What it shows
Through the family's typical instrument: 76 mm at f/6.3, with the eyepiece a beginner would use for each target. Computed, then darkened by the sky — never a photograph.
- The MoonDetailed32× (15 mm eyepiece) · 76 mm · 2.4 mm exit pupil
- SaturnRecognisable79× (6 mm eyepiece) · 76 mm · 1.0 mm exit pupil
- The Hercules ClusterDetectable48× (10 mm eyepiece) · 76 mm · 1.6 mm exit pupil
- The Whirlpool GalaxyDetectable24× (20 mm eyepiece) · 76 mm · 3.2 mm exit pupil
Photo credits
These thumbnails are built from real photographs, scaled and darkened by the same arithmetic as the large view.
Which level of detail a target reaches is a rule of thumb from observers; the magnification, field and exit pupil are arithmetic.
What it is for, goal by goal
Every score with the sentence behind it, highest first.
- Photo5/5 ExcellentThe standard first imaging telescope, and it stays useful for years.
- Serious photo4/5 GoodSmall, forgiving of mount error, and short enough to guide easily.
- Travel4/5 GoodThe whole setup fits in a rucksack and a small case.
- Sun4/5 GoodIn white light: sunspots with their penumbra, faculae near the edge, and granulation on a steady morning. Dawes' limit on the Sun: 1.6″ (116 ÷ 72 mm, arithmetic). The cell has to hold each model's own outside diameter, so it depends on the model: from €55 for the smallest (72 mm) to €69 for the largest (80 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.
- Moon & planets3/5 FairBeautifully clean, but 80 mm caps the detail whatever the quality.
- Deep sky2/5 WeakWide-field sweeping is lovely; faint galaxies are not on the menu.
Not scored: Learn the sky, With a child.
What it does well
- No colour fringing worth the name — the view is clean in a way small achromats are not
- Light enough for a modest mount, which keeps the whole setup portable
- Becomes an astrophotography telescope later without being replaced
What it costs you
- Expensive per millimetre of aperture. A 200 mm Dobsonian costs less and gathers seven times the light
- Visually modest on deep sky — this is not what you buy it for
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 €55 for the smallest (72 mm) to €69 for the largest (80 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: 1.6″ (116 ÷ 72 mm, arithmetic).
- 72 mm: outside diameter not sourced — once measured, one of: Omegon Helievo 72 (64–88 mm), Omegon Helievo 92 (84–108 mm), Omegon Helievo 112 (104–128 mm) (€55–€69).
- 80 mm, 123 mm outside: Omegon Helievo 112 (104–128 mm), €69.
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
10×50 binoculars- −23 mm
- −4.1 kg
- −€330 at entry level
Recognisable targets (of 14): countryside 10 → 9, city 7 → 6.
Same budget, another way
102–127 mm Maksutov on a GoTo alt-az- +39 mm
- +4 kg
- +€50 at entry level
Recognisable targets (of 14): countryside 10 → 13, city 7 → 8.
Bigger
70–90 mm refractor on an alt-az mount- +4 mm
- ±0 kg
- −€250 at entry level
Recognisable targets (of 14): countryside 10 → 11, city 7 → 7.
Rule of thumb from observers, at each family's typical aperture.
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 Evostar 72ED DS-Pro | 72 mm | 420 mm | 2 kg | — | €385indicative, seen 17 Aug 2026 | No observed price, so no button.4 other sellers
|
 Omegon Pro APO 72/432 ED | 72 mm | 432 mm | 2.1 kg | — | €399seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
| Svbony SV503 80ED | 80 mm | 560 mm | 2.9 kg | — | €430indicative, seen 17 Aug 2026 | No observed price, so no button.4 other sellers
|
 Sky-Watcher Evostar 72 EDX | 72 mm | 420 mm | 2 kg | — | €449seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
 Sky-Watcher Evostar 80EDX | 80 mm | 600 mm | 4 kg | — | €569seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
Questions people ask
What does ED change?
Low-dispersion glass that almost entirely removes the violet fringe achromats show around the Moon and planets. At equal aperture the light gathered is the same: you pay for a clean image, not for more light.
An 80 mm ED for visual observing?
Lovely, but modest: 80 mm caps the detail whatever the quality. A 200 mm Dobsonian costs less and gathers six to seven times the light. An ED is bought for its versatility and for imaging, not to see further.
Is it a good first imaging telescope?
It is the standard small imaging refractor and stays useful for years. But deep-sky imaging is decided by the mount: it needs a motorised equatorial, which costs more than the refractor. A star tracker with a camera lens is a cheaper start.
Read next
- Do you need a GoTo mount for a first telescope?At €500 the motor replaces half the mirror. Who that is a bad trade for, and the three people it is right for.Updated 30 Aug 2026
- Refractor or reflector for a first telescope?For the same money a reflector gives two to three times the aperture. When that decides, and the two cases where it does not.Updated 30 Aug 2026