5” Range
5” reflectors offer decent light-gathering and resolving power and are a substantial upgrade from a 4.5”. These are the largest telescopes which are typically convenient on a tripod; larger reflectors tend to become awkward, bulky, and uncomfortable to use.
Best non-Dob GoTo
Rank 1
4.1/5
The Astro-Fi 130 is optically identical to the Orion SpaceProbe 130ST and Zhumell Z130 (our $300 manual telescope picks), but sports a 2” plastic rack-and-pinion focuser. The Astro-Fi’s fully computerized GoTo mount is controlled by your phone or tablet, and will automatically slew to and track almost any object you choose. However, the scope is a bit of a battery guzzler, and the free SkyPortal app is lacking. For optimal use, you’ll need a rechargeable power supply and a copy of SkySafari Pro, both of which increase the price of this gizmo quite a bit.
Rank 2
4/5
The StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ uses the same optical tube as the Astro-Fi 130 and other 130mm f/5 telescopes. But it is mounted atop Celestron’s StarSense Explorer mount, which assists in locating targets with your smartphone but don’t track them unlike AstroFi 130. The Astro-Fi 130 is almost similar in price and offers full tracking and GoTo, which is vastly preferable to the simple Push-To system of the DX 130AZ.
Best Reflector in Tripod
Rank 3
3.9/5
The SpaceProbe 130ST is just a Z130/Heritage 130P optical tube placed atop an EQ-2 equatorial mount, and includes high-quality Sirius Plossl eyepieces. While perhaps not the largest nor most advanced scope in its price range, the 130ST is a great platform for beginners and can be easily upgraded to motorized, hands-free tracking later on.
List Price: $299.99
6” Range
6” reflectors can be a little ungainly when mounted atop a tripod, especially for beginners. Many 6” f/4 and f/5 reflectors are optimized for imaging purposes, though it’s hard to find one bundled with a mount that’s actually up to the job for serious long-exposure astrophotography. You might want to consider perusing our OTA rankings page, picking out an optical tube, and then choosing a matching mount separately.
Best Astrophotography
Meade 6″ f/4.1 LX85 Astrograph Reflector Telescope
Rank 1
4.2/5
The Meade 6” f/4.11 LX85 Astrograph is a great kit for the beginner deep-sky astrophotographer. There are better mounts available for sure, and such a fast imaging Newtonian needs a coma corrector to provide good photos, but it makes for a great package, and the price is quite attractive too.
Rank 2
4/5
The Omni XLT 150 Reflector’s f/5 focal ratio and 750mm focal length provide a wider field of view than the 6” f/8 Dobsonians we’ve listed, bolstered further by the XLT’s 2” focuser. The scope’s equatorial mount can also be motorized later on for automatic tracking.
8” Range
An 8” tripod-mounted reflector is a nightmare to deal with for visual astronomers. The main purpose in buying one is for imaging, though as with the 6” scopes you may be better served by picking an optical tube from our OTA Rankings page and pairing it with a high-quality equatorial mount.
Meade 8″ f/4 LX85 Astrograph Reflector Telescope
4.1/5
If you really want a scope that’s good for both visual and imaging use, there are worse options than the 8” f/4 LX85 Astrograph. It’s a great scope for wide-field views of deep-sky objects. You can do some deep-sky imaging with it, and with a strong Barlow lens, you can also image the Moon and planets pretty well.
#2. Celestron Advanced VX Series 8″ Newtonian GoTo
#3. Explore FirstLight 203mm Newtonian with EXOS2GT GoTo Mount