What it shows
There is no eyepiece to look through: this family puts an image on a screen, built from minutes of stacked exposures. What that image shows depends on exposure time and processing, not on a view the simulator could draw honestly.
What it is for, goal by goal
Every score with the sentence behind it, highest first.
- Serious photo5/5 ExcellentThe mount is the instrument. Everything else is negotiable.
- Sun4/5 GoodIn white light: sunspots with their penumbra, faculae near the edge, and granulation on a steady morning. Dawes' limit on the Sun: 1.9″ (116 ÷ 61 mm, arithmetic). The cell has to hold each model's own outside diameter, so it depends on the model: from €50 for the smallest (61 mm) to €89 for the largest (100 mm). Each model's page names its own. Every time: certified filter over the front · finder capped · never an eyepiece filter · an adult with children · never without the filter · measure first.
- Photo2/5 WeakIt works, but it is a great deal of machinery to learn on.
- Deep sky2/5 WeakSmall aperture, visually modest, on a mount that makes visual observing awkward.
Not scored: Moon & planets, Learn the sky, With a child, Travel.
What it does well
- Tracks accurately enough for exposures measured in minutes
- Everything else in the hobby can be bolted to a good mount later
- The results are genuinely spectacular, and genuinely earned
What it costs you
- 45 minutes of setup before the first frame, every night
- A steep learning curve involving guiding, calibration frames and processing software
- Buying the telescope before the mount is the classic and expensive mistake
The Sun, safely
The Sun with this family
The cell has to hold each model's own outside diameter, so it depends on the model: from €50 for the smallest (61 mm) to €89 for the largest (100 mm). Each model's page names its own.
In white light: sunspots with their penumbra, faculae near the edge, and granulation on a steady morning. Dawes' limit on the Sun: 1.9″ (116 ÷ 61 mm, arithmetic).
- 61 mm: outside diameter not sourced — once measured, one of: Omegon Helievo 60 (44–68 mm), euro EMC SF100 (57–71 mm), Omegon Helievo 72 (64–88 mm), Omegon Helievo 92 (84–108 mm), Omegon Helievo 112 (104–128 mm) (€50–€69).
- 100 mm: outside diameter not sourced — once measured, one of: Omegon Helievo 92 (84–108 mm), Omegon Helievo 112 (104–128 mm), Omegon Helievo 132 (124–148 mm), Omegon Helievo 152 (144–168 mm) (€59–€89).
The listing names no standard; no international standard exists for filters on telescopes, binoculars or lenses (AAS).
Counted against this family: €69, the filter for its smallest model — its cheapest route, where its price band starts.
Later, and only on a refractor: a Herschel wedge with its ND3 filter (€139–339) gives more contrast. Never on a reflector, a Schmidt-Cassegrain or a Maksutov.
Every time
- A certified solar filter over the FRONT of the instrument, fastened so it cannot slip or blow off.
- Cap or remove the finder. It is a second telescope, and it has no filter.
- Never a filter at the eyepiece end: the concentrated sunlight there can crack it in an instant.
- With children, an adult is there every time.
- Never look, or point, without the filter on. Check it before each use; a scratched or torn filter goes in the bin.
- Measure before ordering. A cell that sits loose can fall off.
Sources for the Sun
- American Astronomical Society — How to View a Solar Eclipse Safely — filters on optics go on the front; eclipse glasses never with optics; children supervised
- American Astronomical Society — Solar Filters for Optics — eyepiece filters are dangerous; the finder capped, removed or filtered; the filter attached securely
- American Astronomical Society — About the ISO 12312-2 Standard — EN ISO 12312-2:2015 covers naked-eye viewers only; no international standard covers filters on telescopes, binoculars or lenses
- Société astronomique de France — Guide des observations solaires — a filter at the front, never one screwed into the eyepiece, the finder capped
- NASA — Keep Your Eclipse Glasses to See the Sun's ‘Freckles’ — a large enough sunspot shows through eclipse glasses
- AAVSO — Le Guide d'Observation Solaire de l'AAVSO, v1.1 (2017), p. 6 — archived copy — “Les ouvertures plus grandes que 100 à 125 mm sont généralement limitées par les effets de turbulence atmosphérique”; 50 to 80 mm is enough to count sunspots
Next to it
Smaller
Smart telescope (30–80 mm, integrated camera)- −26 mm
- −19 kg
- −€1,350 at entry level
Bigger
Nothing bigger in this family.
The models
Each price is the cheapest one observed, with its date. Links marked paid link earn us a commission and cost you nothing extra; the list is ordered by price, then by name — never by what pays. How this site is funded
| Model | Aperture | Focal length | Weight | Eyepieces supplied | Cheapest observed | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sky-Watcher EQM-35 Pro SynScan (mount only) mount only | 72 mm | 420 mm | 17.5 kg | — | €851seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
 Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro SynScan (mount only) mount only | 72 mm | 420 mm | 22 kg | — | €1,679seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
 Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro SynScan (mount only) mount only | 72 mm | 420 mm | 34.8 kg | — | €1,799seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
 ZWO AM5N (mount only) mount only | 72 mm | 420 mm | 5.5 kg | — | €2,429seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
Questions people ask
Why does the mount matter more than the telescope?
Because a multi-minute exposure needs tracking accurate to the arcsecond. A good mount takes every tube you will ever put on it; a good tube on a weak mount gives trailed stars. Buying the telescope before the mount is the classic mistake.
Where should I start?
With less. A star tracker or a smart telescope teaches the sky, framing and processing for a fraction of the price. This rig needs three quarters of an hour of setup a night, autoguiding, calibration frames and processing software.
Can I observe through it by eye?
You can, but it is a small aperture on an equatorial mount that is awkward for visual use. For looking, a Dobsonian of the same price shows vastly more.
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