A sealed tube, a lens at the front, and color to account for
A refractor gathers light through a lens at the front of a sealed tube, and that single design choice decides almost everything else about it. The tube needs no collimation and holds its alignment through years of being carried in and out of a car, which is why a refractor is the instrument most often still working ten years after it was bought. The cost of the lens is chromatic aberration: glass bends blue light more sharply than red, so a single lens cannot bring every color to the same point. Makers answer that in two steps. An achromat pairs two glasses and leaves a violet fringe around bright objects, which grows more visible as the focal ratio gets shorter — an f/5 achromat shows it plainly on the Moon, an f/11 achromat barely at all. An apochromat adds a third element or a low-dispersion glass and suppresses the fringe at a price that rises faster than the aperture. Beyond the optics, read the focuser: a rack-and-pinion focuser under a heavy camera behaves differently from a Crayford, and the drawtube travel decides whether a diagonal and a camera can both reach focus. Then the practical part — a long refractor is a long lever, and the mount it asks for often costs more than the tube. We compare aperture, focal length and ratio, lens design and glass type, focuser and drawtube, tube weight and supplied accessories.
60 mm (2.36 in) lens · 900 mm (35.4 in) focal length · f/15 · alt-azimuth mount · 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) complete
A 60/900 achromatic refractor on a light alt-azimuth mount and aluminum tripod, sold complete with three 1.25 in eyepieces, a 1.25 in diagonal, a 1.5x erecting lens, a 5x24 finder and a phone holder, 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) in all.
Best for: The Moon, double stars and the bright planets from a balcony or a yard, with nothing to align
≈ $238
70 mm (2.76 in) · 400 mm (15.7 in) focal length · f/5.7 · 20x to 100x · backpack · from age 8
The blue version of Bresser's JUNIOR 70/400: a 70/400 refractor on an azimuthal mount and aluminum tripod, with H20, H12 and H6 eyepieces, a zenith prism, a 1.5x erecting lens, a 5x24 finder, a phone holder and a backpack.
Best for: A child from about eight who will carry the telescope themselves
≈ $227
80 mm (3.15 in) at 600 mm (23.6 in) · K20 and K9 for 30x to 66x · positioning gimbal with scales · backpack
EACONN's E-80AZ: an 80/600 refractor with fully coated green optics on a positioning gimbal with scales, K20 and K9 eyepieces, a 5x24 finder, a phone adapter and a backpack, sold with the same listing text as the AU-80.
Best for: A first 80 mm that has to travel in a backpack
≈ $100
70 mm (2.76 in) · 700 mm (27.6 in) focal length · f/10 · 1.25 in (31.75 mm) eyepiece holder · 140x maximum stated
Omegon's AC 70/700 AZ-2: an achromatic 70/700 refractor on an alt-azimuth mount with a 1.25-inch eyepiece holder, assembled without tools, with a stated maximum of 140x.
Best for: An adult or older teenager starting with the Moon and planets
≈ $167
70 mm (2.8 in) fully coated achromat · panhandle alt-azimuth · 20 and 10 mm eyepieces · erect-image diagonal · StarPointer
Celestron's AstroMaster 70AZ: a fully coated 70 mm achromatic refractor on a panhandle alt-azimuth mount, with 20 mm and 10 mm eyepieces, an erect-image star diagonal and a StarPointer red-dot finder.
Best for: A first 70 mm used on landscapes as well as the Moon
≈ $180
80 mm (3.15 in) at 600 mm (23.6 in) · K20 and K9 for 30x to 66x · positioning gimbal with scales · phone adapter with a position per eyepiece
EACONN's AU-80: an 80/600 refractor with fully coated green optics on a positioning gimbal with altitude and azimuth scales, K20 and K9 eyepieces, a 5x24 finder, a phone adapter and a backpack.
Best for: An 80 mm used with a phone, by someone who wants to dial in a position rather than hunt for it
≈ $100
80 mm (3.15 in) at 600 mm (23.6 in), f/6.7 · 20 and 9 mm for 30x and 66x · 13% Moon filter · tripod 17.7 to 52 in
Celticbird's 80/600 AZ refractor: fully multi-coated optics at f/6.7, 20 mm and 9 mm eyepieces for 30x and 66x, a 13% Moon filter, a 5x24 finder, a phone adapter, a backpack and a tripod from 17.7 to 52 inches.
Best for: A first 80 mm whose numbers can be checked, used by a child from a low tripod and an adult from a high one
≈ $100
90 mm (3.5 in) at 600 mm (23.6 in), f/6.7 · 25, 10 and 5 mm for 24x, 60x, 120x · 3x Barlow · 48° BAK7 erecting prism · 6x30 finder
Gskyer's AZ90600: a 90/600 refractor with multi-coated green optics on an alt-azimuth mount and stainless steel tripod, with 25, 10 and 5 mm eyepieces, a 3x Barlow, a 6x30 finder and a 48-degree BAK7 erecting prism.
Best for: The most aperture on this shelf, used on landscapes as readily as on the Moon
≈ $270
80 mm (3.15 in) · 900 mm (35.4 in) focal length · f/11.3 · WA 20 and 10 mm for 45x and 90x · gimbal with scales · bag
SOLOMARK's 80900: an 80/900 refractor with fully coated green optics on an alt-azimuth gimbal with scales and a full-size aluminum tripod, with WA 20 mm and 10 mm eyepieces, an erect-image diagonal, a 5x24 finder, a phone adapter and a bag.
Best for: Someone who wants the longest focal length in the entry class for the Moon and planets
≈ $103
Aperture is the diameter of the objective. It is the only quantity that decides how much light is collected, and nothing substitutes for it.
The stated focal length and ratio decide what the tube gives before any eyepiece.
The stated supplied accessories say what the maker puts in the box with the tube.
Because it fixes the light collected and the theoretical resolving power. No other characteristic makes up for a small diameter.
No, deliberately: magnification depends on the eyepiece used, not on the instrument. The published focal length is what lets you work it out.
The focal length divided by the diameter. It sums up the instrument’s character in one number, between wide field and high magnification.
It explains the stated chromatic behavior. It is a figure published by the maker, not a measurement made here.
The sliding part of the focuser. Its published diameter and travel decide what can be fitted at the focus.
Supplied accessories are published entry by entry: eyepieces, diagonal, finder. They vary enormously between models.
Refractors generally ship aligned. The maker’s guidance sits in the manual and is not supplemented here.
This site describes no solar observation and gives no guidance on the subject. The question belongs to the maker’s manual.
Aperture decides what comes in, glass type decides how clean the image is, and tube weight decides how many evenings the instrument actually gets carried out.
The column is shown only when four instruments in five publish the figure. Below that, it would be comparing the absence of numbers.
| Model | Price | Aperture | Lens design | Supplied accessories | Focal length and ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EACONN AU-80 refractor | $100 | 80 mm (3.15 in), stated | Refractor, fully coated green optics | K20 and K9 eyepieces (30x to 66x) · 5x24 finder with crosshair · phone adapter with positions for each eyepiece · positioning gimbal with scales · adjustable tripod · backpack | 600 mm (23.6 in) · f/7.5, the quotient of the published figures |
| Celticbird 80/600 AZ refractor (80600-2) | $100 | 80 mm (3.15 in), stated | Refractor, fully multi-coated optics | 20 mm and 9 mm eyepieces (30x and 66x) · Moon filter, 13% transmission · 5x24 finder · phone adapter · backpack · aluminum tripod, 17.7 to 52 in · AZ mount | 600 mm (23.6 in) at f/6.7, stated |
| EACONN E-80AZ | $100 | 80 mm (3.15 in), stated | Refractor, fully coated green optics | K20 and K9 eyepieces (30x to 66x) · 5x24 finder with crosshair · phone adapter · positioning gimbal with scales · adjustable tripod · backpack | 600 mm (23.6 in) · f/7.5, the quotient of the published figures |
| SOLOMARK 80900 | $103 | 80 mm (3.15 in), stated | Refractor, fully coated green optics | WA 20 mm and 10 mm eyepieces (45x and 90x) · erect-image diagonal · 5x24 finder with crosshair · phone adapter · gimbal with altitude and azimuth scales · full-size aluminum tripod · carrying bag | 900 mm (35.4 in) · f/11.3, the quotient of the published figures |
| Omegon AC 70/700 AZ-2 | $167 | 70 mm (2.76 in), stated · 36% more light than a 60 mm, stated | Achromatic refractor (AC) | AZ-2 alt-azimuth mount · tripod · eyepieces not itemized on the US listing · assembly without tools | 700 mm (27.6 in) · f/10, the quotient of the published figures · maximum magnification 140x, stated |
| Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ (21061) | $180 | 70 mm (2.8 in), stated | Achromatic refractor, fully coated | 20 mm and 10 mm eyepieces · erect-image star diagonal · StarPointer red-dot finder · adjustable tripod · panhandle alt-azimuth mount · software download | Not published in the Amazon.com listing. |
| Bresser JUNIOR 70/400 | $227 | 70 mm (2.76 in), stated | Refractor (lens telescope) | H20, H12 and H6 eyepieces · zenith prism · 1.5x erecting lens · 5x24 finder · smartphone holder · height-adjustable aluminum tripod · azimuthal mount · backpack | 400 mm (15.7 in) · f/5.7, the quotient of the published figures · 20x to 100x, stated |
| Bresser Classic 60/900 AZ | $238 | 60 mm (2.36 in), stated in the listing | Achromatic refractor (two-element objective); the listing calls it a classic lens telescope | Eyepieces of 20 mm, 12.5 mm and 4 mm (1.25 in) · 1.25 in diagonal · 1.5x erecting lens · 5x24 finder · smartphone holder · alt-azimuth mount · aluminum tripod with accessory tray · downloadable astronomy software | 900 mm (35.4 in) · f/15, the quotient of the two published figures |
| Gskyer AZ90600 | $270 | 90 mm (3.5 in), stated | Refractor, multi-coated green antireflection film | 25, 10 and 5 mm eyepieces (24x, 60x, 120x) · 3x Barlow · 6x30 finder · 48° erecting BAK7 prism · AZ mount with hook dovetail plate · stainless steel tripod, about 31.5 to 49 in · astronomy software | 600 mm (23.6 in) at f/6.7, stated |
$100 – $100
3 models
EACONN AU-80 refractor, Celticbird 80/600 AZ refractor (80600-2), EACONN E-80AZ
$103 – $180
3 models
SOLOMARK 80900, Omegon AC 70/700 AZ-2, Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ (21061)
Specifications: manufacturer sheets for telescopes and observing optics and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.
Most recent revision in this category: November 7, 2026.
Any figure written into the body of this page was true on the day it was written. The amount shown next to each instrument is requested from the retailer as the page loads, and it is that amount, not the text, that stands.
