Telmu 70mm Refracting Telescope Review: For Kids
Telmu 70mm Refractor is not a serious astronomy device. But it may be a nice gift for your kid.
5.8
- Portable
- Great for Kids
- Decent Optics
- Not for Serious Astronomy
- 6mm Eyepiece
- Plastic Mount
Review
Typically our reviews of telescopes that come with backpacks are harsh and angry, and rightfully so. They usually have low-quality optics, terrible accessories, and wobbly mounts. Beginner astronomers who receive them as their first telescopes are generally disappointed with the images they are able to see.
But Telmu 70mm Refracting Telescope is slightly different for a few reasons. Firstly, it is not marketed as a “great scope for astronomy”. Secondly, the accessories that come with it are slightly better than its competitors. And thirdly, its mount has adjustments for kids built-in.
I would recommend this telescope as a gift for your kid. An adult shouldn’t buy this telescope. There are much better choices for the same price. You can check out the best options in each category in our rankings page.
Optics
This telescope is not ideal for astronomy, and you should know that if you are getting this scope. You are not going to get good images of planets and deep space objects with Telmu 70mm Refractor. What you are getting with the optics of this scope is slightly lower power than a pair of high-quality binoculars.
Due to the short optical tube, there are severe color inaccuracies. The low-quality coatings on the lenses also support this. Lunar observations, which is supposed to be the central area of this scope, are not the best you can get at this price range.
It would be best if you forgot about planetary observations with Telmu 70mm Refractor. Rings of Saturn, the Cassini Division, Mars, Venus are all out of the question with these optics. You can get a view of the moons of Jupiter, though.
Deep space objects are also really hard to observe with Telmu 70. You may be able to view exceptionally bright star clusters on ideal atmospheric conditions, but don’t get your hopes up.
Don’t buy this telescope for the optics. They are of low quality, low-powered, and unable to go up to high magnifications.
Mount
The mount is mostly plastic and wobbly. This is not a huge concern since this telescope is not for real astronomical observations.
The nice thing about the mount is that it has a height adjustment lever for kids. This may not seem important, but kids’ spine health is crucial at developing ages. You don’t have to worry about that with this scope.
Overall the mount is mostly plastic, but it does the job. Just keep in mind that you won’t get any sensitive and delicate motion out of this mount.
Accessories
The eyepieces that come with Telmu 70 are Kellner’s. The 25mm eyepiece is surprisingly better than most other accessories that come with budget telescopes. Telmu probably included this eyepiece in compensation to the 6mm eyepiece, which is almost useless.
The 45-degree diagonal is not a smart accessory choice. Although it relatively works well in terms of image quality, it is not ergonomic. A 90-degree diagonal would be a better choice.
The backpack is not particularly good, but it’s not that bad either. It serves well as a telescope carrier, but don’t expect anything other than soft, cheap materials. It doesn’t provide any protection against falls and hits.
The smartphone holder works well. You can get pretty pictures of the Moon, but don’t expect to be able to shoot any other astronomical objects such as planets and nebulas.
The finder is not usable. Firstly, it is too small and using it is almost impossible. Secondly, this telescope doesn’t need a finder anyway. As I’ve said before, this is not a serious astronomical tool. The finder is just an ornament.
Drawbacks
You won’t get high-quality optics, a sturdy mount, and good accessories with this scope. In short, don’t expect to get anything useful in terms of astronomy.
Conclusion
This telescope didn’t get the lowest rating possible because it is not a real telescope in the first place. It is a toy, and a good one. I can imagine a kid below 7 or 8 falling in love with Telmu 70mm Refractor. That is why I recommend this scope as a gift for your kid. It will be able to spark some curiosity for space, astronomy, and science.