A long focal length folded into a short tube · review
A compact 80 mm Maksutov with a coated front lens, a T-2 thread with buffer ring, a finder shoe and a GP dovetail that fits photo tripods and standard mounts.
The bottom line A small folded optic built to bolt onto things — and a listing that forgets to say what its focal length is.
The maker leads on attachments: a T-2 thread with a buffer ring for a camera, a finder shoe, and a GP dovetail that goes on a photo tripod or any GP-profile mount. For an 80 mm Maksutov that is the right emphasis — this is an optic that gets bolted to other things far more often than it sits on its own.
Focal length. Without it there is no focal ratio, no magnification for a given eyepiece, and no exit pupil. For an instrument sold partly on photographic use that omission is more awkward than usual, since the framing a sensor sees follows directly from it.
The maker makes the dual-use argument explicitly, and the geometry supports it: a folded optic of this size is short, light and sharp enough for a distant tree line and for Jupiter’s belts on the same evening.
A finder is not listed among the contents, though the shoe for one is fitted. On a long-focal-length instrument with a narrow field, that is the accessory to budget for.
German, French, Italian and Spanish Amazon stores ran from 166 € to 170 € on the day of the survey.
American and British Amazon catalogues hold a record for it that nobody is selling.
Figures as Keepa reported them on the day this page was last updated. Stock and pricing shift without warning.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 17 September 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.
| Aperture | 80 mm (from the model name and bullets) |
|---|---|
| Folded focal length and ratio | The listing does not carry it |
| Corrector design | Maksutov-Cassegrain · Coated against reflections, as the maker states it |
| Obstruction | Not published by the maker. |
| Back focus | T-2 thread with a buffer ring, per the maker |
| Cool-down guidance | Not published by the maker. |
| Tube weight | Not published by the maker. |
| Mount supplied | GP dovetail — fits photo tripods and GP-profile mounts |
| Amazon reference | B014NLAWIQ (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces) |
| EAN | 4049467464433 |
A camera body with the matching T-ring screws directly to the telescope. The thread is M42 × 0.75 with a 55 mm flange distance, which is what makes the imaging arithmetic predictable.
It carries a GP dovetail, which is the narrow profile most small mounts and many photo heads accept. Measuring the saddle slot beats reading a photograph.
8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain · computerised GoTo fork
An eight-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain on a single-arm computerised fork mount, with a 40 000-object database and the maker’s SkyAlign alignment routine.
Best for: An observer who wants serious aperture that still fits in a car boot
≈ $1499 / £1500 / €1537
127 mm Maksutov · 1500 mm focal length
A 127/1500 Maksutov-Cassegrain on the AZ-GTi Wi-Fi GoTo mount, controlled from a phone rather than a handset.
Best for: Lunar, planetary and double-star observing from a small or awkward site
≈ £649 / €784
100 mm aperture · 1400 mm focal length
A 100/1400 Maksutov on an EQ3 equatorial mount with slow-motion controls on both axes, supplied with a 25 mm Plössl, an erecting prism and a phone holder.
Best for: A compact planetary telescope that also works on landscapes
≈ £341 / €336
