Celestron C90 or Meade Redtail or ????

I want to get a spotting scope and the two that look interesting to me are the Celestron C90 (with zoom lens) and one of the Meade Redtail models. I want a scope for general viewing across a large body of water (ships; towns on far shore; mountains in distance) as well as some simple planetary astronomical observations (rings of Saturn or Jupiter).

Main considerations: ease of use and sturdiness; zoom lens; compact size; best quality components and optics for under $400; and overall good value.

Are there other scopes I should be considering? Of the C90 and Redtail line - obvious reasons to buy one over the other?

Thanks

I am also intrigued by the Celestron Ultima 100 22-66x100 but is the magnification good enough for astronomy? Can I use a Barlow lens to make it more effective for that? Thanks.

Hi

First, few spotting scopes offer the use of interchangeable telescope eyepieces. The Redtail and the Ultima do NOT offer any other eyepiece options. You cannot use telescope eyepieces in these and no other eyepieces are made for them.

In that price range, the Celestron C130 uses telescope eyepieces and is a better choice for astronomy. Probably a best buy in a dual purpose scope. Forget the zoom eyepiece with these telescopes. Scopes that use telescope eyepieces offer too mcuh magnification for daytime use and zoom eyepieces are not needed or generaly recommended for astronomy.

Thank you for that explanation. I guess I would lean very strongly to daytime observations over night time astronomy if I had to choose. In thinking about the uses I would want the scope for, I would really want a zoom lens rather than a fixed magnification lens.

Again, given my preferences for a sturdy & easy to assemble/use system, and the best quality optics I could get in the $400 range, would there be better choices for me than the Ultima 100 52252?

Are zoom lenses inherently inferior to fixed magnification lenses?

Would I be limited to viewing the moon with such an instrument (Ultima 100)? What level of magnification is required to begin to see the rings of Saturn? Even if I had elementary astronomy possibilities, that would be a plus.

Thanks

Hi

You can see the rings of Saturn as being separate from the planet at about 40x, but you really need 120x or more to get a good view.

Zooms are inferior to fixed power eyepieces in terms of field of view and, in the case of zooms at this price, you also lose some image sharpness and brightness.

OPther good options in the $400 price rnage include the Vortex Skyline, the Alpen 788

Last question! How much more would I need to pay to get a 60X or better zoom with significantly better optics than the $400 level scopes. If it were a matter of a couple hundred dollars I might consider it. If we are talking well over a $1000 I probably would not. Again, factor in ease of use and sturdiness (not going to be used in the field but want it able to take an occasional knock or two from grandkids).

Thanks in advance for all your helpful comments. Jackie

Hi

Forget going over 60x for daytime work and for astronomy, you will need to get a good zoom, such as the Meade 07199-02 to get a resonably useful eyepiece.

Well, that wasn't my last question afterall, as you sent me off in a new direction. What would I put this zoom lens in that is reasonably compact and good quality? Could I buy the Meade zoom and drop in into the Celestron 102mm Wide View Spotting Scope 4" / 102 mm Refractor Telescope 52270 with good results? What are my options and still keeping the total under say $600-700?

Hi

You can use the Meade zoom in the Wideview, yes. A better choice, optically, is the Celestron Refractor ED, the [urlhttp://www.opticsplanet.net/meade-series-5000-ed-apo-refractor-telescope-80mm.html]Meade 80 ED APO[/url] (with diagonal)

Will I see a noticeable difference by paying over $250 more for the Meade than the Celestron scope? Are Meade optics that much superior?

Hi

Not that much better if you upgrade the Celestron with a better diagonal, but the Meade is more compact and has a better focuser.