ETX-125 Observer Telescope

I also used the Meade Smartphone Adapter on my ETX-125 Observer Telescope. With the ETX-125, the 26mm eyepiece provides 73X; the 9mm eyepiece provides 211X. Here is the Smartphone Adapter on the ETX-125 (without the Earbuds "remote shutter release" connected):

The Moon and the planets can be imaged with smaller telescopes, like the ETX series. Here is the Moon taken with the Camera app:

73X


211X

Here are Saturn and Mars at 211X:

Saturn, single image, Camera app


Mars, single image, NightCap Camera (ISO 22, 1/25sec)


Mars, stack of 315 video frames, NightCap Camera (ISO 64, 1/100sec)

Some Deep Sky Objects:

Double Cluster, 73X, NightCap Camera (Long Exposure, Light Boost, ISO 8448, 1/3sec, 16 seconds exposure)


M17 (Swan Nebula), 73X, NightCap Camera (Long Exposure, Light Boost, ISO 8448, 1/3sec, 10 seconds exposure)


M22 (globular cluster), 73X, NightCap Camera (Long Exposure, Light Boost, ISO 8448, 1/3sec, 10 seconds exposure)


M31 (Andromeda Galaxy), 73X, NightCap Camera (Long Exposure, Light Boost, ISO 8448, 1/3sec, 10 seconds exposure)


M57 (Ring Nebula), 73X, NightCap Camera (Long Exposure, Light Boost, ISO 8448, 1/3sec, 10 seconds exposure)

As the ETX-125 Observer was mounted in Alt/Az (the mounting mode that most users will use), I limited exposure lengths to only a few seconds to avoid "field rotation". Telescopes mounted in Polar or Equatorial Mode and properly polar-aligned will allow for longer exposures, with the right software.

Summary

The Meade Smartphone adapter is made from lightweight metal and some plastics. Parts that touch the phone are foam padded. Both the phone and the eyepiece are held securely. I had no concern about iPhone security when slewing the telescope over long distances. If you have eyepieces that will fit into the adapter, the Meade Smartphone Adapter will let you do astrophotography or terrestrial photography with some spotting scopes. The cameras on many of today's smartphones are pretty awesome and with some practice you will be able to get some amazing photos.

Go back to Page 1 of the Review.

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