Altair Astro 70EDQ - A fantastic new scope by Altair Astro

[@nightscapejournals]

Looks like a lovely setup, Glenn, and superb image. Thank for sharing it with us. 👍

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks for watching and commenting, glad you liked it, its a very nice set up I agree

[@mamamauki]

Happy to watch a new video from you. It seems like the scope and the camera work really great together. Very nice setup. Thank you Glenn.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you very much for watching. They do work very well which I was not sure they would with the pixel scale but as you can see great results. More to follow, Clear skies

[@jeremyhigginson9307]

Another fascinating video Glenn! Really lovely images!

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Jeremy. The scope and camera combination work really well together. Very nice set up.

[@wooddogg8]

gorgeous images Glenn, And that scope is a beautiful thing as well. Clear skies- the weather has been on and off here in New England, but I only have a few nights a week I can go out and they just never seem to line up. Last year was soooo much better. Well, I hope you have a long run of clear nights soon!!!!

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you and sounds like you are having the same experience as me where the weather and my time is not aligning. I am sure it will soon. Clear skies

[@Tony-Elliott]

Hi Glenn, looks like a great set up mate your images with this are excellent as always, looking forward to your next videos

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Tony your support is greatly appreciated. It is very nice and new images to follow soon with more details on the camera.

[@bengterlandsson7921]

Clear skies, happy days.

[@Astrobloke]

This is very true and lets hope for many more.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Wow, Glenn ... Fantastic wide-field system. And that price you quoted for a QUAD is a very good deal. Great images. I will be looking forward to the review of that camera. I am betting it costs more than the scope! Oh, and the gardens are looking great too. Clear skies, Glenn.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Pate and thank you for watching. I think its a great value scope and is a real beauty. The camera is yes more expensive than the scope but Altair have it priced really competitively and way below the asking price of ZWO with more features. The garden is looking great but although I do some work in it the credit has to go to my lovely wife as she is the green fingered one and creator.

[@LogansAstro]

A couple of great images there Glenn. Telescope looks very nice and love that it has a flat field. Also seems to suit that full frame camera too.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Logan, thanks mate. Its very nice indeed and a lot less expensive than the redcat 71 which it is very similar to.

[@wesleydonnelly2141]

LOL mate I have been sat on a new ZWO 224MC camera, my very first astro-modded Camera, namely the Canon EOS T3i DSLR, and a new Optolong L-Enhance Filter since mid June!! And the couple of EXTREMELY RARE clear nights we have had up here in Liverpool since mid June, I was working the night shift!! It's been driving me nuts waiting to try out all my new gear!! LOL. The weather has been utterly dreadful here in the UK for so long now, i'm hoping that we will get a really good few clear nights at some point soon...I'm not holding my breath though! LOL Ace vid, really like your content, been following you for about a year now, thanks.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Wesley and thank you for watching and commenting. I am glad you like the channel and I really appreciate the support. The weather sure has been a challenge this year but like always it will eventually break and we will all get out and grab some photons. Nights shifts seem like an extra punishment for us Astrophotographers and why I built my obsy, it was always clear when I was working. I hope you get some clear skies soon.

[@deankos3309]

Just bought one of these scopes ….. with altairs 26m camera …. Love it to bits

[@Astrobloke]

Thats a lovely combination. What have you captured so far? Do you have any planned targets?

[@deankos3309]

@@Astrobloke only just build all rig up with filter wheel, auto focus, power box etc and bolted it to mount … not had a clear night yet to try it out !! Fingers crossed for this week …. Heart and soul in narrowband first I think 👍👍

[@Astrobloke]

@@deankos3309 yes you will have to wait for the Astro cloud gods to forgive your purchase first. That will look great, the widefield ability really lets you get a nice big target in but in fine details. You can zoom right in after and the details are fantastic. What filters do you have?

[@deankos3309]

@@Astrobloke 😂yea ……. I can’t wait to try it all out ….. I have the Altair 7nm narrowband filter set ….. love imaging narrowband

[@Astrobloke]

@@deankos3309 absolutely agree with you there, narrowband imaging is my favourite too. Wish you luck and clear skies

[@markbayfield6381]

Wow that scope looks awesome. Of course you always get the best out of whatever you use. I have never taken images like yours yet but still trying

[@Astrobloke]

Keep at it Mark as with experience you will get better I promise. Its a very nice scope and glad you liked it. Clear skies

[@abellio8559]

What a great looking scope and those images were very nice indeed

[@Astrobloke]

Its a great scope and gives super results

[@nikaxstrophotography]

Nice piece of glass Glenn Thanks again for the video

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Nik and thank you. It is very nice indeed.

[@DSOImager]

Very cool Glenn. I've been kicking around the idea of maybe picking up an IMX410 based camera for my 65mm refractor. I think we loose some detail.. but make it back with the fov and the SNR from those huge pixels. Looking forward to the next video. CS!

[@Astrobloke]

Hi James. I think there are trade offs in whatever you choose. Another nice this is the well depth is huge >100k. So you get lovely star colours without over saturation.

[@siegfriednoet]

Great review Glenn, looks to be a beautiful scope and really not expensive. Superb images you are showing here ! Also I can see that you haven't found a solution to use your CEM26 without the handcontroller, pity that it's not possible to connect usb to the mounthead itself

[@Astrobloke]

Hi mate and thank you for the support. Its a lovely scope and I think a good price for the quality. As regards the CEM26, its still something I have yet to explore properly, I just have been so busy, but I will look into it and hopefully find a better solution.

[@paulholdsworth2502]

That's a fantastic widefield set up especially with the full frame camera . That would probably have to be a 2 panel mosaic for me ! Beautiful looking scope with great optics judging from your first images. Really good to see you making content again Glen 👏

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Paul. Funny you should mention Mosaic as I was considering the next image to be a 2 or 4 panel super widefield shot. Be interesting to see what it could do. Clear skies

[@paulholdsworth2502]

@@Astrobloke I reckon a mosaic in SHO with that set up would be something special Glen 👍

[@Astrobloke]

@@paulholdsworth2502 I will see what I can do.

[@SimonsAstro]

Superb setup Glenn, that scope is awesome, great features like FPL53 glass, built in rotator, no flatner, what’s not to like!! The Altair Astro camera looks fantastic as well, looking forward to seeing more on that from you mate! Excellent images as always, great drone footage! At least you didn’t fly it over my house again😀 Clear skies!

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Simon. I must admit it is a very nice scope indeed , very similar to your Askar 400FRA. Keep an ear out I might pop over one night for a sneaky flight lol

[@derekbaker3279]

It's great to see another video from you Glenn!👍It's a shame that you haven't been getting many clear nights, and apparently fall temperatures are making an early entrance! The images looked great, and it certainly seems like a great scope. FWIW, it will be in competition with the Williams Optics RedCat 71, which has a focal length of 355mm, at f/5. The only downside for some will be that it's not...red! 😉😁 FYI, I have investigated the ZWO 2400MC & QHY 410C, both of which use the same sensor....there a lot of gorgeous images taken with that sensor on AstroBin. BTW, it has a full well depth of 100,000e, so it will do a great job of capturing star colours without saturating pixels. If only Sony would come out with a monochrome version of that sensor! 🙏

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Derek and thank you for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts. I know its not RED but on the plus side its £500 less and easier to fit an EAF, I know some do not like the focus mechanism on the redcats. I will definitely check out the images on Astrobin and see what people have managed that own this camera and have used it for a while. The well depth is massive and it would be fantastic if they launched a mono version. Seems if you want a full frame mono its the IMX455 sensor found in Altair's Hypercam AA61MFX which is a lovely sensor but the pixel size is smaller at 3.76 and well depth of 51.4K. The 100K well depth of this sensor is great at capturing all that lovely star colour with out over saturating them. I will be following up with a camera video soon and have more images to showcase it. Clear skies

[@derekbaker3279]

@@Astrobloke 500 pounds cheaper? I didn't know that red paint was THAT expensive! 😉😁FYI, I have the RedCat 71, and I purchased a focusing kit from "Deep Sky Dad", which negates any issues people may have with the helical focuser. The RedCat is built like a tank, so I plan to use it as a travel scope when I fly somewhere where the skies are clear most of the time & Scorpius actually rises above the trees!🙄😁 Yes, the IMX455 sensor has incredible resolution & decent well depth, as does the IMX471. Unfortunately those 3.76um pixels mean they're terribly 'picky' with optics, and - unfortunately - very few telescopes on the market can produce stars near the edge of a full-frame sensor which are not bloated or distorted. Furthermore, a focal length of around 700mm gives 1 arc sec per pixel resolution with the IMX455/471's 3.76um pixels , which definitely is over-sampling unless you image in the Chilean Andes, or atop Mauna Kea! On the other hand, the 70mm f/5 scope you're testing would provide around 2 arc sec per pixel with the IMX455 & IMX471...which is ideal! As for the camera you are testing, IMHO, the pixel size would be ideal for scopes with a focal length of 700 to 1000 mm (e.g. A lot of 4" to 6" refractors with & without a reducer.) and would be much more forgiving with optics that are not well-corrected near the edges of a full frame sensor. 🤔 Cheers!

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

Cor I can only dream of owning a full frame camera looks a lovely bit of kit & that scope looks pretty tasty to. Look forward to seeing what it can do on the Newtonian mate clear skies!!

[@Astrobloke]

You and me both as they are not cheap even with the much better pricing that Altair offer. Will be following up soon with a camera reviews with images from the CT10. Stay tuned

[@petesastrophotography]

Beautiful images Glen. That looks like a cracking wee scope and is certainly well priced, if I hadn't already bought my dual Stellamira 90's I would have given that serious consideration. Talking about price, that 24CFX looks very interesting and is significantly cheaper than the ASI2400MC from ZWO.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Pete and thank you. Yes it is a lovely scope. Altair are building a superb range. Altair are super competitive on price with most equipment but on cameras are excellent. With the extra included features as well its kind of mad considering ZWO over them.

[@nickambrose8606]

Beautiful image!

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Nick

[@clairehunter7911]

Great video, I am looking for something just like this, thank you

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you and you are very welcome. I can highly recommend this as it is a great piece of kit and Altair are great. Good luck and clear skies

[@steveplenty8365]

Hi Glenn what a great video hope you are well

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Steve glad you liked it. I am very well thank you, hope you are good too.

[@gregorymckenna6609]

Great video. The scope looks very much like the William Optics scopes. I wonder if one manufacturer makes scopes for different companies. None the less I would trust most parts from Altair Astro or William Optics.

[@Astrobloke]

I think this is very similar to the Redcat 71 except for the focuser design. But more importantly the price point. When I checked prices here the Altair scope is £500 cheaper which is impressive. I know some scopes are just churned out and rebadged for different makes from the same factory. Altairs are definitely not and I don’t think William optics are either. Cost a little more because of that but far superior quality in my opinion and experience. I own a W O Z61. Was my 1st scope.

[@4500Timer]

Ah Glen good timing, I was just looking at this scope as a shorter focal length option to my current 150PDS. Looks very nice quality, but I'm not quite sure how it would pair with my ASI294MM with a resolution of 2.73 "/pixel with Ok seeing? Looks a good match at the bin 1x1 setting though, but not too sure how much weight to attatch to these figures.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi. Its a lovely widefield scope and very nicely made with good quality optics, I would not worry at all about the scale. The images I showed were from the 24CFX and bin 1 the pixel size is 5.98 so much larger than the 4.67 of the 294. Also if it is undersampled a simple drizzle sorts that out. Good luck and clear skies

[@4500Timer]

Many thanks, that's good to know.

[@philleng480]

Nice one Glenn. Been a while since you recorded this, hope things are ok. You must have got some decent imaging done in the last few weeks, even the aurora?

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Phil. Yes I started this some time back. I have had so much going on but slowly catching up and will be sharing all my adventures soon. I had hoped for aurora but to date this still eludes me. On the bucket list though

[@meibergstrmandersen9181]

Hello Glenn, nice video. I am in the market for a telescope like this. Altair Astro lowered the price to 999 sterling. I guess you’d highly recommend it still also after you used it more ? Thank you in advance. Kenneth - Copenhagen.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Kenneth and thank you for your kind comment. I can easily recommend this scope as its a real gem, great optics and takes superb images. Dropping the price makes it even better, good luck.

[@rushandothercoversongs6166]

Glenn, great video as always, beautiful looking scope. Is there a reducer for this scope that can be used/got , it'd be nice to go slightly faster, like 0.85. Thanks Bryan

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Bryan and thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. I am not 100% sure if there is one, Altair would definitely confirm either way so its worth dropping them a message. It is a great scope though, takes super sharp images. I like it a lot.

[@rushandothercoversongs6166]

@@Astrobloke also tempted with that wee 60ed you reviewed. Did you see much CA with it

[@Astrobloke]

@@rushandothercoversongs6166 the 60ed is a bargain of a scope. The correction of the flattener and reducer were both excellent and no noticeable CA. Either scope is worth getting, i enjoyed using both and they yielded good results out the box.

[@libertywinguk]

3 years away from astro but it feels like the clouds haven't ever gone

[@Astrobloke]

They never will mate. Good to see you return mate. You will have to come over for a night at the new obsy.

[@rushandothercoversongs6166]

Dug deep and bought one new from altair . Funny but my serial number is 004 manufacturing date is 08/22. Seems a bit odd ,nearly two years in a box

[@Astrobloke]

Fantastic scope, have you had a chance to use it yet? What camera so you have on it ?

[@rushandothercoversongs6166]

@@Astrobloke not yet Glenn, skies in Northern Ireland are ridiculous. I haven't been out since April!!! I've got asi533, asi183, asi585 and a canon 100d. Was thinking of pairing it with the 183 and keep the 533 on my skywatcher 150 quattro. However may put the 183 up for exchange for something with a larger sensor, though the small pixels are nice

[@rushandothercoversongs6166]

@@Astrobloke Glenn, a wee query. Am I right to assume no spacers are required to make up for filters in the chain, like adding 0.6 mm spacer for a 1.8mm thick filter etc?

[@andygaras]

manufacturers really need to calmn down on the colours

[@Astrobloke]

I hear you. Its getting more rainbow by the day but then at night when it counts none of the bling really matters and as long as they keep making great optics and cameras to grab the data I am happy.

[@libertywinguk]

I got a new setup not been able to use it lol

[@wesleydonnelly2141]

I feel your pain mate! LOL

[@libertywinguk]

@@wesleydonnelly2141 last night was clear here but the moon is not playing ball, ive not got my filters yet

[@Astrobloke]

What you got mate? Will be exciting to start imaging again for you I am sure

[@libertywinguk]

@@Astrobloke altair 115t 269c and eq6r pro, building obs soon

[@Astrobloke]

very nice. Obsy as well? Sounds like a great plan. Let me know if I can help at all.