What is the real focal length of the Nakoh 60GT?

Nakoh states 360 mm. Plate solves of my Elephant's Trunk and Crescent stacks give 359.5 and 359.9 mm, so the ZWO ASI2600MM Air frames 3.74 x 2.50 degrees at 2.16 arcsec per pixel.

Does the Nakoh 60GT need a flattener?

It does say it supports full-frame 44 mm camera sensors, but specifically with the attachments. Nakoh quotes the 44 mm circle with the optional 1.0x flattener (three elements, 55 mm back focus, about 0.53 kg, ¥49,335) or the 0.65x reducer; no back focus is published for the bare triplet.

What does the 0.65x reducer do?

I am also a big fan of the option for reducers like the 0.65x, especially since that takes the f ratio down from f/6 to f/3.9. Nakoh quotes 234 mm at f/3.9 from four elements, one of them SD glass, 55 mm back focus and about 0.58 kg. My Veil through it plate-solves at 247 mm.

How sharp were the stars?

AutoIntegrate measured a median star width (FWHM) of 2.6 pixels across the Elephant's Trunk subs, about 5.6 arcsec at 2.16 arcsec per pixel. That figure folds in the seeing, the guiding and the focus as well as the optics.

Is the dew shield retractable?

No. It is a fixed length and does not slide out, though it lifts off the tube.

How does the Nakoh 60GT compare with the ToupTek Hope D60?

The Hope D60 is a 280 mm f/4.66 five-element planar apochromat with the flattener built in and a 44 mm circle; the 60GT is a 360 mm f/6 triplet that needs an optional corrector for full frame. Both are side by side in the comparison table.

How much does the Nakoh 60GT cost and where can I buy it?

£899 at First Light Optics, in stock; $799 at Agena Astro for a bundle with the 0.65x reducer and 1.0x flattener included (regular price $1,697), on backorder; and ¥131,835 including tax on Nakoh's own page in Japan, which has no online checkout.

How heavy is the Nakoh 60GT?

Nakoh quotes about 2.94 kg, and it comes with its carrying handle, tube rings and a 230 mm Vixen-style dovetail. The flattener adds about 0.53 kg and the reducer about 0.58 kg.

What have I not tested on the 60GT?

Full-frame sensors, visual use, the planets and guiding figures: not tested.

Nakoh 60GT review: Japanese SD glass, very accurate colour

Where does it rank on our leaderboard

Nine of the 42 telescopes on my board, against price
Rank	Telescope	Stars for Your Buck	Recorded UK price
1	Askar 50P	95 out of 100	£299
2	ToupTek Hope D60	93 out of 100	£749
8	Askar 60F	87 out of 100	£498
19	Sky-Watcher Heliostar 76Ha	74 out of 100	£2,399
29	William Optics RedCat 51	69 out of 100	£849
36	Nakoh 60GT	52 out of 100	£899
39	Celestron C5	49 out of 100	£850
41	Celestron 114 LCM	42 out of 100	£361
42	Celestron AstroMaster LT 76	13 out of 100	£200

Contents

01 Where does it rank on our leaderboard
02 Specifications and features
03 In the hand
04 How good is it? Here's what I captured
05 Raw against finished
06 The rig on the mount
07 What is it for
08 Versus the Askar SQA60 Pro
09 Watch the review
10 Tested numbers and the download
11 Should you buy it?
12 Questions and more about this review

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 52/100

Reviewed 5 May 2026 Updated 23 Sep 2026

Rank: #36 of 42 telescopes
Verdict: With reservations

Written by Damon Scotting 6 min read

Buy it if

You want very accurate colour from a 60 mm triplet with Japanese SD glass.
You image nebulae on an APS-C camera and want 360 mm, or 234 mm at f/3.9 with the optional reducer.

Skip it if

You want a guide scope and an ASIAIR on the tube at once: there is one accessory slot.
You want full-frame coverage without buying the flattener or reducer on top.
You want the most 60 mm for the money: the ToupTek Hope D60 costs less in the UK and has its flattener built in.

It has very accurate colours, amongst the best I have seen, but there is only one accessory slot and the reducer and flattener cost extra.

Specifications and features

Against the telescopes I have reviewed

Compare with

Nakoh 60GT reviewed #36 of 42	ToupTek Hope D60 #2 of 42	Askar SQA60 Pro #26 of 42	Askar 60F #8 of 42	Askar 71F #14 of 42	William Optics RedCat 51 #29 of 42
Recorded UK price	£899	£749	£1,249	£498	£599	£849
Stars for Your Buck	52/100	93/100	71/100	87/100	81/100	69/100
Aperture	60 mm	60 mm	60 mm	60 mm	71 mm	51 mm
Focal length	360 mm	280 mm	276 mm	408 mm	490 mm	250 mm
Focal ratio	f/6	f/4.66	f/4.6	f/6.8	f/6.9	f/4.9
Optical design	Triplet apochromat, one Japanese-made SD and one ED element	Five-element planar apochromat, built-in flattener, SD and lanthanum glass	Six-element Petzval, two SD elements, integrated flattener	Quadruplet air-spaced APO, one ED element, self-flattening	Quadruplet air-spaced APO, one ED element, self-flattening	Four-element Petzval, FPL-53
Image circle	44 mm with the optional 1.0x flattener or 0.65x reducer	44 mm	44 mm	44 mm	44 mm	48 mm
Back focus	55 mm with the optional flattener or reducer	55 mm	41 to 66 mm	31 to 81 mm from the M48 thread	Up to 82.5 mm from the M48 thread	55 mm, plus or minus 3 mm
Focuser	2.5 inch dual-speed rack and pinion, 32 mm travel, 360 degree rotator	3 inch dual-speed rack and pinion, 30 mm travel, 360 degree rotator	2.8 inch dual-speed, 360 degree rotator	2.4 inch dual-speed rack and pinion, 50 mm travel, 360 degree rotator	2.4 inch dual-speed rack and pinion, 360 degree rotator	Internal rack and pinion (WIFD), EAF compatible
Weight, tube	2.94 kg	About 3.5 kg as supplied, not a bare-tube figure	2.79 kg	2.36 kg	2.5 kg	1.77 kg
Length, tube	270 mm	255 mm, dew shield retracted	283 mm	289 mm, dew shield retracted	372.5 mm, dew shield retracted	298 mm
Dew shield	Fixed length; lifts off	Retractable	Fixed	Retractable	Retractable	Fixed, 84 mm
In the box	Tube, carrying handle, tube rings, 230 mm Vixen-style dovetail, 1.25 and 2 inch adapters, manual, warranty card	Lens cap, tube ring, dovetail, handle, M48 adapter, dust cover, manual	Tube, Oxford cloth case, 290 mm Vixen-style dovetail	Tube, tube rings, handle, 230 mm Vixen dovetail, photographic adapters	Tube, tube rings, handle, Vixen dovetail, photographic adapters	Tube, Bahtinov mask cap, M48 adapter, plate, ring with handle, soft case, Allen keys

In the hand

On the ZWO AM3N

The white dew shield

Triplet SD Super APO

The objective end

Focuser and rotator

The dew shield lifts off

How good is it? Here's what I captured

Three targets

IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula, ASI2600MM Air, SHO

Integration: 42 min (14 x 180 s)
Field: 3.74 x 2.50 degrees
Telescope: Nakoh 60GT
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Air
Mount: ZWO AM3N
Target: IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula
Type: Emission nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula and Sadr, ASI2600MM Air, SHO

Integration: 45 min
Field: 3.72 x 2.48 degrees
Telescope: Nakoh 60GT
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Air
Mount: ZWO AM3N
Target: NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula and Sadr
Type: Emission nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

NGC 6960 and NGC 6992 Veil Nebula, ASI2600MM Air, HSO

Integration: 1 h 30 min
Field: 5.13 x 3.42 degrees
Telescope: Nakoh 60GT with the 0.65x reducer
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Air
Mount: ZWO AM3N
Target: NGC 6960 and NGC 6992 Veil Nebula
Type: Supernova remnant
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

Raw against finished

The rig on the mount

The 3 targets, the raw combined stack against my finished image, each with its integration, the camera and the palette:

IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula: 42 min (14 x 180 s) of light, ASI2600MM Air, SHO, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula and Sadr: 45 min of light, ASI2600MM Air, SHO, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
NGC 6960 and NGC 6992 Veil Nebula: 1 h 30 min of light, ASI2600MM Air, HSO, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch

On the JUWEI-17, then on six other mounts

What is it for

Four things it is for

Narrowband nebulae

I pointed this razor-sharp 60 mm scope at the Elephant's Trunk Nebula with a Scorpio 3 nm HSO set. It was a brief, whistle-stop image, but even with the limited exposure time there's still a lot to be admired about it.

f/3.9 with the 0.65x reducer

For the Veil Nebula I also used the 0.65x reducer. It hasn't really taken much to bring out the nebula in this shot: it's already there, shining and dazzling in the original.

Two targets in one frame

I kept the Crescent Nebula and Sadr in the traditional Hubble palette, and I think this one is indeed a lovely shot.

Your own bracket on the handle

There are several holes on the dovetail handle for you to install your own dovetail bracket, which is what I ended up doing in the end.

Versus the Askar SQA60 Pro

IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula on both, plate-solved and star-aligned (residual 0.25 px per 1000)

The same target on the Askar SQA60 Pro
Target	Telescope	Integration	Subs	Filter	Nights
IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula	Nakoh 60GT + ASI2600MM Air	42 min	14 x 180 s	SHO (Scorpio 3 nm)	2026-03-28
IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula	Askar SQA60 Pro + ASI2600MM Air	84 min	28 x 180 s	SHO (Scorpio 3 nm)	2026-07-19, 2026-07-20, 2026-07-21

Watch the review

Is this NOW the BEST 60mm Telescope on the market? (Nakoh 60GT Review) · published 5 May 2026 · 5:01 · Watch on YouTube · 4,447 views, 195 likes on 2 Oct 2026

Jump to

0:26 Elephant Trunk Nebula, narrowband test
1:06 Veil Nebula with the 0.65x reducer
2:15 Crescent Nebula and Sadr in Hubble palette
3:01 Likes and dislikes
3:22 The fixed dew shield
3:28 Only one accessory slot
3:48 The reducer and flattener cost extra
4:20 Against the ToupTek Hope D60

Transcript of the review video 939 words · 13 chapters · searchable

Press a time stamp to play from there.

0:00 Meet the $999 Japanese-glass triplet

0:00 This right here is the Nakoh 60 mm triplet refractor telescope. 0:03 It retails at $999 and can be purchased alongside a one times field flattener or a 0.65 times reducer. 0:11 Both of which improve the quality of this scope to a quadruplet. 0:15 In tonight's video, I'm going to be putting this scope through its paces and seeing how good the images are that you can capture with it from your own light polluted garden. 0:21 I'm Damon Scotting and this is Astronomical.

0:26 Elephant Trunk Nebula, narrowband test

0:26 So, let's kick things off with an explosion of colour. 0:28 Let's point this razor sharp 60 mm scope at the Elephant Trunk Nebula and start capturing some narrow band images. 0:34 For these shots, I used a Scorpio 3 nanometre HSO set. 0:36 As far as specialized narrowband filters go, this was very cheap and in my limited experience produces some insanely good results in comparison to the others. 0:47 What you're seeing right now is five times three minute exposures in each filter stacked together. 0:51 Then BlurX, NoiseX, and colour corrected in Photoshop to give me this very brief whistle stop 45minute image of the elephant trunk. 1:00 But even with the limited exposure time, there's still a lot to be admired about this image. 1:04 Next up was the Veil Nebula.

1:06 Veil Nebula with the 0.65x reducer

1:06 This supernova remnant always promises some exceptional shots, especially when you really isolate the nebulosity through powerful narrowband filters. 1:15 I think it's a lovely little shot framed really well. 1:19 For this one, I also used the 0.65 times reducer. 1:22 Yeah, it hasn't really taken much to bring out the nebula in this shot. 1:25 It's already there shining and dazzling in the original. 1:27 This was 1 hour 30 minutes worth of exposures. 1:30 Then mixing things up and switching over to the broadband filters, I used the Altair LRGB set here in order to image the Great Globular cluster in Hercules.

1:32 M13 in LRGB

1:39 The colours are once again fantastic. 1:41 Stars are very sharp across the board, and as you can see, there's no real concern whatsoever about star shapes, regardless of where you look. 1:50 I think the final result here is a lovely rendition of a star cluster several hundred thousand thick.

1:56 Markarian's Chain

1:57 Imaging the Markarian chain is never an easy task really. 1:59 And yet, I can't help but feel a little bit disappointed with its attempt here. 2:03 I don't know, maybe maybe you can judge my own editing to be the real issue here, but I really struggle to make anything pop or any galaxies in particular look that sharp. 2:12 So, I guess the less said about this image, the better. 2:13 Dipping back over towards the summer targets that are just starting to appear during the early hours of the morning.

2:15 Crescent Nebula and Sadr in Hubble palette

2:19 And I've kept the Crescent Nebula and Sadr in the traditional Hubble palette. 2:22 I think this one is indeed a lovely shot. 2:24 The nebula is sharp and the colours tell a story. 2:27 It was once again a very limited 45 minutes stacked image, but I'm quite happy with how this turned out. 2:33 Then lastly, our final target of the episode is the illustrious North America Nebula.

2:34 North America Nebula in LRGB

2:40 Imaged over the course of 2 hours with the LRGB filters. 2:42 This region is filled with lots of varying reds and blues. 2:46 Although, compared to my previous attempts at NGC 7000, this shot felt a little muted. 2:50 I'm also not too sure what to think of the star haloing in the bottom left-hand corner here. 2:55 Yeah, I think the jury is still out as to whether that is a result of the telescope or the 2 inch LRGB filters.

3:01 Likes and dislikes

3:01 So overall, here are my likes and dislikes. 3:03 Likes, it's very accurate colours. 3:06 I think this was amongst the best I'd seen in this regard. 3:07 Clearly, the Japanese lenses using these telescopes are superior to whatever everyone else is using. 3:13 I am also a big fan of the option for reducers like the 0.65, especially since that takes the f ratio down from f/6 to f/3.9.

3:22 The fixed dew shield

3:22 My dislikes, however, include the fact that the dew shield is fixed. 3:24 I weirdly didn't like that. 3:27 Perhaps it's just a personal preference.

3:28 Only one accessory slot

3:28 I also didn't like the fact that I couldn't add my own guide scope and my ASIAIR at the same time. 3:33 There's just one accessory slot, which as silly as it sounds, is almost archaic in today's era. 3:37 Even the newly released Askar 50P for $299 has three slots for you to choose from. 3:44 There are several holes on the dovetail handle for you to install your own dovetail bracket, which is what I ended up doing in the end.

3:48 The reducer and flattener cost extra

3:49 And then lastly, I did just say that I like the option for a reducer and of course a flattener, but I hate that when scopes already cost $999, I now need to fork out an extra $399 to step it up from a triplet to a quadruplet and then an extra $299 on top of that for the same option as a separate one times flattener. 4:08 It does say it supports full-frame 44mm camera sensors, but specifically with the attachments, I'd like to assume it still can without. 4:16 So yeah, a lot to ponder on. 4:18 I am mostly comparing this telescope in my mind to the ToupTek Hope D60 telescope which I really enjoyed and is a very similar price but with some very different specs.

4:20 Against the ToupTek Hope D60

4:27 What are your thoughts on the Nakoh 60 mm?

4:28 Outro

4:28 Let me know in the comments down below. 4:31 If you're interested in checking out a telescope for yourself, then you can do so by clicking on the link in the description down below. 4:36 Thanks for watching. 4:38 I'm Damon Scotting and this was astronomical.

Tested numbers and the download

Finished image

Licence: for personal use, credit Damon Scotting. Both JPEGs 4,096 x 2,733 px.

-10 C sensor temperature during imaging set point -10 C

360 mm focal length, plate solved Nakoh states 360 mm

3.74 x 2.50° field of view 6,248 x 4,176 px on ASI2600MM Air

26 MP ASI2600MM Air 6,248 x 4,176 px, 23.5 x 15.7 mm

Should you buy it?

52/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

“Clearly the Japanese lenses used in these telescopes are superior to whatever everyone else is using.”
The optional 0.65x reducer makes it a 234 mm f/3.9 astrograph.
Short narrowband sessions of 42 to 90 minutes gave sharp, colourful nebulae.
The Crescent Nebula is sharp and the colours tell a story, from a very limited 45 minutes of stacked subs.

Cons

“The dew shield is fixed; I weirdly did not like that.”
“I also didn't like the fact that I couldn't add my own guide scope and my ASIAIR at the same time. There's just one accessory slot.”
The reducer and the flattener are extras: when a scope already costs $999, I hate forking out another $399 for the reducer or $299 for the flattener.
Full-frame 44 mm coverage is quoted only with the flattener or reducer attached.

I am mostly comparing this telescope in my mind to the ToupTek Hope D60, which I really enjoyed and is a very similar price but with some very different specs.

Who the 60GT is for

Narrowband nebula imager with a mono camera

Buy

Through 3 nm H, S and O filters it framed the Elephant's Trunk, the Crescent and the Veil well.

Imager who cares most about colour

Buy

Colour accuracy is where the 60GT stands out, and it is the reason to pay for its Japanese SD glass.

Wide-field imager who wants speed

Buy

With the 0.65x reducer the whole Veil fits in one APS-C frame.

Imager who guides with a separate guide scope and an ASIAIR

Skip

There is one accessory slot on the handle; the Askar 50P has three and costs a third as much.

Buyer who wants the most 60 mm for the money

Skip

My recommendation is the ToupTek Hope D60: £749 with the flattener built in and a 44 mm circle out of the box.

Owner of a 60 mm astrograph already

Skip

There is no aperture to gain at 60 mm; keep what you have and put the money into filters or a camera.

Three alternatives I have reviewed

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

Nine questions, answered

Questions about the Nakoh 60GT

Reviewed 5 May 2026 ·Updated 23 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

What is the real focal length of the Nakoh 60GT? Nakoh states 360 mm. Plate solves of my Elephant's Trunk and Crescent stacks give 359.5 and 359.9 mm, so the ZWO ASI2600MM Air frames 3.74 x 2.50 degrees at 2.16 arcsec per pixel. Tested numbers and the download ↓
Does the Nakoh 60GT need a flattener? It does say it supports full-frame 44 mm camera sensors, but specifically with the attachments. Nakoh quotes the 44 mm circle with the optional 1.0x flattener (three elements, 55 mm back focus, about 0.53 kg, ¥49,335) or the 0.65x reducer; no back focus is published for the bare triplet. From my video review The specifications and the comparison table ↓
What does the 0.65x reducer do? I am also a big fan of the option for reducers like the 0.65x, especially since that takes the f ratio down from f/6 to f/3.9. Nakoh quotes 234 mm at f/3.9 from four elements, one of them SD glass, 55 mm back focus and about 0.58 kg. My Veil through it plate-solves at 247 mm. From my video review What I captured ↓
How sharp were the stars? AutoIntegrate measured a median star width (FWHM) of 2.6 pixels across the Elephant's Trunk subs, about 5.6 arcsec at 2.16 arcsec per pixel. That figure folds in the seeing, the guiding and the focus as well as the optics. What I captured ↓
Is the dew shield retractable? No. It is a fixed length and does not slide out, though it lifts off the tube. In the hand ↓
How does the Nakoh 60GT compare with the ToupTek Hope D60? The Hope D60 is a 280 mm f/4.66 five-element planar apochromat with the flattener built in and a 44 mm circle; the 60GT is a 360 mm f/6 triplet that needs an optional corrector for full frame. Both are side by side in the comparison table. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
How much does the Nakoh 60GT cost and where can I buy it? £899 at First Light Optics, in stock; $799 at Agena Astro for a bundle with the 0.65x reducer and 1.0x flattener included (regular price $1,697), on backorder; and ¥131,835 including tax on Nakoh's own page in Japan, which has no online checkout. The verdict, the readers and the sellers ↓
How heavy is the Nakoh 60GT? Nakoh quotes about 2.94 kg, and it comes with its carrying handle, tube rings and a 230 mm Vixen-style dovetail. The flattener adds about 0.53 kg and the reducer about 0.58 kg. The rig on the mount ↓
What have I not tested on the 60GT? Full-frame sensors, visual use, the planets and guiding figures: not tested.