Celestron Advanced VX Review: Enough Mount to Image?
The Advanced VX is the entry point to full size German equatorial imaging, and with a light tube on top it produces results well beyond what its price suggests. Buy it if your imaging train is a small refractor or a 6 inch class tube and you want a mount that will not need replacing next season. Skip it if you already own an 8 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain or a heavy Newtonian, because loading this mount near its 30 lb rating is exactly how people end up buying a second mount.
The cheapest full size German equatorial that a serious imager will not immediately outgrow, with one condition attached.
Celestron Advanced VX Computerized German Equatorial Mount
~$1,099
A 30 lb payload German equatorial with NexStar Plus GoTo, sidereal, solar and lunar tracking, and 2 inch stainless steel tripod legs.
Check price on AmazonSpecifications
| Type | German equatorial GoTo mount |
|---|---|
| Payload | 30 lb |
| Latitude range | 7 to 77 degrees |
| Tracking rates | Sidereal, solar and lunar, with EQ North and EQ South modes |
| Hand control | NexStar Plus with a 40,000 object database |
| Tripod | 2 inch stainless steel legs |
| Kit weight | 47 lb for mount and tripod together |
Specifications above come from Celestron's published specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.
What it does well
- A genuine German equatorial with permanently periodic error correction and All-Star polar alignment for around a thousand dollars, which was not possible at this price a decade ago.
- The 7 to 77 degree latitude range means it works from the tropics to high northern sites without a wedge trick.
- At 47 lb for the whole kit it is on the edge of one person carrying it to a car in two trips, which the heavier mounts are not.
- Celestron's NexStar ecosystem is widely supported, so the mount plugs into ASCOM, planetarium software and most imaging automation without argument.
Where it falls short
- Thirty pounds is a visual rating. Imagers who load past roughly fifteen pounds routinely report guiding that is harder work than it should be, and that is the single most common regret with this mount.
- The stock tripod is the weakest part of the package. It is adequate, but a heavier tripod is the first upgrade many owners make.
- Periodic error is real and needs either correction or autoguiding for exposures beyond a minute or so. This is normal at the price, but it is not a mount you can leave unguided.
- The declination and right ascension clutches take a feel to set. New owners frequently blame the mount for balance problems that are actually a loose clutch.
What owners report
Published owner reports split cleanly by load. Imagers running a short refractor describe subframes they keep and a mount they stopped thinking about. Imagers who put an 8 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain plus camera on it describe wind sensitivity, guiding that needs babysitting and eventual replacement. That divide is so consistent across reports that it is the most useful thing to know before buying.
The second theme is setup discipline. Owners repeatedly note that careful balance in both axes and a proper polar alignment turn a temperamental mount into a predictable one. The mount is unforgiving of shortcuts in a way that a heavier mount is not, which is a fair description of what the extra money buys further up the range.
Who it suits
- Imagers with a refractor up to about 80 to 100mm plus camera, guide scope and accessories.
- Visual observers who want tracking and GoTo on a tube up to about 8 inches, where the payload margin is comfortable.
- Anyone who wants a mount that will survive a change of telescope rather than a mount matched to one tube.
Who should skip it
- Anyone imaging with a heavy Newtonian or an 8 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain plus imaging train. Step up to an EQ6-R Pro and save the intermediate purchase.
- Wide field imagers using a camera lens, for whom a star tracker is lighter, cheaper and entirely sufficient.
- Observers who only want to look. A Dobsonian gives more aperture and nothing to align.
Alternatives worth considering
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R GoTo SynScan Equatorial Mount
~$1,899
A 44 lb payload and belt drive instead of a pure gear train. If your telescope is heavy or is going to be, this is the mount that stops the mount being the problem, and buying it first is cheaper than buying it second.
Check price on AmazonSky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi Mount Head Kit with counterweight
~$579
Full GoTo equatorial tracking in a head you can carry in one hand, for around half the price. It will not hold a full size tube, but for a camera and lens or a very small refractor it does the same job with far less to set up.
Check price on AmazonKeep reading
- Alt-azimuth vs equatorial mount
- Polar scope vs drift alignment
- Mount payload calculator
- Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro review
- Star Adventurer GTi review
- Mount payload by telescope weight
This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Frequently asked questions
What can the Advanced VX actually carry for imaging?
Celestron rates it at 30 lb, which is a visual figure. The consistent experience reported by imagers is that guiding stays easy up to roughly half that, so plan on about fifteen pounds of telescope, camera, guide scope and accessories. Our mount payload calculator lets you total up your own train before you commit.
Does the Advanced VX need autoguiding?
For short exposures at short focal lengths you can get away without it, particularly with periodic error correction trained. For anything approaching several minutes, or at longer focal lengths, autoguiding is what makes the difference between keeping and discarding frames. The mount has a standard autoguider port.
How good is All-Star polar alignment?
Good enough that most owners use it rather than the polar scope. It works by having you centre a bright star and then correcting, which sidesteps needing a clear view of Polaris. It is not as precise as a careful drift alignment, so for long focal length imaging many people still drift align. Our polar scope versus drift alignment comparison covers when the extra effort pays.
Advanced VX or EQ6-R Pro?
Weigh your telescope. Under about fifteen pounds of imaging load, the Advanced VX does the job and saves eight hundred dollars. Over that, or if a heavier tube is in your future, the EQ6-R Pro is the honest recommendation because the belt drive and the payload headroom are what you are actually buying.
Can I put an 8 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain on it?
For visual observing, comfortably. For imaging, it is right at the edge and owner reports at that load are notably less happy than at lighter loads. The tube is also physically long, which gives wind something to push against. It works, but it is not where this mount is at its best.
How we choose: we compare published manufacturer specifications, optical figures we can verify, and reviews from owners who have used the equipment under real skies. We do not test gear in person. Never point any telescope, finder or binocular at the Sun without a certified full-aperture solar filter fitted over the front of the instrument.
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