Celestron CG-4 German Equatorial Mount and Tripod

Never cared for equatorial mounts during my five decades in this hobby, but I needed something sturdy enough to hold my new 4" F/7 refractor. After looking at the competition's Alt-Az mounts, and reading that they may be stretched to their weight limits with this scope, I opted for this CG-4, which had a slightly higher load rating.Fit and finish is perfect, and the movements are smooth with no slop. The inner workings appear to be well-machined and tight. It handles the weight of the 4" refractor (equipped with a 2" diagonal, Baader Zoom eyepiece, and 8x50 finderscope, and 7 lb counterweight) as if it were specifically built for this setup. Smooth, steady, solid, yet light enough I can carry the assembled setup around the yard when necessary.I don't actually use the setting circles as they are too small for my taste. but I do roughly align the mount with Polaris when using it. Close enough for tracking purposes. I starhop to my target using a paper charts, then tighten the clutches and use the slow-motion cables to track as long as I want.The only negative I can say is that you cannot 'lay down' this mount to use in an alt-azimuth mode, which is what I'd originally planned to do. But after using it in EQ mode, I really have no qualms about that.Well-made, delivers as advertised, and I look forward to years of service using this mount. Darn near perfect for what I need it for.

I’m very pleased. Ordered on day and it showed up the next day. Exactly what I expected. Will make a great addition to my telescope collection.

This thing is heavy (~26lb) & very stable so it works very well for observing.It was on sale, $70 off, or I prolly wouldn't have bought it.I figured out I could use 2 dovetails & swap out my refractor & my Dob so it is a 'quick change' mount.I'm ill, on disability so I haven't been able to use it as much as I'd like.The few times I used it I got very steady, stable viewing, which is what I wanted it for.So nice to see Saturn rock steady in the eyepiece & turn the slo-mo knob to keep it in view.I hope to scope Orion soon, weather permitting & I want to try some DSOs.I'm happy w/ this mount.Astronomy gear is usually high-dollar, like its 'carriage trade' or only for those wealthy enough.If you can afford it I recommend the Celestron CG-4 mount.

My go-to mount is just too much to get into for quick viewing and moving around the yard to get Northern and Southern views. The CG-4 isn't light but its not too heavy either. Looks just like the Skywatcher EQ-5 but with manual EQ controls. Point the mount towards Polaris, loosen the clutches to find the target and tracking is easy. A decent red dot finder works great. The mount is wonderfully steady with my130 Newt and 120 11kg refractor. Highly recommended. Wish I'd bought it first!

This is one of in class. Many companies using this basic mount to put their logo and motors to make auto GOTO. You can find upgrade : V4 EXOS2 Onstep EXOS2 Equatorial Mount V4 GOTO Upgrade Kit Biaxial Tracking6nVm and save good few hundreds $$$ on it. Solid build. I received my with minor defect but Adorama fixed it in no time .

This is my first equatorial tripod. I got it a few weeks back to get the annular solar eclipse, and after I figured out a few important basics, I was easily able to capture the eclipse on my video camera. I am excited today, because it is the last transit of Venus that will occur in our life times. I have the camera trained on the sun, mounted to this tripod outside my window. It looks beautiful.I have the added the 93522 dual axis motor mount to track the rotation of the earth and I have the CG5 universal mounting plate to attach my camera. On the camera itself I have a telephoto lens, and a ND 3.0 1000x filter, and I'm shooting at 1/8000s with f/9.6. You can easily see sun spots in fair detail and if the eclipse is any indication, the final video will come out very nice.The motor mounts are a necessity for an equatorially mounted tripod, and once all the said and done, this setup is a fraction of the cost of many other equatorial mounts, and it is very well built. Next, I intend to get a nice telescope to mount on it and get some star gazing done.Back to check on the transit...

Very solid mount. Like many, I've chosen this mount for the load capacity and price. Also like many, I upgraded this mount by adding the motors and polar aligner fairly quickly. Each will give you a bit of a hard time setting up initially.Something to consider is that, when you add the motors and polar aligner, the total price is comparable to the Orion EQ-26 (a superior mount and tracker IMO). The EQ-26 is a much slicker looking mount/tracker, the RA/DEC dials are more robust and easier to read, it can carry a larger load, and the polar aligner has a dial on it (the CG-4 one does not).That said, it may be worth looking into some of the motorized mounts if you're shopping around. Chances are it'll save you some hassle in the big picture.

If you’re struggling with excess movement or difficulty tracking targets on your starter scope, then this is your solution. I was frustrated and looking to “upgrade” my telescope when someone advised me that the mount was more important than the scope for most backyard amateurs. My observation sessions are much more enjoyable now.