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I recently purchased this scope and I am pleased with it.

It's a great terresterial scope as well as a very good astro scope.

I would recommend these accessories. lenses - 9.7 Super Plossal, 15 Super Plossal, 2x Barlow, 6.7 UWA auto focuser, field tripod, polarizing filter (look at full moon with contrast), auto-controller is great too.

Buy yourself at least a simple star chart so that you can find the right star to align it by and remember that that 26mm Super Lense (comes with scope)isn't parfocal with any others. So, be prepared to focuse when switching.

The auto focuser is a definite must as hand focusing can move the scope too much at high magnification.

Aviod getting lenses that will take the magnification above 200x. While it will do it... unless you buy the UWA 6.7, the extra magnification won't be worth it.

Avoid all series 3000 lenses as they are just junk except for terresterail views.

That's about it, hope this helps.

Before buying any telescope purchase a copy of Terence Dickinson's Night Watch. There is a great section on how to spot "TRASH SCOPES". There are also good sections on eye pieces.
THE ETC-90EC is definitely not a TRASH Scope!

This scope outperforms Many in its price range. It may not present views of the planets as large as a 6" Dobsonian but you will be able to see and Find the planets if you are a novice. If this is a present for a child or a gift a parent and a child can share Get the Autostar controller. It really helps when you are not sure what you are viewing in the sky. But be warned the alignment procedure takes some skill and practice and get a Compass to find North .

While a 6" Dobsonian is a good choice for a first scope there are some strong advantages to the ETC-90. First of all its small size. It can be left assembled on a tripod with a minimum of space. A DOB is a fine instrument but unless you have unlimited space it can be aggevating assembling and dissasembling before stargazing. Also its tough to use a camera on a 6" Dobsonian.

What you must buy is a Tripod to get your money's worth on this one. The Deluxe Tripod is a good one and dont forget the Autostar controller.

The ETC-90 is a good compromise between size use and what you can see. Also you will need an extra eyepiece or two. the WA18 is a good choice. And a 2X Barlow. Remember not everyone lives in perfect dark sky environment or in the desert. If you live in the North Eastern US like I do do not waste money on high power eyepieces. Most of the time Medium power is the maximum you can use anyway.

Although I don't have this telescope, I know that catadioptric telescopes are an excellent type of telescope. Well, this particular catadioptric is an excellent amateur telescope. It provides sharp, clear, crisp images of mostly anything you would want to see. With it is included a Meade Autostar Electronic Controller, which enables you to track celestial objects and move the telescope on both of its axises easily and smoothly, thanks to the built-in motors. Also included is the Meade StarFinder computer software, which has an enormous databank of stars, constellations, nebulae, galaxies, etc. Optionally, you can buy the Meade Autostar #497 Controller, which also has an enormous databank of celestial objects and constellations, the legends behind them, and their coordinates. What's more, you can actually "dial up" a celestial object either by its name or by its coordinates (RA and Dec.). All in one controller, which is sold on Amazon.com also. For more information and more telescopes, email me. I have documents about telescopes and astronomy, including some astronomy terms if you aren't familiar.