Celestron Travel Scope 50 lacks purpose and build quality.
4.3
- Portable
- Backpack
- Cheap
- Low-Quality Optics
- Useless Accessories
- Shaky Mount
Review
The main problem with the Travel Scope 50 is not the cheap materials or accessories that come with it. It is a lack of design purpose. It is not a good device for daytime viewing, and it is definitely not a good device for astronomy. So why should anyone spend their money on Travel Scope 50?
Optics
I didn’t expect much to begin with, as this scope is fairly cheap, small, and mainly built for daytime observations. But the optics don’t perform well even in bright sunlight.
Although the 50mm aperture gathers enough light for a decent amount of magnification power, the inside of the optical tube lowers the image quality by a lot. The coverings inside are not high-quality, and the lenses are not well-coated. Therefore the image is dim, narrow, and fuzzy no matter the eyepiece you are using.
The optics of Travel Scope 50 are a huge disappointment.
The Lunar observations with Travel Scope 50 are OK, but other than that, it is impossible to get a decent image of any astronomical object. Maybe Jupiter on ideal conditions, but don’t get your hopes up.
There is not much to say in this section. If you need a scope for daytime viewing, an Orion GrandView or Celestron LandScout would be killer. If you are in search of a scope for astronomy, you should check out tabletop rankings. If you need an overall performer, refractors would be ideal at this price range.
Mount
The mount is not well-made as you might expect. But since this scope’s optical power is as low as it gets, it is not a huge deal. As I’ve mentioned in the optics section, astronomy is impossible with Travel Scope 50. So it really doesn’t matter if the mount is rock-solid or shaky.
The base is cheap and wobbly.
Overall the combination of the mount and tripod is adequate for daytime observations. The mount is mostly plastic, and the tripod is not sturdy, but these are things to be expected from a scope that fits in a backpack.
Accessories
The accessories are, without exaggeration, awful. This is not due to the low-price tag, as other companies manage to include decent accessories at this price range. They are awful because Celestron is trying to profit off of innocent beginners who have no knowledge about astronomical devices.
The Huygens and Ramsden eyepieces are barely usable. They are sitting at the line between junk and “legitimate” accessories.
The 3x Barlow is just a marketing-scam. It won’t provide any kind of decent image for astronomy or daytime observations.
Even the 45-degree diagonal is not a good accessory. Although it is useful for daytime viewing, a 45-degree diagonal is not ergonomic. It should have been a 90-degree diagonal.
The finderscope is not useful. It is simply too small.
The backpack is probably the best accessory that comes with the scope, and it is not necessarily a good backpack.
Overall there is not a single accessory that comes with Travel Scope 50 that is of “average-quality” even. It is sad to see Celestron sending these stuff.
Drawbacks
The optics of Travel Scope 50 are not well-built. The image quality is fairly low in all areas.
The accessories are pure garbage, except for the backpack.
The base is wobbly and cheap.
Conclusion
Travel Scope 50 is, unfortunately, a rip-off. Celestron should remove the Travel Scope series from their line-ups, but as long as these devices sell, I don’t think they will.
As I’ve mentioned in the optics section, a tabletop telescope would be the best choice at budget prices. A refractor above the 70mm aperture would be a good choice as well. I recommend checking out these telescopes in our rankings.