The S50 is a quick set up, easy to use sky camera with a user friendly app. During clear skies, the images produced are outstanding considering the objective is only 50mm or 2 inches. With the cheap price, excellent optics, automatic focuser (that does a really good job) built in dew heater and light pollution filters, the solar filter, automatic stacking of the images or ability to stack and process the images using SIRIL and other post- processing programs, it really can't be beat. I also like that ZWO is constantly upgrading the firmware and app to keep upgrading the abilities of this tiny scope. Chalk me up as impressed!
This was a blast to do with my grandkids, 6 and 10. Having them read all the little secret trivia was awesome.
I'm very happy with the bulk rough sodalite; there's a good range of sizes to tumble, and nothing is too large or too small. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product in a few weeks..
We have only completed the first few challenges, but it looks like this game will a lot of thought-provoking creative play. The marbles are easy to lose; we used a magnetic pickup rod to help collect them. The marble reloader accessory might be worth having, too. Our 4 year-old grandson had fun experimenting with the different parts to see how they worked. Well-made and comes in a sturdy storage box.
I have attached this to the side of the saddle of my AM5 mount, the small ZWO f4 guide scope on one “wing” and the ASIair plus on the other wing. This allows me to use my Canon 400 f/5.6 camera ens using its native mounting ring, without the need for special rings for piggy backing the guide soope
This telescope is great for any beginner or professional. I am having a bit of trouble getting the automatic alignment to work but the conditions when I tried were very poor with tons of light pollution. I’m sure once the conditions are better I’ll figure it out. Views from the moin are amazing and perfectly clear and sharp.
After getting a Celestron firstscope on a whim from Amazon, I was looking to make my first substantial astronomy investment and like most in that position, I was paralyzed with decision fatigue and fearing potential buyers remorse. Like most, I wanted a scope that see anything (planets, DSOs, etc.) for less than 1000$, while also being able to do some Astrophotography.
The good news is this killed the decision fatigue and there's no buyers remorse; this thing can show you DSOs in minutes even with moderate light pollution (bottle 5/6 from my patio in Kelowna, BC) in spectacular detail, and the moon and sun are nice bonuses that have decent amounts of detail too.
The bad news is definitely for planets, though this wouldn't come as a surprise if you've read other reviews as it's not what this is meant for. Jupiter and it's moons are visible, but even in planet mode and reducing exposure as much as possible, you can just barely make our the main bands and that's it. Perhaps worse, the GoTo function is unreliable for planets, unlike the other objects mentioned above; I frequently got errors stating there were not enough stars in the vicinity to accurately find Jupiter or Uranus, which led to some frustrated manual scrolling which was difficult without a finder scope and rarely successful. To be clear, it did work occasionally, just not consistently enough to be reliable.
All in all, I'm glad I made this purchase, and it delivers on the promise of what it's meant to do so fast that I can return to warmth inside before I even begin to shiver; as a teacher and a Dad with 2 tots, this is invaluable. Yes I'll eventually be shelling out another few hundred more down the line for a planetary scope, but that's ok; most sites make the case that you shouldn't fear buying one for visual and one for astrophotography anyway.
The last bit I'll add is that I am actually glad I did have the Firstscope before this, as I got to do take the traditional path of learning the night sky and Star hopping from Jupiter to Andromeda to Hercules first, and it made me appreciate the Seestar that much more when I got it. I don't think I'd recommend going with Seestar as the very first telescope simply because you'll entirely miss out on the wow factor of seeing an object through an eyepiece for the first time and the satisfaction of navigating the stars yourself to have found it. Again, for the budget-minded, both the Firstscope and Seestar excell in that regard, and much as the former definitely gave me a case of aperture fever, I'm happy to say that this smart scope is the appropriate treatment (ironically with even less aperture).
If you're stressing yourself out like I was and unsure what to do, I'd say confidently that you won't regret taking the plunge on this one. Good luck and may your skies stay clear!
A must have upgrade, I'd say. Made collimation much easier and quicker on my SCT.
The Celestron 8” Dew Shield is excellent in build and its usefulness. Coupled with Celestron dew heater there is no going back without them in a light polluted area like my backyard.
Given the choice of a small dedicated solar telescope or the Quark for a similar price, I went with the Quark since it can be used in any size refractor and I already had a suitable OTA. Of course once it arrived the clouds set in, but when I finally got a chance to try it out, the views were spectacular! Chromosphere details and prominences were easily visible at the eyepiece. My main reason for buying is to dabble was to dabble in solar photography, but for now, just taking in the view the "old fashioned" way has been great. Highly recommend if you are ready to extend the use of your scope to the daylight hours!
I haven’t had a chance to use under the stars yet but it seems nicely made and very solid. The lens lock lever is very positive, an upgrade from previous versions as I understand it. The back 5mm unthreads to reveal another T2 thread to accommodate different ASI camera back-focus lengths. What isn’t very clear is that the adapter comes apart, revealing threads for a 2” filter. I plan to use a 5nm duo-band filter there. More of a hassle to change filters than the unit with the filter drawer but if you only plan to use one filter...
Tele Vue never ceases to amaze. Great product. Straight forward service and fast shipping. Incredible views
My 12 year old granddaughter discovered the S50 on a Youtube series where the telescope was featured. She was so impressed that she got me watching and as a result I ordered one from All-Star. From the time I ordered the S50 until we had it operating in the backyard it was about 10 days including shipping from Edmonton to Sudbury, ON. My granddaughter downloaded the App, and quickly knew how to use the S50. After charging the unit, we used the Messier 110 series database to select our celestial targets and with minutes we had images of a galaxy not discernable to the eye. The S50 automatically tracked the target and built a well defined image over time. My granddaughter later did "stacking" for additional enhancements. As an important note, the S50 is a telescope that does NOT provide an eyepiece for direct viewing. Viewing is done through a cellphone or other personal devices connected via WiFi. The ZWO seeStar S50 App seems easy to use and has many features. Overall, the seeStar S50 is a mindblowing machine!
I wrote a review on the
Askar Universal Vixen-Style Dovetail Plate 200 (VDP200)
On 04/24/2024. I made an unfortunate mistake and only choose one star for the review. I meant to rate it at five stars.. yea it's a great doveplate plate.
This dove plate is exceptional in design and functionality. It's a beautiful design, many mounting points and well made. A compliment to my AM3 using a small refractor or doing DSLR astrography using a camera and telephoto lens. The length of the dovetail is long enough to support a camera and large telephoto lens such as a Sigma 800 prime. I have been using products made by Askar and very impressed with their machining fit and finish. Thanks to the great staff at All-star for their help and discovery of this and other fine products. Thanks to Nicholas and his team. 🔭
Works perfectly and is exactly as described. Speedy delivery and well packaged. Thanks!
It allows me to use both a laser pointer and the finder scope. It makes finding my objects way easier.
Although you can get away without doing a polar alignment and just do two or three star alignment for observation, this makes it way easier to get things pointing correctly and is something you should do for astrophotography. Works great!
The s50 is my first telescope. I have had a couple issues finding objects because high thin clouds that you couldn't really see with the naked eye. But have been able to get great images from my bortle 8-9 front yard.i have also photographed nebula before it was all the way dark totally suprised me. It is also a great tool for beginners to learn about the cosmos. Got mine in time for the eclipse. Went to Texas and captured incredible pics video and time lapse also tried the object tracking In Scenery mode. Everything has performed above my expectations.
Thanx
Very easy to order and prompt shipping. Everything is mint.
Pleasure to do business with.
Amazing quality, fast delivery, came just in time for the solar eclipse! I was profoundly moved by the views I got to see and the pictures I took. Thanks to All-star I was able to fully enjoy the eclipse using my telescope and was able to show my friends and family during the event. Thanks for a memory of a lifetime!!
The long time classic go to book that is said to be the book that covers stargazing to all that counts in one book !
