Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I have truly enjoyed this scope! I got great views of Jupiter, Saturn, the Orion Nebula and of course the moon. The finderscope was a little tricky but once I got it aligned it performed ok. I really don't have anything negative to say about this scope, it performs well for a small aperture scope. You will not be disappointed with this scope, as long you are familiar with the limitations of a 90mm aperture scope.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I use it mostly for terrestrial viewing, on a video tripod, with a couple eyepieces. Terrific sharpness and brightness. I just don't see how you could beat it for the price. There's really nothing negative.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

This is a terrific scope for either terrestrial or astronomy. A couple of considerations: 1) the finder scope it comes with is tough to use if you have glasses and has a pretty small field of view. Also, it doesn't come with dust caps? That said, it is simple to align with the main scope. 2) If you're using the scope for mainly astronomy I would invest in a 90 degree diagonal specifically for astronomy rather than the supplied 45 degree. 3) no matter what application you're using it for, put it on a good solid mount. For astronomy I have an orion skyview pro (cg-5) which is great for it. Absolutely rock solid vibration dampening. The scope weighs about 5 lbs so I would look for something with a load rating at least twice that. If you're doing terrestrial you'll need a very solid tripod there as well. Bottom line: The scope itself is a steal for what you pay. It feels heavy and serious in your hands and the quality of the optics is superb. The accessories it comes with will need some tweaking or replacing. A pleasant surprise was the 32 degree eyepiece it comes with. Again, I would have liked some dust caps! But it's still not bad for an included eyepiece. You can change eyepieces on it too. So if you already have a collection of 1.25's you can use them. Just bear in mind that the scope only gathers so much light and the focal length is pretty long so a short focal length eyepiece will give a pretty dark view. Other than that, get this scope before they stop making it!

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

Needed a lightweight, portable scope for use at my cabin to view wildlife and night sky. I have about 10 interchangeable eyepieces from my Mead telescope. I like the ability to change eyepieces.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I am using this scope with a CCD camera as a guide scope in a large telescope project. The focal length is excellent for a 1/3" CCD, and the image is uniform across the field. The size and convenient focus adjustment make this ideal for our application.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

Great value and good optics. I use it to view our mountains, birds, wildlife, and the moon.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

This is my first experience at all with any scope. This seems to do the job, I research for weeks and found this telescope from Celestron to fit my early
needs, the clerk was very helpful to made my decision.
As an added bonus, I can take very nice pictures also.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

This scope is superb for low-light wildlife viewing and stars. Had one 30 years ago and gave it away. The newer version has better ocular and much better focusing. You will need a sturdier than average tripod to minimize vibrations.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

Excellent spotting scope for general terrestrial observations. Brings the moon in nicely as well. Have tried digiscoping using a Nikon DSLR. Expect heavy vignetting if using a full frame camera. Reasonable results but rock solid tripod is a must. Super light weight and easy to transport with the included back pack. Really can't beat the price.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I am very satisfied with the image quality and handling of the scope, although the eyepiece that comes with it is rather weak in magnification and is not that easy to view with.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I plan to use the C90 MAK scope primarily as a spotting scope for long range rifle shooting. I'm hoping it will allow me to score targets at 300 yards but I don't really expect it to perform much beyond that distance.The lens that came with the scope is crystal clear, the little sighting scope is very useful for getting pointed in the right direction. The ability to change lens is fantastic and I also bought a 8-24 zoom lens for use at the rifle range. The included 32mm lens gets in the ballpark of 40x magnification, more than enough for casual observation of birds or something like the moon. The 8-24 zoom lens gets me about 50x-150x magnification. From about 100 yards away I can clearly read the brand and number on a golf ball sitting in the grass.The downside of the zoom is it's hard to focus at maximum zoom and the viewable image is a little dim. There are probably more expensive zoom lenses that would perform better but for only [$] it's great.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I bought this scope for my 9yo Daughter, birthday.
I'm very surprised by good quality (even it says "made in china").
Most times, when I buy China "stuff" - I need to spend additional money to fix it. Not here.
The view thru 32mm eyepiece is very clear and sharp.
DO NOT BUY eyepiece shorted than 10mm, makes no sense. Buy 12mm good quality eyepiece , it will give you about 105x magnification - pefect for Moon and stars (for beginners).

Good, heavy tripod with many metal parts is needed for this telescope.

If you use this scope for range - checking .22 holes from 70 yards - no problemo, on any color target.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I used the scope to see Jupiter last week, with a gso 15mm eye piece I could see three of Jupiters moons and the rings on the planet.
It's really very easy to set up, with my Celestron CG3 tripod for quick views. I'm ready to look at the moon in about ten minutes.
It's going to be a little hard to add a better view finder, because of the screw holes.
Over all I love the Celestron C90, and have bought one for my 25yr old son. He enjoys it also.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I bought this little scope for some planetary astro-photography and just a long focal length lens for my digital SLR camera. Although the clear nights have been few and far between since purchasing the scope I know I am going to get a lot of use for it. I plan to take it to South Africa on a safari next year as it is so portable.
Well done Celestron (I also have a Celestron refractor telescope).

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I use for both terrestrial and astonomical viewing, and telephoto lens. Needs to be mounted to a motor drive (telescope) for astro viewing. Lightweight, easy to pack. Doesn't need a T adapter for SLR, just need the adapter ring for your camera. Backpack does not have a padded area to store eyepiece, diagonal, or finderscope. Dust caps not included for eyepiece or finderscope. Diagonal does not seal to optical tube (gaps around diagonal tube) may let dust in. No tripod included.
BHPhoto has the very best price. Pretty decent scope for the price.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I already own an older model "orange" C90 scope. This is a classic MAK scope, and has a reputation for being a great little "grab and go" telescope. I learned recently that Celestron is discontinuing the new C90, as advertised here. It has some technical improvements over the old model, for example, a standard 1.25" eyepiece (the old one uses 0.96"), and a more convenient focusing mechanism. I therefore decided to buy new new C90 while I had the chance!

I plan to use the C90 for casual astronomy. It is less useful as a daytime telephoto lens, because it is too dim, and focusing is slow. (Check out the Celestron site to see some of the amazing astrophotography people have done with the C90!)

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I use this scope for target spotting at the rifle range. This scope coupled to my 69 year old eyes allows me to read the numbers on the target rings at 100 yards without difficulty. It is perfect for my application. It also produces a good image out beyond 300 meters. Next, just for drill I'll point it at the moon on a clear night and take a look.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I bought this to spot and take photos of objects 5 miles or more away. It does a great job. Small, light and easy to carry, the images are very clean and clear.
The included plossl eyepiece is bright and easy to use, with a 2X barlow and 24mm eyepiece it's up to 100X. Very nice indeed. Planning on connecting a DSLR to this for long telephoto shots.

So far I am very pleased. Great scope and great value for money.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

The C90 MAK is a solid, versatile little scope. It provides bright, sharp views of birds during the day, and decent night viewing for the moon and planets. I live an area with limited sky views and pretty severe light pollution, so this meets my needs in the astronomical realm. I do recommend getting a Celestron star diagonal to replace the 45° Erect-Image Diagonal for a clearer view.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I bought this scope a few months ago as my first astronomy telescope and I'm slightly disappointed. It's great for planets and the moon at high power but views of anything other than that are dim and underwhelming. The long focal length and high F ratio mean that the field of view is very narrow, the magnification very high and the amount of light that reaches your eye is faint. The lowest possible magnification for this scope is about 40x which is frustratingly high. More magnification is definitely not better (for astronomy anyway). Objects are dim and float out of view very quickly at 40x. However, It is very solidly built, images of the moon or planets are crisp and clear and it performs well at higher magnifications. It would make a decent long-range spotting scope, though it is pretty heavy.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I have truly enjoyed this scope! I got great views of Jupiter, Saturn, the Orion Nebula and of course the moon. The finderscope was a little tricky but once I got it aligned it performed ok. I really don't have anything negative to say about this scope, it performs well for a small aperture scope. You will not be disappointed with this scope, as long you are familiar with the limitations of a 90mm aperture scope.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I use it mostly for terrestrial viewing, on a video tripod, with a couple eyepieces. Terrific sharpness and brightness. I just don't see how you could beat it for the price. There's really nothing negative.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

This is a terrific scope for either terrestrial or astronomy. A couple of considerations: 1) the finder scope it comes with is tough to use if you have glasses and has a pretty small field of view. Also, it doesn't come with dust caps? That said, it is simple to align with the main scope. 2) If you're using the scope for mainly astronomy I would invest in a 90 degree diagonal specifically for astronomy rather than the supplied 45 degree. 3) no matter what application you're using it for, put it on a good solid mount. For astronomy I have an orion skyview pro (cg-5) which is great for it. Absolutely rock solid vibration dampening. The scope weighs about 5 lbs so I would look for something with a load rating at least twice that. If you're doing terrestrial you'll need a very solid tripod there as well. Bottom line: The scope itself is a steal for what you pay. It feels heavy and serious in your hands and the quality of the optics is superb. The accessories it comes with will need some tweaking or replacing. A pleasant surprise was the 32 degree eyepiece it comes with. Again, I would have liked some dust caps! But it's still not bad for an included eyepiece. You can change eyepieces on it too. So if you already have a collection of 1.25's you can use them. Just bear in mind that the scope only gathers so much light and the focal length is pretty long so a short focal length eyepiece will give a pretty dark view. Other than that, get this scope before they stop making it!

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

Needed a lightweight, portable scope for use at my cabin to view wildlife and night sky. I have about 10 interchangeable eyepieces from my Mead telescope. I like the ability to change eyepieces.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I am using this scope with a CCD camera as a guide scope in a large telescope project. The focal length is excellent for a 1/3" CCD, and the image is uniform across the field. The size and convenient focus adjustment make this ideal for our application.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

Great value and good optics. I use it to view our mountains, birds, wildlife, and the moon.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

This is my first experience at all with any scope. This seems to do the job, I research for weeks and found this telescope from Celestron to fit my early
needs, the clerk was very helpful to made my decision.
As an added bonus, I can take very nice pictures also.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

This scope is superb for low-light wildlife viewing and stars. Had one 30 years ago and gave it away. The newer version has better ocular and much better focusing. You will need a sturdier than average tripod to minimize vibrations.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

Excellent spotting scope for general terrestrial observations. Brings the moon in nicely as well. Have tried digiscoping using a Nikon DSLR. Expect heavy vignetting if using a full frame camera. Reasonable results but rock solid tripod is a must. Super light weight and easy to transport with the included back pack. Really can't beat the price.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I am very satisfied with the image quality and handling of the scope, although the eyepiece that comes with it is rather weak in magnification and is not that easy to view with.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I plan to use the C90 MAK scope primarily as a spotting scope for long range rifle shooting. I'm hoping it will allow me to score targets at 300 yards but I don't really expect it to perform much beyond that distance.The lens that came with the scope is crystal clear, the little sighting scope is very useful for getting pointed in the right direction. The ability to change lens is fantastic and I also bought a 8-24 zoom lens for use at the rifle range. The included 32mm lens gets in the ballpark of 40x magnification, more than enough for casual observation of birds or something like the moon. The 8-24 zoom lens gets me about 50x-150x magnification. From about 100 yards away I can clearly read the brand and number on a golf ball sitting in the grass.The downside of the zoom is it's hard to focus at maximum zoom and the viewable image is a little dim. There are probably more expensive zoom lenses that would perform better but for only [$] it's great.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I bought this scope for my 9yo Daughter, birthday.
I'm very surprised by good quality (even it says "made in china").
Most times, when I buy China "stuff" - I need to spend additional money to fix it. Not here.
The view thru 32mm eyepiece is very clear and sharp.
DO NOT BUY eyepiece shorted than 10mm, makes no sense. Buy 12mm good quality eyepiece , it will give you about 105x magnification - pefect for Moon and stars (for beginners).

Good, heavy tripod with many metal parts is needed for this telescope.

If you use this scope for range - checking .22 holes from 70 yards - no problemo, on any color target.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I used the scope to see Jupiter last week, with a gso 15mm eye piece I could see three of Jupiters moons and the rings on the planet.
It's really very easy to set up, with my Celestron CG3 tripod for quick views. I'm ready to look at the moon in about ten minutes.
It's going to be a little hard to add a better view finder, because of the screw holes.
Over all I love the Celestron C90, and have bought one for my 25yr old son. He enjoys it also.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I bought this little scope for some planetary astro-photography and just a long focal length lens for my digital SLR camera. Although the clear nights have been few and far between since purchasing the scope I know I am going to get a lot of use for it. I plan to take it to South Africa on a safari next year as it is so portable.
Well done Celestron (I also have a Celestron refractor telescope).

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I use for both terrestrial and astonomical viewing, and telephoto lens. Needs to be mounted to a motor drive (telescope) for astro viewing. Lightweight, easy to pack. Doesn't need a T adapter for SLR, just need the adapter ring for your camera. Backpack does not have a padded area to store eyepiece, diagonal, or finderscope. Dust caps not included for eyepiece or finderscope. Diagonal does not seal to optical tube (gaps around diagonal tube) may let dust in. No tripod included.
BHPhoto has the very best price. Pretty decent scope for the price.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I already own an older model "orange" C90 scope. This is a classic MAK scope, and has a reputation for being a great little "grab and go" telescope. I learned recently that Celestron is discontinuing the new C90, as advertised here. It has some technical improvements over the old model, for example, a standard 1.25" eyepiece (the old one uses 0.96"), and a more convenient focusing mechanism. I therefore decided to buy new new C90 while I had the chance!

I plan to use the C90 for casual astronomy. It is less useful as a daytime telephoto lens, because it is too dim, and focusing is slow. (Check out the Celestron site to see some of the amazing astrophotography people have done with the C90!)

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I use this scope for target spotting at the rifle range. This scope coupled to my 69 year old eyes allows me to read the numbers on the target rings at 100 yards without difficulty. It is perfect for my application. It also produces a good image out beyond 300 meters. Next, just for drill I'll point it at the moon on a clear night and take a look.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I bought this to spot and take photos of objects 5 miles or more away. It does a great job. Small, light and easy to carry, the images are very clean and clear.
The included plossl eyepiece is bright and easy to use, with a 2X barlow and 24mm eyepiece it's up to 100X. Very nice indeed. Planning on connecting a DSLR to this for long telephoto shots.

So far I am very pleased. Great scope and great value for money.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

The C90 MAK is a solid, versatile little scope. It provides bright, sharp views of birds during the day, and decent night viewing for the moon and planets. I live an area with limited sky views and pretty severe light pollution, so this meets my needs in the astronomical realm. I do recommend getting a Celestron star diagonal to replace the 45° Erect-Image Diagonal for a clearer view.

Comments about Celestron C90 MAK Spotting Scope:

I bought this scope a few months ago as my first astronomy telescope and I'm slightly disappointed. It's great for planets and the moon at high power but views of anything other than that are dim and underwhelming. The long focal length and high F ratio mean that the field of view is very narrow, the magnification very high and the amount of light that reaches your eye is faint. The lowest possible magnification for this scope is about 40x which is frustratingly high. More magnification is definitely not better (for astronomy anyway). Objects are dim and float out of view very quickly at 40x. However, It is very solidly built, images of the moon or planets are crisp and clear and it performs well at higher magnifications. It would make a decent long-range spotting scope, though it is pretty heavy.