Excelsis - Display Vote

Celestron Nexstar 4

I recently purchased the "N4" for 399USD*. It came with a five-year warranty and an updated [as of Dec. 2001] go-to hand controller that resolves the bugs reported in earlier reviews.

I've had the scope out on three separate nights. Despite poor atmospheric conditions, and using just the manufacturer-supplied 25mm SMA eyepiece, I was able to view multiple cloud bands on Jupiter, see some detail in the Orion Nebula, and detect differing apparent colors of double stars. And thanks to the go-to capability, I can locate targets that would otherwise be impossible to find here under the heavily light polluted skies of Englewood, CO. Objects are crisp across the FOV--no obvious aberrations, and plenty of contrast for a scope this size.

The single-tine mount does not present any problems, the design being both attractive and, for a scope this small, very practical. Vibrations dampen quickly and only truly gusty winds seem to disturb it.

Set-up and alignment are a snap. The updated hand controller has three different alignment methods, and all are easy to perform. The alignment procedure takes about 2-3 minutes, and if performed with care, results in spot-on (consistent center 1/3 of FOV) targeting capability.

This is an ideal scope for anyone on a limited budget (as I was) living under skies that prevent you from finding many objects with the naked eye (as I am). And now that the hand controller bugs are resolved, I'm convinced it's the best go-to deal in its class. I would give it a rating of ten for its combination of portability, capability, and value, but a minor blemish (a peeling decal) and a less-than-ideal user manual (including a photocopied supplement for the updated HC unit, with at least one mistake) result in a rating of 'only' a very firm nine.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Mount:8 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date: 04/22/2002 07:26:17 am PST
By: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.123.121)
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=84278

Where did you find the "N4" for 399?

>I recently purchased the "N4" for 399USD*. It came with a five-year warranty and an updated [as of Dec. 2001] go-to hand controller that resolves the bugs reported in earlier reviews. 
>
>I've had the scope out on three separate nights. Despite poor atmospheric conditions, and using just the manufacturer-supplied 25mm SMA eyepiece, I was able to view multiple cloud bands on Jupiter, see some detail in the Orion Nebula, and detect differing apparent colors of double stars. And thanks to the go-to capability, I can locate targets that would otherwise be impossible to find here under the heavily light polluted skies of Englewood, CO. Objects are crisp across the FOV--no obvious aberrations, and plenty of contrast for a scope this size.
>
>The single-tine mount does not present any problems, the design being both attractive and, for a scope this small, very practical. Vibrations dampen quickly and only truly gusty winds seem to disturb it.
>
>Set-up and alignment are a snap. The updated hand controller has three different alignment methods, and all are easy to perform. The alignment procedure takes about 2-3 minutes, and if performed with care, results in spot-on (consistent center 1/3 of FOV) targeting capability.
> 
>This is an ideal scope for anyone on a limited budget (as I was) living under skies that prevent you from finding many objects with the naked eye (as I am). And now that the hand controller bugs are resolved, I'm convinced it's the best go-to deal in its class. I would give it a rating of ten for its combination of portability, capability, and value, but a minor blemish (a peeling decal) and a less-than-ideal user manual (including a photocopied supplement for the updated HC unit, with at least one mistake) result in a rating of 'only' a very firm nine.

Back