AZ60 Series 70mm Maksutov Telescope

15 reviews for AZ60 Series 70mm Maksutov Telescope

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (15)

   Customer – February 25, 2023

   A Great telescope for beginners
   I bought this telescope for my grandson and he is 9 yrs old. He was able to set up the telescope within 5 minutes and starts looking at the moon. Eyepiece viewing with this telescope is extremely easy as it has fine adjustment on the two axes. Installing the phone adapter was not as easy as expected, but with the help of the setup video, it can be done easily. Love this telescope!

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (15)

   Customer – February 25, 2023

   Picked up this telescope at their showroom and I was introduced to the telescope with great details. The red dot viewfinder came with the telescope didn’t work after one week, they send me a replacement immediately. Very friendly customer service.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (15)

   Customer – February 25, 2023

   ASTONISHINGLY GOOD. Best Overall Astro Dollar Value out there? Could well be
   Hard to imagine getting any more for 100 bucks than this package gives you.

   Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING from build quality to both optical and mechanical excellence to ease of set up and use to having every bit of kit you need to observe right there in the box..nothing.INCLUDING the rock solid tripod, perpetually the weak link in even otherwise good inexpensive/entry level astro packages. I mean pick your superlative, and this baby lives up to it.

   The only thing I recommend is adding a 25mm Plossl eyepiece, cost sound $20, as the included 20mm is just a little too powerful for a lowest power/wider field of view eyepiece, but still will do the job. The SvBony 25mm is a good choice. Read on for details.

   My first light with this telescope was last night beneath an ideal constellation 4-pack to the south: Orion, Auriga, Taurus, Monoceros.

   I spent a good hour and traipsed through them all. Orion’s sword dangling down from his famous 3-star belt was first up and the Explorapro with the included 20mmm Kellner before switching over to a 25mm Plossl eyepiece (so 30x magnification) which served up sharp, contrasty views with pinpoint stars everywhere I pointed it: the Orion Nebula (Messier 42) including its signature trapezium, the Pagoda-shaped Messier 1981, several double stars and all manner of mini-clusters and groupings. A visual treat top to bottom.

   Moving northward and into Auriga, I viewed the “Flying Minnow” asterism swimming up from the constellation’s base, then the open cluster Messier 38, the super bright star Capella (the She Goat) an just below and to the right, the trio of stars that make up her “kids”. Then came several bright open clusters and the super bright star Alderbaran in Taurus, and finally NGC 2244, the hour-glass shaped cluster in Monoceros.

   I also used a 17mm Plossl of my own (45x) which showed a few more stars but was less bright overall, and the included 10mm Kellner (75X) which revealed some otherwise not seen stars but at the cost of a much narrower field of view and a significantly dimmer view. Overall, the sharpest and brightest views and the most expansive came courtesy of my 25mm Plossl, but the INCLUDED 20mm eyepiece is pretty close.

   The Explorapro 70 Mak will be a terrific lunar telescope (which I will confirm next time the Moon is around here), ditto Saturn and Jupiter…BUT it also comes close to holding its own on brighter Deep Sky Objects (like those identified above). What it is NOT is a wide field telescope, for example I could not get the entirety of The Pleiades in the field of view, and only about half of the stars in the “Orion S”, the long long s-shaped string of stars, dozens of them, that curls its way between Mintaka and Alnilam, the right and center belt stars. This is NOT a defect, rather a built-in characteristic of Makustov telescopes with their long focal lengths which excel at high power close ups of things like the lunar surface or Jupiter’s bands, which is why they are the choice for solar system objects. Still, within these limits, general observing such as I did last night is not only possible, it’s actually rewarding.

   The included tripod is flat out terrific. Both lightweight AND stable and the slow motion controls are superb——allowing to keep an object in the field of view (as the earth turns) with easy, tiny twists of the knobs.
   The tripod is the main reason I bought this package as I need one to use with my smaller refractors. The little Mak itself was an unexpected bonus. I just did not expect it to be THIS good. Moreover, my wife, who has no interest at all in my telescopes, commented on how “cute” this one is.

   Btw, I had an old Amazon Basics camera case lying around, turns out it is a nearly custom carry bag for this kit for times when I want to tote it over to a nearby park, or wherever. The Explorapro 70 w/red dot finder attached fill the main space. Right above is a long padded groove that holds 5 eyepieces,, and and above that a padded slot that carries the tripod’s snap on tray. It’s all there. See photos. This is an older Basics bag, I think the newer ones may have a slightly different interior configuration.

   And No, no one is paying me to review this telescope or giving it to me free. I ordered it through Amazon and paid for it myself.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (15)

   Customer – February 25, 2023

   5 stars for quality. Waiting for first light to evaluate the optics.
   Very well made, even the mount and eyepieces seem well made for the price point. I’ll add to this review after first light.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (15)

   Customer – February 25, 2023

   It’s a great telescope in a small package.
   It’s a great telescope in a small package. Lightweight and easy to transport. Excellent images. I love it.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (15)

   John Robison – March 4, 2023

   Another 5 stars! Incredible value, especially the included alt-az mount, which with its Vixen style dovetail fitting is useable with all manner of small telescopes. I also recommend buying an extra eyepiece, in my case it was a 32mm Plossl which gives 23x with a bit over a 2 degree field. Makes it easier to find objects with the scope. The included red dot finder is ok but I’m going to change out the finder mount to a standard dovetail type.
   With every new telescope comes cloudy weather, it’s almost a rule. But I’ve been able to confirm the optical quality. Very good views of the moon and Jupiter (Jupiter was rapidly setting in the west and only 20 degrees up so not optimal viewing conditions).
   This is the best bang for the buck I’ve ever spent on new. It’s a keeper.
   Loved it so much when they had their 60mm f8.3 refractor on an insane sale for $31 I jumped on it and it is another winner. Highly recommend both telescopes.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (15)

   Customer – June 5, 2023

   I am a 58 year veteran in amateur astronomy and have owned many telescopes during this time. My wife bought this little 70mm Maksutov as a late Christmas present. It complemented my telescopes with a portable and easy to set up telescope that I could take anywhere. Nonetheless I must confess that I was a bit skeptic when I saw the incredibly low price. The telescope arrived in one of the best double box packings that I have seen. Everything inside was carefully packed in a separate box. Assembly was simple and easy. The 70mm Maksutov looked small in the supplied mount but it meant that it will be steady. The metal tripod is very good and the altazimuth mount excellent. After assembly, I checked the whole setup. It looked good and sturdy. The telescope optics were nice and clean. The included eyepieces are metal. I think that they are modified achromats or Kellners. Not bad for first eyepieces. The diagonal is a correct image one which is ok for terrestrial observations but not so much for astronomy. I replaced it with a good mirror diagonal. Now all I needed was a good night.
   First light arrived and I had the telescope pointed at the first quarter moon. The view with the included eyepieces was excellent for a 70mm telescope. I have included two images that I took using the included cell phone adapter and the 10mm eyepiece alone and with the included 2x Barlow. In one image the crater Ptolemaeus is coming out of the lunar shadows and in the other the lunar feature called Rima Hyginus can be observed. The telescope was able to resolve the Rima at high power. BTW, the cell phone adapter works only with the included eyepieces but, as you can see, it works well. These are unprocessed single shots of the moon. After a very satisfying lunar observing session did some star testing. The telescope collimation was spot on. Stars produced textbook images at high power with a nice round Airy disc and a well defined first diffraction ring. No signs of astigmatism were present. I was able to resolve some nice double stars. Even Rigel in Orion showed it’s dim companion during periods of excellent seeing and at high power I could see the bump in the first diffraction ring of Zeta Orionis. This bump is the secondary component of this double. No small feat for a 70mm f/10.6 telescope. Keeping objects in the field of view was easy due to the very smooth movements of the altitude and azimuth slow motion controls. Just one observation here. The altitude slow motion control is too long for this telescope and gets in the way if your dominant observing eye in the left one. Although the telescope has a small aperture it can observe Deep Sky Objects that are bright enough. The Orion Nebula is excellent at low power and at medium power the four stars of the Trapezium are easily resolved. Messier 35, the open cluster in Gemini is also very good at low to medium powers as well as M41, the open cluster in Canis Major. The planet Mars is too small right now for even a bigger telescope. I did observe Jupiter with the telescope during the first nights but the planet was too low in the sky. Nonetheless I managed to observe two of the belts and the four satellites.
   Focusing is firm and smooth at the same time. The red-spot finder is ok for beginners but I would have preferred a telescopic finder. The included red-dot finder works very well after alignment. The Bluetooth cell phone shutter works very nicely too.
   In summary, this is an excellent package at an excellent price. The whole telescope plus tripod can be picked up and set up in less than a minute. The mount holds the telescope very steady. The optics are excellent. I would recommend it for beginners or experienced observers. It is a telescope that will be used a lot. The images speak for themselves. Good work Spectrum Optical.

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (15)

   Customer – June 5, 2023

   I purchased this for my 10 year old granddaughter she set it up with her older brother. Easily. It performs beautifully it’s worth every bit of the price she loves it , it looks very professional& is not flimsy. She’s gotten some wonderful glimpses of the moon and stars I nightly recommend it.

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (15)

   Customer – June 5, 2023

   Testing with an artificial star revealed very good correction of spherical aberration and astigmatism. Focusing is smooth and accurate without noticeable image shift. For the money, accessories are surprisingly good including the image correct diagonal.
   Another surprise: my BinoViewer with Integral 1.9x barlow gives wonderful, sharp to the edge, images with 30mm and 19mm wide field eyepieces.

10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    (15)

    Customer – June 5, 2023

    I just wanted something compact and easy to take camping in the desert & lakepowell. It works great for the sky and looking around the lake & canyons

11. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    (15)

    Customer – June 5, 2023

    Very well and sturdy. The tripod is a plus with this little guy. Awesome

12. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    (15)

    Customer – June 5, 2023

    So easy to transport. Iam in manual wheelchair . So putting this together is a snap.alongnwith transporting. I don’t need another helping me. I put scope in my backpack and assemble outside. Got some beautiful views of the moon. Hoping to see Saturn and Jupiter moons

13. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    (15)

    Customer – June 5, 2023

    I reluctantly gave my son my 90mm Orion Mak-Cass after my wife gifted to me a 6″ Celestron. This 70mm is an absolutely great replacement. Optical quality for a scope this price is great! The tripod is of surprisingly good quality. With the tripod legs retracted it makes a very usable tabletop scope that doesn’t require a contortionist to get under the finderscope. The finderscope (red dot) has the on/off/brightness control away from the aiming adjustment knobs which helps avoid the common error of misaligning the finderscope when turning on. Makes a good spotting scope and a good grab and go astronomical instrument at a great price

14. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    (15)

    GABRIEL STOICA – August 2, 2023

    The best telescope on the market with this budget ever! Absolutely incredible! Much, much better than a refractor of the same aperture!

15. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    (15)

    Albert (verified owner) – February 16, 2024

    Nice scope, better customer service! Do not hesitate giving this one a try. Comes with everything you need and the slo mo controls are very smooth. Even if the scope turns out to not be your thing Im sure the mount will.