11/15/2023 0 Comments Gskyer 130eqAnyone determined enough can work through the flaws of a scope like this and get decent views at low magnification of many dozens of deep sky objects and the moon, but they would have to work so hard to get there. I just hate to see amateurs driven away from the hobby because they’re thinking more about how to balance the scope, and about the clutches and knobs and bells and whistles, than they are thinking about exploring the night sky. A tabletop version of this same telescope, even with the poor optics, would probably have gotten a substantially better score. Novice astronomers need early wins, and that means what’s important is a telescope that is actually easy to use. But when you put these telescopes into the hands of an absolute beginner? A lot of the time, a telescope like this can be as much of a hobby-killer as a cheap department store refractor (or, let’s be honest, nowadays it’s a cheap amazon refractor). These cheap EQ mounted newtonians can be frustrating even for a seasoned amateur like myself, but with my experience I’m usually able to make use of a telescope like this. But you’re still getting what you pay for in this entry level. These equatorial mounts aren’t exactly rubbish. They won’t stay put when you stop moving the tube. The equatorial mount seems like it should be a big improvement-hey look, you get to track the rotation of the earth using this knob! You could even attach a motor and take pictures! But in reality at the entry level, these mounts just don’t hold up. Telescopes like these appeal to beginners because of how scientifc they look. All you need is a sturdy table to set it on, and some star charts. You don’t need an equatorial slow motion knob to track the rotation of the earth, you just nudge the telescope along. You shove the tube to where you want to aim, and it stays there. They’re on simple, sturdy, easy to use rocker-arm mounts that go up, down, and all around. The difference is these are tabletop dobsonians. The SkyWatcher Heritage 150P is even better-a parabolized six inch mirror. For a similar price, consider the Zhumell Z130, AWB OneSky 130, and SkyWatcher Heritage 130P, which has the same aperture but with a genuine parabolic mirror. Alt-az mounted Newtonians, such as Dobsonians and Tabletop Dobsonians, can be a substantially better deal. Equatorial mounts are difficult for beginners and these cheap manual EQ mounts have very limited use in photography. However, in this price range, there may be better options entirely. Equatorial mounts will always be finnicky, but the EQ mount here should be relatively sturdy and easier to maintain balance. The mount, identical to an Explore EQ3 Nano Equatorial Mount, is very good for the price. We haven’t reviewed these yet, but Orion’s website specifically says they are parabolic mirror newtonians. The mount is still on the finnicky side, but the optical tube, identical to a Zhumell Z130, has a genuine parabolic mirror, and the telescope comes with good accessories. An improvement in the most important respect. The focusing mechanism isn’t as good, and it has annoying plastic elements on its tube which interfere with balancing. Its mount is identical except for the color. The Astromaster includes only two poor quality eyepieces, and a red dot finder instead of a true finderscope. Equally bad in almost every way, except with worse accessories. The Gskyer 130EQ stands in direct competition with a few other similar offerings from Celestron and Orion, which have 130mm f/5 newtonian OTAs and EQ2-class equatorial mounts.
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