This is a nice telescope for a beginner or someone with a moderate interest in astronomy. While there aren’t many pieces, the instructions were less than easy to read as the pictures are printed in a very light gray. Quality control is also a bit off as one of the screws had come out in shipping and was bouncing around on the inside with the potential to scratch things up. Otherwise, the quality seems reasonable for the cost. I was going to post a picture with the review but it has been raining or cloudy since I received it so I can’t quite tell what things are going to look like. If things clear I will update the review.

The National Geographic NG114mm telescope is a good starter telescope. I was excited to have the option to shoot photos through the telescope with my iPhone. However, that has been challenging. With multiple lenses, it is difficult to line up, focus, and shoot. I got it to work, but I had to hold the phone the whole time. Maybe it will get better with practice.

I was so excited to receive a telescope as a gift. I’ve always been fascinated by space and always wanted a telescope. I was hoping to use it to get my child interested as well. Unfortunately this isn’t it. The scope doesn’t align with what you are viewing. It’s hard to keep in place once you do find something to look at. And even if you are able to align the scope it’s difficult to get a clear image. If you want this for astronomy this isn’t the right telescope.

The directions are tiny and mine were faded so it was extra hard to read. I still don't know if I have the right assembly. I'm going to look for a PDF online so I can hopefully get a better idea of what to do. Also, a small but crucial part broke off when I attached the viewfinder. Hope it superglues well.

I have no experience with telescopes but my oldest daughter and I managed to put this together quickly. The biggest thing I didn’t know was that when taking it outside it takes a while for the lenses to defog. Once the lens was clear it was no only easy to see but my oldest was able to use her phone and take pictures with her iPhone.

We used the telescope outside of our house. It was a pretty clear night to view the stars..We wanted to look at two specific stars we had been seeing for a while..When we looked through the view finder we saw a little burst of light around the stars. When we viewed the moon it had a hazy ring around it that night. The magnification is weak, but set up was really easy.

I knew this was an “entry-level” telescope, but was hoping for a little better quality. Assembly was very straight-forward despite a complete lack to coherent direction. The issue began when trying to attach the “pivot” arm that adjusts the angle of the telescope. It was machined incorrectly and the alignment is off enough that it was nearly impossible to thread and barely holds the telescope in place for viewing. The slightest bump and the telescope falls completely forward or back. (I had 4 different adults attempt to tighten the arm and all were unsuccessful.) The second issue is with the legs. I am glad they are adjustable, but I feel like the mechanism to lock them in place could be better. Most tripods I have seen use a simple ‘squeeze’ lever that can easily be operated and raised or lowered with one hand. This one definitely can not. The locks need to be twisted and you have to push the leg up from the bottom. With how top-heavy the telescope is, this makes height adjustments very difficult. Lastly, only about half of the people who tried (we brought it out during a family gathering of 12 adults and 18 kids) could see anything through the telescope. I read in another review that you weren’t supposed to use your eye to look through he eyepiece, only the phone attachment, so perhaps that was the issue. We haven’t yet used the phone option. Overall, the telescope was not successful for us. We are going to keep trying, though, because I have an 11-year-old currently obsessed with astronomy. Either have to make this one work, or upgrade to a more expensive one, because the bug has bitten!!

Telescope is for beginners, kids, or people who may use it here and there. The overall process of putting together was fine, direction weren’t terrible but there some questions as I was putting it together. The telescope and stand are light weight which is nice but also makes it flimsy and could tip easily. I love that the tripod is adjustable height, it comes with 2 lenses and a phone holder but the phone holder doesn’t work. My iPhone 14 will not stay. I have not had a chance to look through as we have not had good clear nights, so I can not comment on the quality of what you can see.

My order arrived USED, with a loose part in the tube of the telescope which I am sure wasnt supposed to be. Compass was 'unglued' from telescope body, cannot focus on anything unless I am touching inner piece of telescope to hold it. Pretty sure THAT'S not supposed to be how it works, either! Heartbroken and angered.

It is a great beginner telescope. It is lightweight but a bit flimsy on the tripod stand. I like the accessory tray to hold pieces and the cell phone. It has great magnification up to 103 X and very clear pictures of moon and stars. It is a bit hard to align, the manual diagrams in the pamphlet are way too light to see and read it also would be nice if there was a strap to hold the cell phone when trying to take the pictures but overall for the price you can’t go wrong. I wish there was a website where you can get better explanations and to buy additional pieces as needed .