Celestron - Zoom Eyepiece for Telescope - Versatile 8mm-24mm Zoom for Low Power and High Power Viewing - Works with Any Telescope that Accepts 1.25" Eyepieces

6SE is very pleased with it. Excellent alternative to the eyepiece - The price is reasonable, and you get a lot of value for your money. I'm using it with a Celestron Nexstar 6SEbr>br>If you're reading this review and trying to decide whether or not to buy this eyepiece, you're probably like me and are still learning about it, so here's how I got on with it. The telescope tube (also known as the optical tube assembly or OTA) collects light from the sky and converts it into an image that you can examine through the eyepiece. OTA length / eyepiece length is a simple formula for calculating the magnification of what you're seeing in the sky. br>br>My 6SE (1500mm focal length) came with a standard 25mm eyepiece, resulting in a magnification of 1500/25mm = 60x. This zoom eyepiece starts at 24mm (62x magnification) and zooms to 8mm (187x magnification). But you're just doing an optical enlargement of a section of the image created by the OTA, so the image you'll see will *be* larger, but it'll also appear a lot darker, and you'll quickly realize that you don't have suitable optics to easily focus and get a nice crisp image, and I find that I start to notice the slight vibration that I introduce to the telescope when my head touches the eyepiece. br>br>I occasionally pair this zoom eyepiece with the similarly priced Celestron Barlow extender, and I enjoy the combination and am able to explore more, but it's just a matter of thinking about what this can and can't do. To give you an idea of the magnification, I've included two photos taken with my phone while looking through the eyepiece at Jupiter at 24mm (zoomed out) and 8mm (zoomed in). There's no indication of image quality or crispness from this.

Luciano Blair

| Oct 03, 2021

Clairity isn't quite up to par with that of a single lens. It's incredible that you can use one magnification and switch to another. It's a great value for money. It's also the lens I've been using since I purchased it. I've had this lens for three years and it's still my favorite. I gave it a 4 out of 5 because it wasn't as clear as I would have liked, but I would have given it a 4 otherwise. If I had the option, I'd give it a five-star rating for ease of use. I'd buy it again if the opportunity arose. I bought it on a budget and believe it was the right decision. It's mated to an Astromaster 90. I have a 2x barlow and a Celestron kit with 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 14mm, and 20mm lenses, as well as filters. I had a 25mm on hand, which may or may not have come with the scope. This lens is all you'll need for a cheap scope trip to Saturn. Obtain a moon filter if you wish to see the moon. It has a lot of light. You can get really close if you use this with a 2x barlow, but keep in mind that the adjustments become more delicate as the mag increases, and Saturn will be huge but flee quickly. If you're new to the area and have a limited budget, Purchase this lens from Celestron along with a moon filter and possibly a 2x barlow. Celestron, by the way, has fantastic customer service. I broke a support that was no longer under warranty. They replaced it for no charge!.

Isaias REES

| Jul 02, 2021

The 8" SCT, 80mm refractor, and 14" Dobsonian provide excellent views. As you rotate the eyepiece, there is a slight vignetting, but that is to be expected with these types of ZOOM optics. br>br>The 8"SCT and the 80mm provided excellent views of Saturn's rings and the moon. In Cassiopeia, I was able to distinguish double stars and get a good view of the Ring Nebula using the 14" telescope. Because of the size of the barrel and the fact that you must twist it to change magnifications, attaching a phone adapter was a bit of a pain. For those who take pictures with their cell phones, this is a minor point to mention. br>br>For the money, this is a good option for a new telescope that wants something other than the included eyepieces.

Khalani Lester

| Mar 25, 2021

However, there is only one 25" eyepiece telescope. Unboxing this, I was surprised to see how large and heavy it is, with a lot of eye relief. I'll give it another shot tonight with the full moon and report back, but the zoom action and internal lens movement appear to be overly tight and non-responsive at first glance. I can hear the guides grinding metal against metal because they aren't lubricated, so the first thing I'll do is apply some precision grease to the zoom lens guides. Isn't this something that could have been accomplished during the assembly process? br>Three out of a possible five stars. br>br>Newsflash- Removed the top eyepiece and used an aerospace-grade adhesive to lightly coat it. Mobilegrease-grade bearing grease (Mobilegrease-grade bearing grease-grade bearing grease-grade bearing grease 28) and only used it on the zoom slide guides, turning the zoom piece in and out 50 times. Much, much better! This is what I use most often on my Celestron D70 400mm spotting scope for bird watching, and I love it! Crisp image, wide eyepiece, and much easier zooming with one hand now. br>Rated four stars instead of five because the zoom is still too tight and the guides were not lubricated during assembly.

Brooke Maddox

| Mar 30, 2021