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I wasted $300 on a so-called 'smart telescope' last month
Honestly, I bought this NovaScope thinking it would automatically locate deep-sky objects and take perfect photos. Spent 3 nights trying to set it up in my backyard in Phoenix, and it kept losing alignment because of the light pollution. The motor mount was super loud and the included camera produced better star blobs than anything else. Just go with a basic Dobsonian and a phone adapter for way less money. Has anyone else had better luck with these things or did I just get a dud?
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dakota41522d ago
The light pollution thing is a killer, I've got the same issue up here in downtown Denver. I actually tried a Unistellar eVscope at a star party last summer and it had the same problems - kept losing tracking whenever a plane went by or a cloud drifted through. The motor noise was bad enough that people were joking about scaring away the neighbors' dogs. The worst part is these smart scopes claim to compensate for light pollution with digital processing, but all it does is make your images look like someone smeared vaseline on the lens and called it "atmospheric blending." Honestly, you made the right call - I helped a buddy set up a 8-inch Dobsonian with a basic phone mount and we were grabbing passable shots of Jupiter within 15 minutes, no alignment headaches or loud motors waking up the whole block. Save the $300 for a couple nice eyepieces and a clear night filter instead, way better return on investment.
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ellis.faith22d ago
Second that on the Dobsonian setup with a phone mount. My buddy tried one of those fancy smart scopes from his apartment balcony in the suburbs and gave up after three nights of it losing alignment whenever a car headlight swept past. We just taped his old phone to the eyepiece of my 10 inch Dob and had sharper views of Saturn's rings in five minutes. If you're stuck with light pollution, grab a light pollution filter, they actually work way better than digital tricks for cutting out street glow. Also, skip the expensive phone adapters, a cheap universal mount from Amazon for like 15 bucks does the same thing without the plastic breaking on you. Honestly, the motor noise alone would drive me crazy in a quiet backyard.
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linda11422d ago
Haven't you ever used a goto scope with good polar alignment though?
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