Zhumell Z12

The Zhumell Z12 Dobsonian telescope features a massive 12” parabolic primary mirror that captures a substantial amount of light and produces crisp, bright images free of visual defects like spherical aberration.

You will also get two fully multi-coated eyepieces: a 2” 30mm eyepiece for wide field views and a 1.25” 9mm eyepiece for higher magnification. 

The Zhumell Z12, much like its smaller variants in the Z10 and Z8, uses Newtonian reflector optics to project images to its users. This means that there will be two mirrors inside the tube on which the light gathered from outer space will bounce before reaching the eyes of the observer.

Zhumell Z12 Dobsonian telescope – Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

• Great value for money
• Great accessories included
• Easy to use
• Great Optics
• The mirror design is parabolic and not spherical, meaning the images you see won’t suffer from spherical aberration.
• Great Mechanical Performance and Sturdy Construction a primary mirror cooling fan that quickly establishes thermal equilibrium

Disadvantages

• It will need to be collimated and maintained fairly regularly
• It’s big and heavy
• Can’t view things on earth very well, unlike the other 2 variations
• They can’t double spotting scopes, unlike the other 2 variants
• Its adjustable azimuth bearing system permits smooth, even object-tracking motion.

Technical specifications of the Zhumell Z12 Dobsonian

Optics

1. The optics follow the Reflector optical designs.
2. The focal length is 1500mm, with a focal ratio of f/4.95 and an aperture of 305mm.
3. It has a limiting stellar magnitude of 14.9.
4. It has the highest theoretical magnification of 600x.
5. Its lowest useful magnification is 43x.

Mount and Tripod

1. Dobsonian mount with adjustable ball bearings.

Physical appearance

1. It has an assembled weight of 75 pounds.

What comes in the box with the Zhumell Z12 Reflector telescope?

1. 2” 30mm fully multi-coated eyepiece
2. 25” 9mm fully multi-coated eyepiece
3. 8×50 right-angle finderscope
4. 25” Moon filter
5. A laser collimator to keep your optics in perfect alignment
6. Lens cap

What can you see with the Zhumell Z12 Dobsonian telescope?

• Mercury and Venus
• The Moon
• Dark regions of Mars
• Jupiter’s cloud belts
• Great red spot
• Saturn and its rings 
• Uranus and Neptune
• Pluto
• Catalogue galaxies

Recommended accessories for Zhumell Z12

1. A 6mm “Goldline” eyepiece will provide 250x with the Z12, which is a good magnification to use on most nights for the Moon, planets, close double stars, globular clusters, and planetary nebulae.

2. UHC filter is a great way to increase contrast under light-polluted skies. A 2” filter can be threaded onto the included 2” to 1.25” adapter for use with 1.25” eyepieces.

3. Telrad or Rigel Quikfinder to accompany the 9×50 finder included with the scope. It’ll make zeroing in on faint fuzzies a whole lot easier. 

My personal experience with the Zhumell Z12 Reflector

Operating this 12″ Dobsonian is an easy, straightforward process. The Zhumell Z12 features a primary mirror cooling fan that quickly establishes thermal equilibrium to allow long viewing sessions without waiting. 

As soon as setup is complete, push the scope on its ball bearings toward the object you wish to view. When you have your target centred in the included 8×50 finderscope and eyepiece of your choosing, use the dual-speed Crayford focuser to enable exceptionally fine focus. 

Other Reflector telescopes by Zhumell

1. Zhumell Z8 reflector telescope – It is fairly standard in optical quality among all of the 8” Dobsonians out there. The Zhumell Z8 Dobsonian telescope features an 8” parabolic primary mirror that captures a substantial amount of light and produces crisp, bright images free of visual defects like spherical aberration. 

2. Zhumell 76mm AZ reflector telescope – It has a magnification capability of 200x. The Zhumell 76mm AZ Reflector is one of the most affordable reflectors on the market, coming in well under a hundred dollars. Still, the quality is up there with other higher-end telescopes.

3. Zhumell Z114 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope- It is best to locate dozens of exciting open clusters and many bright emission nebulae. The Zhumell Z114’s wide field of view makes it a great instrument for low-power sweeping and finding your way around the sky. 

4. Zhumell Z10 – It is the best 10” Dobsonian available to consumers and one of the best beginner telescopes available. The Zhumell Z10 Dobsonian telescope features a 10” parabolic primary mirror that produces bright images free of visual defects like spherical aberration. 

5. Zhumell Z130 Dobsonian telescope- features a parabolic primary mirror, which removes spherical aberration. The Zhumell Z130‘s focal length is 650mm, with a focal ratio of f/5. And an aperture of 130mm which makes it the largest tabletop Dobsonian telescope by Zhumell.

6. Zhumell Z100 Portable Reflector Telescope- It is good for viewing faint objects in outer space. The Zhumell Z100 has the highest theoretical magnification of 200x.