Meade Instruments 222001 80mm Adventure Scope with Accessories, Tripod and Backpack, Tan/Black

The scope itself blew away my expectations looking at the moon! It truly floored me with the detail this little guy could pick up. This picture above was taken with my phone, with the low magnification eyepeice it came with. We did crop the photo down. However, it was even more clear in person! I live downtown, I had a street light essentially right above me and yet I was still impressed!!The mount... Is not even slightly usable. Idk why they even bother! My picture above shows how I had to Jimmy rig this sucker with a ratchet strap and gear tie to keep it from literally popping off the mount and hitting the ground. We had 2 near disasters, but it all ended well! DO NOT try and look more than a slight slant upwards or it will disconnect!!Like other reviews. Scope is fantastic! Stand isn't worth free fitty.

The weak link in this package is the tripod that comes with it. Invest in a more stable mount and you'll be able to see what the Meade 80mm Adventure Scope can do. It works fine for birding or terrestrial viewing. Like dark sky objects? This is a fast little 'scope. I use it on my Nexstar Goto mount with a Revolution Imager 2 CCTV camera for video astronomy. Messier objects in heavy light pollution? No problem. It's an achromat so it will fringe on bright objects. This can be greatly reduced to an acceptable level with a yellow longpass eyepiece filter for the moon and planets. But planets are not what this scope is all about. Low power, rich field views of the Milky Way is where it shines! It's a true grab and go 'scope. Build quality is about what you'd expect for a 'scope costing 2 or 3 times more. When people see visually or on screen what this little guy can do, they just say wow! It punches way above its weight. FYI, it's an exact clone of the old Orion ST80. It's a great starter 'scope and even when you upgrade to something bigger or better, I bet you will still keep this one around. Because its so small, light and didn't cost too much, you'll be more inclined to use it. Remember the old adage, the best telescope is the one you use. The bigger or more fancy ones get left in a box in the closet because they are too much hassle to set up or you'd be afraid to put them in harms way. On the "OTA" (optical tube assembly), the only thing not made out of metal are the knobs for the focuser. It's built tough enough to get dragged around and put in to regular service. No kidding. And if it gets banged up, aw-shucks. At this price, get another one.

This is a nice little package. I have used it for casually brief observations. Due to the fact that this set-up can break down so quickly, it's an adequate set up to take camping, and on the go. One could take it with them daily for birdwatching, or for skywatching.For what it is, the tripod isn't terrible- however it isn't great: it is adequate for casual use. The mount needs some basic improvement mods out of the box. This telescope would be great on a solid mount. On the mount provided, it is merely decent- for the price.That leads me to the scope.Considering its aperture, this scope offers some impressive widefield views... Actually, it provides very impressive widefield views. As stated before, and elsewhere, this scope would be very good on a solid mount.

Yes, it’s easy to assemble, yes, the OTA (tube only) is great for the price and 100% identical to venerable Orion ST80 but... the mount/tripod is awful, cheap, shaky and a killer of any comfortable and enjoyable observing (and other accessories except the backpack are next to worthless) - which leads me to another point. By price and characteristics it’s geared toward younger, beginner and somewhat “adventurous” buyers. Well, good luck with that. Chances are such a buyer will give up astronomy and maybe even nature viewing rather quickly. Now, if you’re the one who’s in it for a long haul or already for years you’ll keep the OTA and get rid of the rest (except the backpack which is surprisingly nice!). That’s why my grading isn’t ever lower. A great OTA and backpack and not even passable accessories. PS: Meade Infinity 80 has better mount/tripod and accessories for like 80% higher price. Food for thought.

As per the other reviews the tripod is cheezy. But the scope itself is SOLID and the optics are pretty darned good! I use this as a secondary saddle scope and it is surprisingly good for the price. The tube alone is well worth it. If I could change anything I would not have the Vixen rail on it and use rings. To side mount it you need to get a bit creative. But well worth the cost! I have seen 300+ dollar scopes that do not perform as well, or at as good. Why pay more for 80mm of fun that exceeds expectations?

The optics on this telescope are excellent for the price range. I do recommend replacing the eye pieces and the the tripod. The tripod is a complete pain to use. However the image clarity produced by the telescope is quiet worth the money. I've had good views of Jupiter, Saturn, and some interesting double stars. I look forward to looking at more objects once I get a tripod I can maneuver more easily. This is an excellent grab and go telescope for quick spur of the moment observing. I used the corner of a goal on the other end of a soccer field in order to align the red dot finder scope with the telescope.

This product is not worth the money I paid. My son loves astronomy and he has not been able to see anything with this telescope. It is a hassle to try to find a star and it takes for ever to see anything and when you see something it looks better and clearer with the naked eye then with this telescope. The eye pieces are very hard to see through. I wish I can return this product. I do not recommand it. This was a big disapointment.

Un telescopio muy bueno en relación con el precio, fue regalo de navidad para mi hija de 7 años y aunque es pequeño ya pudimos observar la luna, Júpiter y sus lunas y Saturno ( con mucha paciencia) . Cómo equipo de iniciación en la astronomía cumple bastante bien.

The kit itself is akward. The tripod, bag, diagonal and eyepieces are crap, nothing more to say. BUT, the optic tube is a jewel, the focuser is full metal made, optic is really sharp. I learnt lately about this tube is the SAME as the mighty Orion ST80. and also same tube as the meade Infinity 80mm.I use it with William Optics diagonal and Celestron X-CEL LX eyepieces & adjustable 8-24mm, explore scitentific twilight nano tripod. This scope is a charm to use, I prefer it to my maksutov skymaster 102mm.Optic is sharp even a bit of color abberation, nice wide field of view, focuser is smooth. I recommand it.

Good product

Compré este telescopio para poder observar a Júpiter y Saturno, ahora que se encuentran en una muy buena posición. Es el primer telescopio que adquiero, y estoy muy satisfecho con él, pues he logrado mi objetivo de observar a ambos planetas, además de que he tenido vistas espectaculares de la luna. Lo califiqué con 4 estrellas porque el tripié llegó dañado, pero no quise pasar por el engorro de hacer el cambio, y opté por comprar un mejor tripié, que además se adecuara a mi estatura (casi 1.90m), y así es como lo he podido disfrutar. Por otra parte, otro comprador comentó que el mejor telescopio es el que se usa, y este por su facilidad de instalación me ha resultado muy bueno.

This scope has been around for decades in one form or another, some current versions are using a lot of plastic, this one is all metal save for the dust caps and focuser knobs. The red dot is fine, the eyepieces and diagonal not that great but usable,the backpack is also good , the tripod not really up to the job. lots of owners do certain upgrades, separate rings and a dovetail, better diagonal and eyepieces, even replace the focuser with a Crayford style. I had a lot of the mention ed bits in house already and with these it works well for low power night time views, not a high power scope but magnification can be pushed up if needed, be aware as a low cost achromat some chromatic fringing is always present.