SVBONY SV501P Telescope, 70mm Fully Coated Glass Optical Telescope, for Adults Beginners Kids, with Backpack, Eyepiece and Find Scope (Not Include Tripod)

First and foremost, let's get rid of the notion that this is a "Kid's" telescope. While it certainly can be, any stargazer will find it to be a lot of fun. This SvBony is far from a "toy," but rather a surprisingly capable and enjoyable instrument. For ANY observer, even the most seasoned. "Unbelievable" is a superlative that is overused, but it is appropriate in this case. br>br>Second, a little background on myself to put my review in context. br>br>While I consider myself an intermediate level stargazer ("astronomer" is too lofty a term for my skill set), I've been at it for 8 years and have, had, and used some excellent equipment, including (currently) a Stellarvue Access 80ED and Orion ST120, C90 Maksutov, and AT70ED. And I've sold my Televue TV85, Takahashi 76, Nexstar SCT 6SE, and Skywatcher Pro 100ED in the last seven months. Even though none of these are even close to being a fair comparison to this tiny Svbony, it's impossible not to make one. And, spoiler alert, none of the aforementioned telescopes compare to the SV501P. Well, of course. br>br>Now, let's talk about the SV501P. I keep it in a corner near the front door for those last-minute decisions to do 15-minute workouts. The whole thing, scope and mount, MAYBE weighs 3 pounds——it's like carrying a small kitchen broom out the door——like last night when I spent a delightful 20 minutes traipsing around in Cygnus, along with a little lunar time. . . near full moon) in our front courtyard br>br>I've only taken it out four times for short "test drives" (mostly because our weather has been relentlessly wet and/or total overcast for entire weeks since I received the Svbony), but that's enough to know that it's a fantastic little refractor. On the Moon, there was remarkable sharpness and detail, as well as some nice views of several open clusters, including NGC 4665, the Sagittarius Star Cloud, M8 Lagoon Nebula (ok, not great, but it was there), and Messier 42, the breathtaking Orion Nebula, as well as the Pleiades, the Hyades, some doubles, and various anonymous star fields. br>br>Due to the 501P's small (70mm) aperture, the number of stars in these clusters was lower than what I see in larger aperture, more light-sensitive telescopes. As is to be expected, telescopes are being gathered. What I DO see, however, is a near-perfect situation. I ordered one of these in September because it sounded and looked like a fun thing to have, including (and this surprised me) pretty much PINPOINT stars——even more so when I removed the small central dust cover cap on the objective (front) end of the 501P, turning it from a short f/4 focal ratio to a "long tube" f/8 or 9, thus even greater sharpness and less chromatic aberration (CA) on brighter objects like thebr> br>br>Once again, this is NOT a toy; rather, it is a high-quality short-tube refractor that is ideal for low-power wide-field observing and offers astonishingly good performance for the price, as well as better-than-expected build quality. I honestly can't think of a better bang for your astronomy buck. This is a fantastic deal. br>br>I took some photos of distant (150-mile) objects with my iPhone. Trees, bright yellow and veined big maple leaves, and some close-ups of fir needles (200 yards away)——impressive sharpness, detail, and color saturation. As I previously stated, the optics are very good to excellent. Is the SV501P as good as my ED refractor? br>br>Is the SV501P as good as my ED refractor? No way. It didn't, however, come at a $600 price tag. 00 is not an option. br>Now that my SV80ED is ready to mount on a Vixen Porta II, I'd like to take both out for a shoot. And with realistic goals in mind. br>br>While the kit's 20mm Kellner eyepiece is more than adequate, the 25mm, 20mm, 15mm, and 12mm Plossls significantly improve resolution and contrast. I used an Orion correct image prism diagonal as well as a Celestron star diagonal. There was also a 45-minute break included. Degree diag was better than "okay," but it was a pain to use once you started pointing the optical tube higher and higher. br>br>However, if you plan to use this'scope for astronomy, you should get a 90-degree refractor right away. I would suggest a Correct Image diagonal (i. e. a 90-degree diagonal). one in which Up is Up, Left is Left, and so on). On Amazon and eBay, you can easily find inexpensive but still good ones. br>br>SIT while observing is the second step. Simply take a seat on the patio or wherever you want. Much more comfortable and relaxing, allowing you to observe for longer periods of time while also avoiding having to fully extend the tripod, which can be a little wobbly all the way up compared to being reasonably stable halfway up. Use it on a heavier duty photo tripod if you want to be extra safe. br>br>Use of the 501P is a lot of fun. Also, for some strange reason, give my other, much higher-end'scopes. ……. pleased with br>br>Think about it: The 501P, like all short tube achromatic refractors, is best suited for low power wide field observing (for "sweeping the Milky Way"), including brighter DSO (Deep Sky Objects), and does not perform well at high magnification. Sure, it's fine for the Moon, but not so much for planetary use. Or any distant and/or dim objects. These will necessitate a lot more power. So make the most of the 501P's strengths. br>br>Oh, and by the way: As a finder, I use a green laser pointer (which fits in the included finderscope mount almost perfectly). (See photos attached. ) When combined with a low-power wide-field eyepiece, it's incredibly simple to navigate. Here, the Svbony 23mm Aspheric is a low-cost, high-quality option. br>br>An observation on a larger scale. I own a lot of Svbony kit aside from the 501P and have never been less 100% than 100% satisfied. What they sell always seems to hit the sweet spot on the Value-For-Money scale. Perfomance nexus is a term used to describe a relationship between two things: performance and If you decide to keep this scope and continue your stargazing adventure, you should definitely order some of their eyepieces.

Briana Fernandez

| Sep 05, 2021

Consider this small telescope to be an incredibly low-cost entry-level telescope. It's functional as is, but it begs to be customized and upgraded. 1 . Swap out your 6x25 finder for a red dot. The 20mm eyepiece and the diagonal are both fine. Better eyepieces and an Amici prism with a 90 degree correct image are what I prefer. The best magnification range for this telescope is 15x to just over 30x. A 26 is obtained using a 15mm eyepiece. Great view 6 times. Views of the Moon, wide double stars, and brighter star clusters are best from this location. Keep one in your car, along with a good video tripod.

Halle Ferrell

| Oct 03, 2021

A good quality-price ratio- precio. Acceptable job performance.

Avery Curry

| Nov 03, 2021

The telescope had no support in the form of a tripod.

Freya Jackson

| Sep 27, 2021

First-rate telescope.

Kye FitzGerald

| May 18, 2021