Svbony SV48P 102F6.5 Refractor Telescope, FMC Green Coated Lens Achromatic Glass Telescope OTA, 2.5" RAP Double Speed Focuser OTA for Visual Observation

This telescope is my introduction to refractor telescopes having only ever used Dobsonian models prior to this. I did know that as it is Optical Tube Assembly only I would need to supply other accessories like mount, Finderscope etc. When the telescope arrived it does feel solid, in fact the only plastic I could find was the lens cover as everything else seems to be metal construction. The focus mechanics are smooth and it benefits from added fine focus which was something that attracted me to this telescope. I did have a suitable mount so set it up just to check focus but what I found was that I couldn't achieve focus. After seeking some advice it was recommended I add a diagonal. Once this was done I could achieve focus easily. Even though I knew I would have to add various things I didn't bank on a diagonal. This telescope is aimed at beginners and children but nowhere does it mention that a diagonal is not supplied and may be required to achieve focus. Searching Google does say that although not strictly necessary in a refractor a diagonal assists with comfort. But be aware that to achieve focus a diagonal may be required with this telescope.

Cannot say for the actual optical quality yet, but the build quality is pretty fantastic for the price, some smaller stuff such as dust in the elements and a fingerprint in the dew shield paint, but, it was cheap, it doesn’t affect the actual use of it, and dust can easily be cleaned from it. Focuser feels nice and smooth, which I have seen some issues with crunchy focus gears, but not on this one, hopefully I can test it in the coming days. You’re not going to find as wide of a refractor as this, for as cheapEdit: optical quality is good! I got it out, took plenty on m51, I will say the focus is a little notchy and I felt like I was either side of perfectly focused but that’s just luck based whether perfect focus will land on a notch, it’s certainly not out of focus but, y’know, the chromatic aberration really isn’t that bad, I have seen much worse!

Well worth the money the build quality is excellent better than some scopes costing more. Not used yet due to rubbish weather, hopes are reasonable that the scope will deliver. I personally would recommend but at the end of the day it’s your choice. Just a quick update,I use my right eye for viewing so mounting the finder in the position it arrived in means my head hits the finder, so I moved the brkt to the other side using the screws from the right hand side. When I replaced the screws back into the left side they clamped down on the draw tube marking it. So if anyone needs to do the same thing put a washer on the screws.18/1/2025,Went out ,clear night , could not get focus so contacted Svbony who said after I sent photos of the issue would replace the objective with an optimised objective. They could not be more supportive.