$130 Telescope vs. $600 Telescope vs. $1,750 Telescope

The 80mm refractor is a great first telescope for the budding astrophotographer, but there are so many choices! This video will review three to give you an idea of what to expect at different price points.
Telescope Purchase Links
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Askar 80PHQ: tinyurl.com/askar80phq and 0.76x reducer: tinyurl.com/80phq-reducer
Svbony SV503 80ED and 0.8x Reducer/Flattener: ebay.us/A5S4Eb
Alternate links (astrogear.net) for Svbony SV503 80ED and Flattener: tinyurl.com/ag-sv503-80 and tinyurl.com/ag-sv503-80-flat
Orion ShortTube 80 OTA: amzn.to/3B7CZo7 or with rings: tinyurl.com/st80a
Patreon
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This video was made possible with the generous support of my members on Patreon. If you would like to join, it starts at just $1/month, and there are many perks! / nebulaphotos
Channel Disclosures
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I am a member of the High Point Scientific, Astrobin, OPT, Agena Astroproducts, eBay, and Amazon affiliate programs. Product links in my video descriptions are typically affiliate links, which means, at no extra cost to you, I will make a commission if you click them and purchase something. I also have working relationships with the following companies/brands to receive products to test: Askar, Svbony, High Point Scientific, Agena Astroproducts QHYCCD, WOBoyz, SmallRig, Venus Optics, Astrogear.net, Night Sky Camera, Hunt's Photo & Video. I do not review products for money and any brand deals will be fully disclosed. If you have any questions about any of this, please get in touch.

[@NebulaPhotos]

WARNING: This video was comment-bombed by a scammer impersonating me. If you received a reply from someone about a package, that is NOT me. Do not engage with them. I am not on Telegram or Whatsapp, and will never run a giveaway through youtube comments or those apps. Sorry for the inconvenience. Hopefully KZbin can fix this problem soon! ~Nico

[@yesterdayschunda1760]

It's not just your channel, every channel i comment on lately has them lol

[@borghorsa1902]

@@yesterdayschunda1760 lol, was a joke?

[@yesterdayschunda1760]

@@borghorsa1902 Nope the bots are real he isn't joking, They are linking to malware

[@carollines7994]

Luckily it happened to me on another general photography channel recently so I was sensitised to it, thanks for the pinned post though, really helpful

[@kevinashley478]

I have come across them already, too. Bunch of bottom feeders. what is BackFocus and how would know if and how to account for it?

[@dp91c]

I love my Svbony! It's been a great first refractor for me. I use the reducer/flattener and the Svbony guide scope and 120mini guide camera. Hoping to get a new main camera soon, mine melted in a house fire. Thanks for all the videos, you were one of the people that got me into this fantastic obsession.

[@ttp8973]

For sure! Unless you need the results to win a contest, the results of the SV503 for $600 is the best bang for the money hands down.

[@tephe9986]

This is why I’m a Patreon member! So clear, precise, easy to understand information. 🤙

[@chaddennis9289]

Thank you so much! This is one of the best, most thorough reviews I have seen in a long time. Great job!

[@srf2112]

Great review. I used to have a 12" Dobsonian and a small refractor for my children when they were young 25 years ago. I'm thinking of getting a hobby scope again and I think I'd like the option of dabbling in astrophotography. This has been a great help in narrowing in on what would be appropriate for me. Thanks again.

[@sigurdsvorkmo-lundberg8541]

Great video Nico! You really know how to pull off a review that is informative and also fun to watch and listen to

[@TRICKZTER1080]

Was just looking at the SVBONY! Thank you so much for comparing these 3 so I know exactly what I'm getting

[@j21blackjack]

What a great honest comparison of three different price ranges of scopes. I have the svbony 102ed, and it's so hard to break through this "it's cheap so it's bad" mentality with people. I'll be linking your video all over the place, thanks for doing such a great job.

[@jackkenny4194]

But let’s be honest. That Askar is badass!! Why wouldn’t someone want to upgrade to something that lets us see things we never get to see in better detail! Just gotta save is all of that is what you would be truley happy with

[@perseus9084]

А если бы у вас был Orion то никто ничего бы не заметил? ))

[@Mdd099]

@@jackkenny4194that’s such a stupid outlook. By that logic, don’t bother buying any of these scopes, as the James Webb can see things in detail like you’ve never seen before! Just save up a few billion and get nasa to custom make one for you.

[@jurgenketterer7531]

Compliments ! Your presentation is very informative and gives me the idea about the quality-span of the different refractors - thank you for sharing this! All the best & greetings from Switzerland & CS

[@joshfinley5048]

Great video That svbony 503 80ed was my first refractor and it exceeded all my expectations. With the field flattener it really is an awesome imaging scope for the price range.

[@cdavidhord]

Your videos are informative, detailed, and "full of learning". You have a wonderful astrophotography channel and your work is greatly appreciated!

[@derrickgeiser7534]

Well done. It's the law of diminishing returns. Extra $500 gets you a lot of return compared to the extra $1k, but if you're going for perfection it's worth it.

[@ttp8973]

Unless you need the results to win a contest, the results of the SV503 for $600 is the best bang for the money hands down.

[@3dfxvoodoocards6]

Now the 80mm Svbony is just 400$

[@christianvontotth6002]

I'm the happy owner of the best bang for the buck :-)

[@davidthelibrarian]

I've been looking for a rundown like this for a long time. Thank you!

[@lukomatico]

Awesome job Nico! - I love videos like this, huge respect for the amount of work to do it right too my friend, awesome job! 🙂Clear skies!

[@NebulaPhotos]

Thanks Luke! Yes, I still don't quite have my testing protocols to where I'd like, but I try my best, and hopefully get better with each video.

[@stolearovigor281]

@@NebulaPhotos for 1600 you can have a Nikon p1000. This telescopes are garbage in comparison with that camera. Check how the stars look with that super camera. Little by little people will figure out that naza is a pack of liars.

[@kevinashley478]

@@stolearovigor281 what is NAZA?

[@algodoomarbleracing]

@@kevinashley478 He meant NASA

[@thomasgorham5507]

Heyyy...very nicely done. Your comparisons were thorough and well explained. And your visual layout was super easy to follow. 10/10, will subscribe.

[@bullshitvendor]

Always informative and to the point. Thanks!

[@amitashokkamble]

That was awesome. Been looking at the Askar Q series and this helps me decide

[@dunringill1747]

Great comparison. Nice breakdown between these refractors.

[@peterrezba995]

I'm happy I came across your channel I want to get a Telescope and your channel has just opened my eyes to everything involved. I definitely will getting the better-quality scope Thanks!!

[@LepERMeSSiah222]

Thanks, now I need a quad. Really interesting and in depth review/comparison. I really liked your methodology.

[@TanjaBachmann]

awesome! that was a really helpful and interesting video! thanks for sharing. I especially enjoyed the pictures compared (where you explained the details of the same frame used).

[@AstrophotographyQuest]

Awesome Nico! I like the William Optics Zenith Star 61 as well. Keep up the great work dude!

[@ellissecola6610]

Thanks Nico! love the content! took my first photo with my telephone a few months back and i got instantly hooked on astrophotography. This was a great breakdown! I was thinking of getting the Orion 80mm as a cheap starter scope but i think ill spend a bit more for the SvBony scope!

[@fabiocanna85]

Great Video as always! Thanks Nico!

[@backgammonbacon]

Hi Nico, your content just gets better and better. This really does make it clear what you are getting for your money and just how much of an improvement you get from ED glass compared to an Achromatic telescope. Looks like people will get great results from that Svbony without needing to break the bank. I honestly think this is a massive service to the community and in hindsight its a really simple idea, just show what each telescope does with the same target. I recently tried to do mono imaging on a skywatcher startravel telescope, rebadged orion so same scope, and I could just not get rid of halo's on blue filters so sort of solved the question of "Can mono imaging cure the deficiencies of acrhomats?" with a resounding no, even using narrow band OIII filters couldn't cure the blue issue. Would be nice to see what the Svbony could do in mono imaging too does that bring it up to the level of the Ascar? Welldone!

[@dgdave2673]

Fantastic comparison review Nico! Would have liked to see a triplet like Astrotech, Skywatcher or Explorer scientific around $900 price point included. The SVBONY from Hong Kong is an emerging giant killer in this highly competitive amateur astro area. All their accessories also are very good from a price to performance ratio. SVBONY and ZWO products make a wonderful starter kit with a good GEQ mount thrown in. HEQ5 is my preference.

[@FrancoGrimoldi]

Amazing video, Nico, extremely clarifying! Checking the images, it really shows that the Askar is a pretty good bargain at $1750.

[@scottrobinson4611]

A really good video, not glossing over any of the details of each scope, including the different thread options, available flattener/reducers, and great image comparisons to show what each scope is capable of.

[@drumbago]

Thank you for this breakdown. Very helpful video.

[@DraktonTube]

I don't even own, nor have plans to buy a telescope. And I watched your complete video. Thumbs up for such an informative, excellent quality review!

[@anstef1485]

Thank you for this eye opening comparison. For an APS-C shooter the Svbony seems to offer very good results.

[@old_guard2431]

Very good review. Drawing analogies to conventional camera optics: 1. Two elements corrects chromatic aberration (color fringing) for two out of three colors to be “achromatic” but adds no correction for coma (triangle effect near the edges) or field flattening. The SVbony does an amazing job of bringing the third color into correction. 2. Add a third element, and you add correction for flatness of field. With the “field flattener” the SVbony becomes in effect a three-element lens. 3. Four elements gets you spherical aberration correction, a fully-corrected achromatic or something approaching apochromat with ED glass, depending on who is in charge of the definition. Limiting maximum aperture and keeping focal length in the normal-to-long range for the format minimized spherical aberration and field flatness issues for the simpler camera lenses back in the day. Seems like Orion did a pretty good job with the test scope considering the wide aperture. Better for direct viewing with a decent eyepiece than photography, clearly.

[@onlinehero2037]

Thank You! Excellent comparison.

[@thomasadkins7159]

Lovely presentation, my man. Thanks!

[@lovelypoets4003]

What a very informative video. Thank you so much!

[@dgdave2673]

Now that SVBONY has released their SV550 APO triplet for around $800 it would be a great comparison to add to this. At half price of the Askar, the new SVBONY triplet seems a great value.

[@ChainsawFilms]

Awesome video Nico. I have the SvBony 80ed and I am totally pleased with it, even though it is only a doublet. I have a crop sensor camera, so it never disappoints for the price range.

[@thomasgorham5507]

Thinking of going the same route. SVBONY has really made a name for themselves in astronomy!

[@Johnnyboy_584]

Excellent, great work! Thanks.

[@HAYDS510]

This video was perfect for where I'm at. I know very little about telescopes but I've been on the hunt for an amateur setup & have been interested in how ball-park price range translates into visual quality. I know there's variables within each bracket but i feel this has been a sound general unpacking.

[@Simon_PieMan]

Great video, well explained!!

[@workoholekhh7542]

One the best comparison I ever saw. Thank you. I know now what I paying for. Good Job

[@avt_astro206]

Amazing comparison Nico!!

[@Bluesparker]

Thanks for going out on a limb of the galaxy and boldly showing what no one has shown before.

[@dreamlover7681]

Super informative video, thank you.

[@MoggioMTB]

Learnt a lot. Very informative.

[@StevenBarnes-MrRat]

Excellent video. Great content.

[@guto35617]

This video cleared all my doubts!

[@RaulRodriguezasteroides]

Excelente video de información e imágenes... Muchas gracias máster!!!

[@marcelomundoPR]

Very good and useful video! Thank you!

[@JeffHorne]

Incredible video. Thank you so much!

[@ralfg9194]

Good explanation. Very helpful. kind regards from Germany!

[@mikedimimd]

Always good and relevant topics ❤

[@DSOImager]

Really nice comparison Nico. I thought the Svbony held up pretty well.. and the PHQ looked really nice. Will be interesting to see if the trend of faster optics slows down in the name of better corner stars with full frame sensors. As you say, there is no free lunch. The ST80 was my first telescope :) CS!

[@anvikshiki]

Your videos are incredibly informative and helpful, so thank you for all the great work! The Askar design seems great. I'm thinking about the 107 rather than the 80 though (I already have a WO Redcat 71. Trying to figure out what kinds of FOV the 107 would offer for galaxies. Anyway, outstanding content, thanks again!

[@NebulaPhotos]

Everything I've tried in the Askar PHQ series has been great so far! For visualizing the FOV of the 107 with different DSOs, you can use telescopius.com or my favorite is Blackwater Skies Imaging Toolbox: www.blackwaterskies.co.uk/imaging-toolbox/ I have a short tutorial on using it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYPHZJKoqN-jgas

[@alandyer910]

Excellent comparison! Thank you. The Sigma Fp has its small but loyal following. I’d be interested in seeing more tests of the camera and its merits for various types of astrophotography. Thanks!

[@neurofiber2406]

Quality work Nico.

[@ferdigrafie]

Great comparison, this is very helpful. I wonder how the differences would look like with a mono setup with narrowband filters, especially when combined to a color image like with the hubble palette for example. maybe an idea for an follow-up video?

[@overmind06]

Thank you, you made me decide. I am gonna get Askar for my daughter as her first telescope. We will go out of the city, set it up, and take many beautiful pictures!

[@liamstrain]

Excellent break down, Nico. Definitely gets into diminishing returns with the higher investment - but still quite clear.

[@arcadium86]

Niko this is a masterpiece!! Awesome !! Maybe one day you can do the same review comparison with the askar 300, sharp star 60 II ,the red cat 51 and some cheaper options.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Fantastic video Nico. I'm currently testing the PHQ80 for Sharpstar and completely agree with everything you have said. I've been using it with the 2600mm which is an APS-C camera and the stars in the corners are absolutely fantastic. That SvBony seemed to produce some great results as well. Excellent video as always.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Thanks Russell! Yes, the PHQ80 looks like a winner for sure.

[@petitpanierdosier3206]

Very nice video mate

[@amolfoto]

Very helpful video. Thanks

[@figzastro-photography]

Just purchased the Askar with the reducer. Looking forward to see the difference of the pictures and clarity from the Radian 61.

[@robertrenfro9865]

Really like this. I am actually trying to get back into astrophotography and am looking for a good scope to start with. A lot of good info here.

[@coltoncyr2283]

I'm in the same boat. Just be aware, a lot of the low cost mounts only have 11lb capacity. After that they get up to $800+. So the scbony 80ed will need a bigger mount. And you'll be spending $1600+ easily for all of it. I'm considering the 70ED, so I can get a cheaper mount. Also check out William Optics. APO and much lighter doublet.

[@theinquiringminded6952]

Terrific content!

[@TheDarkgusgus]

Hi, I started AP last year and have 3 scopes now and still use my ST80 to this day. A few notes about the ST-80: 1. My dew shield gets off of mine, but i think i have the older model 2. To reduce gradients, a good and easy tactic is to color the side of your lens with a black permanent marker. 3. I needed to add an extension to my camera to be able to get proper focus. 4. it's 100$ frikin dolla 5. I have been able to produce nice images, most problems can be treated in editing.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Great tips! Thanks

[@artisticmana]

Excellent vid & info! Mahalo

[@noprisonerswaters3378]

Great stuff. Thank you.

[@dandelatorre1870]

I just subscribed to your channel, thank you! 🙏

[@Chewligan1]

Definitely a case of you get what you pay for. It's all in the optics. Great set of tests. Thanks Nico.

[@benhanny2139]

You should do an “all you need to know about tracking mounts” video :) Love your channel by the way.

[@jessieray6129]

Great video! I would love to see a similar thing with newtonians at different price points

[@JonnyBravo0311]

I really like that Askar scope... a bit slow natively at f/7.5... but that's pretty much my only gripe with it. Quadruplet design... good rings / bars with plenty of mounting points... beefy focuser... brings a lot to the table for a $1750 price tag that _includes_ the 0.76 reducer. I own a GT81 and it requires a flattener of some sort. WO sells the 6AIII which is a combined reducer/flattener. They do not sell a non-reducing flattener, so you'd have to get something like the Stellarvue if you wanted to run the GT81 at its native focal length. I like the simplicity of being able to use the Askar scope without any additional components or having to worry about whether you got the spacing right. If I were looking for an imaging scope in the 80mm aperture range, the Askar would be pretty high on my list.

[@arthurjones9580]

Cool content! I subscribed!

[@Barbaria_Sailing]

Very informative comparison, thanks. It would be interesting to se Vixen ED81S with flattner and reducer compared to the Askar. But I guess you can’t test all scopes. Keep up the good work!

[@guidobel4860]

Great video !

[@SJR_Media_Group]

As with all things size and quality matter.... In this comparison all 3 have same 80mm diameter. Engineering, material, quality of components all make a big difference. You explained this technical topic is understandable terms and had good examples. I have been looking around for a suitable telescope and this video was helpful.

[@kevinashley478]

Hey, could you do a similar video review for the components needed? You have one for telescope, filters, and mods. Maybe you could do a similar good, better, best comparison with tripods, dew straps, power box for powering all of the equipment without needing a drop cord, and maybe even laser pointers. Keep the great videos coming!

[@kalef1234]

So educational thank you!

[@wonderkris]

Nice video …. One thing left in between … the triplet :) I feel there would be more detail seen with ED and APO when zoomed in more on the target itself like a nebula which then shows more delta between the telescopes with higher integration times

[@mikew9893]

first time see your video.....impressed...thank you!

[@thethirdman225]

Honestly, I'm impressed with the SVBony. I have a micro four thirds camera I'm planning to convert to full spectrum.

[@badebadeston575]

Now, this is a great comparison!

[@ruperterskin2117]

Cool. Thanks for sharing.

[@TareqAstroPhoton]

As usual Nico, great job of presentation video, when i watch your video i know i will learn and get the answer, no more of brands promoting hypes by some, or at least you don't much go that route and compare fairly, thank you very much

[@wintermoonomen]

I really enjoyed your presentation here. I was wondering instead of a Camera, would I be able to use a video camera (camcorder) with this?

[@jaysanchez4643]

Cool pixinsight trick/tip I picked up from you - when you dragged the zoomed in pic's tab to the other pic's tabs to resize them the same way at the same position. Thanks!

[@williamkacensky4796]

Excellent tutorial.

[@andreoliver5927]

Just a suggestion. I bought the Rokinon 135 MM F2 lens for my Sony. I'm curious as to how it compares with the SVBONY SV503 80ED Refractor Telescope. They are the same price. I know the focal length is different but for instance - is the Rokinon a doublet or a triplet? Also, is the lens as well multicoated as the telescope? You do great reviews, BTW.

[@NMagturo]

Thanks again Nico!

[@toreibjo]

So nice to learn some about this. I know now that I need a lot of money

[@PureAwareness76]

❤ Love your vids! And this Funky intro music 🎉

[@Ramen_noodles660]

I bought the Svbony 503 scope. It has very good optics for the price! Can’t wait to try it out during the winter:)

[@wolfgangklein5549]

Thank you! Excellent!

[@scalemodelenthusiast1633]

I would love to see you do this exercise but compare one telescope (80, 120, 150, C9.25 ect) against a couple different size sensors (Full frame, ASPC, IMX533) . I am curious to see what effect different sensor sizes will have on the field of view. I think this could help with choosing my next camera. I have my eye on the 2600 right now because I would like to get a wider field of view for larger targets. I have a Esprit 120ed and a C9.25. I am also shooting with the asi533 mono and the asi294 One shot. Would my money be better place getting a good 80 like this ASKAR or is the camera the more versatile choice. I guess what I am asking is to actually see the effects of image scale.

[@DuderinoDeux]

V good informative review

[@AmatureAstronomer]

I just bought an SVBONY SV503 Telescope, 70ED F6 Extra Low Dispersion Refractor OTA and the associated SVBONY SV193 Focal Reducer and Field Flattener from Amazon. Will arrive this coming Thursday. It will be replacing my GSkyer short tube 80. Looked at the 80mm, but it was too heavy and the focal length was too long. I wouldn't be able to photograph everything I wanted with my ZWO ASI183 camera. Appreciate your videos. Informative.

[@neovo903]

I've had my eye on the Stellamira 90mm ED triplet for a bit, it's decently fast at 540mm f6 and you can get a reducer / flattener to bring that to 432mm f4.8