Astrophotographer Ruo has been exploring deep-sky astrophotography for around a year and a half. As a ToupTek Astro HOPE D60 user and passionate amateur astrophotographer, Ruo recently won Second Prize in the Field Deep-Sky Category of the 3rd Xunxingke Astrophotography Competition with an image of the Blue Horsehead Nebula (IC 4592).
After seven months of using the HOPE D60 under real observing conditions, from first light and equipment modifications to long-exposure imaging sessions in the field, Ruo shares a detailed first-hand account of what this compact 60mm astrograph can actually deliver.
The following review is shared from Ruo’s first-person perspective.
Why I Chose the HOPE D60
Since getting into deep-sky astrophotography, I’ve constantly found myself upgrading, adjusting, and rebuilding my imaging setups.
After becoming frustrated with the relatively low light-gathering efficiency of slower optical systems, I added a Newtonian reflector to my setup. By the end of last year, however, I started thinking about building a second imaging rig around a small-aperture, fast focal-ratio refractor.
The original idea was simple: I wanted a second system that could operate alongside my main rig during field imaging sessions. It needed to improve my imaging efficiency while giving me a wider field of view for large deep-sky targets.
There are plenty of compact, fast astrographs available, but I eventually chose the ToupTek Astro HOPE D60.
The first thing that caught my attention was its clean, robust design. More importantly, its self-flattening optical design and flexible back-focus requirements suggested that it could provide the kind of stability and convenience I wanted from a wide-field imaging system.
Back focus can easily become one of the more frustrating parts of deep-sky imaging. With an external field flattener, changing cameras, adapters, or other accessories can mean recalculating the optical spacing. If the distance is slightly off, stars near the edges of the frame can quickly become distorted.
The HOPE D60’s self-flattening design simplifies this considerably. It supports a connection distance of approximately 50–58 mm, with 55 mm recommended for optimal performance, making it much easier to configure different imaging trains.
After talking with several astrophotographers around me and considering their real-world experience, I decided to purchase the HOPE D60: a 60 mm aperture, 280 mm focal length, f/4.66 fast astrograph.
First Impressions: Compact, Solid, and Field-Friendly
My first impression after unboxing the HOPE D60 was its silver-gray metallic finish. The construction feels solid and refined, with several small mechanical details that make the telescope particularly pleasant to use.
Two features immediately stood out to me: the threaded dust cap and magnetic dew shield.
Instead of having to rotate and tighten a traditional threaded dew shield, the HOPE D60’s shield simply slides into position and is held securely by magnets. It is a small detail, but one that makes setup and packing noticeably quicker.
When stored, the telescope measures only 255 mm in length. It is compact enough that even my six-year-old child can comfortably hold it, which gives you a pretty good idea of just how portable this telescope is.
For comparison, I placed the HOPE D60 next to my larger imaging setup, together with my ToupTek Astro StellaVita, ATR2600M, and OAG-X. The difference in size makes the HOPE D60’s portability immediately obvious.
Upgrading and Building My Imaging Setup
My HOPE D60 is the first-generation version, which did not originally include an image-plane tilt adjustment mechanism.
Through ToupTek Astro’s official upgrade option, I replaced the rear assembly with the newer design, adding both CAA field rotation and four-point sensor tilt adjustment.
I then spent some time optimizing the entire imaging train to take full advantage of the telescope’s short back-focus design. After repeated adjustments, I set the system to the recommended 55 mm spacing.
By mid-March, I finally caught a good weather window and chose the Blue Horsehead Nebula (IC 4592) as the HOPE D60’s official first-light target.
First Light on the Blue Horsehead Nebula
This was where I really started to understand what the HOPE D60 could do.
With its f/4.66 focal ratio, the telescope gathers light efficiently, which is particularly valuable when clear-sky time is limited.
Combined with optical performance approaching the diffraction limit, my actual imaging results showed an average star size of 2.02 μm. Across an APS-C field of view, the stars remained fine and round, and I was very satisfied with the overall image quality.
Unfortunately, almost immediately after first light, Fujian entered its long rainy season.
For nearly three months, there were hardly any suitable nights for deep-sky imaging.
Astrophotography, apparently, remains one of those hobbies where you can spend months perfecting your equipment only for the weather to politely refuse to participate.
Improving the Setup During the Rainy Season
Since I couldn’t image outdoors, I used the downtime to continue refining the system.
With the original tube-ring configuration and an electronic focuser installed, the telescope sat slightly too low and tilted when placed on a flat surface.
This had absolutely no effect when the telescope was mounted on an equatorial mount for actual imaging, but visually, it bothered me.
So I added ToupTek Astro’s dedicated riser accessory and converted the setup from the original tube-ring configuration to a multifunctional carrying-handle configuration.
This solved the small clearance issue while also giving me additional mounting points on the handle for accessories such as a guide scope.
A Lightweight Second Rig for Field Astrophotography
The HOPE D60 OTA itself weighs approximately 2.83 kg.
With the electronic focuser, filter drawer, and OAG installed, my complete imaging system weighs around 4 kg.
That still keeps the entire setup comfortably within the range of a lightweight, portable imaging rig.
For someone like me who frequently travels to darker locations for astrophotography, this matters a lot. As a second imaging system, the HOPE D60 is easy to transport and quick to set up, while placing relatively little load on the equatorial mount.
That means I can run two imaging systems simultaneously without turning every field session into a small-scale logistics operation.
15.16 Hours on IC 4592
By June, I had finally managed to collect enough usable nights to build up 15-16 hours of total exposure time on IC 4592.
My original goal was more than 25 hours, but for someone who mainly shoots from temporary field locations, accumulating that much data is easier said than done.
Weather, available time, and observing conditions all determine how much usable exposure you can actually collect.
This is also where I began to appreciate the HOPE D60’s fast focal ratio even more. When every clear night matters, higher imaging efficiency means more useful data from each session.
Finally, a Run of Clear Nights
By July, weather conditions in Fujian finally improved. Influenced by the subtropical high-pressure system and descending air around typhoons, we experienced a period of consecutive clear nights.
I headed out frequently with fellow astrophotographers, finally getting the chance to put the HOPE D60 through more serious field use.
I even managed to capture one of my favorite photos of the HOPE D60 imaging beneath the Milky Way, which felt like a fitting moment after months of fighting the weather.
From First Light to Award-Winning Images
Seven months after purchasing the HOPE D60, I had completed two deep-sky images that I was genuinely happy with.
The first was my Blue Horsehead Nebula (IC 4592) image.
It went on to win Second Prize in the Field Deep-Sky Category of the 3rd Xunxingke Astrophotography Competition.
There was also a rather amusing coincidence: the prize I received for the winning image was another HOPE D60.
My second major image, the Veil Nebula, was later selected as a Xunxingke Daily Image.
Both achievements were personal firsts since I began deep-sky astrophotography.
For me, this compact, fast astrograph gave my 2026 astrophotography journey a remarkably strong start.
Final Thoughts: Why the HOPE D60 Works for My Imaging Style
For astrophotographers like me who primarily travel to temporary field locations, every clear night is precious.
The weather never follows your plans. You might have weeks of clouds and rain, or spend hours traveling to a dark site only to get half a night of truly transparent skies.
Under those conditions, having a telescope that is fast, portable, easy to configure, and stable in real-world use makes a meaningful difference.
The HOPE D60’s 60 mm aperture, 280 mm focal length, and f/4.66 focal ratio make it well suited to wide-field deep-sky imaging. Its self-flattening design simplifies imaging-train configuration, while the compact body and manageable weight make field setup much easier.
Most importantly, its optical performance gives me high-quality data with plenty of room for post-processing, allowing me to create images that have exceeded what I originally expected from such a compact system.
After seven months, the HOPE D60 has become much more than the casual second imaging rig I originally planned to build.
My next project is to experiment with a dual HOPE D60 coaxial imaging system, which should allow me to push its imaging efficiency even further.
There is still plenty of potential left to explore.