Erik Andersson

May 31, 2025

Astronomy Telescope Kit for Planetary Observing | SVBONY SV520

A little complicated for a beginner... This telescope is "low end" in terms of price, but according to some folks who know better than me, this particular one is surprisingly good. My wife looked up a YouTube video about this telescope when she was assembling it and some astronomy nerd was like, "I thought this was going to be a toy because it was so cheap but it's actually good!" This is more than I would have considered spending out of pocket on a telescope, though. This review is from someone who took Astronomy 101 in college a decade ago and hated most of it. I wanted this primarily to take with us to Sedona so the kids can use their brains for something besides Roblox. It was relatively simple to assemble; took my wife maybe half an hour. HOWEVER, we can't see anything through the main scope yet so we don't know if she put it together right. It was also getting cloudy when we were trying to test it so it could totally have been situational/user error. The tiny scope seems to work well, but everything is upside down. Not sure if that's also user error. We're working on it. This includes a mount for your phone and a bluetooth remote to take photos with-- the guy in the aforementioned YouTube video seemed to have a screen hooked up to the telescope so that you could see what you were looking at without the inconvenience and discomfort of shoving a scope in your eye-- that being said, I do not know how he did that. My wife set the whole thing up, I assumed she read the instructions and was having these issues anyway, but you know what happens when you assume. I'm not docking stars because I'm sure all these problems are because we're dumb and know more about astrology than astronomy. If I read the manual and continue having issues I will update. If I figure out the issues I will also update. If I don't update, I am dead. Update: Still alive, for now. We CANNOT get the moon centered no matter what we do. It wasn't cloudy when we tried a couple of nights ago, and we could see light through the eyepieces (we switched between them in case we weren't using the right one) and could not see the moon as anything besides light. Probably user error, still, but like dang it's frustrating. Maybe I should start playing Roblox...

Customer

Dec 05, 2025

Astronomy Telescope Kit for Planetary Observing | SVBONY SV520

Nice build quality and ease of use, better than expected for a $200 telescopeNice build quality and ease of use, better than expected for a $200 telescope Purchased this scope to replace a 6" EQ mount Newtonian reflector that I had for 20 years. I never got the use out of the Newtonian for a couple reasons: The EQ mount was hard to use. Just panning around the sky was not simple. An EQ mount is heavy with the counterweights and I used it less than I hoped to. And ultimately, the gearing seized up in the mount and it wasn't usable. The tube may still be. Some of the comets in the last two years had me looking at the sky more and wanted to get back into star/planet gazing. So I researched for a few weeks what's available. For $200, the SVBONY SV520 is a great value. It won't be the best for deep sky objects, but frankly, unless you have astrophotography in mind, it's not necessary. Very nice, solid build quality. Easy to assemble and easy to tear down and move to setup if you want to transport it. The camera mount is fun to capture what you're seeing and share with others. No regrets as a low cost way to enter into or return to an enjoyable hobby. I did replace the finder scope with a laser red dot finder. Couple of images below (one of cell tower that's 2.5 miles away and other of full moon last month)

JACKY

Dec 27, 2025

Astronomy Telescope Kit for Planetary Observing | SVBONY SV520

Me Para iniciar está genial es grande y lo estoy disfrutando mucho estoy aprendiendo a usarlo incluyendo las piezas y opciones

Two Minds • One 🖤

Aug 09, 2025

Astronomy Telescope Kit for Planetary Observing | SVBONY SV520

A stellar introduction to astronomy I bought this telescope to spark my kids’ interest in the stars, and it did not disappoint. The setup was straightforward, and the images were surprisingly clear for a beginner’s model. One evening, we spotted Jupiter’s moons with ease, which really amazed the whole family and made our backyard stargazing nights something to look forward to every week.

MarcioCezar

Apr 28, 2026

Astronomy Telescope Kit for Planetary Observing | SVBONY SV520

Exelente produto. É um telescópio exelente, tanto estelar, quanto terrestre.da para ver saturno, e crateras da lua nitidamente. Veio muito bem embalado.

Denis Bombardier

Mar 20, 2023

SV505C Color Planetary Camera for Astronomy IR Sensitive Camera IMX464

Bon produit! Bonne qualité. Je n'ai pas pu l'essayer pour photographier les étoiles, mais elle fonctionne bien avec Ascom et est visible sur tous mes logiciels d'astrophotos.

Smothers

Apr 20, 2024

SV505C Color Planetary Camera for Astronomy IR Sensitive Camera IMX464

This thing is awesome Unbelievable feature set for the price, amazing quality. This thing should cost at least twice what it does, I would expect the price to go up in the near future because it's absolutely a great product. Just make sure you have the equipment to take advantage of what this can do

Denis Bombardier

Mar 19, 2023

SV505C Color Planetary Camera for Astronomy IR Sensitive Camera IMX464

Bon produit! Bonne qualité. Je n'ai pas pu l'essayer pour photographier les étoiles, mais elle fonctionne bien avec Ascom et est visible sur tous mes logiciels d'astrophotos.

Smothers

Mar 19, 2023

SV505C Color Planetary Camera for Astronomy IR Sensitive Camera IMX464

This thing is awesome Unbelievable feature set for the price, amazing quality. This thing should cost at least twice what it does, I would expect the price to go up in the near future because it's absolutely a great product. Just make sure you have the equipment to take advantage of what this can do

Charles F.

Apr 26, 2024

SV505C Color Planetary Camera for Astronomy IR Sensitive Camera IMX464

Exactly What It Says I am very pleased with this camera. Only had a chance to use 2 times because of clouds in the skies, but it works great on my SVBONY SV48P Telescope and on my CELESTRON CPC1100 Telescope. When I do start taking pictures, I will post them on my FB GROUP, called Celestron CPC Telescopes Plus Others. Everything it comes with fits my 1.25" perfectly! Just have to unscrew the adapter to fit it. Easy! Just have to download the Sharp Cap app for this! I believe you will be happy with it as much as I am! Manual easy to understand. My advice if interested in this, is to go on You Tube and look for this. Thats a great thing to do. It helps you to get information on the product to help you out. Svbony does not sell junk. They verify ones that sell and also the SVBONY SV48P was also purchased on Svbony. SVBONY, is a great product, and I have numerous SVBONY products. Trust SVBONY on this. The camera is AWESOME!

Christopher

Oct 03, 2025

SVBONY SV48P 90mm f/5.5 Achromatic Refractor Telescope OTA for Imaging

Bang for the buck starter astrophotography startere telescope. Absolutely amazing what this humble refractor telescope can do. Image captured with Canon Rebel T5i attached to the SV48P, mounted on a Celestron equatorial mount with ASIAIR Mini, ASI120MM guide-camera and SvBony 40mm guide scope.

MichiganUniverse

Oct 23, 2024

SVBONY SV48P 90mm f/5.5 Achromatic Refractor Telescope OTA for Imaging

WORTH THE PRICE I ended up getting this telescope for slightly less than $200. I have wanted a refractor to compliment my two Cassegrain telescopes. I wasn't expecting a whole lot for that price but I was shocked - pleasantly. This telescope is extremely well-built, something you'd expect from a much costlier instrument. The optics are superb. It is an achromat so this is some coronal aberration at high magnification but that can be mitigated with a filter and it is nothing out of the ordinary. I have nothing but good things to say about this. I've become a fan of SVBONY products. What a rare treat it is to get a good deal on anything these days. Solid five stars.

Xavier

Oct 17, 2023

SVBONY SV48P 90mm f/5.5 Achromatic Refractor Telescope OTA for Imaging

This a great telescope for astrophotography! I love this sv48p! It is awesome and can get great pictures. A lot of people mention chromatic abbreviations which is true but as you can see on my 20x30sec total of 10min exposure I got a great shot of Orion Nebula. All you have to do is separate the nebula and stars and work on with before merging them back. The nebula should look great and the stars with no chromatic abbreviations. I recommend this scope for astrophotography and planet viewing. This is an all in one e telescope with a sv193 80mm field flattener will work great.

louis

Oct 12, 2022

SVBONY SV48P 90mm f/5.5 Achromatic Refractor Telescope OTA for Imaging

Great for a beginner

Kindle Customer

May 25, 2022

SVBONY SV48P 90mm f/5.5 Achromatic Refractor Telescope OTA for Imaging

Excellent telescope for all levels The Svbony 90mm f/5.5 doublet is an excellent product. First impressions - exceptionally sharp image. No Corona to the human eye. Started with a 27mm plossy, then moved down to a 4.7mm. Though dark, it was still very sharp. I have larger telescopes for astroinaging and needed one for travel and casual observing.

Hans471

Jun 23, 2025

SVBONY SV48P 90mm f/5.5 Achromatic Refractor Telescope OTA for Imaging

A great value in a nice little scope for both beginers and experienced users alike. This telescope is a bargain! I don't claim to be an expert but I did build my first telescope sixty years ago and have owned a few along the way. I have a much larger Celestron SCT but its a job moving and setting up just for a quick causal view. I wanted something reasonably priced that would be small, light and easy to move and set up. I paired this scope with an Explore Scientific Nano tripod and a right angle aiming scope and now have a very competent grab-and-go set up. My particular scope is very sharp for something in this price range. I use various eye pieces on it and it gives great sharp views with a wide range of eyepieces. For a quick and simple session I can set it up with a 8-24mm zoom eyepiece which gives it a lot of flexibility. Yes, a scope costing three times as much will give a tiny bit better views but most will notice little to no difference. I would say to step up to a set up to the next level of performance you will need to spend many hundreds of dollars more, both in the scope and the mount. So, in short, this is a good quality scope that will give you great results while not breaking your bank account. I find myself using it more than my "big scope" as it gives great views, easy to set up and it was "cost effective". A great buy and much better than those kid's toy scopes that are only a little less expensive but don't off near the performance This makes a wonderful entry level scope that can grow with you and give you years of service.

Christopher Baird

Jul 13, 2023

SVBONY SV48P 90mm f/5.5 Achromatic Refractor Telescope OTA for Imaging

Great beginners scope. Happy with it so far. Only had it a few months. Attached is only stacked unprocessed image.

Keith Pratt

Jan 10, 2025

SVBONY SV48P 90mm f/5.5 Achromatic Refractor Telescope OTA for Imaging

SvBony SV48P- Beautiful Telescope! Very good build quality. Does have false color, but otherwise very sharp and detailed. Take time to adjust the focuser, and you will be rewarded with precise views. Matches up perfectly with CG-4 mount (I have that too). Great companion to my MEEZAA ED80 (same focuser, longer tube, same dew shield). You will enjoy this telescope!

J S

Feb 20, 2024

SVBONY SV48P 90mm f/5.5 Achromatic Refractor Telescope OTA for Imaging

Calidad Es un telescopio pequeño, transportable y de gran calidad. Lo instalé sobre la montura SV225, trípode SA410 y estoy utilizando la cámara SV305 Pro. Estoy muy conforme.

dsiefer

Dec 13, 2024

SVBONY SV48P 90mm f/5.5 Achromatic Refractor Telescope OTA for Imaging

Great Telescope I couldn't imagine a better telescope for the price. I have yet to buy anything from SBVONY I was disappointed with. Image quality is very good. Chromatic aberration visible on brightest objects like planets and moon but that was expected. The focuser came with a fair amount of slop in it but that was easily adjusted with two quick turns of a couple screws after watching an online video. The build quality is beyond impressive. I even tipped it over on my tripod against the wood floor and the telescope was fine. The only damage was two bent eyepiece thumbscrews which I replaced. I paired it with the SV188P diagonal for astronomy and SV222 for 45-degree image corrected terrestrial viewing. My favorite accessory is a laser pointer and mount.