![]() ![]() Should I buy a Used Gskyer 130mm EQ?Ī “used” Gskyer 130mm EQ is actually something we’d recommend you avoid unless it’s from an individual seller. The EQ-3 mount has provisions to attach a standard motor drive for the right ascension axis if you wish to have automatic tracking of objects, though the machining accuracy of the mount and lack of provisions for a polar scope mean that long-exposure astrophotography through the 130EQ telescope is out of the realm of possibility. There’s also an accessory tray that twist-locks into place and helps make the tripod a little more steady placing heavy objects on the tray to lower the telescope’s center of gravity also helps significantly with stability. It’s stable enough when the legs are fully extended, but it takes longer for it to stop moving when you touch it than a good Dobsonian telescope or a more rigid alt-azimuth mount and tripod, like some of the computerized ones that Celestron and others sell. The Gskyer EQ-3 tripod is steel, though the legs are a bit on the thin side. It’s pretty simple to use-just assemble and balance the mount, roughly polar align, unlock the clutches to aim, lock them when you’re close to your target, and then use the provided slow-motion cables to make fine adjustments and track the sky along the right ascension axis. The mount has a standard Vixen-style dovetail saddle, which makes attaching the 130mm optical tube quick and easy, as well as allowing you to attach a different telescope to the mount if you wish. This mount is entirely metal, and features slow-motion controls for fine adjustment in both directions (right ascension and declination). The Gskyer 130mm EQ comes with an EQ-3 class equatorial mount. A red dot sight would be a little easier to use, but the provided 6×30 is just fine for what it is and attaches with a standard Synta-style finder shoe, making it easy to swap to a larger magnifying finder or red dot sight if you wish. ![]() The view is upside down, just like through the main Newtonian telescope tube. This finder has a field of view of about 7 degrees, similar to that of a pair of 7×50 binoculars, and will show slightly fainter stars than you can see with your eyes alone, along with some of the brighter deep-sky objects if you live under good skies. A remote shutter button to use with your smartphone is also provided.įor a finder, Gskyer provides a simple 6×30 unit. The dome-shaped tops of each Gskyer eyepiece housing are designed to fit into an eyepiece-to-smartphone adapter that is also included. The set of three focal lengths is enough for you to start off with apart from perhaps a wider-angle eyepiece for low-power viewing, you really don’t need more oculars or a Barlow lens right away. These eyepieces are pretty sharp, especially considering that the body and internal housing of each are entirely plastic, though the apparent field of view is less than 50 degrees in all three oculars, which can feel a bit narrow. They are claimed to be Plossls but are actually of the Kellner design. ![]() The Gsyker 130mm EQ comes with an impressive (at least for the price) set of three 1.25” eyepieces. One of the tube rings has a ¼ 20 screw attachment to piggyback a DSLR or similar camera for astrophotography with a lens if you install motorized tracking on the telescope’s equatorial mount. In theory, you could put it on any mount that works with it. The Gskyer 130mm reflector optical tube is attached to its mount by two tube rings that are bolted to a Vixen-style dovetail. The focuser also has T-threads to attach a DSLR camera and T-ring, though the 130mm EQ’s mount is insufficient for long-exposure astrophotography and a dedicated planetary camera is better for planetary imaging than a DSLR. It’s easy to adjust the focuser for tension as well as lock it in place, and it securely grips your eyepieces with two thumb screws. This focuser is all metal and free of the cheap plastic housing and the molded plastic gear teeth or threads often seen on smaller telescopes’ focusers. The 1.25″ Crayford focuser is one of the best things about the Gskyer 130mm EQ. ![]()
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