BukiTS008B - Telescope 50 activities

EDITED x2I have had this telescope for a few weeks now, and I have been waiting and waiting to write my review because I have not been able to use it due to cloudy and rainy weather every single evening for the past few weeks. I have decided to start my review and I will update once I actually get to use it.First off, this is a big telescope and it comes in a big box. You need to assemble it, and it's quite hard to follow the instructions because it's not clearly set out - you get a few pictures and a load of written instructions mixed in with other languages. I had to refer to pictures on the box quite a lot, it was definitely not easy to do.Second, there are lots of extra accessories that come with the telescope, there is a compass (very flimsy toy), some extra lenses and some card cut-outs for projects contained in the booklet. There is a star chart disc, which I have no idea how to use despite following the instructions in the booklet, I suspect I will have to google it. There is a lot of information in the booklet, some quite detailed, but it was off-putting to have to try to search for the English within all the different languages, it really detracted from the experience.Third, my son and I did use the telescope in the daytime to test it out, we looked through the window out at the rooftops and focused on aerials and chimneys. We found it quite hard to use the telescope because it was so hard to follow the instructions. Eventually we did manage to focus on an aerial, but the telescope kept moving about on the stand so we kept on having to find the aerial again and again. Maybe I need to use google again to figure out how to actually use the telescope.All these difficulties could have been prevented or lessened if there were better instructions included. My son was originally really keen to assemble and use the telescope but the whole process was just so difficult that he has now lost interest in the whole thing. It could have been so much better, the poor instructions ruined our whole experience of having a telescope for the first time.EDITEDHonestly, I have spent the past two hours trying to adjust the viewfinder to the actual lens and I still have not been able to do it. Last night the moon was out but I could not see anything, it turns out because you need to match what you see in the viewfinder with the actual lens (me being a complete novice I did not know anything about telescopes). I have watched Youtube, and it seemed a straightforward thing to do although no help is given in the manual. IT'S REALLY HARD because the very short tripod means I have to bend and contort my body to look through the viewfinder and the lens, and it's so difficult to do because a slight nudge and you're only looking at sky. Because it focuses on really distant objects (the guy in the video said you need to focus on something at least half a mile away) it's hard to align the viewfinder and the lens, I have had to use binoculars to help because my eyes can't see those tiny things half a mile away, and to make it worse I wear glasses so they're constantly getting in the way. I still have not managed to align them. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS TELESCOPE FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS, it is NO FUN AT ALL.EDITED x2I have given up because the poor quality of the materials used mean that tiny adjustments are not possible. After getting the object clear in the lens, it was not possible to adjust the viewfinder to point at the same object in the crosshairs. I have spent a long time doing this, and in conclusion the poor construction does not allow for the small adjustments that are needed for something of high precision like a telescope. Save your money and buy a proper telescope or some binoculars. I cannot emphasise enough how disappointing and pointless this telescope is.

After a cloudy stretch of nights, the moon finally shone bright. We had assembled the telescope in the fortnight previous, which was very easy top do so, ion fact my 12yo managed it without adult assistance. Whilst we waited for a clear skies, we thumbed through the activity book which is included. Fifty activities is a stretch, many of them are information only. I was hoping for activities to use the telescope with, however they are designed to flesh out astronomical knowledge and understanding. There are a few opportunities for craft work, but overall we found it to be underwhelming.The telescope itself has three zoom options included, which can certainly bring the moon in to close view. What we found frustrating was the stability of the tripod. Once you have located your heavenly body (and the reversal of axes certainly required thought and practice) tightening up the 'scope nearly always meant shifting the object from the field of view. Frequently the telescope would drift ever so slightly, which is enough to lose focal point. Perhaps with more patience we could have mastered it - but my children (and most children) don't have that, and this is aimed at children.In the right hands (and minds) this could deliver a good experience, but it didn't for us.

Super telescope which is perfect for getting your little one interested in stargazing. It is easy to set up and the little one was very keen for it to get dark (never usually happens) so they could look at the stars. Whilst it’s not a top of the range telescope, it is a good price point for getting for a beginner and copes well with looking at the moon and spotting out the major constellations. I had a telescope when I was young and it was probably this quality. Little one and I have been having a great time spotting stars and being astronomers.

The box contains everything needed to assemble the 'scope and tripod. Included are three eyepieces, a finder scope, and a booster lens. The fully adjustable tripod rotates 360 degrees,and both tube (the body of the telescope) and the tripod are made of metal. The activity booklet gives full instructions and ideas for using it.Using a telescope takes a bit of getting used to; the field of vision is smaller than you might think, and it's easy to lose sight of an object as our planet, and objects in the sky, are all moving faster than you realise.Brilliant telescope to introduce kids to the wonders of the night sky. This will make a wonderful gift for a young inquisitive mind.

Difficult one this. Telescopes if this type generally start at around £200 so this represents something of a bargain. However the experience is significantly paired down. The equipment looks great but is a little low grade (plastic parts, received with a dent in the main tube, lightweight tripod and obviously no motorised elements). Your decision should be based on the the odds of your child actually using the thing, and beat in mind this will have virtually no sell on value. Oh, and what were Buki thinking with the packaging design? This is aimed at 8-15 year old and looks like its targeting toddlers. Sounds like an insignificant gripe but no aspiring adult wants to be treated like a child :)