Hi

Just a newbie here looking to get my hands on my first telescope.

My requirements aren't quite astronomical. Primary use of the scope will be for terrestrial observation/photography. Live nearby a forest and I got a good viewpoint on trees (some of which taller than the house!) and would like to see life up close. Quite a few species of birds nesting on the trees but also small mammals on the ground. Therefore, I ll need the scope to be capable of focusing really close e.g. 20 meters (or less if possible!) and have a mount for mobile phone, so that I ll be capable of taking photos/video. Also budget is limited - 200USD at very most.

Obviously at that price I m looking for an entry level model, so yes, I m not expecting miracles. Having done a bit of research, I found out that I need a 'refractor' type of telescope in order to be able to observe terrestrial objects. If I could find a scope that will allow me to get an intro with planet hunting (i.e. moon or other 'nearby' planets), that's a bonus. But primary use is the one I mentioned above.

Based upon my requirements (and limited budget), could you recommend a top3? From what I gathered so far, I ve got this:

Skywatcher Mercury 705 70mm (not sure about the 'AZ-3' version..)
Celestron 21062 AstroMaster 70EQ (or even 90 AZ?)
Orion 10013 GoScope 80mm

There are also likes of:
Landove 20-60X 80 Prism Spotting Scope
Gosky Spektiv Vogelbeobachtung 20-60 x 80
Yukon range of models

If I was to go with a model from the first list, would it be better for terrestrial observation vs the likes of Landove/Gosky/Yukon? I m guessing that models from 1st list perform better for celestial observation and offer more customization in that area. Models from 2nd list seem to be targeted for terrestrial observation, thus also being easier to setup (and being cheaper).

What do you think??
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