National Geographic Carbon Fiber 114mm Newtonian Telescope Review

[@BobRandolphVideo]

What a smart and useful review. It's so helpful to know that the OTA and eyepieces are reasonably good. The marginal tripod and camera adaptors are easy upgrades once the beginner user gets the "bug" by viewing the moon and a few planets. You've even provided an improved mount design and other upgrade paths. There's a 2020 Black Friday sale for $49.98 on this scope at Sam's Club, so the cost of entry is trivial. I wish all reviews were this useful!

[@mbioman]

Thank you. I am glad you found the review helpful. I think this cheap scope is quite a gem for the price.

[@markdanton2857]

Is there a video anywhere that offers precision guidance for a clueless beginner using this telescope or any other telescope for that matter. Bought it at Sam’s last year for $50 and haven’t used it because I couldn’t locate a single thing

[@mbioman]

I just put up a video for finding targets and aligning the mirror (collimation ) kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKTWaGunrdJ2fpo

[@wingriderroy2776]

We picked this neat little telescope up earlier this year. Once I figured out aligning the view finder we have fun backyard observing. This has now lead to another telescope purchase and a new hobby.. or should I say obsession? :)

[@jimteahan6446]

I can't figure out how to get the view finder to work? The manual sucks for instruction. Please advise. When I see something i want to look at, what am I supposed to be looking through? A lens? Or this little cross-hair thing at the end of the telescope.

[@babymellow7775]

Thank you! Awesome review very accurate

[@peoplesrepublicofliberland5606]

I really need help setting it up. I continue to try and use it and I don't know how.

[@Valkyrie189]

Are you looking though a window because it affect your view

[@peoplesrepublicofliberland5606]

@@Valkyrie189 nah mate, I managed to fix it with the buttons on the back.

[@fernandotrevino15]

I dont know how to adjust the scope

[@HitEmUpru]

Can i attach Nikon z8 to it? And how?

[@tonyazengel-link9944]

This video help me see what parts I was missing. Can I order the pieces that I'm missing? If yes where?

[@NancyTigress]

Well I wanted to add when I tighten my angle not only does it take time because I have to go slow or it moves. But when I do, I have to make it hard. Or it falls. The number of times it fell and I had to restart... Very aggregating 🙄

[@sarices2812]

Very helpful review that lead to us recently picking up this telescope. As stated in video, it seems to work well so far. Our only issue is the altitude adjustment knob... we are having a hard time getting it tight enough to "lock" into place and keep the telescope from falling forwards or backwards. Was hopeful on your referenced and linked dobsonian mount, but don't have a large enough printer. Any suggestions?

[@mbioman]

Make sure the scope is balanced as much as possible by shifting the dovetail in the mount. Have whatever eyepiece/phone for photos on while doing this. Then adjust the alt locking rod. Another strategy is to lock the alt in place once you found the object then track with the azimuth motion and adjust the alt periodically. It is a challenge, which is why I switched to the dob style mount.

[@eaquilae30]

I recently purchased one of these and the scope is fine. I'm hoping to get a friend to 3d print your table top base for it. My question is about the red dot finder. I find it not even comparable to accuracy of the original red dot finder and pretty much useless. Am I missing something. We bought this to put in a library as Orion quit supplying their 4.5" Astroblast for a while (now they seem to have them again).

[@abhiraameranti8498]

Hello there, I recently got this telescope and I used it to see jupiter and saturn. While I was able to spot the rings of saturn, it was very dark and hard for me to see any color detail. And with Jupiter, It was very bright(and i could see the moons), but I was not able to see any stripes? How were you able to see them? Did you do some kind of processing?

[@Finbus84]

Can you tell me about how much the dobsonian mount weighs? I found a place that will make it and charges by the weight and just want an estimate of how much. Do you still plan to make a video on this mount? Thank you for your review and information you provide in this video!

[@mbioman]

Its about 560g for all of the printed parts depending on infill settings. Yes a video for the dob is coming.

[@cherbejar5820]

thank you so much you helped me with this!

[@jantonio0099]

thanks very good explanation

[@shadowboy813]

What is the shape of the primary mirror? If it's spherical, it's probably going to have severe spherical aberrations at that focal ratio. Does the mirror have the center etched (a spherical mirror doesn't need this for collimation)?

[@tomr9113]

Joshua you mentioned a 3d printed dobsonian mount for this. Can you provide details please? Thanks

[@mbioman]

There is a link in the description: www.thingiverse.com/thing:4618897

[@tomr9113]

@@mbioman Thank you.

[@Theicons62524]

Is there any barlow lens you recommend that i can use for this telescope?

[@mbioman]

@@Theicons62524 the CF 114 comes with a decent 2x Barlow.

[@mariovalgamidadez9934]

Whats the mirror made of?

[@Theicons62524]

Glass or smth

[@nidalshehahadeh7485]

Hello there , I purchased a used Barska lwl4 telescope , I'm having no luck finding any information on it , I am trying to find out as to how does it compare to the National Geographic 114 mm , it needs a sight glass and plausible lenses, I am thinking purchasing a National Geographic 141 mm telescope would be a whole lot cheaper than replacing parts on it . what do you all think ? thank you

[@mbioman]

I don't know about the Barska lwl4. Sorry.

[@nidalshehahadeh7485]

@@mbioman Aftercare for calculations and by the time I buy the accessories I need it would have been cheaper to buy a new one , I ended up buying a NG114 from Sam's Club , they are selling for $69.98 with a $10 discount , ended up paying $64.18 it comes with free delivery for Plus members, thanks

[@aerohk]

Is it the same thing as the Celestron Explorascope 114AZ that costs twice as much? Why pay more for other Celestron 114mm scope?

[@robertsonsid]

Celestron is Bird Jones design. This is a fast reflector. This is probably the same as Explorer 1 with a spherical mirror. Both are not great. Orion Starblast 4.5, Zhumell 114AZ or the Celestron Cometron 114 have parabolic mirrors with better images.

[@aerohk]

@@robertsonsid learned it the hard way 🥲 fun entry scope to look at the moon but that's it

[@littlecube141]

How much would you charge to make that mount? Don't have a 3D printer.

[@mbioman]

I could probably do a print locally, but shipping for these prints is likely to be quite expensive. I would recommend a local print service which is likely to be cheaper route if you could pick up the parts.

[@darshahobson4000]

I have this scope and have had issues getting the tripod to align with what I'm looking at. Can you do a vid of you using it. with some tips on getting it setup. Thanks

[@mbioman]

I'll see if I can put something together. I recommend using it during the day looking at a distant power pole or mountain. Align the red dot finder on an object that isn't moving.

[@mbioman]

I did a short video. I found it challenging to demonstrate how to align it, but gave it a shot. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKTWaGunrdJ2fpo

[@tomr9113]

Joshua, On the red dot finder, my screws don't seem to do any thing. When I move them the red dot doesn't move. The screws get tight almost right away. Are there suppose to be two dots, one on each circle or just one dot? I ask because at night, looking through the spotter with just one dot, you could look through a large range of angles. I am just wondering if you spoter is defective. Thanks again.

[@mbioman]

The red dot doesn't move. There are two plastic sights on the finder. The screws control the position of the closest one. I have another video and also reference an additional video showing how to adjust this type of red dot finder. It's not the greatest, but it does work. I highly recommend adjusting it during the day on a stationary target.

[@tomr9113]

@@mbioman Thanks, I watched that video and have decided to design and build a site to attach at the back end of the telescope to align with the red dot. I prototyped something with a piece of cardboard with a notch cut in it and it works much better.

[@brentsummers8623]

Is there any way to change it to a equatorial type Mount?

[@mbioman]

If you had the EQ mount it is possible to place the CF114 on it. It has a small dovetail bar. You could probably use a ring mount too.

[@brentsummers8623]

@@mbioman I’ve tried looking at different dovetails and can’t find one that would fit, any idea what I should look for? I’m very new to all this but want to give it a try

[@rhetthanks6835]

Great video!

[@jodylane9889]

Any idea what might be going on with my NT114, don't think it needs collimated. I have a CF700 70mm and can see planets and stars pretty clearly, I decided to upgrade to the 114 mm. Bought it brand new, works perfectly in the day time, focuses great. The problem occurs when the sun goes down and night time arrives. When I hit a star, planet, ect it only shows the rings in the viewer light up but can't see anything at all, focus all the way up or down and still nothing other than what looks like ur looking at the rings on the power light on a Xbox 360. No matter how bright the star or planet u just can't see any image at all. So to test I have a blue solar light in my yard about 50 feet away, when I hit it on the telescope I immediately see the ring turn blue but I can then focus and see exactly what the solar light is. It's like it just won't focus in anything at any specific distance at night, same issue no matter if I'm using the 26 or 9.7 with or without the Barlow

[@mbioman]

This sounds like your collimation is off. You will need to collimate the cf114.

[@lornaz1975]

Are you able to get the red dot finder to work for you? I mean actually use it ?

[@mbioman]

Yes. I recommend aligning it during the day and on a stationary target. There are two plastic sights. The back one is not adjustable, but the front one is. Mine was quite out of alignment from the factory.

[@mbioman]

This is how to use the red dot finder for this scope: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5SchXyjoMl9nKM&ab_channel=JudeGussman

[@gerardobarrera4016]

Hi, I bought this telescope and could see the Moon craters very well, however, I cannot see Mars, or at least, in a clear way even with the 9.7 mm and 2x Barlow. Am I doing something wrong?

[@mbioman]

Mars will appear as a bright red spot. This is normal. Right now Mars is pretty far away compared to where it was in October 2020 and is also phasing like our moon - it is not a complete disc. For visual observation a filter might help bring out details. A camera, even with a smartphone, can capture details too with manual controls. cosmicpursuits.com/2183/how-to-see-mars-in-2020/.

[@ms79ta]

I just bought one from a 2nd hand store and it's missing the whole laser part. Can it still be used? It is missing cover also, so mirror looks a little dusty. Too cloudy out to try tonight. How is it in cold weather? It's 3 degrees in Upper Michigan right now.

[@mbioman]

Yes, the telescope will still work without the red dot finder. You will have to rely on the 26mm eyepiece to scan the sky. Point the scope in the general direction beforehand and use the tube like a gun sight. A shower cap makes a great cover to keep more dust from building up. Let the telescope acclimate the the temperature outside for about 30 minutes. Be wary of dew formation on the mirror and eyepieces as the temperature outside and inside are quite different. Don't wipe the primary mirror as it can easily scratch.

[@ms79ta]

@@mbioman Thank you very much!!

[@Bella-hz7nt]

Hey, nice review, thank you. I am tempted to buy this at Sam's for $50. But I wanted to get your opinion on another scope if I wanted to spend $100. Is there a 100 scope that is a noticeable step up from this one? Or is this the best bang for the buck out there? Thanks again! Also, cool shirt!

[@mbioman]

Thanks! Its hard to find a $100 telescope that is a noticeable step up. For $125 there is the Celestron Powerseeker 114EQ with a small equatorial mount amzn.to/3dTLbuE. Meade sells a similar scope for about $150. Both are quite a bit larger than the NG scope, double the focal length which is nice for planets. Orion has a tabletop dobsonian for ~$100 amzn.to/3kqoMrc, but its a smaller aperture. Another option is to look for sales of used telescopes locally. You can often find great deals, but you have to know enough to tell a lemon from a gem.

[@ginogglz]

Joshua. I cannot see the moon in the way you show the photo. Could you please help me? What I'm doing wrong? Maybe my telescope is broken? I see the moon same size as my naked eye

[@mbioman]

The moon will look quite a bit smaller with the 26mm eyepiece than the photo in the video that was taken with a camera directly connected to the telescope. The moon should still be much larger than with the naked eye. You can achieve a larger view with the 2x barlow or the 9.7mm eyepiece.

[@ginogglz]

@@mbioman Thanks!

[@Arouth249]

Nice breakdown. I’m about to buy one on FB for $45

[@valeriefieber4007]

Thanks for the video. Any idea why I cannot see anything when I look through the lens? I removed the dust cover, but I still can't see anything.

[@mbioman]

Were you using it at night? Which eyepiece were you using? Try using the 26mm lens to start. Right now the moon is full and an easy target for night time viewing for the first time. I suggest to try using the telescope during the day. Find a distant target. The image will be inverted (upside down). This is normal. If you still only see black and can't get an image into focus, your mirrors may be misaligned and require collimation.

[@valeriefieber4007]

@@mbioman I think it might be an issue with the mirrors then. I tried just looking through the lens during the day and still couldn't see anything. Do you know of any good videos that show how to correct the mirrors?

[@mbioman]

@@valeriefieber4007 remove the dust cap and point the scope towards a well lit, uniform colored area, like a wall inside. Remove the eyepiece and look into the focuser. Can you see a reflection of your eye? If yes, is it relatively centered and the reflection relatively circular? If you can't see your eye, the secondary mirror ( the smaller mirror near the opening) will need to be adjusted first.

[@mbioman]

A couple of additional suggestions: point the telescope at a distant target during the day and use the 26mm lens. Adjust the focus all the way in before looking through it. Slowly adjust the focuser until you see something and then bring that into focus. If you are still seeing black after going through the full focus range, you may need to adjust your eye position and distance from the eyepiece.

[@valeriefieber4007]

@@mbioman Thank you! I looked into the focuser and still only see dark. I also made sure the dust cap is off. Do you know how I would adjust the secondary mirror?

[@azalea9409]

Will one of these scopes be good for planetary imaging with a 2x Barlow and a canon dslr with t-ring adapter?

[@mbioman]

The Barlow is necessary to achieve focus with a DSLR and the cf114, most Newtonian telescopes in fact. The planetary images I showed about 4.5 minutes in is about what you would expect to achieve with a DSLR and this scope. Okay, but not great. It will take some trial and error with the focus knob to get better images using video and stacking.

[@azalea9409]

@@mbiomanOk thanks for the great information! I’m going to dabble myself in planetary imaging with this telescope then upgrade to a larger scope like an 127mm mak.

[@sklecanda]

Thanks for the great video. I just purchased one and found a few things that needed improvement. Here is what I found. I ordered this telescope for my daughter as an easy to use beginner scope, which appears to be made by Celestron which I'm familiar with. In the past I have owned a very similar telescope, the Celestron 114EQ and now I have a Celestron C6 SCT scope. During the unboxing and assembly of this scope, I notice some things that were surprisingly lower quality than I had expected. 1.) The dovetail bar is made of plastic instead of aluminum and is directly mounted to the telescope tube with two (2) small screws ( no tube clamps). I'm sure there are a couple of reasons for this, one is manufacturing cost and the second is to reduce weight. These two (2) designs allow for a lot of flex and vibration of the tube assembly when using the telescope. To resolve this, I purchased a set of aluminum tube mounting rings from Agena Astro and a aluminum dovetail bar by SVBony from ebay. Those two (2) items completely removed all vibration of the tube caused by the original plastic dovetail and tube flex at the dovetail mounting holes. 2.) The focusing tube is made of plastic with a chrome plated wrap on the outside surface. Plus, the inside of the focusing tube has no close tolerance bore, below the locking top to support the eyepiece. To my surprise, the outside part of the focusing tube does not have any looseness between the focusing tube and focusing housing, which is good. But the inside bore has so little support, (only at the very top where the locking screws are located) that most eyepieces would not sit straight after tightening the locking screw. I searched on the internet for a better quality Celestron focuser assembly, but could not find anything. To resolve the issue, I un-threaded and removed the stop ring with the eyepiece locking screws, off the focusing tube and installed a aluminum eyepiece tube from an old telescope diagonal. The eyepiece tube which is about 1-1 1/2" inches long, fits perfectly within the focusing tube bore, which I secured with super glue. This tube has a very close tolerance eyepiece fit for great and accurate support of the eyepiece. 3.) Altazimuth mount; The only issue I noticed was the horizontal pivot attachment knob. When ever the mount was pivoted from left to right and back, the attachment know would loosen. To resolve this I added TPFE pipe thread tape to the threads of the knob. This allows manual tightening and loosening of the knob, but maintains knob tension while pivoting mount. Other than those three (3) issues, I think its a great beginner scope. I only paid $40 for the entire brand new scope kit (with tripod, mount and accessories) and added another $40 for the improvements. Thanks for the review.

[@whalescience8831]

Just wondering if the 4.5" tube rings fit well on the scope? Appreciate your post, for the price it's a great scope excluding these few issues holding it back.

[@collin359]

Hi, is a 5x barlow lense to high for this telescope or should I get a less powerful one? I’m struggling to see Saturn and Jupiter in detail, I usually get a white blur even when I try focusing it

[@mbioman]

Yes. The telescope comes with a 2x barlow that is decent. A 3x barlow is about as high as this telescope can handle.

[@hitmann007]

I bought the same telescope. I tried focusing on a star and i see a dark cross with dark round center. I that how a star look like on this telescope? My first time owning a telescope like this. Thanks.

[@mbioman]

It's sound like you need to adjust the focus. The dark cross is the secondary mirror spars. Adjust the focus knobs until you see that cross get smaller and smaller. If you're looking at a star, you are in focus when it becomes a pinpoint of light. If you've focused too far it grows again in size.

[@hitmann007]

@@mbioman thanks Josh.. will try focusing again tonight especially it's the great conjunction.

[@hitmann007]

@@mbioman hey Josh, so I tried to focus and it did remove the dark "X". So, that only happen when I zoom in the focus into the star or any item. What eyepiece magnification can I use to view the planet Saturn with the ring? I have 26mm and 9.7mm. I can see the planet but I have to zoom out to avoid the "X".

[@mbioman]

@@hitmann007 Bringing the focus out isn't affecting the zoom. It is bringing Saturn into focus. You should be able to see the rings with either the 26mm or the 9.7mm. It is easier to use the 26mm. Once you have the planet in the center of your view with the 26mm, switch to the 9.7mm. You'll have to adjust the focus again to get a clear image.

[@hitmann007]

@@mbioman that's smart! Thank's Josh. I appreciate it.. 🙂

[@DJHERO71]

Does anyone know if you can buy like other different types of eye piece?

[@mbioman]

Absolutely. Any 1.25" telescope eyepiece should work.

[@iconic2114]

Nice video 😊

[@cristiandaddy1234]

How come mine doesn't look like this??

[@mbioman]

What doesn't looking like this? The telescope? The view through the telescope?

[@cristiandaddy1234]

Only the moon looks good other than that everything else looks blurry

[@mbioman]

Assuming the focus is good, it sounds like your mirror(s) may be out of collimation.

[@АндрейКарпов-м7ю]

Please more please about cosmos and astronomy. Bro. Like all about space. All subscriptions about Space

[@Gravitation3Beatles3]

love the shirt

[@brandycontreras636]

All I see is my eye..could you give me some pointers to fix that?

[@chanelqueen3521]

All I see is white through my telescope? Please help lol

[@SpaceFactsWax]

Thanks for uploading. I had the chance to witness a rocket launch in 2018. Unbelievable experience. I uploaded a pretty cool video of the trip to my channel.

[@mauriceaustin3657]

I got ripped off. Just picked the MM version up from hobby lobby on sale for $99. Thank ny9u for taking the time to make this

[@mbioman]

The Hobby Lobby versions looks to be about the same. $99 still isn't a terrible price for a 114mm reflector. That said, if you have a Sams Club membership, its back in stock there for $50.

[@norashivette]

I don’t know what I do wrong, but I don’t see nothing with this telescope.

[@mbioman]

Have you tried using it during the day looking at distant trees or other objects with just the PL26mm eyepiece?

[@nidalshehahadeh7485]

I purchased a NG114 from Sam's Club , recommendation . do not buy ! as flimsy As It Gets and as fragile as if it was made from egg shells , it's made from lightweight plastic that I did not want to push on it otherwise I'll break it , it does not rise High Enough , it would keep on vibrating for a good half minute each time it is touched , the small reflective mirror in front of the telescope is in the way of viewing . ⭐**** it is going back to Sam's tomorrow

[@tumblrsexyman2219]

I fucked mine up astronomically because I didn't wear my glasses and didn't see the diagram correctly

[@stardarkroomequipment9495]

BOTH scopes ate CRAP bought for and by novices who have NO idea they are CRAP

[@lynn6496]

Does this NT114 telescope come with a primary parabolic mirror? Or is it a primary spherical mirror? Please list source of your information. I looked at a NT114CF owners manual that I found online (02d3287.netsolhost.com/brands/natgeo/8020114/80-20114.pdf) however it never listed if the mirror was spherical or parabolic. As an aside that online owners manual said the focal length was 600mm rather than 500mm as mentioned in video. I don't know if that is an error, but it might be nice if someone with some time actually measures the focal length. Thank you in advance.

[@mbioman]

The documentation that came with it indicates 500mm. My measurements are as follows: primary mirror to secondary mirror is about 320mm and from the secondary to the included eyepiece (actual glass surface) is roughly 170mm at the most inward movement. Definitely not 600mm. I can't say for certain about the mirror shape.

[@robertsonsid]

I am wondering the same thing. There are 114mm reflectors (Zhumell 114, Cometron 114, Orion Starblast 4.5) with parabolic mirrors and focal length of 456mm. My guess is if it doesn't say parabolic then it isn't. They would have mentioned that as a feature if it was parabolic.

[@robertsonsid]

It looks the same as the Aurora Explorer II 114mm which has a spherical mirror.