Falconer's Stats
- Review Count5
- Helpfulness Votes15
- First ReviewOctober 2, 2011
- Last ReviewNovember 30, 2011
- Featured Reviews0
- Average Rating5
Reviews Comments
- Review Comment Count0
- Helpfulness Votes0
- First Review CommentNone
- Last Review CommentNone
- Featured Review Comments0
Falconer's Reviews
The Orion 1.25" Telescope Accessory Kit includes a good starting assortment of eyepieces to get the most out of your telescope. Two Sirius Plossl 1.25" eyepieces, a Shorty Barlow lens, 4 filters for lunar and planetary viewing, and an aluminum case.
Rating
1.25" Accessory Kit
PostedNovember 30, 2011
Optical Quality
3
/
5
Mechanical Quality
3
/
5
Ease of Assembly & Use
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
Very nice kit. I needed a small case for my eyepieces and other small equiptment and I did not like the regular black ones they offer. so I went with this kit. I did not really need the barlow or the eyepieces but they are nice to have in a pinch. The filters are a nice touch and I do use them quite a bit. The moon filter does a very good job for moon observation and allows you take a nice long look without getting blinded and also works well with Jupiter's glare in some situations. All in all this is a very good deal for the price if you consider what each component costs seperately.
Favorite viewing location: Back Yard
Favorite object to observe: Planets, Open Clusters & Nebula
Pros: great value
Cons: none
Yes, I recommend this product!
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
The 3mm Orion Edge-On Planetary Eyepiece is high powered making it great for detailed viewing of the moon and planets. The flat field design ensures sharp focus all the way to the edge, and fully multi-coated optics give you bright, sharp images.
Rating
3mm Edge-On Planetary Eyepiece
PostedOctober 27, 2011
Optical Quality
5
/
5
Mechanical Quality
5
/
5
Ease of Use
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
I bought this eyepiece to futher my pursuits learning imaging of the planets, (particularly Jupiter as it approaches opposition on October 28), with my Starblast 4.5 Newtonian. I was also looking for a high quality, long eye relief eyepiece that would give me a good reletive magnification without the use of a barlow. The Edge-On Planetary 3mm exceeded my expectations. The optical quality is excellent at 150x. Jupiter and its famed GRS are clear and sharp with no less than 4 belts at any given time as it travels from edge to edge, just as the "Edge-On" name denotes. Imaging with a SteadyPix Deluxe has been very rewarding thus far and I am looking forward to getting the EQ-1M Electronic Drive for longer exposures. My first impression of the eyepiece was that it was huge, but I actually have come to love this fact as well as the nice etched grips. It really feels solid when combined with the SteadyPix Deluxe and digital camera. The Edge-On 3mm also works very well on just about any object of interest. Brighter objects like M-57, M-31 and M-42 have a real 3D feel to them. I am very pleased with this eyepiece. Thanks Orion for yet another great product!
Favorite viewing location: Backyard
Favorite object to observe: Planets, Nebula & Clusters
Yes, I recommend this product!
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+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
Have you ever wanted to take a picture of what you were viewing through your telescope? The Orion SteadyPix Deluxe Camera Mount lets you! It securely holds virtually any camera up to an eyepiece for afocal photography of celestial objects.
Rating
Very Stable And Useful Mount.
PostedOctober 4, 2011
Mechanical Quality
5
/
5
Fit
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
The mechanical quality is very good and the assembly is very easy. The rubber padding protects both the eyepiece and the camera. The mount is adjustable to accomodate my point-and-shoot Polaroid i1036 that has the 1/4"-20 receiver on the extreme front right bottom of the camera. I also liked the thick design with little weight as it is gives you a nice handle to carry your assembled camera-eyepice setup and protects them both when not in use. I would have to say the value is the best on the market for anyone interested in afocal terrestrial or astrophotography. Thanks Orion for another solid product that I will use for years.
Favorite viewing location: Home
Favorite object to observe: Planets, Clusters and Nebula
Yes, I recommend this product!
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
The Orion StarBlast 4.5 EQ Reflector is a perfect family telescope. The short focal length allows you to see more of the sky, which makes it easier for beginners to find objects. The adjustable tripod makes this a good choice for the whole family.
Rating
The Orion StarBlast 4.5 is a Solid beginner scope for the price.
PostedOctober 3, 2011
Optical Quality
5
/
5
Mechanical Quality
5
/
5
Ease of Assembly & Use
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
The optical quality is exceptional for a 4.5! With the very fast f/4.0 focal ratio and High Quality Expanse 15mm and 6mm eyepieces not only does the Starblast bring out astonishing 66 degree fields of view it is ideal for future astrophotography. I was able to see the ring nebula right away at 30x and with 75x it was easily definable the first try. Jupiter is a sight to behold, at 30x I could easily define the belts, and at 75x with the Expanse eyepiece and 1 hand on the slow motion control I could REALLY get a good steady view. The mechanical quaility was also more than I expected. The EQ-1 mount is very smooth and easy to work with. It took a mere 3 minutes to set my latitude and polar align. There was no stiffness in the slow motion controls at all and using them for fine adjustment while observing is thoughtless. This was the first time I had used an EZ Finder and am very suprised how easy it is to find objects with the adjustable red dot as if I was just looking up with the naked eye and pointing my finger, no more squnting and crowning over to get my full eye into a finderscope. I did need to collimnate the scope before observing, however, the process was very easy after watching the video here at www.telescope.com. The focuser operates smoothly and tightly with no play. Assembly was very easy and I could have done it in about 15 minutes, but I wanted to take my time and carefully inspect everything along the process. Anyone can assemble this scope whether they are familiar with astronomy or not with the included straight-to-the-point instruction manual and provided tools. Ease of use was a given after assembling the scope, everything from balancing the counterweight to setting the EZ Finder to using the RA and DEC circles. All parts are nicely crafted and well defined for a whole package of luxery while observing. The value is obviously appearant with the High Quality short tube, EQ-1 mount, High Quality Expanse 6mm and 15mm eyepieces. The expandability is also obvious with the Starblast's astrophotography capability and EQ-1 mount, that will accept clock drives and other tubes. The StarBlast 4.5 has it all for a fantastic price for the beginner and the more advanced observer. Thanks A Bunch Orion... I will be in touch :)
Favorite viewing location: Home
Favorite object to observe: Planets, Clusters and Nebula
Yes, I recommend this product!
Share:
+8points
8of 8voted this as helpful.
The Orion StarBlast 4.5 EQ Reflector is a perfect family telescope. The short focal length allows you to see more of the sky, which makes it easier for beginners to find objects. The adjustable tripod makes this a good choice for the whole family.
Rating
Orion StarBlast 4.5 EQ = Full Beginner Satifaction With Expandability.
PostedOctober 2, 2011
Optical Quality
5
/
5
Mechanical Quality
5
/
5
Ease of Assembly & Use
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
The optical quality is exceptional for a 4.5! With the very fast f/4.0 focal ratio and High Quality Expanse 15mm and 6mm eyepieces not only does the Starblast bring out astonishing 66 degree fields of view it is ideal for future astrophotography. I was able to see the ring nebula right away at 30x and with 75x it was easily definable the first try. Jupiter is a sight to behold, at 30x I could easily define the belts, and at 75x with the Expanse eyepiece and 1 hand on the slow motion control I could REALLY get a good steady view.
The mechanical quaility was also more than I expected. The EQ-1 mount is very smooth and easy to work with. It took a mere 3 minutes to set my latitude and polar align. There was no stiffness in the slow motion controls at all and using them for fine adjustment while observing is thoughtless. This was the first time I had used an EZ Finder and am very suprised how easy it is to find objects with the adjustable red dot as if I was just looking up with the naked eye and pointing my finger, no more squnting and crowning over to get my full eye into a finderscope. I did need to collimnate the scope before observing, however, the process was very easy after watching the video here at www.telescope.com. I had also read some reviews before buying the StarBlast where some folks were having to regrease the focuser for smooth operation. I found this not to be the case and haven't thought about at all.
Assembly was very easy and I could have done it in about 15 minutes, but I wanted to take my time and carefully inspect everything along the process. Anyone who can read can assemble this scope whether they are familiar with astronomy or not with the included straight-to-the-point instruction manual and provided tools. Ease of use was a given after assembling the scope, everything from balancing the counterweight to setting the EZ Finder to using the RA and DEC circles. All parts are nicely crafted and well defined for a whole package of luxery while observing.
The value is obviously appearant with the High Quality short tube, EQ-1 mount, High Quality Expanse 6mm and 15mm eyepieces. The expandability is also obvious with the Starblast's astrophotography capability and EQ-1 mount, that will accept clock drives and other tubes. The StarBlast 4.5 has it all for a fantastic price for the beginner and the more advanced observer.
Thanks A Bunch Orion... I will be in touch :)
The mechanical quaility was also more than I expected. The EQ-1 mount is very smooth and easy to work with. It took a mere 3 minutes to set my latitude and polar align. There was no stiffness in the slow motion controls at all and using them for fine adjustment while observing is thoughtless. This was the first time I had used an EZ Finder and am very suprised how easy it is to find objects with the adjustable red dot as if I was just looking up with the naked eye and pointing my finger, no more squnting and crowning over to get my full eye into a finderscope. I did need to collimnate the scope before observing, however, the process was very easy after watching the video here at www.telescope.com. I had also read some reviews before buying the StarBlast where some folks were having to regrease the focuser for smooth operation. I found this not to be the case and haven't thought about at all.
Assembly was very easy and I could have done it in about 15 minutes, but I wanted to take my time and carefully inspect everything along the process. Anyone who can read can assemble this scope whether they are familiar with astronomy or not with the included straight-to-the-point instruction manual and provided tools. Ease of use was a given after assembling the scope, everything from balancing the counterweight to setting the EZ Finder to using the RA and DEC circles. All parts are nicely crafted and well defined for a whole package of luxery while observing.
The value is obviously appearant with the High Quality short tube, EQ-1 mount, High Quality Expanse 6mm and 15mm eyepieces. The expandability is also obvious with the Starblast's astrophotography capability and EQ-1 mount, that will accept clock drives and other tubes. The StarBlast 4.5 has it all for a fantastic price for the beginner and the more advanced observer.
Thanks A Bunch Orion... I will be in touch :)
Favorite viewing location: Home
Favorite object to observe: The Moon, Planets, Clusters & Nebula
Yes, I recommend this product!
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Falconer's Review Comments
Falconer has not submitted comments on any reviews.