Celestron 31051 AstroMaster 130EQ Reflector Telescope Motor
Celestron 31051 AstroMaster 130EQ Reflector Telescope Motor Drive,Grey
Better Viewing
Includes everything you need to get started with astronomy: two 1.25” eyepieces (20mm and 10mm), StarPointer red dot finderscope, erect image diagonal, and free Starry Night astronomy software.
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 |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astromaster 70 EQ | Astromaster 90 EQ | Astromaster 76 EQ | Astromaster 114 EQ | Astromaster 130EQ-MD | |
| Optical Design | Refractor | Refractor | Newtonian Reflector | Newtonian Reflector | Newtonian Reflector |
| Aperture | 70mm (2.75”) | 90mm (3.54”) | 76mm (3”) | 114mm (4.48”) | 130 mm(5.11”) |
| Focal Length | 900mm (35.43”) | 1000mm (39.37”) | 700mm (27.56”) | 1000mm (39.37”) | 650mm (25.6”) |
| Focal Ratio | f/13 | f/11 | f/9.2 | f/8.7 | f/5 |
| Magnifi cation (with included eyepieces) | 45x, 90x | 50x, 100x | 35x, 70x | 50x, 100x | 33x, 65x |
| Limiting Magnitude | 11.7 | 12.3 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.1 |
| Lowest Useful Magnification | 10x | 13x | 11x | 16x | 19x |
| Highest Theoretical Magnification | 165x | 213x | 180x | 269x | 307x |
| Assembled Weight | 18 lbs | 27 lbs | 16 lbs | 17 lbs | 28 lbs |
| Dimensions: | 88.9 x 48.26 x 27.94 cm; 11 Kilograms |
| Model: | 31051 |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. |
| Manufacture: | Celestron |
| Dimensions: | 88.9 x 48.26 x 27.94 cm; 11 Kilograms |
| Origin: | China |
I’ve only had 1 clear night, since i got this 2 weeks ago, so I’ve only got pics of the scope, but the clarity and magnification are excellent. I thought my motor drive wasn’t working, but, it’s because it turns it so slow i just didn’t see it move, (facepalm). Easy to dismantle & set up, no tools needed, perfect for packing up and travelling somewhere dark. I can carry it all a small distance, without struggling due to weight, but i’ve always got my camera equipment as well. Best option is to have a car to carry it, if you don’t have a car, a decent holdall will take the lot, but due to the counterweights with it, weighing 4 or 5 kilos alone, i can be a strain when carrying any distance. I wouldn’t recommend more than a Kilometer carrying on foot.
Great product though.
brilliant telescope easy to put together. For my first real telescope you can see the craters on the moon so clear and there are lot off lenses to add to make it even better would recommend a Barlow lens to see longer distances or wider view’s.
This telescope is a great piece of equipment. It is my first proper telescope and am loving it. There was an issue with the Red Dot Finder Scope, but the seller sorted this out for me very quickly with new replacement, that works very well on receipt. I have bought extra lenses including a few Barlow’s, and really happy with it. I have already taken a lot of great photo’s and a, really happy with the outcome. ATB 🙂
The 130eq is a great telescope to start your stargazing experience. There’s so much to learn about the whole process, from alignment of the mount to star hopping to find the target.
I took the motor drive off for the time being, as it seemed to get in the way. Now I’ve got a bit more practice I might reattach it and give it another chance. At high magnification the stars appear to move out of view very quickly, so the drive is needed if you are to take your eye off the eyepiece for even a few seconds.
The 20mm eyepiece that comes with the scope is good, but not so thrilled with the 10mm. Get the accessory kit or another good set of eyepieces as this will dramatically improve your experience.
Very heavy I’m complete beginner to astronomy. Firstly this is a big telescope and heavy also its not as easy to use as you would think but when I got the hang of it the moon was amazing I recommend getting a moon filter because the moon is very bright through the telescope and it can hurt your eyes. On reflection I think I should have bought a 90mm telescope that wasn’t as heavy because this telescope is a bit of a faff to move about because of the size and weight but it is a quality telescope.
The packaging it comes in is very good I have to say. Well thought out and everything is secure. All the spaces are carefully packed so that nothing falls out of place.
The build took me 45 minutes. I guess a lot of that time was taken watching a YouTube video of how to assemble it. It’s simple enough with the video guide, the quick assembly guide which comes in the box is poorly written and the pictures are too small to see clearly what’s going on. At least it’s in colour though.
Once assembled you do need to load up that CD or look online on how to align and to use the telescope. The Equatorial Mount (EQ) is a more technical set up than the dobsonion mounts but allows for tracking an object through the night sky. There’s no instructions on this and I guess you are assumed to know this before buying this telescope. So do, do some research before hand.
The build quality is good and the tripod mount is pretty sturdy. Could be heavier just to minimise vibrations but I guess at this price point it isn’t bad.
The MD is a welcome addition but what they don’t say or it isn’t mentioned is that with the MD in place the DEC fine tune cable can’t be used.
The lenses (10x and 20x) that come with it are basic and are the same ones that came with my Celestron spotting scope which was under 50. So not the best lenses/optics by any means but more than adequate for viewing the moon.
There is a filter thread on the focuser which allows you to attach a DSLR via a T mount. Haven’t taken pics yet but can’t wait for clear weather next week.
You can use the optional mobile phone holder and use your Google Pixel phone (which has specially adapted optics for astrophotography) or a decent mobile camera.
Once set up and aligned it’s pretty neat. Looks the part but the proof will be in the pudding as they say. But so far so good with the preliminary views.
The software, which is free, doesn’t work on your mobile. Again they don’t tell you that. After registering and signing up for it you can download a pc or Mac version. But there’s no app as such. It’s free but pretty useless unless you are going to have your laptop / MacBook with you.
Luckily there are free apps which suffice and do the job.
Overall, pleased with the purchase. Some niggles here and there but nothing detrimental to the overall performance.
Good second telescope moving on from beginner scopes.
I brought this for myself and my son, as space excites us both. And during lockdown we had many later evenings to do something a bit different. This was a fantastic purchase, especially this week with the full moon (resulting picture attached).
The telescope took a while to get together and then balance up. But once complete it works without issue.
I had an issue with the motor that slowly turns the telescope during viewing, I forgot to contact the seller or manufacturer about the issue, which I’m sure they would have rectified quickly. I was just unlucky.
Excellent for beginners before moving onto something more substantial.
The build quality leaves a lot to be desired, it isn’t terrible by any means but it could be improved, mine came with some bits of plastic inside the tube and on the primary mirror which had to be cleaned off, the focuser has some kind of glue on the rack and pinion which I cleaned off and replaced with grease.
The tripod is of reasonable quality but it’s rather on the light side, you might want to fill the legs with sand so it’s more stable.
I have mixed feelings about the mount itself, it’s nice and heavy but is severely let down by the setting circles which are practically garbage, the pointers are just bits of metal that don’t even come close to the setting circles, the latitude adjustment has a lot of slop in it, also the grease could do with replacing as it’s quite stiff.
Unless you’re very lucky it will require collimation right out of the box, the primary mirror has no centre mark so be prepared to fix that yourself, the primary adjustment knobs are very stiff so you will likely need a pair of pliers to turn them and the secondary mirror adjustment is of poor construction, no collimation cap is included although you can make one easy enough from the focuser dust cap, finally there is no spider adjustment which makes perfect collimation difficult or impossible to achieve, not a big deal in most cases.
The motor works just fine although I’m not sure what they were thinking when it comes to the mount design, you will need to adjust the mount or replace it to avoid collision at certain positions.
All this combined means this is NOT a beginner telescope, unless your willing to spend time sorting out its problems and modifying it to your needs you will only get frustrated, if your are willing to put in the effort it can give quite good views at a budget price.
This telescope is the best for beginners, it’s shows great close up images of the moon . Like all telescopes you need patience to find the perfect object. I was amazed to see the moons craters.
Along with my order I received 10mm and 20mm lens . Both are good but I had a better close up on a separate order of a Barlow len with x2 magnification, which is much better . All in all the is good for beginners and you will enjoy what you see .
Fantastic telescope, really like it.
Couple things to keep in mind ( as a respond to some comments and reviews)
* Red dot finder
I was out of range from the very beginning, I had to place chim to make it able point right ( it was always to high, even adjusted to the lowest position). So it is usable and works with small modification.
(Stop working after 5 months, battery replaced but still dead)
* Tripod – hmmm
Works well, I mean, once polar alligned you can just turn RA knob to track object – great !
Motor Drive – works well as well, I don’t understand why people complain about it… Maybe they simply don’t know what it does ?
Bad things are: when MD attached you can’t use RA knob for precise aiming (you need to release a main knob) and there is a dead area / zone – when to motor itself block couple degree of rotation ( Not a big deal really)
Tripod is…. Bit wobbly, not the best one in terms of stability, but it’s not junk too… Hope you know what I mean. Just avarage one.
* Optics
Fast telescope (F5), good quality overall, not bad eyepieces included. It’s Newtonian so, collimation required. Sound scary ! But is not! Main mirror doesn’t have a central mark ( considered as a negative aspect – why celestron ? Why? ) But, I am collimating it without, and i have mastered it ! It’s nice and easy . I was thinking about making mark myself, but, what for? YOU CAN COLLIMATE IT WITHOUT! You don’t even need laser collimator. Get one if you want, mark mirror if you want – just keep in mind ,it’s not must!
* Astrophotography
Yeah… Newtonian…
You get some problems with focus, using DSLR!
(Works well with modified webcam) and works well with 2x barlow and DSLR , works well afocal projection with DSLR, and works well with prime focus – if you modify telescope ( move main mirror towards front, about 2 cm) not a big deal, hovewer, once you do it, the observations will required adapter ( all about focus plane)
Every method have some advantages and disadvantages – Google them !
I am using Seben zoom eyepiece 8-24 attached to my t adapter and canon DSLR or Barlow X2 with t adapter to the same camera (keep in mind, 2 X Barlow actually quadruple exposure time and doubling FR! ) Anyway, this two methods gives me better results then modified webcam.
take reference photos if you want good results ( flats, bias, darks) and experiment.
Overall, it’s a great scope. You need to learn things in order to obtain full potential ( eq mount, polar alligment, focus, collimation, not to mention night sky !)
It’s great for observing stars and DSO, not so good for planets (obviously you still can do it)
For astrophotography – it required some small modifications.
No regrets of buying it ! Imho super cheap and well performing scope.
+ For observing deep sky objects (nebulas, galaxy’s)
= For astrophotography DSO, long exposures thanks to motor drive but some mods required (focus)
– For planetary observing or photography get Something else – like f12 refractor 😉
First, to put things into perspective:
* A good eyepiece costs more than half of the price of this telescope
* A good mount starts at 4 times the cost of this telescope and exceeds 20 times the price
The telescope is an excellent starter telescope. Based on forum review, it is probably not the best, but quote close to that. It has all the bits and pieces that you need to learn about while taking the first steps into amateur astronomy:
* Equatorial mount: you’ll learn about the types of mounts, how to do polar alignment, what is RA/DE and Hour Angle
* It’s Newtonian: you’ll learn about reflector telescopes and collimation. You don’t have to bend to look at the stars, which is important when spending an hour or so
* Large focal length (you *do not* need more than that): allows you to toy with eyepieces and discover the limits of the telescope. You will realise the effects of the atmosphere and the limits they impose and you will also realise that in high magnifications the stars move too fast and go out of view in seconds.
* Decent aperture: You won’t be limited by the ability of the telescope to collect light. You will learn what dark adaptation is and how important it is.
* Two eyepieces (20mm erect, 10mm): You’ll learn what an erect eyepiece is. You’ll get used to seeing things upside down. You’ll learn to divide the focal lengths to get the magnification. You’ll also inevitably learn about apparent field-of-view, eye relief, multicoating, what plossl is and that there is a variety of eyepieces but that you don’t need many of them.
* A motor: you’ll learn the importance of it at higher magnifications.
Eventually you’ll also try to take pictures, either with a phone or with a camera, in which case you’ll start attaching things to it. It’s more trouble than you think but the good thing is that the telescope is very sturdy and can take it.
Its pieces:
* The telescope itself is of good quality
* The mount is a *very* good mount for the price. It’s sturdy, accurate to adjust and reasonably stable. I can’t stress enough the importance of the mount. It’s *the* most important part of a telescope. If you’re not convinced, take a look at amateur astronomy forums for advice given to others.
* The sky pointer is easy to use and very accurate once adjusted (the first time)
* The eyepieces are good for the first days. At some point you will probably replace them with something better and possibly add a barlow lens. Look at forums about recommendations. I had very good results with a celestron omni 15mm. I have a celestron omni 5mm which is not useful 99% of the time and can’t recommend because of the high magnification and the bad eye relief. An onni celestron barlow works well too. I also recommend getting a 30-40mm plossl eyepiece with good eye relief.
* The motor (for the MD model) is painfully basic. Unfortunately it doesn’t allow manual micro-corrections when it’s attached, even if it’s off. It also limits the rotation of the telescope which creates some blind spots (boooo). I had to remove it in some occasions.
Overall , it’s lots of fun for the price. IMO, you should not try something more expensive as a first telescope because you won’t know what to look for. You’ll realize that if you’re going to invest then it’s better to invest on a mount than a telescope.
Expect to be able to see Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s moons when they are close to Earth. See attached
The bads:
* The motor is basic and limits the movement of the telescope when attached. Fortunately, it’s easy to remove and reattach.
* The included eyepiece are very basic, although a good starting point and expected for the price of the telescope
Likes: easy to set up, works great with both lens and very good images. 30% off a bonus of sorts.
Dislikes: obviously not new, there were marks on the tripod stand that could only be made by misuse. The motor was seized and doesn’t work.
Conclusion: happy with the scope. The scuff marks will happen anyway so not worried about them and not worth returning for and exchanging. The motor, whilst not working is apparently not that good anyway so I shall be looking at upgraded motors that would work better anyway.
Assembly takes a little time: if you’ve not assembled one before, a local astronomy group might be a good place to start, since amateur astronomers are only too willing to share their expertise. Once assembled, it’s obvious just how sturdily built this is, and the lens provided is an ‘erecting’ lens, which allows images to be viewed without inversion, so ideal for bird or train spotting. If you’ve never used a ‘scope before, it’s essential to read all about them, and in particular the bit about never, ever looking directly at the sun. Even looking at the moon requires a filter, since the mirror in the ‘scope is so powerful.
I used this in conjunction with a Celestron T-Ring Adapter for a Canon DSLR, which allows the Canon to mate directly to the ‘scope viewfinder, and a CamFi CF102 Wireless transmitter, the combination of which beams the telescope’s finder image directly to an iPad or Laptop. I did have to buy the Celestron accessory kit to get the right mating piece, to fit the camera to the telescope body, but the result on an iPad Pro was simply stunning.
In summary, then, Celestron are makers of fine and high quality optical instruments, and their attention to detail is second to none. This provides a wonderful introduction to the delights of Astronomy and will even allow you to get some great pictures of the houses in the next county.
Having never used an equatorial mount before I found this a little tricky to setup the first few times, but the extra learning curve is well worth it later when you only need to make one adjustment to keep an object in view all night.
The tripod it very simple, light weight and quite sturdy, only taking seconds to put up.
The motor I have removed for now as I found it just gets in my way and I can do without it while I figure out the more basic functions of this mount, however I’m planning on using my DSLR to do some astrophotography and the motor will be invaluable then.
Out of the two eye pieces supplied I found the 20mm uncomfortable to use as it has a very short eye relief, but the 10mm was perfect and gave good crisp images of the moon.
The red bot star finder is simple to setup and use although I suggest taking the time to set it up properly in the day BEFORE you go out with it at night, I wish I had as it would have saved me a lot of frustration.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in getting there first telescope, it’s well built and produces good images straight out of the box, yes the EQ mount may be doubting compared to simpler mounts but the benefits of tracking and keeping the object in the same orientation are well worth it.
(Attached is a photo I tuck with my iPhone held up to the 10mm eye piece)
The tripod is sturdy and this really is a good telescope if this is the magnification you are looking for. But I’ve rated this as only four stars because although it has a battery powered motor to help track across the sky, I found it fiddly and not easy to use or to change the batteries.
I chose this particular model based on other reviews and price. Not a cheap item to buy but it should last a long time.
The telescope comes very well packaged and all individual items are carefully boxed or bagged up. You might want to keep the packaging if you think you’ll be moving house to protect during transit. This was the case with us and am glad I kept all the packaging because I could put everything away safely and nothing got damaged in the process of moving house 3 times.
I am fairly technically minded in the sense that I look after all technology in our home, putting things together, maintenance etc. So I was confident I could assemble the telescope myself especially as I had a comprehensive manual with the product (I am a woman so I will refer to instruction manuals if I really can’t figure it out on my own). Assembling everything isn’t difficult but it took me a very long time. And it wasn’t any quicker when I had to do it again after moving house.
It takes up a fair bit of space but can be tucked away in a corner if needed because it is easy to move (not lightweight but well constructed so easy to manoeuvre). The tripod is very easy to handle as well. This means you can move the telescope into the garden and so on.
Another feature which interested me was the possibility of taking photos. I have a decent Canon camera and in time I was able to use it. But this is an added bonus.
The telescope itself is very powerful for a domestic, hobby set up, so it has very good magnification for our needs.
You do need a bit of knowledge about the night sky which I, personally, haven’t got but there are some fantastic books and maps available on Amazon which are very useful.
I haven’t used it that much but my family found it very interesting and they spent quite some time on it and they seem happy with what they see through the lenses. You can easily adapt it with different lenses and it is easy to move the viewing point because the motion mechanism and little motor are very good and smooth.
I would recommend it as a domestic telescope, it isn’t cheap but it is an impressive, powerful, large bit of kit and you will use it for years to come. It will also impress any visitor and it is easy to dust 🙂
The image quality has been very impressive. I used a distant tree for my initial alignment test of the scope and was astounded by how much detail I could see. The clarity and reproduction through the eyepiece was better than I expected and I’m looking forward to using my camera with it when the necessary attachments arrive.
There have been a few teething problems:
The motor drive connects to the EQ mount using a cast metal “flexible connector”. It’s not very robust and was broken when the scope arrived. I’m on to Celestron to get a replacement connector, but I’ll be making my own alternative using a steel spring and some 5mm plastic hose.
The slow motion cables do not feel very sturdy and I don’t expect them to last very long. Again, I’ll be making my own alternatives (springs and hose again), probably making them shorter than the originals and with smaller handles so they’re less intrusive.
It would have been nice if they’d provided some kind of case for the 20mm lens. The 10mm lens comes in a canister but there’s nothing for the larger one. I’m using a zip up pouch (the sort they make for point and click cameras) that does the job well enough and no doubt I’ll buy more lenses and a proper case as time goes by.
I haven’t been able to find any kind of case or bag to store the telescope in when it’s not in use, so this is another thing I’m going to have to make.
These are all relatively minor issues and do not detract from the fact that this is a brilliant telescope. The bag/case issues are only a problem for me because I don’t want the scope set up all the time. Perhaps I’ll have to buy myself a shed an make it into a permanent observatory in the garden!! I’m sure my wife would be delighted with that idea!!
I would recommend this scope to anyone looking for a substantial bit of kit for stargazing. Hopefully, I’ll be able to post the designs for my improvements and bag online once I’ve completed them.
The build quality is not of the highest standard (e.g. rubber around the focusing knobs fell off when I assembled it – I fixed this with super glue), but is certainly sufficient enough for a budget telescope. The tripod is steady and the slow motion cables all work fine. You need to be a reasonably experienced novice in order to work the motor drive. I remove mine when I’m not using it as it can get in the way, but it is not a difficult job as it just unscrews.
The red dot finder (RDF) isn’t great, but will help you point towards the brighter objects such as the moon or the planets. Forget trying to use it for stars or constellations. You can purchase a better finder scope that you can stick onto the scope with double sided tape, like the TELRAD red dot finder (highly rated on Amazon at 40) or even a 6×30 refractor (Seben sell a version on Amazon for 12).
I also purchased the Celestron AstroMaster Accessory Kit, which I would recommend as it contains a range of different eyepieces and filters including a 2x barlow. Whilst many would argue that these eyepieces aren’t the best, they give you a good solid introduction into what each type is like and allow you to get more out of the scope than just having the two eyepieces that come with it.
In summary, this scope is designed to give novice astronomers an introduction to astronomy without having to part with too much cash. If you like what you see then you can always upgrade to something with a higher aperture or even a GoTo scope (e.g. Celestron Nexstar range).
We bought this for my (then 5-year-old) daughter and me, and it is a very good telescope for the price. The Moon is easy to look at, of course, and we have seen Jupiter too but this take more patience as you have to be very careful not to knock the telescope.
The only problem is that Celestron’s customer service is non-existent as far as I can tell: they don’t respond to e-mail, phone calls or on Twitter so I spent a year trying to get them to replace a faulty part of the mount. Eventually I contacted Amazon and they sent a replacement promptly. So ignore the instructions in the box telling you to contact Celestron because you can’t!
Bought this telescope as a Christmas present for my husband who, although has a very keen interest and good knowledge of astronomy, was a novice when it comes to “stargazing”.
I bought based on reviews from others who had a lot of technical knowledge and advice to offer. My husband was absolutely delighted with it and set it up immediately. By Christmas night we had both seen Jupiter! Amazing.
It is not straight forward to set up and align but with a bit of patience he got the hang of it. We have bought a triple magnification Barlow lense to go with it and there are a few bits of kit my husband says will enhance his viewing power but for the price of the telescope it is a really impressive item. Unfortunately we haven’t had many clear nights since then but he has been out at every opportunity and has shown me the craters on the moon as well as Jupiter and FOUR of its moons!
Absolutely recommend to anyone thinking of buying this telescope
Brought this after reading the reviews and doing other research and I have to say i’m very happy with my choice.
The telescope was well packaged and extremely easy to put together. I took my time and it didn’t take much over 20 minutes. Also, I didn’t have any of the problems described in other reviews. All the bits were included, all of good standard and all went together well.
Delivery was quick and easy and Amazon customer services were very helpful.
Found it very easy to use once assembled.
Only flaw I’ve found so far was in the SkyX software. I tried to put my location in and it just crashes every time. I have a brand new laptop so might be a compatability issue, but it’s not the end of the world.
For the value i’d highly recommend this to anyone.
So, about the telescope. First of all I would like to say that there are many reviews in here from people who don’t have the slightest ideia of what they are doing. This is no telescope for someone who is giving their first step in astronomy and are completely clueless about what to buy. If you know nothing about equatorial coordinates and telescopes calibration ( and if you are not planning to learn those things), you should go for a computerized telescope.
Two things I would like to highlight:
1: The motor works completely fine, you just have to know how to use it and display telescope axis in order to do that
2: The StarPointer also works fine, but obviously it is misaligned when you first take it out of the box. Take your time during the day to align it, and you will see that it performs just fine and that it is very usefull.
The mount is very sturdy, but ( and this is why I give it 4 stars ) it does not rotates completely free at some points, because the screws ( in the mount ), hit the mount itself, but it isn’t a big problem. You also have this problem with the motor atatched, some things hit it too. Like I said, not a big problem, easily solved.
The eye pieces supplied are actually pretty good, I just saw Saturn and could easily see its rings just with the 20mm piece. Don’t panic when you notice that with the 10mm piece everything is inverted upside down. This is actually a natural caracteristic of the newtonian reflector, but the 20mm piece is designed to correct this, since it can be used for terrestrial view.
Looking forward to buying more lenses, specially a 2x barlow. Overall it’s a great scope, excelent quality for this price. But like I said, think before you buy it, try finding the scope that best suites you capabilities
Have struggled to have some clear skies since it arrived, but have been out and read the instructions many times. Of what I have managed to see through it so far (celestially, the Moon mainly), it has impressed. a few things I haven’t got the hang of yet and a couple of criticisms;
Still getting the hang of – Use of the motor drive and polar alignment. Not easy despite what it says in the instructions. However if you can point it to what you want to see and you don’t mind it drifting, then it’s great.
Criticisms – 1) When polar aligned, the motor actually gets in the way and stops you seeing a great swath of sky because it fouls part of the mount. Really bad design. (An Engineer talking). 2) the battery in the star finder “red dot” has difficulty maintaining good contact so isn’t always there when you need it.
That said I’m persevering for the sake of the Grandson…….
This is an excellent entry-level scope and fantastic value for money.
Assembly was fairly straightforward but I’d advise no-one to do the usual “man thing” of attempting it without reading the manual first.
I liked this so much I’ve ordered a DSLR adapter so I can take photographs. Note – a standard DSLR T-mount on its own will not fit the eyepiece so you also need the adapter.
Highly recommended!
I respect what people say about it being a great starter scope, but if you are like me and want to try that next step, I highly recommend this one. I can’t fault it.
I have detached the motor-drive for now which I feel may be more useful when I progress onto connecting my camara as I found the manual control is good enough for me at this time and the motor-drive hindered that control.
There are reviews saying this scope is flimsy, wobbly, and the star pointer is useless, What rubbish, it is solid on the mount, and no more wobbly than other scopes in and above this price range.
Some have said it is complicated to put together, well my 12 year old lad assembled this in 15 minutes straight out of the box just by looking at the pictures, yes it is child’s play.
Some have had problems with stripped threads and or broken fasteners ? its a scope not the Forth bridge so go easy with the ham fists.
I don’t like red dot finders myself but this one is as good as any others at this level, they take some getting used to is all, and you should align it during the day first, simples.
Optically it is excellent for the money, but you should also get a collimation tool and x2 Barlow lens at least, a 5mm Plossl is good as well because this will get you to max useful magnification.
All in all a very good starter scope, and Binoculars Uk are a good company to buy from.
Balancing it properly is quite important to stop it rotating on its own so you don’t have to hold onto it which does make it wobble a bit. The finder scope is a waste of time so don’t even bother putting the battery in, it won’t help you find anything. Therefore centering on what you’re trying to look at is tricky but you’ll get used to using reference points near he object you trying to look at.
The Moon with the 10mm lens in looks absolutely beautiful and to give you an idea how good the scope is it completely fills the eyepiece. You can see virtually every crater. Don’t expect to see the planets as close though, this is only an entry level scope. Mars with the naked eye is just a slightly red looking star. Through the scope it’s just a slightly larger, slightly red looking star.
This was my first scope and I bought it only recently but I’m hooked already. For this amount of money I don’t see how there could be a better one out there. Would have got five stars if it wasn’t for the finder scope but don’t let that put you off. Buy it!