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Telescopes: 70 mm Maksutov, 880 mm fl Spotting Scope

This 70mm Maksutov Cassegrain is a compact, highly portable scope. Whether you are birding, nature watching, star gazing, or just looking around, this is a very handy scope to have around. The 70mm Mak is great as a spotting scope, particularly with our Binoviewer. No corrector is needed when a binoviewer is used. The 70mm Mak scope weighs only 1.2 pounds and is just over 8" long. The 70mm Mak easily attaches to almost any photo tripod with the mounting block that accepts a standard 1/4"x20 tripod bolt. Because if the light weight, even the lightest of tripods will support this scope with ease. However, because of the longer focal length, which results in higher magnification (20mm eyepiece gives 44x magnifictaion), it is suggested that the tripod be sturdy to eliminate any shakes or vibration.

An integral, correct view 45 degree prism and a 1-1/4" locking collet allows for both terrestial and celestial viewing with comfort. Just drop in an eyepiece, tighten the collet, and you are ready to start lookin'. The scope comes with a soft case that you can carry or wear around your waist and the case has a compartment for two 1.25" eyepieces. Eyepieces are not included, but we have many eyepieces available.

Because the 70 Mak has a small aperture, the primary mirror opening and baffle are likewise small. Long focal length eyepieces with large field stops will show a vignetted view. For example, the Burgess Optical 17mm Wide Angle Eyepiece will vignette and the field stop, as seen through the eyepiece, will show as a slightly out-of-focus field stop. Longer focal length eyepieces will work and produce less magnification, but the usable field of view will be less than would be expected with a larger telescope.

The maximum magnification of a telescope that produces a usable image is normally considered to be around 40x to 50x per inch of aperture. For the 70mm Mak, the aperture is approximately 2-3/4". So, the maximum magnification will be around 110x to 140x, but this is under ideal conditions. If too high a magnification is used, the image will appear soft and a sharp focus may be hard to get. Also, the higher the magnification, the more sturdy the tripod must be.

The 70mm Mak is available as a Burgess Special. Call now and order yours!

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