Celestron – Omni XLT 102 Refractor Telescope – Hand-Figured Refractor with XLT Optical Coatings – Manual German Equatorial EQ Mount with Setting Circles and Slow Motion Control – Includes Accessories

First off, this review is for the Omni XLT 102mm scope NOT the Omni XLT AZ 102mm scope. The AZ is the inferior version of this (standard coating vs. Starlite XLT coating, Alt-Az vs. GEQ mount, 660mm vs 1000mm focal length). I originally considered buying the AZ version, but decided to go with this one due to several advantages over the AZ.Visually, the tripod, mount, and the OTA are really good-looking. The OTA has a very eye-pleasing blue color, while the tripod and the mount are white. Build-wise, all the pieces are solidly built and the whole assembly feels very sturdy. The Tripod+Mount will easily manage an OTA up to 15-17 lbs if not more.Functionally, the EQ mount once polar-aligned works very well for tracking. I just wished the slow-motion control cables were a bit longer. There is no play or wobbliness in any of the moving parts once they are tightened. The motions of the mount in all directions feels smooth. The focuser is good and smooth but sadly not dual-speed. The instruction booklet that came with the scope is very detailed, so assembling the whole thing was a breeze. The first two things I did after assembling were - a) Finder scope alignment and b) Polar alignment.Optically, as this is not a ED glass nor an APO, you are going to see some chromatic aberrations. Based on my testing, they are not too distracting and can be controlled by using appropriate filters. The handbook does make a mention of Omni XLT 102mm ED, but I haven't seen it mentioned or for sale anywhere. I would have certainly jumped on to the ED version, if one was available.The included 25mm eyepiece is very decent and should also give good results with a 2x barlow.Withing the first 3 to 6 months consider these following accessories/upgrades- Included Finder scope is below-par. Either go for a red-dot finder ($20-$50) or a 50mm optical scope ($50-$100). Or better yet get a dual mount and get both.- A matching polar scope (~$70) can be used for more accurate polar alignment- A decent 2x Barlow (Celestron Omni 2x), and perhaps a decent zoom eye piece (SVBONY SV135). Many experts don't recommend zoom, but I think for starting out they add a lot of convenience albeit at the cost of somewhat lower optical quality- Starter 1.25" filter set including the moon filter and some color filters. (~ $40)After around 6 to 9 months, if you like the scope and want to use it long term, then I would recommend- High quality 2-inch diagonal and 2-inch eye pieces. This can easily go from $200 to $600- High quality filters including polarizing filter, ND filter, Solar filter etc.- The motor drive assembly (~200$) which can be used for motorized tracking.- A dual speed focuser for even fine grained focusing.All in all, I am really happy with this scope and plan to grow it over time.

Telescope is good , mount is poor quality . Broke in 6 months from rod which holds the counter balanciy weights

I am a complete novice and 71 years old. So far I am impressed by the quality of this scope, tripod and mount. It arrived quickly, well packaged, and in perfect order. I took my time and assembled everything in about 45 minutes following the clear instructions. I spent another ten minutes aligning the finder scope and waited for dark. By the way, I also purchased the Celestron assessor case with multiple eyepieces and filters. I live in a very light polluted area with two very bright street lights bracketing my view of the sky. I set up on a lot across the street from my house just before dark, made sure the mount was leveled and set to my latitude (29 degrees) and waited for Venus. Wonderful view of that very bright planet. Later when Jupiter came up I was able to find it and focus using the 25mm EP and then switched to a 13mm then to an 8mm. Good view of the cloud bands and two moons. Very bright. Since it was cool out, that was enough for my first night of viewing.The CG4 mount and tripod that came with the telescope is a very sturdy platform and heavy. The telescope tube assembly is sturdy but not unduly heavy. I had to carry it out in three pieces, the tripod and mount first, then the counter weights, then the tube, but assembly and disassembly is quick and easy. The tripod extends enough so that I can keep the eyepiece at a comfortable height for a six footer. Even extended, the tripod is reasonably steady. The finder scope is a nice little instrument and easy to align so finding you target is quick and then it's just a quick move of the eye to the main eyepiece and there's your target in the center of the objective. The focuser and slow motion controls are smooth. The optics are crisp to my eye, but this being my first telescope, I haven't got any reference to compare them with.This is probably a lot more scope than a brand new novice needs, but I've learned over the years to start with quality. Buying cheap starter gear often disappoints to the point a person new to the hobby wants to give up. This one is not cheap by any standard, but it's not expensive either. $419 for the tripod, mount, and telescope with a 25mm eyepiece and you have everything you need to start exploring the night sky. Even with the low power 25mm, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, the moon and even some star clusters and nebula are beautiful. Add a few eyepieces and the sky opens up. I am very pleased so far.

I returned this because the lens was missing