The Z100’s base has a nice built-in carrying handle as well.ĭownsides? The Zhumell Z100’s optics are not the highest quality, and the primary mirror cannot be collimated without making some modifications. The scope’s base also sports a ¼ 20 threaded hole to attach to a photo tripod, or you can use the optical tube’s supplied Vixen dovetail to attach it directly to a tripod or to a more sophisticated alt-azimuth mount. However, you’ll probably need additional eyepieces to get good views of the moon and planets. The Z100 includes a pair of good-quality 1.25” Kellner eyepieces (providing 24x and 40x, respectively), and its red dot finder is more than adequate for aiming. It easily fits into a backpack or stows away in luggage, which makes it the best companion for traveling and camping. The Zhumell Z100 is a 4” f/4 tabletop Dobsonian, making the tube a mere 16” long and the entire scope weighing a mere 6.2 pounds (2.81 kg). $1000 – $1500: Celestron Nexstar 6SE Schmidt-Cassegrain GoTo – A wide variety of viewing and astrophotography capabilities in a sturdy, tripod-mounted package – albeit at a high price.$600 – $1000 (2nd Choice): Celestron NexStar 5SE Schmidt-Cassegrain GoTo – Acceptable aperture and viewing quality atop a heavy-duty tripod with full GoTo and tracking.$600 – $1000 (1st Choice): Sky-Watcher 127 mm Skymax AZ-GTi Mak GoTo – Ample aperture atop a minimalist manual/GoTo mount makes the 127mm Skymax AZ-GTi a great combination, albeit rather expensive.$450 – $600 (2nd Choice): Celestron Astro Fi 102 Mak GoTo – Excellent planetary performance, fully motorized GoTo and tracking controlled via your smartphone, and comes with a sturdy tripod too.$450 – $600 (1st Choice): Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P – Large aperture, collapsible tube, and full GoTo at only a slightly higher price than the manual version – who can argue with that?.$300 – $400 (2nd Choice): Sky-Watcher Virtuoso 90 – Excellent planetary performance, motorized tracking, and a tiny form factor are all huge selling points for the little Virtuoso 90. ![]() $300 – $400 (1st Choice): Sky-Watcher Heritage 150P – 6″ aperture, collapsible tube, and excellent value for the price make the 150P a great choice.$250 – $325 (2nd Choice): Zhumell Z130 – Better overall value than the Heritage 130P, but falls behind in portability.$250 – $325 (1st Choice): Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P – Fairly large aperture of 5″ and good accessories with a collapsible tube.$170-$250: Zhumell Z114 – More aperture compared to Z100 and significantly better performance in a similar form factor.$150 range: Zhumell Z100 – Cheapest and simplest option, tabletop or tripod use.
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