![]() Not sure if the 4mm eyepiece that comes with the Firstscope (giving a magnification of 75X) is very useful - I've heard many complaints about it (images too dark because of the high power, field of view too small). It gives magnifications of 20X and 40X on the Skyscanner (15X & 30X on the Funscope) to provide nice wide field views. The Orion Funscope also comes with a red dot finder.Ĥ) Has a thread to attach a photo tripod at the bottom of the base (the Orion Funscope has this as well).ĥ) The eyepieces supplied with the Skyscanner - 20mm & 10 mm - work very well (both sizes also come with the Funscope). Otherwise, one probably has to use the lowest power eyepiece to search for objects. Originally designed to compete with the sadly-discontinued Edmund Astroscan, the StarBlast 4. This results in MUCH less distortion of stars away from the center of the field of view with the Skyscanner, resulting in more pleasing starry views.Ģ) The additional 24 mm of aperture allows you among other things, to begin resolving the brighter globular clusters (especially with darker skies), which you can't do with these 76 mm scopes.ģ) Comes with a red dot finder (works great in targeting objects) - the Firstcope has no finderscope (unless you buy the accessory kit that comes with a 5x24 finder). The Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro is a 4.5 f/4 Newtonian with a focal length of 450mm. Here are my comparisons:ġ) The Funscope/Firstscope uses a spherical mirror, while the Skyscanner uses a parabolic mirror. Richard - besides the Skyscanner, I own the Orion 76mm Funscope, which is practically identical to the Firstscope in the tube, mount and mirrors (made by the same factory?) and has the same retail price of $49.95 (however, it also differs in some other important ways). But if you have $200 and don't mind a somewhat heavier and bulkier telescope, you'd definitely do better with the StarBlast, which is a timeless classic. It's a fine scope despite its limitations, and it won't disappoint you. What's the moral? If you want the most aperture possible for $100, or if you want an ultraportable scope that can be attached to a standard photo tripod, by all means buy the SkyScanner. The SkyScanner gathers fully 2.7 times as much light as a 60-mm refractor, making every star and deep-sky object appear a full magnitude brighter. ![]() The refractor probably does a better job on the planets, but that's the end of its advantages. So in practice, the StarBlast requires either a sturdy table or some kind of custom-built support.īut now let's forget about the StarBlast, and compare the SkyScanner instead to a standard commercial 60-mm refractor selling for exactly the same price. The StarBlast isn't threaded for photo tripods, and even if it were, it would be too heavy for all but the most robust (and expensive) professional-caliber tripods. On the flip side, the SkyScanner can be attached to any standard photo tripod with a detachable head - a very convenient arrangement. The Orion SkyScanner is shown here attached to a set of Bogen Manfrotto 3011 photo-tripod legs - a very solid and convenient arrangement.
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