Telescope Reviews

If you’re looking to buy your first proper telescope, the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 is definitely one to check out. The Dobsonion mount makes it easy to use for beginners, and this telescope gives you a lot of bang for your buck so you don’t need to break the bank to get a good quality telescope.

In this review, I want to take a look at the pros and cons of the SkyQuest XT4.5, analyse it in a bit more detail, and then look at some similar telescopes you might also want to consider.

Quick Look

The Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 is a great telescopes for beginners to get started with amateur astronomy. It’s budget-friendly and has a decent sized aperture of 4.5″ which is very good for the price. Although the similarly priced Zhumell Z130 has a slightly larger aperture, the SkyQuest XT4.5 has a longer focal length which means it is particularly good for viewing the planets in out solar system and the Moon. The Dobsonion mount makes it easy for beginners to use, although it will require some maintenance due to it being a reflector telescope.

Technical Specifications

• Type: Reflector
• Aperture: 4.5″ (114 mm)
• Focal length: 900mm
• Focal ratio: f/8
• Included eypieces: 25mm and 10mm
• Focuser: 1.25″
• Finderscope: 6×30
• Mount: Altazimuth (Dobsonion)

Find the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 on Amazon

Who Should (& Shouldn’t) Buy the SkyQuest XT4.5?

The SkyQuest XT4.5 is best suited for beginners looking to buy their first telescope and will primarily be using it to view planets in our solar system and the Moon. It has a Dobsonion mount which is easy to use, and it offers excellent value for money so you can still get a fairly powerful telescope without having to break the bank.

Due to the fact that the SkyQuest XT4.5 is a reflector telescope, it will require some maintenance. This involves collimation (aligning the mirrors) and cleaning. This isn’t too hard to do, but it does take time and some getting used to. If you want a telescope that doesn’t require a lot of maintenance, the Celestron AstroMaster 90EQ is a great choice for a refractor telescope at a similar price. The trade off is that the AstroMaster 90EQ has a smaller aperture, so it won’t be quite as powerful as the SkyQuest XT4.5.

Although the SkyQuest XT4.5 offers excellent value for money, if you can stretch your budget a little, you can get your hands on a more powerful telescope like the Orion SkyQuest XT6. The last thing you want to do is regret your purchase and wish you invested a bit more for a telescope with more power.

You will also want to look elsewhere if you plan on doing any astrophotography. The Dobsonion mount on the SkyQuest XT4.5 is great for simple viewing, and perfect for beginners, but it’s not so good at tracking objects. You will want a telescope with an EQ or GoTo mount for astrophotography.

How Easy is it to Use & Maintain?

The Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 has a Dobsonion mount. This is a type of altazimuth mount that is ideal for beginners because it’s pretty easy to use. The downside being that they aren’t as good as harder-to-use equatorial mounts for tracking objects through the sky. But for beginners, Dobsonion mounts are great. The video below shows how you use a Dobsonion telescope.

The Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 is a reflector telescope which means it uses mirrors to gather and focus light. Unlike refractor telescopes like the Celestron AstroMaster 90EQ which use a lens, reflector telescope do require more maintenance. Regular collimation (aligning the mirrors) and cleaning will be required. The main advantage of reflector telescopes is that they are cheaper to produce so you get more bang for your buck. You can read more about the different types of telescope in our telescope buying guide.

What Can I Expect to See with the SkyQuest XT4.5?

When you set your expectations of what you think you will see through a telescope, you need to remember that many of the photos of space you will have seen have been taken through huge telescope like the Hubble telescope. This doesn’t mean you won’t get to see some amazing views, but you do need to be realistic.

With any telescope, the viewing conditions play a big part in what you can see. Clearer skies and less light pollution will allow you to see more. The main aspect of a telescope which dictates what you can see is the aperture.

The aperture is the diameter of the lens or mirror. A wider diameter will allow more light in and you will be able to see more objects and detail. The SkyQuest XT4.5 has an aperture of 4.5″. Although this is very good for the price, it is relatively small for a Dobsonion reflector telescope.

With the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5, you should be able to see:

• Great views of the moon and it’s craters
• The rings of Saturn
• The bands on Jupiter and some of it’s moons
• Mars, Mercury, and Venus but without much detail
• Possibly the colors of Uranus and Neptune
• Lot’s of star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies with some detail

What’s Included & Should I Upgrade Any Parts?

One of the great things about telescopes is that many of the parts can be upgraded and you can purchase addons. First, let’s look at what is included with the SkyQuest XT4.5, and then look at any additional parts you might want to purchase.

Included with the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5:

• Reflector telescope with 4.5″ aperture and 900mm focal length
• Dobsonion (altazimuth) mount with eyepiece tray
• 25mm and 10mm eyepieces
• 6×30 finderscope

If you were to simply use the telescope out of the box, it would work great, but the one addition I would recommend is a barlow lens. A barlow lens is placed between the telescope and the eyepiece and gives you even more magnification. Usually 2x or 3x.

Although any telescope can technically achieve any magnification, a good rule of thumb for the maximum magnification you should use is around 40x the aperture in inches. So with the SkyQuest XT4.5, it will be around 180x.

The two eyepieces which come with telescope will give you 36x and and 90x. A 2x barlow lens like this Celestron Omni 2X from Amazon will mean you will also have the options for 72x and 180x magnification.

Find the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 on Amazon

Similar Telescopes to Check Out

If you’re still not sure the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 is the right telescope for you, the telescopes below are worth checking out.

• Celestron AstroMaster 90EQ – The Celestron AstroMaster 90EQ is similarly priced to the SkyQuest XT4.5, but it is a refractor rather than a reflector telescope. The main advantage is that it is much easier to maintain but it isn’t quite as powerful. – Find it on Amazon
• Zhumell Z130 – The Zhumell Z130 is similarly priced to the SkyQuest XT4.5, but it is slightly more powerful with a 5″ aperture. It has a shorter focal length giving it a wider field of view which is great for viewing deep space objects. – Find it on Amazon
• Orion SkyQuest XT6 – If your budget can stretch to a SkyQuest XT6, you can get your hands on an even more powerful telescope. It’s a similar style of telescope to the SkyQuest XT4.5, but it will allow you to see more objects and detail. – Find it on Amazon

If you’re new to amateur astronomy, it can be daunting trying to decide on the best telescope for you. You’ve probably come across the Zhumell Z130 telescope after seeing it being highly praised in reviews and on forums. Whilst it is true that it is a fantastic telescope for beginners and offers excellent value for money, there are some things to consider which might mean an alternative telescope would be a better fit for you.

In this review, I want to take a look at the pros and cons of the Zhumell Z130, analyse it in a bit more detail, and then look at some similar telescopes you might also want to consider.

Quick Look

The Zhumell Z130 is a great telescope for beginners who don’t want to spend a huge amount on their first telescope but still want something that’s fairly powerful.

The 5″ aperture on the Zhumell is really quite large for the price giving you a lot of power for a low price. The focal length is relatively short at 650mm which means it’s a good choice for viewing deep space objects. However, with a more powerful eyepiece or a barlow lens, this telescope is also great for viewing planets and the Moon. Overall, a great all-round telescope for beginners.

Technical Specifications

• Type: Reflector
• Aperture: 5″ (130 mm)
• Focal length: 650mm
• Focal ratio: f/5
• Included eypieces: 25mm and 10mm
• Focuser: 1.25″
• Finderscope: Red dot finder
• Mount: Altazimuth (Dobsonion)

Find the Zhumell Z130 on Amazon

Who Should (& Shouldn’t) Buy the Zhumell Z130?

The Zhumell Z130 is a great telescope for beginners who are looking to get into amateur astronomy but don’t want to break the bank. It’s reasonable priced and very powerful relative to the low price, and the Dobsonion mount makes it fairly easy to setup and use.

However, you might want to look at alternatives like the Celestron AstroMaster 90EQ if you want a telescope that’s easier to maintain. Because the Zhumell Z130 is a reflector telescope, it will require regular collimation (alignment) and cleaning. The Celestron AstroMaster 90EQ is in the same price range, but it is a refractor telescope which means it won’t require as much maintenance (although it will still require some). The main trade off is that the AstroMaster isn’t as powerful as the Zhumell. There are other differences between reflector and refractor telescopes which you can read more about in our telescope buying guide.

You might also want to look at alternatives if you have a larger budget. Although the Zhumell Z130 is very powerful considering it’s price, if you can spend a hundred dollars or so more, you can invest in a more powerful telescope like the Orion SkyQuest XT6. The SkyQuest is similar to the Zhumell, but quite a bit more powerful.

If you plan on doing any astrophotography, the Zhumell Z130 isn’t the best choice. For astrophotography, you want to be able to track the planets, and an EQ mount or GoTo mount is best for that. The Dobsonion mount on the Zhumell Z130 is great for simple viewing, but not for astrophotography.

I know this section covers a lot of scenarios where you shouldn’t purchase the Zhumell Z130, but I do want to make clear that this is a fantastic telescope, as long as it fits your requirements.

How Easy is it to Use & Maintain?

If the Zhumell Z130 will be the first telescope you buy, you will probably want to know how easy it is to use and keep maintained. For the most part, it’s fairly easy to use, but it will require a bit of maintenance like all reflector telescopes.

The first thing I want to point out is that this telescope has two handles on the mount making it easy to carry. This is something many other telescopes don’t have. Due to the fairly small size of this telescope and the style of mount, you will need to use it on a raised surface like a table for comfortable viewing.

Once you have the Zhumell Z130 in place, it’s fairly easy to use. The Zhumell Z130 uses a Dobsonion mount which is a type of altazimuth mount. The advantage of these mounts is that they are easier to setup an use, but they aren’t as good at tracking objects as equatorial mounts. The video below does an excellent job of explaining how to use a Dobsonion telescope.

The Zhumell Z130 is a reflector telescope which means it uses mirrors to gather and focus light. Because of this, it will require more maintenance than a refractor telescope like the Celestron AstroMaster 90EQ. The mirrors will need aligning (known as collimation) and cleaning fairly regularly.

What Can I Expect to See with the Zhumell Z130?

What you can expect to see with any telescope depends on a few factors. The viewing conditions play a big part. The clearer the skies and the less light pollution there is, the more you will be able to see. The main factor of a telescope that will determine what you can see is the aperture.

The aperture of a telescope refers to the diameter of the lens or – as in the case of the Zhumell Z130 – the primary mirror. A larger aperture will be able to gather more light which will allow you to see more objects and more detail in those objects.

The aperture of the Zhumell Z130 is 5″ which is very good for the price. Although you can technically use any magnification with any telescope, a good rule of thumb is to go no higher than 40x the aperture in inches. So in the case of the Zhumell Z130, you wouldn’t want to go much higher than 200x magnification.

With the Zhumell Z130, you should be able to see:

• Great views of the moon and it’s craters
• The rings of Saturn
• The bands on Jupiter and some of it’s moons
• Mars, Mercury, and Venus but without much detail
• Possibly the colors of Uranus and Neptune
• Lot’s of star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies with some detail

What’s Included & Should I Upgrade Any Parts?

One of the great things about telescopes is that you can upgrade various parts to improve them even further. First, let’s look at what comes included with the Zhumell Z130 and then the upgrades and additional parts I would recommend purchasing.

Included with the Zhumell Z130:

• Reflector telescope with 5″ aperture and 650mm focal length
• Dobsonion (altazimuth) mount with eyepiece tray
• 25mm and 10mm eyepieces
• Red dot finderscope
• Screwdriver

Find the Zhumell Z130 on Amazon

Out of the box, the Zhumell Z130 is a great telescope and there aren’t any upgrades that are absolutely required.

One thing to note is that the telescope doesn’t come with a case. If you will only be using the telescope from your garden or nearby, this isn’t a problem. It might be an issue if you plan on taking it further out though.

The one addition I would highly recommend is a barlow lens. With the included lenses, you have the options of 26x magnification and 65x magnification. A 2x barlow lens like this Celestron Omni 2X from Amazon will also allow you to use 52x and 130x magnification. To give yourself even more magnification options, you might want to consider another eyepiece like this 6mm Omni Plossl eyepiece from Amazon. With this eyepiece (and the barlow lens) you will also have the options for 108x and 216x magnification.

Similar Telescopes to Check Out

If you’re still not sure the Zhumell Z130 is the right telescope for you, the telescopes below are worth checking out.

• Celestron AstroMaster 90EQ – The Celestron AstroMaster 90EQ is similarly priced to the Zhumell Z130, but it is a refractor rather than a reflector telescope. The main advantage is that it is much easier to maintain but it isn’t quite as powerful. – Find it on Amazon
• Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 – The SkyQuest XT4.5 is slighly less powerful than the Zhumell Z130, but is has a longer focal length. This means you won’t require as powerful eyepieces to achieve high magnification. – Find it on Amazon
• Orion SkyQuest XT6 – If your budget can stretch to a SkyQuest XT6, you can get your hands on an even more powerful telescope. It’s a similar style of telescope to the Zhumell Z130, but it will allow you to see more objects and detail. – Find it on Amazon