Amazon.com Review

The Meade ETX90EC is a compact telescope with excellent optics, packaged with a sturdy tripod and the remarkable Autostar computer control. Even though I own several telescopes and belong to an Astronomy club, the first night I took out the ETX, it showed me objects I'd never seen before. The ETX90EC is the computerized version of an affordable Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope first introduced by Meade in 1996. Every reviewer since then has commented on the excellent optics. How excellent? When I presented a session on optical testing at my local Astronomy club, I brought my ETX90 so that everyone could see what a "textbook" star test actually looks like.

What can you see with an ETX90? You won't see the flag on the Moon, but you will see sharp, color free views of mountains and valleys, craters, and lava flows. The planets are also a delight. I'll never forget seeing Saturn's rings with my own eyes for the first time. Although you can see the rings of Saturn and the cloud bands of Jupiter with the included 26mm Plossl eyepiece (about 48X magnification), you'll want to increase the magnification to bring out more detail. I find that a magnification of about 100X is ideal on most nights. You can reach 100X by using a Barlow Lens, I like the Celestron Ultima Barlow, or a smaller eyepiece such as the Celestron Omni Series 12.5mm . It's tempting to crank up the power to 200X or more, but on most nights I didn't see any more detail.

The Autostar controller makes it easy to find 30,000 celestial objects.

As good as the optics are, however, the most amazing feature of the ETX90EC is the Autostar computer. The ETX90EC with Autostar was the first computerized "go-to" telescope for under a thousand dollars. While bright objects like the moon are easy to find, the Autostar excels at finding the galaxies and star clusters that make space so fascinating. Maybe it's because I play with computers anyway, but I found the Autostar easy to use. The owners manual instructs you to begin the alignment by pointing the telescope North and tilting the telescope to level. I don't use a compass or a spirit level to do this, I simply point the telescope at the North Star, Polaris, and lower the telescope 44 degrees using the setting circles. This works because my home is near 44 degrees latitude. Don't know which star is Polaris? You'll want some kind of star chart that identifies the stars by name, NightWatch by Terence Dickinson is one of my favorites.

Many of the best galaxies and star clusters were discovered by a French comet hunter named Charles Messier. These so-called "M" objects looked to Messier like comets in the small telescopes of his day. My first night with the ETX, I switched on the "tour" mode. After looking at a few favorites, the cluster M52 came up on the Autostar. I pressed GO TO, and the telescope aimed itself at a cluster I hadn't looked at before. And darned if it didn't look just like a distant comet passing in front of a few small stars! I was so impressed, I bought an ETX for my step-son who works for the Air Force.

It's only fair to warn you, however, that if you find yourself enjoying Astronomy, you may start wanting a bigger telescope! --Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• Excellent optics
• The Autostar computer finds objects and describes them for you
• Small and easily portable

Cons:

• It's small--the only way to see more detail is with a bigger telescope
• When using small eyepieces, you might bump the finder scope with your nose

... Read more

Features

• Includes Autostar controller and deluxe field tripod
• Cordless motor drive for fully automatic tracking
• Equatorial fork mount, flip-mirror system
• Maksutov meniscus corrector lens of Grade-A BK7 optical glass
• Includes a Meade Series 4000 Super Plossl 26 millimeter eyepiece for 48 times magnification

Reviews (3)

Meade Does It Right
The Meade ETX90EC lives up to its billing. It's a high-quality piece of gear that exudes craft and workmanship. The bundled package w/Autostar and Tripod gives you most of what you need. If you have any intent of doing terrestrial viewing, you should consider the 45 degree erecting prism. Also, the package does not come with any power adapters. If you plan to be out for a long evening of star gazing, you will probably want the adapter that lets you plug into a cigarette lighter. I wish Amazon had the UHTC version available, but no luck. Finally, I haven't been able to find the correct T-mount adapter for this scope on Amazon. I do want to use it for photography eventually. The main thing I would say is that this is not a toy, but it is ideal for beginners to intermediate enthusiasts. I've had more fun in just a couple sessions than I've ever had before.

Disappointed in Meade
This was my husband's big present for Christmas, something he has always wanted. While unwrapping and unpacking, he heard a rattle in the spotting scope. Upon investigation, he fished out a broken set screw and discovered that it had sheared off the outside of the spotting scope. Another screw was badly damaged. The eyepiece covers had all been left off when shipping. Also, all the settings were loose and had to be reset. Meade does not have an 800 number and you are put on hold interminably when you try to contact them. All in all, he likes the scope BUT was very disappointed in the quality of the manufacturer and lack of customer service. What a disappointment for Christams day!

Great Telescope
I've only used my telescope a couple times, but it has been great. It takes a little while to get used to it, and I highly recommend reading the manual. Also, Meade has a deal going on that you will probably want to check out (http://www.meade.com/promo.d/plosslpromo.html). You will definitely want to take them up on this offer. ... Read more

Features

• Computer controller to help locate celestial objects
• Great for terrestrial and space viewing
• 2 eye pieces (78x and 28x)
• 700mm focal length
• Aluminum tripod with accessory tray

Amazon.com Product Description

Skillfully observing the many visible stars and planets can be very daunting for the beginner and trying for even the intermediate amateur astronomer, but the Meade DS-2114ATS telescope makes it easy thanks to the Autostar computer controller system. You can locate any astronomical object by entering it into the keypad; electric motors then align the telescope to display the object. The Autostar's catalog includes 74 galaxies, 135 star clusters, 26 asteroids, and the 8 major planets, for a total of 1,586 viewable objects.

You can store up to 200 objects in the memory for an immediate go-to function. Digital readouts display the telescope’s position in both radians and decimal form. Oversize bearings and locks on both of the telescope’s axes eliminate imprecisions of movement that are common to lesser telescopes.

Since it is a Newtonian reflector, the DS-2114ATS's aluminized primary mirror and elliptical secondary mirror provide sharp and bright images at a relatively low price. This optical system has a 114mm aperture and a focal length of 1000mm. The 6x30mm viewfinder and eyepiece, with a diameter of 1.25 inches, makes viewing comfortable and free of any eye strain. Also included are an aluminum tripod with a fold-up accessory shelf and astronomy software on CD-ROM. ... Read more

Features

• 114mm aperture for a focal length of 1000mm
• Newtonian reflector with relay lens
• Aluminum tripod with unique fold-up accessory shelf
• 6x30 viewfinder
• Included astronomy software on CD-ROM

Reviews (8)

Good telescope for the beginner
This is an acceptable scope if you get it for $250 or less. If you intend to spend more than that, get yourself an 8" or 10" dobsonian.
After using it for a few months, I now realise that its not the electronics and motors that matter in a good telescope, but the optics for a beginner. The 4.5" primary mirror is good enough for planetary / lunar observation. The eyepieces that come with this scope are just acceptable, and I can afford to have kids smear jam and butter on them. For my own use, I use a set of Series 4000 plossls I purchased separately.
I do want to add that Meade customer service is excellent. If I were to purchase a higher end scope, I would go to Meade. Primarily because of their superb customer service.
Hope that helps.
Clear skies :-)

Poor quality, not worth the money
I bought this telescope 2 months ago from a local telescope shop. I wanted a simple "GO TO" telescope and I did not want to spend top dollars for my first scope. while unpacking the scope I made an observation that the primary tube was not packed very well (only one layer of bubble wrap), in any case assembling the scope took about an hour and the first time I started using it I realized the scope motor was failing to engage the lever responsible for the vertical motion (up and down) I packed the scope back in the box and asked the store for a replacement. This is when it gets really interesting; I opened the box, unwrapped the tube and heard something jiggling inside the tube. The secondary mirror has come lose and was hitting the primary mirror and damaged it, so I decided to try to swallow my frustration and attempt to fix it which I did ,I glued it back, looked though he provided 25 mm eye piece and could not notice any scratches, so I continued with the assembling the rest. I took the mount with the motor from it's box and it was broken in half, at that point I realized that this "THING" is not worth my time, I went back to the store returned it and got a Celestron GT114. All I can say about my experience with the Celestron is it's cheaper, far better quality, arrived very well Collimated.
took me 10 minutes to assemble. If you are looking for a good quality beginner telescope that would be satisfactory for a long time go with the Celestron GT114, or GT130.

Damaged during shipment
I ordered the Meade DS2114ATS Telescope through Amazon.com, but it was actually shipped by J&R Music and Computer World (JR.com). It only took a couple of days for the telescope to arrive, but unfortunately it had been damaged during shipping. The smaller, secondary mirror had becomed detached from its mount and was bouncing around inside the tube. As a result the secondary mirror was chipped around the edges, and the primary mirror had numerous scratches.

The telescope seemed to be packed well for shipping and there was no apparent damage to the outside of the box. The main tube of the telescope was packed in three levels of boxes. My impression is that Meade's process of gluing the secondary mirror to its mount just isn't strong enough to withstand the rigors of shipping. I decided the quality of the telescope was not quite what I had expected. I returned it to J&R and requested a full refund which I received about 3 weeks later. After doing some more howework, I have decided to try ordering my next scope from Orion.

Was well worth the price (free!), some issues
I ordered this 'scope because I'd always had a slight interest in stargazing, yet not enough to spend enough for a decent view. Where I live is pretty dark, no street lights, so when I had the opportunity to get this thing by using points on my credit card, I took it.

Got the box, found that some thingy inside the big tube came loose (some lens) and was bouncing around. It did have minor scratches on the big mirror, but I polished them out. I saw where the glue came loose and reglued the lens, and it worked.

The spotting scope is a real piece of work, took forever to get it to point where the big scope pointed.

The "free" $89 software that it came with was crap. It wouldn't install on Windows XP, and was copyright 2000. Got it this afternoon. The help files and "manual" had links to www.starrynight.com, but the links were broken. Went to www.starrynight.com and found that the "bundle" had no upgrade path, and the new software was $149. Cheapest I found was here on Amazon at $130. I'll probably play around with the scope for a few weeks before deciding to get the software. Sure, $130 overall cost for this telescope is good, but $130 for a freebie, well, I have to sit on that for a bit :).

So-so
If you're not lucky and you need to collimate the telescope, you'll quicky regret buying this newtownian. Collimating a telescope is a real pain, the instructions are not clear and the customer support at Meade is mediocre at best.

After many tries, I was able to collimate the thing and was able to see saturn's rings. The autostart is a wonderful thing, the tripod is pretty good. I did return the telescope because the altitude lock broke. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Skillfully observing the many visible stars and planets in the sky can be daunting for the beginner and trying for even the intermediate amateur astronomer, but the Meade DS-2070AT telescope makes the task easy with the Autostar computer controller system. You can locate any astronomical object by entering it into the keypad; electric motors then align the telescope to display the object. The Autostar's catalog includes 74 galaxies, 135 star clusters, 26 asteroids, and the 8 major planets, for a total of 1,586 objects that you can view.

You can store up to 200 objects in the memory for an immediate go-to function. Digital readouts display the telescope’s position in both radians and decimal form. Oversize bearings and locks on both of the telescope’s axes eliminate imprecisions of movement that are common to lesser telescopes.

With a 70mm diameter and a focal length of 700mm, the multicoated, color-corrected objective lens increases image contrast and light transmission. The 5x24mm viewfinder and 1.25-inch diameter eyepiece makes viewing comfortable and free of any eye strain. Also included are an aluminum tripod with a fold-up accessory shelf and astronomy software on CD-ROM. ... Read more

Features

• 70mm aperture for a focal length of 700mm
• Eyepiece diameter of 1.25 inches
• Aluminum tripod with unique fold-up accessory shelf
• 5x24 viewfinder
• Included astronomy software on CD-ROM

Reviews (4)

save your money
To be fair, I have never used a telescope before. I have, however, assembled many products using instruction manuals. I found this manual difficult to follow. It lists the assembly instructions in two different areas of the manual and each set of instructions were slightly different from each other. I had the same problem with the alignment instructions. The remote control is impossible to read while it scrolls. I couldn't tell you if the telescope is aligned properly, but we could not see anything with it. We managed to manually find a bright star through the viewfinder, but it looked much better to the naked eye than through the scope. We are very frustrated with this product and will probably return it.

May be the Moon
No stars or other celestial stuff will be shown by the thing .... use it for the Moon, and forget the rest. If you really want to see stars, spend much more bucks. This will be great for my kids' kids.

Not big enough for astronomy
I have bought 4 of these telescopes for young people and the elderly. It is ok for looking at the moon, but little else. Telescopes must have APERTURE to be useful, and this little 70mm scope's objective lens is too small - try a DS 90mm scope which has much better quality and shows a lot!

In addition, the Meade DS scopes usually have only 0.965" eyepieces, and they are crap. Buy a telescope that uses 1.25" eyepieces. The DS90 has an adapter that permits 1.25" and even 2" eyepieces, which show much more sky when you are observing.

Great Starter Scope
After much research and product comparisons, I opted to purchase this scope and I am extremely happy with my buying decision. The first night I had the scope, it was setup and in use! It was easy to setup, very user friendly and I could actually follow the instruction manual to enhance my experience. I highly recommend this scope to people who are interested in astronomy but don't want to committ to a pricey scope or complicated setup and use. Definately a great buy for a family also! Happy star gazing... ... Read more

Features

• Altazimuth mount for smooth movement
• Great for terrestrial and space viewing
• 2 eye pieces (78x and 28x)
• 700mm focal length
• Aluminum tripod with accessory tray

Features

• Included MEADE #494 Autostar Computer Controller automatically locates and points the telescope to over 1400 celestial objects, at the push of a button
• 60mm diameter achromatic multi-coated objective lens
• Fully adjustable aluminum tripod with accessory tray
• 3 (0.965) eyepieces -SR4mm (175X), H12.5mm (56X) and H25mm (28X)
• 5 x 24mm viewfinder

Features

• Includes an electronic eyepiece that allows you to display telescope views in monochrome on a television screen
• Video output for direct connection to monitors, VCRs, and camcorders
• View and record astronomical and terrestrial images in real time
• Compatible with most "frame grabber" software
• Built-in contrast control adjusts for varying astronomical and terrestrial lighting conditions

Reviews (1)

wow
This is a great telescope it is able to see the moon.I feel no need for any more of these. ... Read more