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ApertureBuy the right telescope, not the biggest one

Instrument class

72–80 mm ED refractor

A small, very well corrected refractor. Modest aperture bought at a high price per millimetre, in exchange for images with no false colour and a second career as an imaging telescope.

Specifications for this class
Aperture72–80 mm
Focal ratiof/5.5–f/7
Typical weight5 kg
Setup time6 minutes
Learning curve2 out of 5
Price band€400–1000
Useful magnification13× to 152× at 76 mm

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

Fit against each goal

  • First astrophotography · 5 out of 5

    The standard first imaging telescope, and it stays useful for years.

  • Serious deep-sky imaging · 4 out of 5

    Small, forgiving of mount error, and short enough to guide easily.

  • Taking it with me · 4 out of 5

    The whole setup fits in a rucksack and a small case.

  • The Moon and the planets · 3 out of 5

    Beautifully clean, but 80 mm caps the detail whatever the quality.

  • Nebulae, clusters and galaxies, by eye · 2 out of 5

    Wide-field sweeping is lovely; faint galaxies are not on the menu.

Models in this class

Indicative European street prices with the date they were observed. Ordered by price. Links marked earn us a commission and cost you nothing extra.

  • Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED DS-Pro

    €385seen 2026-08-17

    72 mm · 420 mm focal length · f/5.8 · 2 kg

    With a 10 mm eyepiece: 42×, 1.7 mm exit pupil.

    Mount Optical tube only — no mount — not included

    Tube only. Budget another €200–400 for a mount that will hold it steady, which is not optional.

    Where to buy

    None of these links earn us anything.

  • Svbony SV503 80ED

    €430seen 2026-08-17

    80 mm · 560 mm focal length · f/7.0 · 2.9 kg

    With a 10 mm eyepiece: 56×, 1.4 mm exit pupil.

    Mount Optical tube only — not included

    Tube only. Focuser is adequate for visual, marginal for a heavy camera train.

    Where to buy

    None of these links earn us anything.

See whether this class suits you →