Telescope Ranking Matrix
By Ed Ting
Updated 6/01, 2/02, 5/02, 8/03, 11/05, 12/07
 Celestron, Meade, Stellarvue, Bushnell, Vixen, TeleVue telescopes tripods, eyepieces, cases on Sale. Meade Telescopes, Celestron Telescopes,
Bushnell telescopes, Meade MySky, Celestron SkyScout from OpticsPlanet. Celestron NexStar, Meade ETX,
astronomy binoculars by
Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, Nikon, Steiner.
Read Telescope guide, FAQ, tips, telescope discussions. |
Introduction and Cautions
I have been asked to do this many times over the years by readers, but have resisted
due to the potential for misunderstanding and abuse of such a list. However, with
such a huge array of products floating around out there, and the constant questions
I get asking me to compare one brand to another, led me to believe that such a
ranking system could be useful if used judiciously.
Getting this right was a bit thorny. Equipment from the Big Three (Meade, Celestron,
and Orion) varies a lot up and down their ranges, so it was necessary to separate
out certain models and lines. Meade, in particular, has a particularly long and
rich history, and many of its models are separately identified. Also, telescope
lines tend evolve over the years, so I have included my opinions on popular older
telescopes as well. The term "older" generally refers to a previous version of a
telescope still made (like the Coulters) while the term "old" refers to a telescope
or manufacturer no longer around.
A word up front: This should not be your only source for decision making. Use
it to get a rough idea of the telescope(s) that interest you, then consult the reviews
(here and elsewhere.) This is a rough guide only. Use it as a jumping-off point
for your own research, rather than any kind of final word on this topic. One thing
I like to tell people is to mentally factor in a margin of error of plus or minus
one category when viewing this. Prices given are approximate.
Evaluate your own needs while reading this list. The rankings are relative and
not transferrable from one type to another. For example, if you primarily
like to look at faint galaxies, you might very well be happier with a large
Newtonian from Category 3 than any refractor from Category 5. If you like to
look at planets, the moon, and double stars, however, the reverse might well
be true.
For first timers, the standard advice is still valid. A 6" Dobsonian is a great
first telescope. Stay out of the department stores. Get binoculars and books
if you can't spend at least $300. Finally, I'll add my own piece of advice in this
electronic age: Use caution when buying any computer-controlled telescope costing
less than about $1000.
Also note that while most Newtonians come with a mount, some catadioptrics do
not, and most of the expensive apochromatic refractors are sold as an optical tube
assembly (OTA) only, making a first-rate refractor setup even more expensive than
they already appear.
The categories are as follows:
Category 1: Not Recommended Telescopes designed and sold with price as the
primary attraction, usually featuring inferior parts and having shoddy workmanship.
These are "hobby killers" in the worst sense and are never used by serious amateurs.
If all you can spend is $150, the old advice still holds true: get a pair of 7X50
binoculars and a few good books instead, or save up until you can buy something
from Category 2 or better. Telescopes in this category consist largely of the
ubiquitous "department store telescopes."
Category 2: Recommended With Reservations: These are serviceable telescopes
in many ways, although with a little judicious shopping, you could probably get some-
thing from Category 3 for about the same price that will show you more. Telescopes
in this category feature scopes like the once-popular Astroscan, which isn't really
considered a serious instrument these days, but which doesn't really belong down
in Category 1. Also in this category are some of the cheaper electronic telescopes.
Still, keep in mind that these are recommended; I have owned several telescopes
listed in this category myself and have learned from many of them.
Category 3: Recommended: Telescopes designed and built with roughly equal
considerations to price and quality. For most casual or semi-serious hobbyists,
this is all the telescope that is ever needed. Telescopes in this category include
the reliable mid-aperture Dobsonians and Schmidt Cassegrains from the Big Three,
along with well-made older telescopes that show up on the used market from time
to time.
Category 4: Highly Recommended: Telescopes built with quality and performance
in mind, with less regard to cost. Scopes in this category include the fine Vixens
from Japan as well as the overachieving Maksutovs from Russia. Also included are
scopes which may have Category 5 aspirations, but which fall short for some reason
or another. For serious enthusiasts.
Category 5: Highest Recommendation: Telescopes built to the highest optical
and mechanical standards, marketed and sold to discriminating hobbyists who
only want the best. Little or no consideration is given to cost. Most are small
companies who have built their following through word of mouth. None are cheap,
and the waiting lists on some models can stretch years into the future.
Newtonians/Reflectors:
Orion's XT8, a solid Category 3 reflector ($369)
Commentary on Reflectors, 12/00: Happily, there are so many solid, recommend-
able Dobsonians on the market today that it's hard to even turn around at a star
party without bumping into one. I like the Orion XT series the best, but if Orion
was out of stock, I'd probably call Celestron, Discovery, Meade, etc and order one
of theirs.
The venerable 6" f/8 reflector, which was the standard amateur telescope for nearly
25 years, is hardly ever seen anymore. 8" seems to be the ante now for serious
beginners, and high-volume manufacturing is bringing them to the consumer at all-
time low prices. Do not ignore the high end of the scale, where there are a number
of small companies producing stunning instruments at very reasonable costs.
Note that there are very few "real" Celestron Newtonians - for years they brand-
labeled Japanese Vixen units (quality was very good to excellent.) More recently,
they have started using reflectors from one of those unnamed Chinese factories
(quality is decent, prices are low.) Also, old Meades are unsung heroes in the
Newtonian world. Pre-1985 Meade reflectors are almost always worth collecting
if in good condition.
Category 1: Not Recommended ($300 and less)
Most shopping channel, department store telescopes, etc
Telescopes found in "closeout" type catalogs
At least 90%-95% of telescopes on ebay
Category 2: Recommended With Reservations ($300-$600)
Meade DS/EC Series
Bushnell Voyager Dobsonians
Old Coulters with blue tubes
Old 1980s vintage Celestrons with the word "Comet" in them
Celestron C150HD, G8N and NexStar 114 hybrid Newtonians (2+)
Edmund Astroscan
Orion StarBlast
Category 3: Recommended ($250-$1500)
Most Celestrons
Meade Starfinders (watch out for #77 2" plastic focuser)
Most older Meades, 6" and larger (#628, #645, #826, #6600, #8800, etc) (3+)
Meade 4500 (Avoid "similar" versions with .965" eyepieces)
Most old Edmunds (red-tubed models preferable to white-tubed ones)
Old Criterion Dynascopes (6", 8", check to see that RA drive works)
Orion XT and Sky View Deluxe/Sky View Pro models
Older Orion Dobs (DSE, etc)
Discovery
Discovery PDHQ series (3+)
Coulter/Odyssey/Murnaghan scopes with red tubes (3-)
Old Junos (3+)
Stargazer Steve (kit)
Orion (UK) (3+) (unavailable in US)
Hardin Optical Dobsonians
Category 4: Highly Recommended ($500-$3000)
DGM (4+)
Parks
Most old Cave Astrolas
Old Meade Research Grade Reflectors (8", 10", 12.5") (4+)
Tectron
Sky Designs
Old Starliners
Sovietski
TAL
Most Vixens
Category 5: Highest Recommendation ($1500-$20000+)
JMI NGT (12.5", 18")
Mag 1 Instruments Portaball
Obsession
Starmaster
Starsplitter
Takahashi
Optical Guidance Systems
Teleport
Parallax
Night Sky Scopes (structure only)
Refractors
Takahashi's magnificent FS152 ($10800)
Commentary on refractors, 12/00: There is something for everyone, it seems,
within the refractor world. Refractors continue to have the largest gap, quality
and price wise, of any type of telescope on the market. At the low end, department
store junk-scopes abound.
But things get better quickly as you move up the scale. Chinese-sourced achromats
of modest aperture and price, like the C102HD, (Orion) Skywatcher 120, CR150, etc.,
are making a big splash on the amateur scene. You can expect to see many more
Chinese telescopes -especially refractors- on the market soon.
Finally, the astonishing apochromats at the high end, led by Takahashi and Astro-
Physics, continue to be the Holy Grail for many observers, with ultra-high prices
and equally astonishing waiting lists to match. If you are deep of pocket and
long of bond, these may be the telescopes for you.
Category 1: Not Recommended ($300 and under)
Department store refractors, most shopping channel, etc telescopes
Telescopes found in "closeout" type catalogs
At least 90%-95% of telescopes on ebay
Category 2: Recommended With Reservations ($300-$600)
Meade DS/EC Series
Meade ETX60-AT/70AT (2+)
Celestron NexStar 60GT and 80GT (2+)
Category 3: Recommended ($250-$700)
Meade (#390/#395, 102ACHR, etc)
Celestrons (older Vixen-based units are 3+ or 4)
Stellarvue (3+)
Orion (90 mm and larger)
Unitron (3+)
Carton (not available in US) (3+)
Megrez 80
Skywatcher/Synta/Photon/Konus/Bresser/etc
Category 4: Highly Recommended ($500-$6000)
Most Vixens (includes Orion/Vixen and Celestron/Vixen models)
Meade ED Series
TeleVue Ranger/Pronto
Pentax (difficult to find in US)
Borg
Brandon (older 94 mm and 130 mm models are 4+)
Orion 80 mm and 100 mm ED apos
Category 5: Highest Recommendation ($2000-$100000+)
Astro-Physics
Takahashi
TMBack/William Yang Optics/APM
TeleVue
Nikon (not available in US)
Catadioptrics (Schmidt Cassegrains, Maksutovs, etc)
Celestron's Highly Recommended C 9.25 ($1400)
Commentary on Catadioptrics, 12/00: Catadioptrics have been sneaking up on us
lately. Once thought to be "all the same" (ie, average) by many serious observers,
modern SCTs and Maks are generally of very good quality and are easily recommend-
able for general purpose observing. The best Maksutovs, in fact, are thought by
many to be a near equal to the modern apochromatic refractor, with prices to match.
The key to catadioptrics: the newer, the better. Avoid the temptation to save a few
bucks on an older unit unless you can personally inspect it. Although there are some
superb older samples out there, in general you want the latest revision wherever
possible. This is especially true of the Russian instruments (which are all fantastic
bargains, by the way) and of the new, lower end computer controlled scopes. SCTs
from both Meade and Celestron from the early 1980s are also somewhat suspect.
Finally, it is a poorly-kept secret that the Celestron C 9.25 and the Meade 7"
Maksutov seem to be better than other models in their respective lineups. Neither
is a big seller, but perceptive and savvy consumers should take note of this and
act accordingly.
Category 1: Not Recommended ($300 and less)
Old Bausch & Lomb Schmidt Cassegrains
Old Dynamax/Criterions
Anything that looks as if it might have started life somewhere else as a
telephoto lens
Category 2: Recommended With Reservations ($300-$1000)
Old Meade 2045 4" SCTs
Old Meade MTS-SN6/ MTS-SN8 Schmidt Newtonians from the 1980s
Old Celestron C-10 SCTs
Celestron C90/G3
Meade ETX 90, 105, 125 (2+ or 3-)
Celestron NexStar 4 Maksutov (2+)
Category 3: Recommended ($1000-$3000)
Meade LX10, LX50, LX200, LX90
Older Meade 2080, 2010 units (LX3, LX6, LX100)
Celestron SCTs (5", 8", 11", 14", includes NexStar 5 and NexStar 8)
Orion StarMax Maksutovs (mounts are a little light on the smaller models)
Meade LXD55 Schmidt-Newtonians (some minor quality control issues noted)
Category 4: Highly Recommended ($1000-$3000)
Intes/ Orion Argonaut (some pre-1998 units have mechanical problems) (4+)
Celestron C 9.25
Meade 7" Maksutov
Old 4" and 6" Quantums
Vixen VC200L
Category 5: Highest Recommendation ($3000-$12000)
Takahashi SCT225
Astro-Physics Maksutovs (Extremely rare and NA as of this writing)
Questar
Ceravolo
Binoculars
Fujinon's Marvelous 10X70 Binos,
Very Highly Recommended
Commentary on Binoculars, 2/01: Happily, the quality variation on binoculars
isn't nearly as large as that on telescopes. Even binos from the brands you love
to hate are quite passable for casual viewing. This, coupled with the casual nature
of binocular observing in general, means that the differences between binocular
categories may not amount to a great deal in the long run, unless you are very picky.
If you are looking at a brand that isn't listed here, ask your retailer if the
binos have 1) BaK-4 prisms and 2) Fully multi-coated optics. I find that if
these two criteria are met, most of the other qualities tend to fall into place.
Beginners should stick to 7X units. For 10X and higher binos, I recommend one
of the parallelogram-style mounts from Virgo, UniMount, Blaho, Orion, etc.
Category 1: Not Recommended ($20-$75)
Binoculars with "ruby" or other "gimmick" lenses
Most zoom binoculars
Category 2: Recommended With Reservations ($25-$75)
Tasco, Bushnell, etc
Category 3: Recommended ($75-$200)
Celestron Pro
Celestron Ultima (3+)
Orion Vista (3+)
Orion Ultraview
Orion Scenix
Most other Celestron and Orion models
Pro Optic (Adorama)
Olympus
Bausch & Lomb
Pentax
Swift
Minolta
Most other binos with BaK-4 prisms and fully multi-coated optics
Category 4: Highly Recommended ($250-$5000)
Adlerblick
Nikon
Large Vixen (Orion) binoculars (BT80, 20X125, 30X125, etc)
Canon Image Stabilized binoculars (batteries required)
Category 5: Highest Recommendation ($500-$6500+)
Fujinon
Miyauchi
Leitz
Zeiss
Swarovski
Minox
Takahashi
End Telescope Ranking List
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