Home > Consumer Reviews > Bushnell Deep Space 420 x 60mm Refractor Telescope
Bushnell Deep Space 420 x 60mm Refractor Telescope
See it at Amazon.com for $34.99Average Customer Rating
(2.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
NOT a good first telescope
(1 out of 5) by Amazon Customer on Feb 22, 2004Nothing will kill a beginning astronomer's interest quicker than this flimsy "department-store" telescope. Never buy a telescope based solely on claims like "420x!". The highest magnification this telescope can realistically provide under the best of viewing conditions is about 50-60x per inch of aperture, or 120-140 power in this case. Light-gathering ability is by far the most important consideration when purchasing a telescope. A much better choice for a first scope would be a 4-inch dobsonian mounted reflecting telescope, available for just a few more dollars; you DO get what you pay for.
93 of 112 people found the following review helpful:
Perfect for stargazing on a budget
(4 out of 5) by Amazon Customer on Apr 14, 2001Bushnell always makes quality products that are still affordable for the everyday Joe, no exception here. This is a very nice telescope and a great baragain at its price. This is a perfect way for children (or adults) to learn more about stars, planets and everything else that lies out there in the universe. I highly recommend this product. You'll be amazed at what you've been missing out there. :o)
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Horrible
(1 out of 5) by James Koenig on Aug 19, 2005 (Minnesota)This scope is NOT a good starter scope for anyone interested in astronomy. Here's why:
1. The objective is too small, only 60 mm, 2.36 inches, so it is too small to bring in the light necessary for even a beginning look at the universe. I suppose it is adequate for the moon, but that is it. The planets will appear as very small disks. One will be able to see Saturn's rings, but the image will be very small. Forget it for deep sky objects, clusters, galaxies, etc.
2. The mount is an altazimuth, which will not follow the celestial object in the sky. The earth is rotating, and anyone focusing on a star or moon will quickly find the object drifting out of the field of vision. A better mount is an equatorial mount which makes it much easier to track objects.
3. The mount will vibrate when touched, which will cause the image in the eyepiece to "shiver", which is very frustrating.
Even for the low price, don't be enticed by this scope; it has too many flaws. Save your money for a larger scope with a better mount.
Jim "Konedog" Koenig, astronomy buff
1. The objective is too small, only 60 mm, 2.36 inches, so it is too small to bring in the light necessary for even a beginning look at the universe. I suppose it is adequate for the moon, but that is it. The planets will appear as very small disks. One will be able to see Saturn's rings, but the image will be very small. Forget it for deep sky objects, clusters, galaxies, etc.
2. The mount is an altazimuth, which will not follow the celestial object in the sky. The earth is rotating, and anyone focusing on a star or moon will quickly find the object drifting out of the field of vision. A better mount is an equatorial mount which makes it much easier to track objects.
3. The mount will vibrate when touched, which will cause the image in the eyepiece to "shiver", which is very frustrating.
Even for the low price, don't be enticed by this scope; it has too many flaws. Save your money for a larger scope with a better mount.
Jim "Konedog" Koenig, astronomy buff
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Not all that good
(1 out of 5) by Don Quixote on Dec 25, 2005 (CA, USA)This scope is not really very good for viewing planets but is ok for the moon if you stick with the 20MM eyepiece, the 5MM, giving about 140X, is just to much for this mount as it vibrates very easily and is hard to hold anything in the FOV for very long! I think it would be better for a person to buy a 4.5 inch reflector with a Dobsian mount for just a few bucks more.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Awful
(1 out of 5) by mauibeach on Sep 22, 2007 (delaware)This was what I chose for my 15 year prize from work. It went to the curb for trash pick up just the other day. Junk is what it is. I was so excited to have a new back deck this summer and use the telescope with my boys. Tried for about 2 hours and wasn't worth my time. The view finder was no help. We saw more without the lenses in! Don't wast your money.