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Ranking All 20+ Maksutov Cassegrain Telescopes

Rank & ratings last updated by Zane Landers on

While definitely a specialized type of instrument, Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes have a place in my heart and my telescope collection. I keep them on account of their superb performance, extreme compactness, and low maintenance requirements and use them if I have to travel light as well as for planetary viewing/imaging.

Their simplicity in manufacturing leads to sharp optics with minimal need for collimation (alignment of mirrors), and their long focal ratios (typically f/10 to f/16) help in enabling great performance even if I use the cheapest eyepieces I've.

A 90mm Maksutov Cassegrain's mirrors
The front view of a Maksutov Cassegrain optical tube

Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes have a spherical primary mirror in the back of the optical tube and a thick meniscus corrector lens in the front that is spherical on both of its surfaces. There is an aluminized reflective “spot” on the back surface of the corrector that functions as the telescope’s secondary mirror. The all-spherical surfaces of these telescopes are easy to manufacture to high tolerances.

Front view of a maksutov
A Makstuv's corrector lens and the secondary mirror in its center.
Maksutov Cassegrain telescope's light path
Light diagram of Maksutov Cassegrain showing all its parts and focusing mechanism. The convex secondary mirror gives them a “folded” optical design

Because the secondary mirror and corrector are built into the same piece of glass, collimation (the process of aligning the primary and secondary mirrors) is rarely required in most Maksutovs. As a result, Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes are incredibly sharp on small targets like the Moon, planets, and double stars; it’s extremely rare to see one with bad optics.

What You Should Expect While Buying a Maksutov-Cassegrain

Things to Look For

Any good Maksutov-Cassegrain usually has some kind of visual back which can be removed. Some scopes have “flip mirror” assemblies, which are often plastic and low-quality; replacing them if the flip mirror is damaged, gets stuck, or is bad optically can be a pain. If possible, stick with a scope that takes a standard astronomical star diagonal.

2024 August Update: Orion Telescopes & Binoculars's retail website went offline on July 31st, and their storefronts are all shut down from mid-July. We're in the process of removing Orion's and Meade's (Orion owns Meade) telescopes from our recommendations and rank lists.

Rank Category: Maksutovs Below $200

Utterly tiny, all of the SarBlue's Maksutov options in this price range lack resolving capabilities for serious viewing but are tack sharp on the Moon, planets, and double stars. The limited field of view, low resolution, and minimal light-gathering ability of 60mm and 70mm Maksutovs put a bottleneck on what you can actually see when it comes to deep sky objects. But considering how cheap they are, we believe these are still a nice catch.

SarBlue Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope, Mak70
SarBlue Mak70 with Tripod
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The SarBlue Mak70 comes with an actually decent mount/tripod, unlike the cheaper tripod-mounted Mak60 variants listed just below. When compared to the slightly cheaper Mak60 optical tube, Mak70 has an all-metal build and 36% more light-gathering ability and a smidge more resolving capability. It has the same razor-sharp optics, as we expect with any Maksutov-Cassegrain type of telescope. We get a decent accessory pack (finder, eyepiece, and star diagonal) to get started with. It has an extremely compact form factor when disassembled.
Sarblue Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope, Mak60
SarBlue Mak60 with Dobsonian Mount
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A scaled-down version of the nifty Mak70, the SarBlue Mak60 comes in several variants, but the tabletop Dobsonian-mounted package is easily the best one. Similar to the Mak70 optics, the Mak60 has near-perfect optics with sharper views of the Moon, planets, and double stars than what we get with the similarly priced best-in-class Newtonian reflector telescopes. This telescope is extremely compact, able to fit in a small backpack or handbag and has an optical tube hardly any bigger than a large beverage can. A decent medium-power eyepiece, star diagonal, and finder are also provided.
Mak60 and Mak70 in a table: a size comparison
Mak60 Dobsonian telescope (blue) and Mak70's optical tube without its tripod.
SarBlue Mak60 with Freestanding Tripod
Rank 3
3.8/5
This Mak60 configuration, which has a standard photo tripod, works well. But we find aiming and tracking targets at high magnifications with the provided tripod frustrating and challenging. Since the scope uses the same Mak60 optical tube, this scope is still great for viewing the Moon and planets, though.
Sarblue Mak60 with Tabletop Tripod
Rank 4
3.6/5
The Mak60/tabletop tripod combination is the cheapest available. But we found it extremely hard to aim and that is worsened by the lack of a dedicated finder scope. While usable, this wasn’t exactly a fun package for us. However, if you already have a sturdy, high-quality standard photo tripod and can get used to the tiny nibs on the optical tube for aiming, this package will save you a few bucks.

Rank Category: Maksutovs Between $200 and $500

A 90mm or 100mm aperture gives way more light gathering and resolving power than a smaller 70mm Maksutov. There used to be value-for-money tabletop Maksutovs like the Orion StarMax 90 and Sky-Watcher Virtuoso 90 in this price range until mid-2024, but they both are now discontinued.

Celestron Astro Fi 102mm Maksutov-Cassegrain
Celestron Astro Fi 102 Mak AZ GoTo
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One of the cheapest acceptable computerized telescopes available, the Astro Fi 102 is a fully motorized GoTo telescope with a full-sized freestanding tripod and larger 102mm (4”) optics. Its mount is controlled exclusively via your smartphone or tablet with Celestron’s SkyPortal app or another app like SkySafari Pro. It can't be controlled manually at all. The Astro Fi 102 is quick to set up and get to observing with the GoTo mount, which automatically points at and tracks any celestial object that we choose on our phone. It includes a pair of decent eyepieces, and the dismantled telescope packs up into a fairly small package able to fit in a suitcase or small storage container. We also realized that the Astro Fi mount and tripod were significantly steadier than the older NexStar SLT mount that Celestron offers with its 90mm and 127mm Maksutovs (named NexStar 90SLT and NexStar 127SLT), while also consuming less power and possessing an easier-to-navigate interface.
Explore FirstLight 100mm Mak with EQ3 Mount
List Price: $399
Rank 2
3.7/5
The Explore Scientific FirstLight 100mm Maksutov-Cassegrain offers excellent optical performance, as expected. The EQ3 manual mount provides fine adjustment for easily tracking the sky with the 100mm Firstlight Maksutov and can be motorized for automatic tracking if we wish to. However, equatorial (EQ) mounts are not the easiest to set up nor does the scope have the steadiest design. Also, the included accessories are terrible.
Explore FirstLight 100mm Mak with Twilight Nano AZ Mount
List Price: $379
Rank 3
3.7/5
The 100mm FirstLight Maksutov is excellent optically, and the Twilight Nano suffices as a mount. But its lack of fine adjustments felt to be a bit of a nuisance, and the included accessories with this telescope are very low-quality.
Celestron Nexstar 90SLT Mak GoTo
List Price: $539
Rank 4
3.2/5
The NexStar 90SLT is nice enough. But for the price, you could get the similar-featured Astro-Fi 102, which has a larger aperture and an easier-to-use mount interface. And at 90mm of aperture, there’s really no need for a GoTo telescope; even 100mm isn't that valuable for GoTo functionality.

Rank Category: Maksutovs Between $500 and $1000

The higher-ranked 127mm Maksutovs are nearly as portable as a 102mm Maksutov but offer more light gathering and resolving power, allowing for excellent views of the Moon, planets, double stars, and the brightest deep-sky objects.

Sky-Watcher Skymax 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope with AZ-GTi Mount
Sky-Watcher 127 mm Skymax AZ-GTi Mak GoTo
$880 at Agena
The Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 offers excellent optical performance, and we see it as an ideal match for the compact, versatile, and high-tech AZ-GTi GoTo mount. The AZ-GTi can be used as a GoTo mount or even manually. That means, unlike GoTo mounts from Celestron, we can push the telescope around the sky by hand without affecting its GoTo alignment. The GoTo usage control is via our smartphone/tablet with the free SynScan app or another app such as SkySafari Pro. The Skymax 127 package includes two eyepieces, a star diagonal, and a red dot finder to get you started. The whole package is also fairly compact when broken down.
Celestron Nexstar 127SLT Mak GoTo
List Price: $699
Rank 2
3.5/5
The Celestron NexStar 127 features the same optical tube as the above-ranked Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 AZ-GTi. Similar to the Skymax 127, the NexStar 127SLT is actually only 120mm in aperture due to its stopped-down internal parts, but it still features 38% more light-gathering ability than a 102mm Maksutov (78% more than a 90mm) and slightly more resolving power. We felt that the mount is a little undersized and outdated. The 127SLT is controlled with an old-fashioned hand paddle, unlike many newer GoTo instruments but is still fairly easy to use. The AZ-GTi mount from Sky-Watcher, in contrast, is more advanced, compact, and can be slewed manually if needed. The good news is that the NexStar 127SLT is cheaper.
Sky-Watcher 102 mm Skymax AZ-GTi Mak GoTo
List Price: $680
Rank 3
3.5/5
The Sky-Watcher 102mm Skymax AZ-GTi package is a great telescope with an incredibly versatile and easy-to-use mount and decent accessories. However, the only advantage over the cheaper Astro-Fi 102 is that this telescope can be aimed manually, which may or may not matter enough to you to justify the additional expense. And if you’re spending more, why not go for the 127mm model?
Celestron Nexstar 4SE Mak GoTo
List Price: $679
Rank 4
3.3/5
The NexStar 4SE uses the same optics as the Astro-Fi 102mm and above-mentioned Skymax 102. However, an annoying built-in flip mirror of lower quality than standard 1.25” star diagonals is permanently affixed to the back of the tube and the mount is rather heavy and bulky. For the price, the Astro-Fi 102 and Skymax 102 are available and both are significantly more portable and offer more features.
Explore FirstLight 127mm Mak with EQ3 Mount
List Price: $529
Rank 5
3.2/5
While it does deliver us a true 127mm aperture, unlike the Sky-Watcher/Celestron “127mm” Maksutovs, the Explore Scientific FirstLight 127mm’s super-long 1900mm focal length and 1.25”-only eyepieces severely constrain its field of view. The EQ3 mount is capable of supporting the 127mm FirstLight Maksutov, but it’s hardly the most stable or easy-to-use combination, with poor-quality accessories being the norm as with the other FirstLight telescope models.
Explore FirstLight 127mm Mak with Twilight I Mount
List Price: $500
Rank 6
3.2/5
The 127mm FirstLight Maksutov is an excellent telescope, and the Twilight I is a rock-solid, high-quality alt-azimuth mount. Unfortunately, the price is the same as several computerized 127mm options, and the included accessories are of poor quality, making this combination a poor value proposition at best.
Explore FirstLight 127mm Mak with Twilight Nano Mount
List Price: $500
Rank 7
3/5
The Twilight Nano makes for a nice combination with a 100mm or smaller scope, but the fat 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain’s long focal length and much higher weight require a beefier mount and one with slow-motion controls. And as usual, the accessories are junk.

Rank Category: Maksutovs Above $1000

Celestron Advanced VX 700 Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope
Celestron Advanced VX 7“ Mak GoTo
$2599 at HighPoint
The Advanced VX mount is packed with features for astrophotography and is, of course, a fully motorized GoTo mount. The telescope as a whole is an absolute behemoth. The huge 180mm Maksutov-Cassegrain optical tube offers unparalleled lunar and planetary views as well as the potential to be used for some excellent astrophotography work. I know that award-winning lunar photographer Robert Reeves uses one of the telescopes. However, we think that the 2700mm focal length is outright claustrophobic, especially given that the telescope can’t really illuminate the field of a 2” eyepiece. For the price, you could get a C9.25 or C8 Schmidt-Cassegrain with comparable portability but better deep-sky views. We’ve noticed that the thickness of the Maksutov corrector in such a large instrument also begins to hinder cooldown time and makes this scope quite heavy. With a total weight of 75 lbs, it’s hardly a portable or convenient instrument the way smaller Maksutovs tend to be.
Explore Scientific FirstLight 152mm Mak-Cassegrain Telescope with Twilight I Mount
Explore FirstLight 152mm Mak with Twilight I Mount
$1199 at ExploreScientific
The Explore Scientific FirstLight 152mm Maksutov-Cassegrain has a lot of advantages over smaller instruments. The FirstLight 152mm Mak is fairly unique in its use of a 2” Crayford focuser on the back instead of an internal moving-mirror focusing system. The external focuser design eliminates the problems of image shift and mirror flop, which is particularly nice for imaging purposes. There are also tube rings and a carry handle instead of a simple bolted-on dovetail, which makes carrying the telescope a bit more convenient. This version of the FirstLight 152mm package comes with Explore Scientific’s all-manual Twilight I mount, which is easy to set up and use, rock-steady and has slow-motion manual adjustments to easily track objects in the night sky by hand. The standard Vixen-style dovetail on the FirstLight 152mm Mak makes it easy to put it on an equatorial mount with tracking if you desire and the Twilight I likewise will accept a variety of other telescope optical tubes.
Rank 3Questar 3.5” Standard Mak3.8
Rank 4Celestron CGEM II 700 Mak3.8
Rank 5Celestron CGX 700 Mak3.4
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