ZWO MiniScope 30mm f/5 APO Guide Scope

The ZWO MiniScope 30mm f/5 APO Guide Scope is a premium compact guiding telescope designed to deliver accurate tracking and reliable autoguiding performance for astrophotography. Featuring a high-quality 3-element apochromatic optical design with ED glass, this guide scope produces sharp, colour-corrected star images with minimal chromatic aberration, helping guide cameras lock onto stars quickly and accurately.

With its 150mm focal length and lightweight design, the ZWO MiniScope is an excellent choice for deep-sky astrophotography setups using refractors, Newtonians, Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes (SCTs), Maksutovs, and astrographs. It is fully compatible with all ZWO guide cameras, including the popular ASI120MM Mini, ASI220MM Mini, ASI174MM Mini, and ASI290MM Mini.

The included narrow dovetail mounting bar fits a wide range of finder shoes and mounting bases, making installation simple on most telescope systems.

Ideal for Medium and Long Focal Length Imaging Systems

Compared to the shorter ZWO 30mm f/4 guide scope, the 30mm f/5 APO MiniScope is particularly well suited to larger imaging telescopes with focal lengths between approximately 600mm and 1300mm. This makes it an excellent companion for telescopes such as the Celestron C6, ZWO FF130 APO, Askar APO refractors, larger triplet refractors, Newtonians, and many SCT imaging systems.

Many astrophotographers follow the traditional guideline that the guide scope focal length should be approximately one-tenth that of the primary imaging telescope. Combined with today's highly sensitive guide cameras and advanced guiding software, the ZWO MiniScope provides excellent guiding accuracy for a wide range of astrophotography applications.

Premium APO Optics for Accurate Guiding

Unlike basic achromatic guide scopes, the ZWO MiniScope features a 3-element APO optical system incorporating ED glass. This design significantly reduces chromatic aberration and improves star sharpness across the field, allowing your guide camera to detect fainter stars and deliver more precise guiding corrections.

The integrated non-rotating helical focuser offers smooth, precise focusing with up to 20mm of travel, ensuring quick setup and stable focus throughout your imaging session.

Key Features

• Premium 3-element APO optical design
• ED glass for reduced chromatic aberration
• 150mm focal length and f/5 focal ratio
• Optimised for astrophotography autoguiding
• Compatible with all ZWO Mini guide cameras
• Precision non-rotating helical focuser
• 20mm adjustable focus travel
• Lightweight and compact design
• Compatible with most finder shoe mounting systems
• Ideal for refractors, Newtonians, SCTs and Maksutov telescopes

Compatibility

The supplied finder-style dovetail bar is compatible with numerous mounting systems, including:

• Sky-Watcher style finder shoes
• 365Astronomy Finderscope Shoe
• Baader Standard Base
• PrimaLuceLab DX Deluxe Finderscope Shoe
• Many other standard finder mounting systems

Technical Specifications

• Optical Design: 3-element APO with ED glass
• Aperture: 30mm
• Focal Length: 150mm
• Focal Ratio: f/5
• Weight: 348g
• Back Focus: Adjustable (0–20mm)
• Focuser Type: Precision non-rotating helical focuser
• Focus Travel: 20mm