Bushnell 675x60 Deep Space Refractor Telescope

by Bushnell

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 37 x 12 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 17 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0006TTXQ2
• Item model number: 78-9519
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,373 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2006

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not an optical instrument but a useless toy, December 30, 2006

By 

Doug Rice (Twin Falls, ID USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bushnell 675x60 Deep Space Refractor Telescope (Electronics)

This is the perfect example of the kind of scope astronomers warn beginners against.

The first red flag is the ridiculously high maximum magnification of over "675x." Do you know what you will see at 675x in this scope? Nothing but a dim blur. Note that the objective (main) lens is 60mm. All telescope optics have inherent limitations; maximum useful magnification per millimeter of aperture is about 2x. Therefore, with any attempt to use this scope at magnification of over 120-140x, increase in image size will be more than offset by breakdown, and that's even assuming the quality of the objective lens is any good.

The finder is useless: a 6x30 is barely adequate, and this one does not even meet that standard. Using it for anything but the moon will be an exercise in frustration. The eyepieces are of terrible quality, with a very narrow field of view, like looking through a drinking straw.

I do not recommend equatorial mounts for beginners. Their tracking properties are primarily for astrophotography, and for this they require careful setup. The equatorial mount on this scope is provided primarily as a marketing gimmick to impress naïve buyers with its complex "scientific" appearance.

Buy this telescope, and I guarantee that as soon as the newness wears off it will be relegated to a forgotten corner of the attic.

Using an astronomical telescope is not like playing an MP3 file and but rather like playing a guitar. It is a learned skill. And you must do a lot of homework before you buy a telescope. Buying without prior experience is like buying a car without knowing anything about driving. If you want to see the wonders of the sky, contact your local astronomy club and attend one of their star parties. The members love sharing their hobby and can set you straight as to how to get started. The best way is to learn the sky with the unaided eye and 10x50 binoculars (decent ones are available on Amazon), then graduate to something along the lines of a 150-200mm (6-8") Dobsonian; good ones can be found on Amazon starting under $290.

For more information on buying telescopes, see my encyclopedic guide on Amazon: "So you want to buy a telescope."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars not easy to use for a novice., June 6, 2008

By 

starman "cd" (show low az) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bushnell 675x60 Deep Space Refractor Telescope (Electronics)

Bushnell 675x60 Deep Space Refractor Telescope
this scope is a very good refractor telescope.i can see how some people have a hard time with the function of this scope. the optics seem to be of very good quality and the parts are made for a lifetime of use. i had absolutely no problem finding saturn and other planets as well as some deep space objects a.k.a stars etc. the scope has the capability of finding detail such as saturns rings and the polar caps of mars wich seems to be most of everybodys concerns when it comes to buying a good scope. for the price you cannot find a better value than this refracting telescope.just have a little patience and make sure every thing is tightend securely and eventualy you will get the hang of it. bushnell has discontinued this model and most of their newer refractors are made of plastic only. two thumbs up for this scope and just have a little patience and you will be suprized.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's Cool, January 18, 2007

By 

Mr. Y. A. Wang - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bushnell 675x60 Deep Space Refractor Telescope (Electronics)

From the outside, this telescope looks really cool. But when you try to piece it together, it's complicated. The price of this telescope is reasonable in the toy section. It's still really good.