Meade DS-70EC Telescope

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Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 15 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004SPCD
• Item model number: DS-70EC
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,474 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)

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  Camera & Photo > Binoculars, Telescopes & Optics > Telescopes > Refractors

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Meade's DS-70EC refracting telescope offers high-quality optics and easy push-button electronic operation, making it a perfect instrument for the serious beginner. It features a multicoated, achromatic two-element objective lens and precise, smooth altitude and azimuth movements. It includes the Meade handheld electronic controller, which allows for four-speed push-button operation and easy object location and tracking. It also includes Meade's StarNavigator software, which displays more than 10,000 celestial objects for help in locating galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, stars, and planets. Additionally, the telescope comes with a full-length adjustable aluminum tripod.

The DS-70EC exhibits Meade's fine attention to detail and quality, from the precision-polished crown and flint optical glass components and contrast-increasing multicoatings, to oversize bearings on both telescope axes that facilitate great precision in tracking. It offers a resolving power of 1.6 arcseconds, a limiting visual magnitude of 11.3, a 250x maximum practical visual power, and a 5mm by 24mm viewfinder.

The DS-70EC is also built to be fully compatible with Meade's Autostar computer controller, for automatic location and tracking of celestial objects.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great beginning telescope, July 28, 2001

By	Aleksandar Cvetkovic "cvele32" (Belgrade,Yugoslavia) - See all my reviews

This is really great scope.First,don't expect images like Hubble. This is a small scope,but you'll love it for sure.The best for observations are planets.VERY USEFUL is 2x Barlow lens option.Here's what can you see: Mercury-Very hard,but you can see it's phases.No details.Venus- You can see it's phases at any time.It's beautifull.No details. Mars-It's pretty cool.You can see red disk with some details.Best looking in opposition.Jupiter-Gas giant is very,very beautifull.You can easily see four Galilean moons.You can see up to four cloud bands(maybe something more when in opposition)on large disk.No great red spot.Saturn-The best one!!Rings are so pretty!!You can easily see it.When in opposition you can see Cassini division.Also one cloud band is visibleThe bightest moon Titan is also visible.If you are in good dark sky conditions you can see second moon Rhea end even Dione(when your eyes get adjusted).Uranus-You can maybe recognize a very small disk.Nothing more.No chanse for details.Neptune-Nothing.Just a starlike dot.Pluton-No cnanse!Totally invisible! Double Stars are also beautifull. That's it If you are a beginer try it i think you'll be pleased!

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Value for money, June 14, 2000

By A Customer

Meade DS-70EC Telescope is perfect for the novice. Its easy to useb and its mechanical precision and low-backlash motion facilitate quick object location and tracking, thid feature especially is extremely useful. In a nut shell its a neat compact looking piece for an affordable price.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for a beginner, January 5, 2001

By	"sjbren87" (Westfield, NJ) - See all my reviews

As a beginner into the world of astronomy, the Meade DS70 EC coupled with the Autostar system makes an amazing telescope. The views of the moon, Saturn and other celestial objects are astounding. You can see Saturn very clearly (when your eyes get adjusted you will see the rings, colors and moons) and you will be able to see more detail with a 1.25" Barlow lens or more highly powered eyepiece. Setting it up was hassle free except for the motors, which would not thread on properly (eventually they did).

I would recommend this for any beginning astronomer. It is great!