16 Inch Plus Telescopes

Our 16-inch telescopes represent the pinnacle of what amateur astronomers can get out of their telescopes. Because light-gathering power increases with the square of the aperture radius, a 16-inch telescope gathers four times as much light as an 8-inch and over 16 times as much light as a 4-inch — perfect for deep-space viewing, astrophotography, and stargazing despite a bit of light pollution.

OPT offers a wide range of 16-inch reflector telescope models from trusted brands like Lunt, Meade, and others. This gives you access to everything from 16-inch Dobsonian telescopes in the $3,000 to $5,000 range to full-carbon-construction, truss-tube astrograph telescopes with expansion-free frames and mirrors. Though 16-inch Dobsonians are naturally more expensive than their smaller-aperture counterparts, they offer far more detail, around 800 times magnification, and easy collimation. Note that these are far lighter than other telescopes in our 16-inch collection.

Outside of Dobsonians, 16-inch telescopes feature other designs as well. A Modified Schmidt Cassegrain features a shorter optical tube, which makes it perfect for astrophotography on equatorial mounts. An example of this is the Meade LX600 ACF f/8. A Ritchey-Chretien (RC) Astrograph Telescope is more flexible and can be mounted on many different mount types, making it another great choice for astrophotography.

Our Meade 16-inch telescope collection also includes the LX200 Advanced Coma-Free (ACF) and the LX850 16-inch Advanced Coma-Free (ACF) optical tube. The LX200 brings advanced coma-free (ACF) optics similar to the RC, putting professional-grade viewing in your hands for a fraction of the cost of traditional RC telescopes — all while improving astigmatism and diffraction spikes. The LX850’s ACF optical design features a shorter (f/8) focal length, making it perfect for astrophotographers.

Whether you’re looking for a 16-inch Newtonian telescope or a high-end Harmer Wynne for professional applications (or at least professional aspirations), we’re here to help make sense of the technical aspects of these machines. If you have any questions about different models or how to integrate them with different equipment, contact our knowledgeable and friendly Sales Team to get accurate answers to your questions.