Telescope Comparison
Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED vs Vixen A80Mf
The Vixen A80Mf is a complete setup. The Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED needs a mount before it's usable.
First light
Sky-Watcher · 72mm · £199
The custom-rig optical tube
- 72mm refractor — optical tube only, no mount included
- 420mm focal length at f/5.83
- Requires a compatible mount before you can observe anything
- Best for: observers who already own a suitable mount or are building a specific imaging rig
- Not a complete purchase — budget at least £100–300 extra for a mount before observing
Vixen · 80mm · £329
The simple alt-az visual scope
- 80mm refractor on a simple alt-az mount
- Good for: Moon, planets, bright open clusters
- No alignment required — quick to set up, intuitive to move
- Finding objects requires learning to star-hop: navigate with a finder scope and sky chart
- 6kg total — manageable to carry to dark-sky sites
The full picture
The numbers that separate these two scopes — and what they mean at the eyepiece.
Aperture
Vixen A80Mf gathers 1.2× more light. On bright targets — Moon, Saturn, Jupiter — you won't notice. On fainter targets — dim galaxies, faint globular clusters — the gap is real.
Focal length
Vixen A80Mf's longer focal length reaches higher magnification with the same eyepiece — better reach for planetary detail. Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED's shorter focal length gives a wider true field — better for large open clusters and extended nebulae.
Focal ratio
Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED's faster f/5.83 delivers wider fields with any eyepiece — better for open clusters and large nebulae. Vixen A80Mf's f/11.38 provides more magnification per eyepiece — better for fine planetary detail.
Mount type
Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED has no mount — add a compatible mount before you can observe. Vixen A80Mf is a complete ready-to-use system.
Weight (OTA)
Similar optical tube weight. Any portability difference between these setups comes from the mount, not the tube itself.
Optical design
Both are refractors — no mirrors to collimate, good contrast, colour-free stars with ED or APO glass. The differences between them are in aperture, focal ratio, and glass quality.
At the eyepiece
| Target | Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED | Vixen A80Mf |
|---|---|---|
| Planets | ||
| Moon | Moderate 72mm aperture shows craters and terminator detail, but short focal length (420mm) means high magnification requires very short eyepieces; ED glass gives clean, colour-free views | Excellent 80mm aperture and f/11.4 focal ratio deliver sharp, high-contrast lunar detail — craters, rilles, and terminator shadows are crisp with minimal chromatic aberration. |
| Saturn | Moderate Rings visible and disc discernible at 70–100×, but Cassini Division needs excellent seeing; 420mm focal length keeps the image small | Good 910mm focal length and clean optics show rings clearly separated from the disc; Cassini Division visible in good seeing. |
| Jupiter | Moderate Disc and two main equatorial belts visible, but fine banding and GRS detail require more aperture and focal length | Good Two equatorial belts and Galilean moons well defined; the long focal ratio rewards patience in steady seeing. |
| Mars | Challenging Small orange disc visible at opposition; polar cap may be glimpsed in excellent seeing but surface detail is beyond this aperture | Challenging Small disc visible at opposition with possible polar cap hint, but 80mm aperture limits surface detail. |
Deep sky | ||
| Orion Nebula (M42) | Good Short focal length frames the full nebula complex nicely; 72mm shows the bright core and surrounding nebulosity but fainter wisps need more aperture | Excellent Bright nebula core and trapezium stars well shown at 80mm, though the 910mm focal length crops the nebula's full extent. |
| Andromeda Galaxy (M31) | Excellent 420mm focal length captures the full extent of M31 including companion galaxies; visually the core is bright but outer arms need dark skies | Moderate 910mm focal length shows only the bright core region — the galaxy's halo extends well beyond the field of view. |
| Open clusters | Excellent Wide field of view at 420mm is ideal — Pleiades, Double Cluster, and M35 are beautifully framed with surrounding star context | Moderate Narrow field at 910mm means many clusters overfill the eyepiece; compact clusters like M35 fare better than the Pleiades. |
| Globular clusters | Challenging 72mm cannot resolve individual stars; M13 and M3 appear as fuzzy, unresolved glows | Moderate M13 and M3 appear as granular fuzzy balls — 80mm cannot resolve individual stars in the cluster. |
| Faint galaxies | Challenging 72mm aperture limits detection to only the brightest galaxies; most appear as faint smudges or are invisible | Challenging 80mm aperture limits detection to brighter Messier galaxies as faint smudges; detail is not visible. |
| Milky Way / wide field | Excellent 420mm at f/5.8 is a natural wide-field instrument — sweeping Milky Way star fields and large-scale structures are this scope's visual sweet spot | Not recommended 910mm focal length produces far too narrow a field for Milky Way sweeping or rich star field context. |
Other | ||
| Double stars | Good 72mm resolves wider doubles like Albireo cleanly with good colour; closer pairs below ~2 arcseconds are beyond the Dawes limit | Excellent The f/11.4 focal ratio produces clean, tight Airy discs — ideal for splitting doubles down to the ~1.5 arcsecond Dawes limit. |
| Astrophotography (planetary) | Challenging 72mm aperture and 420mm focal length produce a very small planetary image scale; a Barlow helps but cannot overcome the aperture limit | Not applicable |
| Wide-field astrophotography (nebulae and Milky Way) | Excellent This is the scope's primary design purpose — fast focal ratio, ED glass, and compact size pair perfectly with a star tracker for large emission nebulae, Milky Way panels, and galaxy fields | Not applicable |
The real tradeoff
Both scopes are capable. The question is which one fits the way you actually observe.
Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED
- You'll spend your observing sessions with a camera attached and a star tracker humming beneath the telescope — your reward is wide, luminous nebulae and Milky Way vistas that fill the entire frame.
- You'll need to assemble a complete system from scratch (mount, diagonal, eyepieces, focuser upgrades) before your first night, but that flexibility means you're building exactly what you want rather than compromising with bundled gear.
- You'll frame entire constellations and molecular cloud complexes in a single shot, but you'll quickly hit a wall trying to push magnification beyond 140× or resolve anything smaller than bright star clusters.
Vixen A80Mf
- You'll unpack a complete, ready-to-observe system with eyepieces and a smooth mount — your first night is an hour away, not a weekend of shopping and assembly.
- You'll spend your sessions chasing crisp lunar detail and planetary definition, tracking Saturn's rings and Jupiter's belts with satisfaction, knowing the long focal ratio and achromatic design are delivering exactly what they promise.
- You'll feel the narrow field of view as a genuine constraint: the full Andromeda Galaxy won't fit, the Orion Nebula will be cropped, and sweeping the Milky Way won't be rewarding, but you'll split close double stars and see the Moon's terminator with stunning clarity.
The dark side
Every scope has a personality. Here’s where each one gets difficult.
Sky-Watcher
Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED
Sold as OTA only with no mount, diagonal, finder, or eyepieces included, making the true entry cost significantly higher than the £199 price tag suggests.
72mm aperture limits useful visual magnification to roughly 140× and constrains faint-object performance; globular clusters remain unresolved and faint galaxies stay out of reach.
Rack-and-pinion focuser shows flex under heavier camera loads, degrading imaging rigidity without an upgrade to a Crayford-style focuser; without a dedicated field flattener or reducer, stars at sensor edges show noticeable curvature and elongation.
As an ED doublet rather than triplet, some faint violet fringing may still appear on bright stars, though it is well controlled for the price.
Vixen
Vixen A80Mf
910mm focal length gives a narrow true field of view, making large deep-sky objects like Andromeda's halo and extended nebulae impractical to observe; Milky Way sweeping is not rewarding.
80mm aperture limits deep-sky performance — faint galaxies and individual star resolution in globular clusters remain out of reach.
No motor tracking or GoTo means astrophotography is limited to brief lunar and planetary snapshots via smartphone; serious imaging is not possible.
Supplied PL 20mm and PL 6.3mm eyepieces are functional but basic, and some residual chromatic aberration is visible on bright stars and the lunar limb, though well controlled for an achromat at this focal ratio.
Which is right for you?
Two different buyers. Two different right answers.
The custom-rig optical tube
Sky-Watcher · Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED
You'll love this if you're a beginner stepping up from smartphone astronomy to tracked wide-field astrophotography, or if you're chasing large nebulae and Milky Way sweeps with a camera and star tracker — you're building a system tailored to deep-sky imaging, not a pre-assembled compromise. This isn't for you if you want a plug-and-play telescope, expect to resolve faint deep-sky objects visually, or chase planetary and lunar detail; 72mm aperture and short focal length won't satisfy those ambitions.
The simple alt-az visual scope
Vixen · Vixen A80Mf
You'll love this if you're a visual observer drawn to lunar craters, Saturn's Cassini Division, Jupiter's belts, and the elegant challenge of splitting close double stars — you want a complete, ready-to-use system that delivers crisp, high-contrast views from the moment you unpack it. This isn't for you if you're planning wide-field astrophotography, want to image the night sky seriously, or intend to resolve faint galaxies and globular clusters; the narrow field and modest aperture make those pursuits frustrating rather than rewarding.
Our verdict
This comparison has a catch: the Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED is a bare optical tube. You cannot use it without a separate mount — which adds meaningful cost and complexity. The Vixen A80Mf is a complete, ready-to-observe package.
For most buyers, the Vixen A80Mf is the right choice — you can observe the same night it arrives. The Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED makes sense if you already own a compatible mount, or are deliberately building a specific imaging setup piece by piece. If I had to choose for a first telescope: the Vixen A80Mf, without hesitation.
Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED
View Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED →Vixen A80Mf
View Vixen A80Mf →Deep field: Full specifications
Every data point, for those who want to go further.
Full specifications
Fields highlighted in blue or amber indicate the better value for that spec. Data is manufacturer-stated and may vary.
How much can it see?
| Spec | Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED | Vixen A80Mf |
|---|---|---|
Apertureⓘ The most important spec — bigger = more light = better views | 72mm | 80mm |
Focal Length Longer = more magnification potential | 420mm | 910mm |
Focal Ratio Lower f-number = wider field of view; higher = more magnification per eyepiece | f/5.83 | f/11.38 |
Optical Design The type of optics — each design has different strengths | Refractor | Refractor |
Coatings Better coatings = more light transmission through the optics | Fully multi-coated ED doublet | Multi-coated achromatic doublet |
How do you point it?
| Spec | Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED | Vixen A80Mf |
|---|---|---|
Mount Type The mechanical system that holds and moves the telescope | None (OTA only) | Alt-Az |
GoTo Computer-controlled pointing — finds any of thousands of objects automatically | ||
Tracking Motor keeps objects centred as the Earth rotates — essential for astrophotography |
The focuser
| Spec | Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED | Vixen A80Mf |
|---|---|---|
Focuser Size 2" accepts wider eyepieces and gives better low-power views | 2" | 1.25" |
Focuser Type Rack-and-pinion is standard; Crayford and dual-speed are smoother | Dual-speed Crayford (with 1.25" adapter) | Rack and pinion |
Size & weight
| Spec | Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED | Vixen A80Mf |
|---|---|---|
OTA Weightⓘ Optical tube only — useful for comparing mount load capacity | 1.4kg | 1.6kg |
Total Weight Full setup including mount — this is what you lug to the car | — | 6kg |
Tube Length | 390mm | 910mm |
Tube Material | Aluminium | Aluminium |
What's in the box?
| Spec | Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED | Vixen A80Mf |
|---|---|---|
Eyepieces Included eyepieces — more is better, but quality matters more than quantity | — | 25mm eyepiece |
Finder Scope Helps you locate areas of the sky before switching to the main eyepiece | — | 6x30 optical finder |
Diagonalⓘ Tilts the eyepiece 90° for comfortable viewing — useful on refractors |
Blue highlight: Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED advantage · Amber highlight: Vixen A80Mf advantage · Greyed cells: equal or subjective.