Which telescopes does the 150 mm panel suit?

Ones whose front fits under the 150 mm lit area: small refractors and camera lenses. Wider telescopes need a larger size, such as the 300 mm panel.

Does the Gemini Flat Panel Lite 150 mm work with NINA?

Yes. Gemini supplies ASCOM and INDI drivers and a Windows app for the Lite, and NINA sets the brightness through the ASCOM driver.

Why two brightness modes?

Narrowband filters pass far less light than broadband ones, so the high mode serves narrowband and the low mode broadband, each with 256 steps.

Does it need a power supply?

No. One USB cable carries both the 5 V power and the brightness control, and Gemini says it draws under 5 W at full brightness, so a laptop, a USB charger or a power bank runs it.

Where can I buy the Gemini Flat Panel Lite 150 mm?

The prices I recorded: $67 at AliExpress, Gemini Outdoor Store (Global), listed.

Gemini Flat Panel Lite 150 mm review: flats for small scopes

Where does it rank on our leaderboard

Nine of the 46 accessories on my board, against price
Rank	Accessory	Stars for Your Buck	Recorded UK price
1	GEMINI EAF	100 out of 100	£42
2	Generic Dew Heater	93 out of 100	£9
12	Celestron 8-24mm Eyepiece	82 out of 100	£99
20	ToupTek EAF	75 out of 100	£170
22	Flat Panel 150mm	73 out of 100	£50
25	ZWO 7x2″ Filter Wheel	71 out of 100	£398
36	Celestron 2x Barlow	46 out of 100	£135
45	SKY ROVER 2x54 Binoculars	28 out of 100	£139
46	365 Solar Telescope Cover	5 out of 100	£73

Contents

01 Where does it rank on our leaderboard
02 Specifications and features
03 Should you buy it?
04 Questions and more about this review

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 73/100

Written 26 Sep 2026 Updated 26 Sep 2026

Rank: #22 of 46 accessories
Verdict: Worth a look

Written by Damon Scotting 3 min read

Buy it if

You image with a small refractor or a camera lens whose front fits under a 150 mm lit area.
You want the same light for your flats every night, whatever the dusk sky is doing.

Skip it if

Your telescope is wider than 150 mm: a larger size, such as the 300 mm panel, covers it.
You already make flats you are happy with from a light box or the dusk sky.

Gemini's Flat Panel Lite at 150 mm: a USB-powered panel that sits over the front of the telescope and gives a steady light for flat frames, dimmable in 256 steps from NINA, the Windows app or the remote.

AliExpress $67 Ad

Specifications and features

Against the accessories I have reviewed

Compare with

Gemini Flat Panel Lite 150 mm reviewed #22 of 46	Flat Panel 300mm #15 of 46
Recorded UK price	£50	£54
Stars for Your Buck	73/100	78/100
Model	Gemini Flatfield Panel Lite	Gemini Flatfield Panel Lite
Illuminated aperture	150 mm	300 mm
Lite sizes	150, 190, 240, 300, 330 and 400 mm	150, 190, 240, 300, 330 and 400 mm
Power	5 V over one USB cable, under 5 W at full brightness	5 V over one USB cable, under 5 W at full brightness
Dimming	0 to 255 levels in a high brightness mode and a low brightness mode	0 to 255 levels in a high brightness mode and a low brightness mode
Modes	High brightness for narrowband filters, low brightness for broadband	High brightness for narrowband filters, low brightness for broadband
Control	ASCOM and INDI drivers, a Windows app, an infrared remote, and Wi-Fi on the v2	ASCOM and INDI drivers, a Windows app, an infrared remote, and Wi-Fi on the v2
Flicker	Flicker-free at every shutter speed, by Gemini's figures	Flicker-free at every shutter speed, by Gemini's figures
Materials	Carbon fibre and aluminium	Carbon fibre and aluminium
In the box	The panel, a 1 m USB cable and an infrared remote (its CR2032 battery not included)	The panel, a 1 m USB cable and an infrared remote (its CR2032 battery not included)

Should you buy it?

73/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

One USB cable carries the power and the brightness control at 5 V: no mains adapter, and under 5 W at full brightness.
Brightness in 256 steps, in a high mode for narrowband filters and a low mode for broadband.
ASCOM and INDI drivers, so NINA and other capture programs set the brightness for you.
An infrared remote sets the brightness without a computer.
Flicker-free at every shutter speed, by Gemini's figures.
Carbon fibre and aluminium build.

Cons

A 150 mm lit area only covers small telescopes and camera lenses.
First Light Optics does not list it; it comes through AliExpress.
The listing offers several sizes and versions, so check the size before you order.
The remote's CR2032 battery is not in the box.

Flat frames without waiting for dusk: a dimmable 150 mm Lite panel on one USB cable, set from NINA or a remote.

Three alternatives

Questions and more about this review

Reviewed by

Damon Scotting

The Telescope Man Verified

BSc (Hons) Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology, Loughborough University PGCE / QTS, University of Nottingham

About Damon About Damon Damon Scotting is The Telescope Man. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology from Loughborough University and a PGCE with QTS from the University of Nottingham, and taught physics in secondary schools before becoming an astronomy creator. He is a contributing writer for BBC Sky at Night Magazine and the author of 42 Wonders of Our Night Sky, and his photograph of the galaxy M100 with the dwarf planet Ceres was Highly Commended in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 competition run by Royal Observatory Greenwich. He has appeared on the BBC's Blue Peter. More than 750,000 people follow his astronomy channels on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, and he has reviewed more than 140 telescopes, mounts, cameras, filters and accessories hands-on for this site. More about Damon · How I test · Damon's book

I review all kinds of gear: most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way. How this site is funded

Five questions, answered

Questions about the Gemini Flat Panel Lite 150 mm

Written 26 September 2026 ·Updated 26 September 2026

I review all kinds of gear. Most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way: no company sees or approves a review before it is published. Shop links marked Ad are affiliate links: I earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. How this site is funded

Which telescopes does the 150 mm panel suit? Ones whose front fits under the 150 mm lit area: small refractors and camera lenses. Wider telescopes need a larger size, such as the 300 mm panel. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
Does the Gemini Flat Panel Lite 150 mm work with NINA? Yes. Gemini supplies ASCOM and INDI drivers and a Windows app for the Lite, and NINA sets the brightness through the ASCOM driver. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
Why two brightness modes? Narrowband filters pass far less light than broadband ones, so the high mode serves narrowband and the low mode broadband, each with 256 steps. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
Does it need a power supply? No. One USB cable carries both the 5 V power and the brightness control, and Gemini says it draws under 5 W at full brightness, so a laptop, a USB charger or a power bank runs it. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
Where can I buy the Gemini Flat Panel Lite 150 mm? The prices I recorded: $67 at AliExpress, Gemini Outdoor Store (Global), listed. A record, not a live price The verdict, the readers and the sellers ↓