monoculars really waterproof |
Answer: | This is an inexpensive monocular. It does pack some power and you can view the moon and stars 。 |
Question: | Is it good for beginners to use |
Answer: | I am 6'8" and use it how it is (I suggest you get the 35" option). I had my last putter extended to 37", but you definitely lose a lot more control per inch. The 35" head flat on the ground height is 33.5". I didn't even notice losing the 2" when getting to stance, us tall guys just have to live with it! Post back if you have any other questions regarding the plight of being a tall golfer haha |
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