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New! Maksutov high power optics and an a super day and night electronic finder make this "Hybrid" telescope great for terrestrial and astronomy use!

The Adler Mk85 high-powered Hybrid 70mm Maksutov Cassegrain telescope with huge 30x to 90x zoom range and electronic finder for daytime and astronomy use. This fantastic ultra portable 70mm scope delivers the resolution and contrast you'd expect from a much bigger (more expensive!) telescope. The Maksutov design optics will easily out-perform an achromatic refractor of comparable aperture and the hybrid design makes it ideal for high-powered terrestrial nature watching as well as basic astronomy.

Electronic finder One of the cleverest features of the Adler MK85 makes it virtually unique among spotting scopes is the electronic red dot finder. Pointing a telescope as powerful as the MK85 can be tricky - especially when used for astronomy. So the MK85 is equipped with a reflex finder (it works a bit like a pilots head-up display) that places a red dot over the target making it very easy to point the instrument at any target any time of the day or night. The finder has two brightness settings - bright for day and dim for astronomy use.

Amazingly this lightweight scope is just 279mm long (and weighs only 680g) and can be easily carried for grab-and-go field observation Although light weight the Mk85 cannot be hand held. Even at its lowest 30x magnification a tripod will be vital to get the best out of this instrument. The integral tripod boss on the base means it easily fits any standard camera tripod or clamp.

Supplied in soft carry case with dust caps(see offer below).

Special Offer: Tripod bundle deals

The Adler Mk85 needs a good tripod. So we've got a two great tripod package deals to make sure you get the best out of this amazing instrument. Buy it with one of our recommended tripods and we're offering an additional £10 off the combined package:

Kit 1: get the Adler Mk85 complete with light-weight full height Vanguard MK-4 tripod for just 109.99 inc UK mainland p&p (normally £119.98 - see recommended accessories bottom left for details).

Kit 2: get the Adler Mk85 complete with the Vanguard MG-3 all metal tripod for just £139.99 inc UK mainland p&p (normally £149.98). (see tripod details lower left)

Specification

Focal length 860mm (f12.3)

Standard eyepiece (included) Zoom 9.5mm to 28mm (30x to 90x magnification - and of course, all the magnifications in-between).

Size (with eyepiece fitted)270mm x 140mm x 90mm

Weight 680g

So what's so great about the Mk85? The light weight design means this scope is perfect for grab-and-go observing, whether it's long-range ship-spotting, target spotting or astronomy. It's wide and high-power range means you can use the instrument for observing an amazingly wide range of targets from wildlife to planets in the night sky. The finder is a truly brilliant feature found on virtually no other spotting scope - it makes pointing the instrument (especially for astronomy) very easy and efficient.

It's as well to note here that although the instrument is a true spotting-scope and has a corrected eyepiece view (everything is the right way up and right way round!) it is way too powerful for ordinary garden bird-watching. If you want to watch Eagles on mountain tops (from the ground!) then fine, but for normal bird-watching - forget it.

So why is the Mk85 not ideal for ordinary bird and wildlife watching?

Well, it's certainly not the close-focus distance; this amazing instrument will focus down to just 3 or 4 metres, so it's fantastic for detailed examination of targets that are relatively near but hard to access close up (architectural details, insect activity etc. But it's because the Mk85 is so good for astronomy and really long-range observing, and has such high powered optics - it's just too much magnification animal and bird watching (unless, of course, they are a fair distance away). Basically, if you take a look at a visitor to your bird-table with this scope you'll be lucky to catch a glimpse of the birds head as it hops in and out of the field of view! However this powerful instrument is ideal for more remote target observation - nesting birds, water fowl, shipping etc.

What can you see when the MK85 is used for astronomy? At maximum power the Moon becomes a fabulously intricate landscape of craters, rays and rills. At good observing times, when observed at just 70x magnification, the planet Jupiter will appear as a disc larger in size than you normally see the full Moon with the unaided eye! And at 30x magnification you will be able to observe the phases of the planet Venus. The rings of Saturn are an unforgettable sight in the Mk85 and Saturn's major moon, Titan is easily visible. At certain times of the year the Mk85 will reveal details on the surface of the planet Mars and will even show the polar ice caps of this remote world.