The universe is so intriguing. There’s a vast, almost endless amount of stars, planets, galaxies and moons that we have yet to discover – but one of the ways we can try to observe our universe is through telescopes.
If you’re hoping to do this from the comfort of your own home or when you are out and about, you can opt for a handheld telescope. These types of telescopes are small enough to transport and are pretty simple to use.
However, there are lots of features and factors to consider when you are going to buy a handheld telescope, and this can often get really confusing – especially when you examine portable telescopes too.
Luckily though, we’ve done the hard work for you. We’ve written this comprehensive guide that shows you the best handheld telescopes on the market today with our product reviews, a complete buyer’s guide and some frequently asked questions to think about.
So, if you’re looking to learn so much more, then read on and get your questions answered!
Best Handheld Telescopes Available
Let’s now examine some of the best handheld telescopes available on the market today!
Product Reviews
Below, you will find our product reviews of the top picks for handheld telescopes you can buy today.
This beautiful handheld telescope offers a 12×50 high power prism monocular vision, and it is fitted using high strength armor – making it ideal for outdoor use.
Not only can it explore a lot from a distance, but it can withstand being dropped and some other damage. It’s really comfortable to use and it’s also really easy to use. However, perhaps the best aspect that this handheld telescope has is the smartphone holder connection.
What this means is the ability to take photographs or videos of whatever it is you’re observing!Luckily, even with its size (larger than other handheld telescopes), it is still really easy to carry around. Due to its waterproof nature, it is great for using outdoors – and you’ll likely love to use it on a daily basis. You can moon watch, bird watch, star gaze or even watch gigs from afar!
This hand held telescope offers the same powerful 12X magnification and 50mm lens option as the previous choice in our list, and it also shares a lot of the same characteristics. It is made with a very durable armor, and has a non-slip grip.However, this model has a unique design that allows it to fight against internal fogging. While you might think that this isn’t a huge consideration, you’ll be surprised how often handheld telescopes can fog up. The scope has plenty of options to choose from, which gives it a little more versatility than the previous choice in our list. However, it does not have the ability for your smartphone to latch onto. So, while this choice might have a lot to offer in one respect, there are definitely some drawbacks in others.
If you have ever seen images of pirates looking out over the front of their ship with a telescope – this is the type of design they will be using.
Later in this guide, we talk about how the ability to capture more light can benefit the overall clarity of your picture, and this is something that this model has in abundance, despite being a handheld telescope.
It uses a 25X magnification rate with 30mm diameter – and this is nothing to sneeze at. This gives you an amazing image for something of this size.
With your telescope, you will also be provided with a lens cleaner, a carry case and a manual. All of these items will be important when it comes to using this telescope.
It has a beautiful brass and leather design too – so you’ll have a great looking handheld telescope as well as a powerful one!
One of the best features about the Roxant monocular telescope is the retractable eyepiece – which is something that very few handheld telescopes offer. This is a solid, durable and really handy handheld telescope.However, it does have some drawbacks. Notably, it only offers 6×30 viewing – which is a little low if you are planning to do some serious observing! Having said that, it’s perfectly acceptable for the basics like bird watching.
Pros
Retractable eyepiece
Solid and strong
Does the basics well
Cons
Not as powerful as other models
Buyer’s Guide
Before you head out and buy your handheld telescope though, there will be a lot of different considerations you will need to make. Let’s take a look at what you need to think about below.
We’ve spoken about the areas to look at for both portable and handheld telescopes to try to clear up any confusion when you are looking for your best option.
As you may have noticed from our picks above, handheld telescopes aren’t especially powerful.
The Type Of Telescope
As we mentioned earlier, there are various types of telescopes on the market, and handheld telescopes are no exception to this.
It’s important to note here that handheld and portable telescopes are different, but will often share the same characteristics.There are three primary types of telescope though and these are refractor, reflector and dobsonian. Let’s examine these a little more closely.
Reflector Telescope
Perhaps the most common type of telescope is the reflector telescope. Now, while the reflector telescope may have plenty of different subcategories and other changes within them, they will all share one thing in common – the use of mirrors.The way that this happens is that the mirrors reflect and then refocus light onto the eye viewing piece. This most simple form of this technology and this type of telescope is known as the Newtonian telescope.Newtonian telescope reflectors use a big concave mirror and then utilize a secondary diagonal mirror. Other than Newtonian telescopes, there are also Cassegrain telescopes which use large concave mirrors and then a smaller convex mirror. Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes specifically, use a lens and a spherical mirror. Finally, the Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes use an aspherical corrector lens instead. While all of these are in the same category, they all have these small differences. You might be wondering why all of this matters to you. Well, it depends on where you are going to use your handheld telescope, as some of these designs work better than others in areas of large light pollution for example. Aside from that, the overall price can change – so your budget will also come into your thoughts. However, if you are just starting out in the world of handheld telescopes, the type of reflector won’t play the most significant role in your decision making.The key thing to remember is that these types of telescopes do not cause chromatic aberration, unlike many of the other alternatives.
Refractor Telescope
Refractor telescopes work differently to reflector telescopes. Most notably, these telescopes do not use mirrors and instead, they rely heavily on the use of lenses and image magnification.Of course, the problem here is what we briefly mentioned a moment ago. This type of method will lead to chromatic aberration which means there’s a significant chance that your image will be blurred or distorted.You may now be thinking – well, doesn’t this make them useless? No, actually! These telescopes have the added advantage of being much more durable because the lenses are fixed in place. What this means for you is, less chance of having an accidental displacement and a much longer duration of the telescope life overall anyway.
Dobsonian Telescope
While technically, Dobsonian telescopes are a type of reflector telescope, they have to be placed into their own category. This is because of their excellent advantage of portability.These telescopes have a large cylindrical tube with a stable base. This makes it excellent in terms of optics because it can collect lots of light without using a particularly long length down to the base which other models do.Because of this compact nature and brilliant design, these handheld telescopes are handy to pick up and put into a case, meaning they are easy to carry around to your next destination!
Capabilities Of The Telescope
You will also want to play close attention to what the telescope can actually do, especially if you’re looking for something specific. Of course, the last thing you will want to do is get a telescope that is too low powered and can’t provide you with a good view.In general, the first aspect you will be looking at is the aperture. This is the diameter of the objective lens – which is when the first lens light reaches the telescope. Remember, the size of the lens will play a role in the overall light gaining ability of the telescope.In other words, you will want to look for a wider aperture (Also check out How To Adjust Aperture On Canon) , which you can achieve with a telescope that has a large diameter.You will then look at the focal length which plays an important role in the power of the telescope’s magnification. Longer focal lengths mean a better chance of viewing plenty more celestial bodies with a better, clearer view.Finally, you will want to pay attention to the F-ratio, which is the focal ratio. This, at its most simple, is how clear the image is going to be. To get the F-ratio figure, you simply need to divide the focal length by the aperture. Low ratio = clearer image. These decisions will likely not come into play with the majority of handheld telescopes though. Generally, handheld telescopes have limited capabilities, but it’s important to note what portable telescopes can offer to understand all their differences.
Eyepieces
Luckily, there are many handheld telescopes out there that offer a variety of different eyepieces. Usually, this means you have more options and a variety of magnification degrees to choose from.If possible, you will want to look for models that offer several eyepieces so you can get the best view available. However, another option to look for are models that use a Barlow lens.A Barlow lens can be used with a standard eyepiece and normally offer much more magnification – which you can then adjust to get the best view. Luckily, there are even handheld telescope options that have retractable eyepieces. However, you will find this is a very rare occurrence, so it’s definitely worth thinking about before you make your final decision.
Scope
If you have already been scouring the market for portable telescopes, you will likely have read that some models have standalone scopes and others have spotter scopes. A standalone finder scope gives you a better idea as to where to point your telescope.To put it simply, you’d be better off with standalone finder scopes, but you might find you need to purchase a travel scope as well. Once again though, it’s important that we note here that handheld telescopes use monocular scopes, and you won’t be able to find much variety.
Portable Vs Handheld
As we mentioned before, portable and handheld telescopes are different but share many of the same characteristics.
If you are hoping to get some serious celestial research done, then you will want to opt for a portable telescope rather than a handheld one.This does not mean that you cannot observe interesting areas in space though. Remember, we can see a lot with the naked eye – including Andromeda. Luckily, a handheld telescope can provide a clearer view though.Remember as well that the largest advantage of a handheld telescope is the fact you can carry them so easily – often even in your pocket. Some portable telescopes are easy to transport, but normally require a carry case. Of course though, you are sacrificing picture quality for portability. So really, it is down to you.
Personal Budget
Of course, with any purchase, you should also bear in mind your own personal budget. When it comes to handheld telescopes, you will likely not want to spend through the nose.
However, it’s important to know the capabilities of a handheld telescope and your budget.
As we spoke of earlier in the capabilities section, you will find a variety of different capabilities with telescopes. Portable telescopes of course generally offer more than handheld telescopes. So, if you are okay with spending a little more to get a clearer view and better overall experience – then you should opt for a portable telescope.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most asked questions when it comes to handheld telescopes.
Should I Buy A Handheld Telescope Or A Portable Telescope?
It depends on what result you are looking for. Handheld telescopes are favorites among birdwatchers, hikers and general observers. While you can examine some areas of space, the image will not be as clear as a portable telescope. As we mentioned before, you need to look at the pros and cons of both. Generally, handheld telescopes are better for your budget and portability, whereas portable telescopes are better for image clarity and power of use.
Can I Buy Replacement Lenses?
Some models can easily have their lenses replaced, whereas others will not. Once again, this will depend on how much you are willing to spend, along with the manufacturer. As a general rule, we’ve found that the better models actually do not require replacement lenses – but at the same time, this takes a lot of freedom away from you as the consumer.
Can Kids Use Handheld Telescopes?
Sure they can! In fact, some kids like to use these types of telescopes to explore their surroundings (and some even just like to play pirates!). However, it’s important we note that portable telescopes on the other hand can be used by kids, but with supervision.While kids should not injure themselves using a portable telescope, they could accidentally break something important within the telescope, or even more simply alter your observations!
Can I Use Handheld Telescopes In The Day?
Yes you can. As we said, they are very popular among hikers and birdwatchers, so daytime use is encouraged.
Of course, it probably goes without saying that if you are hoping to observe something in space, you’re better off waiting for darkness.
Final Thoughts
Handheld telescopes have a lot to offer you. While they might not be as versatile or powerful as portable telescopes, they still can give you so much joy and plenty of assistance with general observations. We hope our guide has cleared up some of the confusion and helped you make a great decision!
Hi, my name is Jason Anderson, and I am a Physics Professor. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated with space, the universe, the moon, you name it. I spent hours and hours at the planetarium close to my hometown, wondering what else could be out in the universe.
Since then, I’ve been an avid stargazer and astronomer, and love nothing more than spending my time charting stars, observing planets, and finding constellations.
This is why I decided to start Telescope Guru. I only wish to share this fun pastime with the world. With this site, I hope to answer all of your questions relating to astronomy, telescopes, and stargazing.
