Thanks to the weather so far I have only tried the scope for terrestrial use and I am astonished by the image quality. Its sharpness and clarity are well beyond what I expected for such a small and inexpensive telescope.

The build quality is very solid and the included eyepiece is very good with no distortion or chromatic aberration. I also used the telescope as a lens for my EOS 20D and the resulting images were very good as well (it requires an inexpensive T ring adapter to hook the camera body to the rear of the telescope).

The included backpack is quite simple but gets the job done and it is the perfect size to carry the telescope tube, the viewfinder (unmounted), the 45 degree prism (unmounted) and several eyepieces.

The only minor complaint is that the included eyepiece included no covers so that when it is not mounted both ends are exposed and if it is mounted still one end is unprotected.

The viewfinder alignment is very simple and it takes just a few minutes to get it done and from then it does not move.

Complement this with a Celestron 8-24 mm 1.25″ zoom eyepiece and you get a wide range of power to suit your needs.

The 52268 has a Vixen-style dovetail mounting plate with 1/4-20 threaded holes which allow it to be mounted on many astronomy and photography tripods. However this all-metal scope is being sold as a “spotting scope.” It comes with a 45-degree image-erecting prism; two eyepieces; a 1.25 inch / T-adapter (for a camera); a thing made almost totally of plastic one may, with foolish optimism, call a “tripod”; a tiny 8×21 finder scope; a backpack for the scope and eyepieces; and a very tight bag for the tripod.

To convert the 52268 into an astronomy scope one needs to buy a 90-degree 1.25 inch star diagonal, and I suggest adding a red dot finder, a moon filter, and some astronomy books. Additional eyepieces are not required as the included Plossls are adequate and give you 39x and 100x–two very useful powers.

What else? Adding a REAL ASTRONOMY TRIPOD AND MOUNT–something like the Vixen Porta-II or the Astro-Tech Voyager or the Celestron Omni CG-4–could turn this into a very good grab-and-go scope.

I originally rated this as four stars because of the tripod, but the scope shouldn’t be penalized. Whoever set up this package could not possibly include a $250 astronomy or photo (see the Manfrotto 055XB and Bogen 410 geared head) tripod for the price.

After using this scope for astronomy for six months mounted on a Manfrotto 055XB tripod and Bogen 410 geared head, my impressions–You get what you get, which is a 3 1/2 inch aperture (somewhat reduced by the center spot mirror) telescope. I still like two included eyepieces for astronomy. I could clearly see the single band now visible on Jupiter with the 100x eyepiece this past weekend. The focuser is smooth. Very nice.

But with only 3 1/2 inches-worth of light, you don’t get bright views of dim objects. Yes, you can see the ring and dumbbell nebulas in a field of black, but an 8-inch scope breathtakingly fills the black field with stars. This scope works best for the bright stuff: lunar and planetary observing. With that limitation, for its size and price, it is excellent.

As for tripods, the Manfrotto 055XB tripod and Bogen 410 geared head are functional, sturdy, rugged and compact, however the Vixen, Astro-Tech, and Celestron tripods mentioned above are designed for astronomy, and are probably easier to use.

Out of the box and its backpack, the scope’s appearance is impressive and it looks purposeful. The instructions are clear and concise, with illustrations.

To make this scope more versatile, I’ve ordered two more eyepieces, a 2X Barlow and a 8mm to 24mm zoom, for starters. The Celestron heavy duty altazimuth tripod complements this scope perfectly. I can’t imagine using this scope without the precise controls for elevation and lateral adjustments on the tripod.

It’s perfect for birding and/or the beginning astronomer, and it’s priced just right.

The optics are clear and bright, focusing is easy. Identifying far-away timid birds is possible with this scope. A high quality 12 power binocular would have difficulty at extreme ranges where this scope shines. The craters on the moon are really sharp and well-defined. I can’t wait for a clearer night to have a look at the stars!

I should have bought this scope sooner!

The only other telescope I have owned was a tiny, cheapo K-mart thing that I had when I was 13. With it I was able to make out the moons of Jupiter, however, which was utterly fascinating.

Fast forward many years, I just purchased the Celestron C90 scope, and it’s a whole ‘nother animal. Comes with all the accessories you will need except a tripod, including a handy backpack style soft case.

The dovetail mount is drilled and tapped to fit any standard tripod. Comes with 45 degree image erector, Plossl type eyepiece, lens covers, a sighting scope, lens cloth, etc.

I bought this unit to use as a terrestrial spotting scope, and for the price it is a remarkable unit. It has a quality look and heavy weight feel that is impressive for a scope in this price range. These catadioptric-style scopes have a couple of real advantages vs. traditional, refactor type spotting scopes.

First, the C90 uses common 1.25″ astronomic eyepieces, of which there are multitudes of them in the aftermarket to choose from (although the 32mm eyepiece that is included is quite good, this was a nice surprise). Secondly, the C90 is capable of providing very good images at focal lengths (i.e. high magnification) that leave regular spotting scopes in the dust.

I did a quick test of the unit mounted on a Bogen tripod and pointed it at Jupiter on a night with about a quarter moon. To my surprise, I could faintly make out the bands on the planet disk itself. With a set of filters I’m sure the color bands would have been even more evident.

Views of the moon were contrasty, very bright and quite sharp. The focusing knob, at the rear of the main scope tube, is very precise and has a nice feel/resistance to its motion. To be sure, the C90 would make a dandy backyard astronomic telescope, although a motorized astro tripod would be necessary to truly enjoy star-gazing with it.

Informal daytime terrestrial viewing with various eyepieces showed crisp, contrasty images at magnifications twice that of typical refractor spotting scopes in this price range. A bonus: the rear case of the C90 is threaded for cameras using the T-mount system, and given the right tripod and camera setup, can provide quite impressive photographic results.

Recommended accessories for this wonderful little scope – a Celestron “zoom” eyepiece, to minimize swapping out single-focal-length eyepieces; also, a sturdy, high-quality tripod of either the camera or the astronomical variety, depending on your needs.

SUMMARY: A very capable, sturdy spotting/astro scope for a very attractive price. I’m super pleased with the Celestron C90, and it is a pleasure to own and use.