Exploring the Bresser NANO NT-114/500 Telescope: A Beginner's Perspective

Recently, I stumbled upon the Bresser NANO NT-114/500 telescope on their website. Priced at €159 (on sale), this reflector telescope features an aperture of 114 mm and a focal ratio of F/4.4. The price caught my attention, prompting me to purchase this compact telescope. I'm eager to share how it performs under the stars!

What’s Inside the Box?

The telescope arrived in multiple boxes, all packed within a larger carton. Upon unpacking, I was pleasantly surprised by the minimal accessories included. Many budget telescopes often come with unnecessary accessories, such as poor-quality eyepieces with excessive magnification, Barlow lenses, or erecting prisms.

The Bresser NANO package includes:

• Bresser 114 mm F/4.4 Newtonian telescope
• Bresser NANO AZ altazimuth mount with stainless steel tripod and tray
• 1.25" 26 mm Plössl eyepiece
• Tube rings + Vixen-style dovetail
• Red dot finder
• Solar filter
• Smartphone adapter
• T2 camera adapter ring
• Rotatable star chart

While some accessories, like the smartphone and camera adapters, seem more marketing-driven, Bresser's approach to the telescope's equipment is refreshingly restrained. Notably, there are no cheap Barlow lenses or 0.965" eyepieces included.

Build Quality of the NANO NT-114/500

At a price point of €159, one should not expect premium craftsmanship. Unfortunately, many components that could be made from plastic are indeed plastic, including the tripod tray, tube rings, and the focuser. These parts do not convey a particularly high-quality impression. This is disappointing, especially given that the product page touts a stable focuser. Even the finder shoe is plastic, and the dovetail feels quite lightweight. It remains to be seen how these components will hold up over time; I worry that something may break eventually.

The rest of the telescope is satisfactory. The red dot finder, while a bit finicky, is easy to align and functions well. It's a plus that both the primary and secondary mirrors are adjustable. However, a word of caution: the primary mirror lacks a center mark, and due to the focuser, the entire mirror is not visible. To facilitate laser collimation, I added a center mark to the primary mirror myself.

The Bresser NANO AZ Altazimuth Mount

The telescope is mounted on the NANO AZ altazimuth mount, which is currently listed at Bresser for €159. Essentially, you purchase the mount and receive a telescope as a bonus.

The mount is a bit wobbly and occasionally sags slightly, but it generally maintains its position. I was able to better balance the telescope using the tube rings. At times, the movement of the mount can be somewhat stiff. Unfortunately, the mount lacks fine adjustments, offering only a simple handle. However, with the 26 mm Plössl eyepiece providing a moderate magnification, centering objects remains manageable. Overall, the telescope is relatively easy to maneuver with this mount.

Under the Stars

So far, I've had a lot of fun with the telescope! The included 26 mm eyepiece yields approximately 19x magnification. The Moon appears bright with numerous craters, and Jupiter is visible as a bright sphere accompanied by its Galilean moons. However, the magnification is insufficient for Saturn, which appears as a bright dot without rings. I've also observed the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy, and the Pleiades, as well as the Double Cluster in Perseus. I'm excited to see what else I can observe in the coming weeks and how the telescope performs with increased magnification.

Conclusion

It feels almost unfair to critique such an affordable offering. Given the price, one should not expect top-notch build quality. Nonetheless, this compact telescope performs admirably and provides a lot of enjoyment for stargazing. Beginners can discover much and learn a great deal with it. Its small size and ease of use also make it suitable for children.

If you decide to purchase, I recommend buying from a telescope retailer, as they typically check and collimate the optics before shipping. My unit came directly from Bresser, and the secondary mirror was completely misaligned.

Regarding the smartphone and camera adapters: I didn’t bother trying to take photos with the smartphone adapter. When I mounted my Canon R8 using the camera adapter, the telescope became quite front-heavy and sagged. I would advise against attaching an expensive camera to the plastic OAZ. Perhaps I will revisit this in the future, but this telescope is not particularly suitable for astrophotography.

Feel free to share your experiences with the telescope or let me know if you decide to make a purchase!

Clear skies!

P.S.: The Bresser NT 114 appears to be identical to the Explorer Scientific Firstlight 114. You can view an in-depth review by John Read here.