I have been searching for a telescope with the shortest focal length, the largest aperture possible, and which would work with a full-frame sensor.
My first one was RedCat51, which was quite OK, but I wanted something shorter. I found Askar ACL200, which was also OKish, but still, it was not short enough.
Then the WO MiniCat was released. I was about to pull the trigger, but several negative reviews changed my mind.
In October 2026, I noticed a similar scope to MiniCat. The specifications were nearly identical, only it’s much lighter and cheaper. However, there were no reviews. I decided to take a risk and purchase one.
I order it directly here: https://www.astroshop.cn/products/sky-rover-star-master-50saw-f-3-5-fast-focus-ratio-professional-star-camera-mirror-with-color-correction-apo
This was my first order from this shop, so I was hesitating. The scope arrived in Switzerland within one month, so no problems here.
Here is the first light of this scope. Equipment: iOptron HEM15, Camera ZWO ASI6200MC, and obviously SkyRover 50 SAW equipped with ZWO EAF. Stack of 10 frames, each 300s. Guided by a 130 mm guide scope. Calibrated with Darks and Flats. No filter used. The test was done on 27.10.2025.
How does it perform on a full-frame 60 MP sensor?
It is obviously not perfect. The stars in the corners suffer from chromatic aberration and astigmatism. The lower right corner seems to be defocused.
You might say: “It’s the tilt! Fix it and write a proper review.” However, I own TiltAdjuster (https://www.astroprecision.no/), and I checked the tilt. There is no tilt between the sensor and the M48 threat. This must be a play of the focuser or some problem with the optics.
When I apply BlurXterminator:
Well, with this scope, one should get a voucher for BlurXterminator, but this you can say about any scope on the markert ,’-)
Here is the full picture, resized from 60 MPa
I managed to capture quite a decent picture with it:
https://www.astrobin.com/j7ejhn/?_ga=2.206521939.1340125745.1770749525-1538133183.1665076610
Conclusions:
It’s not perfect, but I will keep it.
Pros:
I like the size and weight of it.
Also, the focal length fulfils my needs.
Integrated rotator
Cons:
Stars are not perfect at the corners of a full-frame sensor. However, it’s correctable by BLX.
Defocused one corner (not caused by the tilt of the sensor)
So, what to do with this scope? The focal length of 175 mm combined with a full-frame sensor provides a really wide field. Probably, I am going to make a sweep through the Milky Way and create a mosaic, but let’s see.
