Show us your smallest scope!

[spacegalaxy]

What's the smallest scope you have own? Also, please include performance and details (Like aperture, focal ratio etc)

Clear nights!

[badhex]

Does this count? 50/208mm ~F4.2 finderscope. Testing out EP combos last night, for fun I had a 4.5mm Morpheus in it giving me 46x and I split Mizar's A and B components. 

[Ags]

20 minutes ago, badhex said:

Does this count? 50/208mm ~F4.2 finderscope.

I have the same scope - it is capable of some reasonable views. Earlier this week I was admiring some star clusters in the little scope. In addition it shows off binocular doubles really well.

Edited February 27, 2022 by Ags

[badhex]

1 hour ago, Ags said:

I have the same scope - it is capable of some reasonable views. Earlier this week I was admiring some star clusters in the little scope. In addition it shows off binocular doubles really well.

It was yours that inspired this purchase actually! I'm 99% sure it's the same optically and mechanically as the William Optics one. 

[Nakedgun]

The World Famous Pocket Borg:

 

25mm f/7 achromatic doublet, focus achieved by sliding the objective assembly.

A novelty, but not a toy.

It struggles a bit on deep sky....

 

 

.

[Debo]

Here's my tiddler a 30mm F4 (unknown maker), if you ignore the CA it's great for widefield views 😆

Edited February 27, 2022 by Debo

[mikeDnight]

I've always had a love of small refractors and started my astronomical adventures over forty years ago with a Prinz Astral 60mm. I can't remember all the details but it was sufficient to ignite my enthusiasm which has lasted ever since.

The 60mm Prinz Astral with my best (Now late) friend Michael standing alongside. (March 1980)

My next refractor was a Vixen 102mm F13, same as that shown in the image below. The one below was rescued from a skip by a fine fellow astronomer in the US. It's hard to imagine anyone discarding such a stunning instrument, but such is the mentality of some these days.

Other small scopes that have come my way over the years were a terrific little Equinox ED80 

A SW 72 ED

And a blast from the past, a 60mm 1960's Tasco which I still have. Complete with moon map etc. 💙

Other current small aperture refractors I use are a Genesis SDF having a focal ratio of F5.4, and a FC100DZ at F8.

I think what I like most about small aperture scopes, is that with the right eyepiece, they always seem to punch above their weight. Even the humble 60mm Astral and Tasco are pretty nice scopes all things considered.

[Alien 13]

My smallest scope it this..

X I and X2 magnification so a f/1 device, gives good views considering and gives correct orientation views too, cant bear all the upside down or left to right stuff 😀

Alan

 

Edited February 27, 2022 by Alien 13

[Macavity]

Is it a scope? is it a Finder? The Skywatcher ED50! Not done half the
stuff I planned? Intended as a "Remote Video Finder"... paired with a
Watec 902H2 "Ultimate" Video Camera. If you are lacking ideas... 🙃

Only a stock image (I do love the GREEN though!) 😎

Edited February 27, 2022 by Macavity

[JeremyS]

+1 for Pocket Borg. I love mine

[Paz]

Here's mine, a 72mm f6 refractor.

[Stu]

A few of my current tiddlers…

FS60C 60mm f5.9

FS60Q 60mm f10

Zeiss Telementor 63mm f13.3

TAL Alkor 65mm f7.7

The FS60C makes a super, tiny travel scope and is ideal for widefield views and as a spotting scope. Adding the CQ module to make it f10 tightens the views up a bit, reducing CA to zero and for its aperture it is a very capable scope.

Surprisingly the Zeiss Telementor bested it for detail on the moon when I compared them recently, detailed in this thread. Obviously vs the colour free views in the Q, the Zeiss is very colourful.

Finally the little TAL Alkor, must be the smaller newt out there surely? Again, surprisingly capable for such a little scope, and gives lovely views of the Moon and doubles.

Some more comparisons here:

 

 

[Highburymark]

The lovely little Lunt 50, no longer of this parish, and the equally nifty Tecnosky 60ED. Looks even smaller in use with my 6ft 5ins frame draped over the eyepiece.

[Voyager 3]

5 hours ago, JeremyS said:

+1 for Pocket Borg. I love mine

Why have you misplaced the eyepiece with the telescope? 

[johninderby]

The mighty Svbony mini mak. 😁

A huge 70mm aperture with a 6x30 finder and a Sybony micro focuser added. Converted to take any 1.25” eyepiece instead of the stock zoom. Surprisingly capable little scope. Just need to sort out a solar filter. 

[spacegalaxy]

5 hours ago, johninderby said:

The mighty Svbony mini mak. 😁

A huge 70mm aperture with a 6x30 finder and a Sybony micro focuser added. Converted to take any 1.25” eyepiece instead of the stock zoom. Surprisingly capable little scope. Just need to sort out a solar filter. 

I just love the look of small maks! This one looks definitely cool and I love how the finder is like 1/2 the size of the mak! Would love to know it's peformance though

[johninderby]

Very good optics. 👍🏻

 

[Pixies]

Altair RACI finder as a scope:

60mm F3.75

A wee bit of field curvature, mind!

[Louis D]

14 hours ago, Highburymark said:

Looks even smaller in use with my 6ft 5ins frame draped over the eyepiece.

Wait, don't you mean 196cm or 1.96m frame?  I've been led to believe by folks on SGL in other threads that only Americans are foolish enough to carry on using non-metric units in any capacity.  That's my two penn'orth (or is it two pennies worth or two cents worth?).

As far as small telescopes, I've got a 60mm Russell Optics OTA adapted from a binocular tube that works well as a RACI scope with a 90 degree correct image prism.  I've also got a 60mm Kasai PIco-6 Mak with loads of spherical aberrations.  I've got a home built PVC and gaffers tape finder scope using a military surplus 63mm achromat of about f/4 and two 2" right angle surplus prisms mounted 90 degrees to each other.  It will accept any 2" eyepiece for insanely low power views.

[johninderby]

Most on the UK still use feet and inches for height.

In the UK we still use mph on the roads unlike Europe. Now for your weight many still use stones in the UK although Kg is more commonly used now. We like to mix it up. 😁

Edited February 28, 2022 by johninderby

[badhex]

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

Most on the UK still use feet and inches for height.

In the UK we still use mph on the roads unlike Europe. Now for your weight many still use stones in the UK although Kg is more commonly used now. We like to mix it up. 😁

I'm of the age group who can switch seamlessly between lbs/oz and kg/g for recipes as I learnt lbs/oz from my mum but was taught in kg/g at school. 

Don't get me started on cups though! 

[johninderby]

Ounces, fluid ounces, gills etc. 🤬

[City9Town0]

Thank goodness I was good at the 'rod-pole-perch' conversion!!!

[johninderby]

[Tomatobro]

With Alt/Az finders