The 8 Best Catadioptric Telescopes
Updated by · How we research
Eight Schmidt-Cassegrain and Maksutov telescopes compared on aperture, mount and carrying weight. The Celestron NexStar 8SE leads for its big, portable view. When users buy our independently chosen editorial choices, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
A catadioptric scope bounces light between two mirrors behind a front lens, so a long focal length fits in a tube you can carry under one arm. That suits the Moon, planets and double stars from a backyard or balcony. The trade-offs are a narrow field of view, dew on the front glass and a wait while the optics cool.
Editor's Notes
October 26, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Admin:
The Celestron NexStar 8SE takes the top spot. It still puts an eight-inch tube on a mount one person can carry outside, and it is still widely sold. The Celestron CPC 1100 GPS, the old leader, stays as the big-aperture choice for people with a backyard and a helper, and the Celestron NexStar 127SLT stays as the low-cost computerized pick.
Four old picks are gone. The Orion StarSeeker IV, Orion Apex 102 and Meade ETX125 Observer have left the market, and the Sky-Watcher Skymax 150 was dropped because of pricing concerns. In their place: the NexStar 6SE for a lighter carry, the StarSense Explorer DX 5 for beginners who want help aiming, two Sky-Watcher Maksutov tubes for planets, and the NexStar Evolution 9.25 for a cordless setup.
We weighed Celestron's own spec sheets against Telescopic Watch's rankings of every current catadioptric model, Sky at Night Magazine's review of the Skymax 127 and Highpoint Scientific's list of the design's downsides.
June 10, 2021:
Some of our high-end choices from last round are unavailable, but most of them are readily replaced with just slightly smaller models that perform nearly as well. One that is still easy to get your hands on and very highly recommended is the Celestron CPC 1100 GPS SCT, which is almost identical to our previous top pick. Both beginner and intermediate users will appreciate the Orion StarSeeker IV 130mm due to its high performance and relatively moderate price. On the other hand, you can get great image quality from the even less expensive Celestron NexStar 127SLT as long as you know what you're doing.
February 06, 2020:
Reviewing our previous ranking, we saw that a number of offerings from Meade and Celestron had begun suffering availability issues as a result of some new models or of some tweaks to the current lineup, leading us to send a few of those away. We also got rid of the Celestron NexStar Evolution 9.25, which is a high-end offering from the company, but one that had a hard time achieving and maintaining proper alignment settings.
Among the new models on our list, we wanted to include the SkyWatcher S11540, as this is a very capable model from a company that often lags behind the likes of Orion and Celestron in marketing and name recognition. It's by no means perfect, as its optical tubing can warp as it expands or contracts in environments where the temperature has shifted (moving from inside to outside on a cold night, for example), but once adjusted, provides excellent images.
Special Honors
Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi Mount Both Sky-Watcher Maksutov tubes on this list arrive without a mount. Sky-Watcher's own AZ-GTi is a small computerized mount run from a phone app over WiFi, and its clutches let you push it by hand without losing the alignment. skywatcherusa.com
Celestron EdgeHD Optical Tubes For owners who outgrow visual use, Celestron's EdgeHD tubes add correcting lenses that keep stars sharp to the edge of a camera frame. They cost far more than the scopes above and are sold mostly as tubes for equatorial mounts. celestron.com
Schmidt-Cassegrain Or Maksutov: Which Design Fits You
A simple rule: pick a Maksutov for the Moon, planets and double stars in a small package, and a Schmidt-Cassegrain when you also want more light for galaxies and clusters.
Both designs fold the light path with mirrors and a front lens, so the tube is a fraction of its focal length. They differ in that front lens. A Schmidt-Cassegrain uses a thin, nearly flat corrector plate and usually works at f/10. It scales up well, which is why you'll find them from six inches to eleven inches and beyond: the NexStar 8SE packs 2,032 millimeters of focal length into a tube that weighs about 12 pounds. A Maksutov-Cassegrain uses a thick, curved meniscus lens and runs slower, around f/12 to f/15. Its optics hold their alignment better and give crisp, contrasty planets, but the glass gets heavy and costly above about five to seven inches, according to Telescopic Watch.
A simple rule: pick a Maksutov for the Moon, planets and double stars in a small package, and a Schmidt-Cassegrain when you also want more light for galaxies and clusters. Aperture matters most. An eight-inch scope gathers about four times the light of a four-inch one, and the jump shows on faint objects. Weight climbs quickly too: Highpoint Scientific notes that an eight-inch tube is around 12.5 pounds while an eleven-inch is around 27.5.
The Downsides: Cool-Down, Dew, Narrow Views And Small Mounts
People often search for the downsides, and they are real. First, a closed tube has to reach the night air's temperature before stars look sharp. Plan on 30 to 60 minutes outside before serious viewing, and longer for a thick Maksutov lens. Second, the front glass faces the sky and collects dew, so a dew shield is close to essential in humid places.
Third, the long focal length means a narrow field. These scopes frame the Moon and planets well but can't show all of a large target such as the Andromeda Galaxy at once; a focal reducer widens a Schmidt-Cassegrain's view. Fourth, the secondary mirror blocks part of the opening, which trims a little contrast, and a Schmidt-Cassegrain needs occasional collimation with three screws on the front, as Highpoint Scientific explains.
The mount matters as much as the tube. Telescopic Watch found the single-arm NexStar SE mounts sharp-eyed but limited: the 8SE's tripod is light for its tube, and the azimuth axis can't be pushed by hand. Mounts with clutches, such as the AZ-GTi used in Sky at Night Magazine's test, let you aim by hand without losing the alignment.
Setting Up, Powering And Using One Safely
Computerized mounts ask you to level the tripod, then center two or three bright stars so the computer can work out where it is pointing. Level and center carefully, because a sloppy alignment is the usual reason a GoTo scope misses its targets. The NexStar 127SLT and the SE models run on eight AA batteries, which drain fast in cold weather, so many owners add a rechargeable 12-volt power tank. Celestron backs the NexStar 6SE with a two-year warranty.
These mounts track by turning in two directions, which is fine for viewing and short planet videos but rotates the field during long exposures. Deep-sky photography needs an equatorial wedge or an equatorial mount.
Never point any telescope or its finder at the Sun without a certified solar filter covering the front of the tube. Even a brief look can cause permanent eye damage. The American Astronomical Society lists reputable filter makers. Keep caps on the finder during the day, store the tube capped and dry, and don't leave it in a hot car.
How we researched this
We compared 17 catadioptric telescopes, from four-inch Maksutov tubes to an eleven-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain, read Celestron's spec pages and the sellers' kit lists for the eight finalists, used Sky at Night Magazine's review and Telescopic Watch's rankings, analyzed owner feedback patterns, and checked every brand against the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's recall database.
Sources (10)
- Celestron: NexStar 8SE
- Celestron: NexStar 6SE
- Celestron: NexStar 127SLT
- Telescopic Watch: Best catadioptric telescopes
- Telescopic Watch: Celestron NexStar SE telescopes
- Sky at Night Magazine: Skymax 127 with AZ-GTi
- Highpoint Scientific: Pros and cons of catadioptric telescopes
- American Astronomical Society: Solar filters
- Sky-Watcher USA: AZ-GTi mount
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Recalls
Frequently asked questions
What is a catadioptric telescope?
It's a telescope that uses both mirrors and a lens to form the image. The two common kinds are the Schmidt-Cassegrain and the Maksutov-Cassegrain. Folding the light path makes the tube short for its power.
What are the downsides of a catadioptric telescope?
A narrow field of view, a cool-down wait before views sharpen, dew on the front glass, a small contrast loss from the secondary mirror, and occasional collimation on Schmidt-Cassegrains. They also cost more per inch than a Newtonian reflector.
Is a Maksutov or a Schmidt-Cassegrain better?
A Maksutov is sharper and needs less upkeep for its size, which suits planets. A Schmidt-Cassegrain comes in larger apertures for less money, which helps with galaxies and clusters.
Can I see Saturn's rings with one of these?
Yes. Every scope here shows the rings at about 60x or more on a steady night. Larger apertures show more detail, such as the gap in the rings.
Are catadioptric telescopes good for astrophotography?
They work well for the Moon and planets with a video camera. Long exposures of faint objects need an equatorial mount or wedge, because the computerized alt-azimuth mounts here rotate the field as they track.
