New Telescope: The Askar 80PHQ - Initial Impressions and First Light

[@ewertonhahn6108]

Congratulations for your work! beautiful image.. I received my phq80 this week and I'm waiting for heaven to test it.. hug from Brazil.. clear skies to all of us..

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much, I'm glad you like the image. The 80Phq seems like a fantastic scope. I am sure you will love it. I hope you get clear skies to use it soon. Thanks for watching

[@Mel-127]

Great box opening review. I'm looking at my gt 81 and thinking, some mainstream companies need to watch out with this full kit offer. Looks a great scope. Great photo, well done.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks Mel, it is a fantastic scope, I’m loving it so far. Not having to purchase a field flatter or worry about back focus just makes it a joy to use

[@DSOImager]

Looks like an awesome scope. Nice job on the cygnus wall. Looking forward to more. :)

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks very much mate, hopefully I’ll get some more time with the scope soon 👍

[@nordiclightphototours153]

Very nice initial review Russell. About the aperture... The faster the lens / refractor, the more challenging the roundness of the stars will be. This is James with fast apertures with regular lenses, like the 1.4 , 1.8 lenses.... When stopping down.... all is way more balanced and controlled. So this similar to refractors and other scopes... I have the Askar 107PHQ on the shortlist. Really curious to see how this one performs. Keep up the good work. Cheers, Hendrik

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much Hendrik. Completely agree, the slower f-stop will help with stars. I would love to compare stars with the FRA600, hopefully I can find someone with some data to share. The 107PHQ looks great. So far (having used it 3 times) I've very impressed, looking forward to sharing the images soon. Thanks for watching 👍

[@chrismcgrew4692]

I've had my 80PHQ about a month now and LOVE it! It's such a well thought-out scope. Little annoyances about other scopes were addressed here, and there are almost no little niggly bits that annoy me. And, it captures sharp images!

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Hi Chris, sorry for the slow response, I’ve been away on holiday these past few weeks. It really is a fantastic scope, I should have my full review video ready to post next week. I really struggled to find something that I didn’t like with the scope. The images it produces are fantastic. Thanks for watching, I hope you get lots of clear skies to use that awesome scope 👍

[@mandy7550]

Great review Russell.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you Mandy 👍

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

WOW, Russell, That certainly appears to be an AMAZING telescope. You are correct about those stars across the entire image and extremely sharp and pinpointed. That SHO image came out as 'Drop Dead Gorgeous'. Have fun with it as the nights become darker and longer. I look forward to seeing more images from it.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks so much Pat, glad you like the image. So far I’m really enjoying the scope, looking forward to sharing more images, clear skies mate 👍

[@AZ4RunnersRealm]

Looks like another great scope.. outstanding image!

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks mate appreciate it 👍

[@AstroCrescent]

Good, unbiased and informative review. Nice capture👍.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much 👍

[@briankotak403]

Great review Russell. Nice that there is a high quality focuser on the telescope. There is nothing worse than a cheap focuser which can’t handle the weight of the imaging train. Clear skies! Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks Brian, yes I agree cheap focusers are very frustrating. That's the main reason I've stoped using the Skywatcher 190MN, it just can't handle the weight of the 2600mm and the filter wheel. I hope you've been able to get some good data now your camera is back. Clears skies 👍

[@briankotak403]

@@RussellsAstrophotography I hope to image M101 tonight. I have a lakefront cabin with Bortle 2 skies. I also have a lot of trees on the property, so I don’t have a lot of options during the summer. In the winter I can take the snowmobile out on the lake in front of the cabin and can essentially image anything in the night sky. I have much more options for imaging at my rural home, also Bortle 2. Enjoy the summer!

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

@@briankotak403 wow that sound absolutely amazing! Hope you have a great time!

[@JoesAstrophoto]

Fantastic capture and video Russell! Like you said on my video, Askar is really doing a fantastic job with these scopes and becoming a serious contender on the budget scope market.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks very much Joe. Yes they really are putting out some awesome products at the moment.

[@Victoria-qm4yx]

Looks like a great piece of kit 👏🏻👏🏻 thank you for sharing! Love how you can get those pinpoint sharp stars.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks Victoria 👍

[@SimonsAstro]

Wow Russell, Askar reached out to you! Awesome, you did give that FRA300 a glowing review! (incidentally, it’s still not in stock!) This scope looks promising, glad you found a workaround for the guide scope! Great mini review, awesome image, I want to do that now😀 Clear skies!

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

I know, I was so excited when I got their message. Have you still not got your FRA400?😱 How long have you been waiting for that now?

[@SimonsAstro]

@@RussellsAstrophotography it was March at the show! I’m giving up soon!! I’ve been in touch with them and they said still not in yet! I have something to spend the money on now! The wife agreed that a can build an observatory 😀 Watch this space!!

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

@@SimonsAstro yeah I thought you ordered it at the show…can’t believe you’ve been waiting so long! Looking forward to your observatory…I have similar plans 👍

[@DavesAstrophotography]

Great images for a first light Russell. Great review.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you Dave 👍

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Good to see you are getting gear in for review now. Sharpstar is a very promising brand. I have been predicting now for several years now that they will be a major player as they keep making some great scopes. You need to move the focus of your guid scope out so you can slide your guid camera in farther. Having it hang out that far is going to cause flexure. If you are using your Sii filter or Ha filter you can shoot some of that twilight but Oiii you have to have darkness. Hope you get enough imaging time with it for some fun.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

I couldn't believe it when they reached out...I've really enjoyed testing the scope. Thanks for the tip about the guide scope, I will definitely make those alterations, anything that helps with guiding is great.

[@ericwilkes1840]

Great video, have been looking at this scope for weeks as a possible step up in focal length from redcat51 (which I love) and I think you have sold me on it. Like you the slower f7.5 was a worry, but with that amount of detail and sharpness…… thanks heaps

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much Eric, hopefully I will be able to share some more images and thoughts over the next couple of weeks, I'm currently editing my second image with the scope and I'm very pleased with the data. My initial thought was that f7.5 is pretty slow, but the stars are great and it produces great images. The reducer is next on my list to test. Thanks for watch and I'm glad you found it useful.

[@derekbaker3279]

@@RussellsAstrophotography If the reducer does not degrade the image quality, then you can have the best of both worlds. Fingers crossed!

[@HogarthsAstrophotography]

Great overview Russell. I was a little skeptical when Askar started producing scopes, but I think you’ve convinced me, it’s a lovely scope and not to be worried about the optical quality, 👍.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks very much mate. I really love the Askar range of scopes. I know they aren't the only manufacturer to use the Petzval design telescope, but not having to worry about field flatteners or back focus is so nice. You literally attached the scope, focus and you are good to go. The image quality is also very impressive and they feel very well made. I've used it for another few nights and captured another target since this video and I'm still loving it. Hopefully I can have a run of clear nights before the review.

[@brianfromsyr]

Great content. Thank you!

[@LogansAstro]

Great info and first light on the telescope. The final image looked fantastic. To be honest, I think I would go for this slower scope over the other you mentioned if it's producing nice round stars right to the corners. Wonky stars at the corners would drive me nuts (my Redcat as a case in point) so tight round stars in the corners gets my vote every time. Looking forward to seeing more images from you using this scope over the months you have to try it out.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks Logan, yes sharpe stars in the corners will definitely appeal to so many people! So far I’m loving it, looking forward to sharing more images 👍

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Let me know if you have any questions for the full review in the comments below 👇

[@olly7248]

Great initial review Russell and I suppose the ‘first twilight’ says a lot for this scope (and your processing)… disappointing they don’t include a vixen mounting in the handle, as you say that’s pretty much standard fare these days. It’ll be interesting to see the performance with the reducer on it. Nice framing of the Cygnus Wall, love the ‘Yin-Yang’ appearance across that image 👍🏻

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much Olly! First twilight would have been a great title for the video! Yes the mounting handle would have been nice. Cant wait to use the scope more and test it out 👍

[@charlesowillford2474]

Did you try moving the AIR and the bracket to the other side of center for easier balancing?

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

No I've not tried this Charles...I will be careful if I do, with the different length screws

[@charlesowillford2474]

@@RussellsAstrophotography Agena Astro updated their product page and added an image about the bracket movement technique. It describes it perfectly.

[@Mistr_A]

Great review Russ How have you gone attaching the reducer?

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks Nik, I’ve not tried the reducer yet, that’s on my list of things to do! I’m hopefully going to try the reducer this weekend if the forecast stays clear! Stay tuned I’ll bring you the video as soon as I can 👍

[@seanmc94seanmc94]

Perfect match with Optolong Extreme.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Yes the optolong filter is fantastic, works incredibly well with OSC cameras

[@OutlandishJourneys]

Great results, Russell...despite our light UK Summer nights and the slower focal ratio! :) Really hankering for one of the Askar Quintuplets so, but good to see that the image quality across their range seems consistent. In regards to your narrowband filters, are you using the 3nm Antlia Pros? Seriously considering them, but wanted to hear your opinion on them as a 'real-world' user? How is the OIII bloating (if any?) Thanks for info and best wishes! :)

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much. So far I really like the scope and I will keep you updated. I wish I had the FRA 600 to do a side by side comparison (If your watching this sharpstar...feel free to send me one 😂) The 3nm filters really are fantastic, I would highly recommend them. The 3mn band past is awesome and provides such amazing results. Despite some reviews you might read, there is still some haloing on the Oiii with the bright stars, and occasionally on the Sii with extremely bright stars, but it is very manageable. I think if you are after completely halo free, then you need to pay the premium for the Chroma or Astrodon filters, but they are 3 or 4 times the price. If you pause the video at the 14.32 mark you can see the stretched Oiii data, no editing has been done to this just an auto-stretch in PI. You can see there are some very small/faint halos around the bright stars, but nothing major. I'd be happy to send you some Oiii subs if you want to see the kind of results you can expect with the filters. Optlong have recently released some 3nm filters, first reviews are excellent. I think Shawn at visible dark has done a review and he was very impressed. They are also slightly cheaper than the Antlia, so might be worth considering. Thanks for watching and clear skies 👍 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXaylaOKgLhsntk

[@msacco]

Does it not come with a hard case? For this price point, I would surely expect it to. I did receive 1 with my FRA500.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

No I don’t think it comes with a hard case. That seems to be an optional extra for most scopes. Did you pay extra for that with the fra500? How is the fra500 by the way? I do love the fra400.

[@msacco]

​@@RussellsAstrophotography Interesting, I thought for the higher price range Askar sends everything with a hard case. I didn't pay extra for the hard case in my FRA500, it was part of the price(though quite annoyingly, I had to strip the foam and flip it, since the EAF should be installed on the coarse side, and that hits the case, so I flipped it so the EAF would go inside the case, was pretty annoying tbh). I'm pretty much in love with the FRA500, it's pretty much everything that's good in the FRA400 + all the things that weren't as good. There's a dew shield nut, somewhat acceptable dovetail - losmandy, but like only 200mm long sadly, which I obviously replaced, besides that build quality is amazing, 3.5" focuser, really good rotator(probably same as the PHQ80), and the optics are amazing, with my APS-C it's flat across the whole frame, there is the slightest CA at the corners, but it's barely noticeable at all. I also purchased it with the reducer, but didn't had the chance to really try it yet, I remember only trying a short test and it was a bit disappointing, but maybe it was incorrect backfocus, so still need to test that again. For the price I got it, I couldn't be happier. Nice review btw :)

[@physmc1]

Great review and first light! Askar is producing some nice quality products at reasonable price. Are you planning to try the 107phq as well?

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you Charles, I agree Askar (Sharpstar) are making some awesome well priced scopes at the moment! I would love to test the 107phq, but I've got no arrangements to test one at the moment. Thanks for watching 👍

[@Nico.75]

Thanks again for such a great, informative and well explained video! May I ask you about the stars in the corners out of your faster Askar 600? I actually find f7.5 quite slow as well but as I am complaining about curvature with my ASI2600mm and the (petzval!) Redcat51 I realised how I would appreciate pinpoint stars overall. Clear skies from Zurich!

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks Nico, I am glad you enjoyed the video. I do not have the FRA600, but I do own the FRA400. I have always been very impressed with the FRA400, but I think the stars are slightly better from the PHQ80, especially in the corners. With an APS-C camera the stars from the phq80 are absolutely fantastic.

[@PaulHirschhorn]

Which mount do you use

[@NativeWarrior081]

Is there an E-mount available for Sony Alpha cameras?

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Yes you can buy adaptors for Sony E mount, I started using my a7iii with a William optics telescope. Something like this should work: www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/sony-nex-t-ring.html

[@mr.f.9672]

In terms of apsc vs full frame equivalent aperture I think this scope is made for ff usage.

[@arthurwiegman5512]

Is the telescope suitable for use on a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi Mount Head, which has a maximum load of 11.02 lbs/5 kilos?

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

I think you would struggle with the 80PHQ on the GTI mount. It's probably too heavy for that rig unfortunately

[@JonnyBravo0311]

That's a pretty nice looking Wall for being limited to only a couple of hours of twilight a night... I've definitely looked at the Askar scopes. The FRA600 is what I'm considering. No, I really don't need a third scope... but... I do really need a third scope, right? LOL

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much Jonny. Haha, you always need that third scopes...I would highlight recommend the Askar series, I would imagine that FRA600 is fantastic

[@gspinin]

Considering the FRA500. What are your thoughts? I’m torn between that and the 65phq.😅

[@phillewis3108]

Wow! You managed to get that data in the British summertime? Are you in a dark sky location? I keep thinking about getting into astrophotography, but then I look at my skies (~Bortle 7) and despair. However, I'm hoping to move to a Bottle 4 location soon, with B3 easily reachable with a short drive. Given everything else (conditions, equipment, patience, skill etc), is it possible to get this kind of data at Bottle 4? Also, love your channel!

[@robertweglarek]

Nice one! I invested and bought both FRA 400 and 600 few weeks ago, can’t wait to start using them. 1 thing I’m curious about is if you can see much difference between f7.5 and after FRA400 in terms of how much less signal it collects?

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you Robert. The FRA400 is such an awesome scope, I've not used the FRA600 but I imagine that is great as well. I hope you enjoy them! It's difficult to say really as I've not had a huge amount of time with the telescope and the time I have had has been during twighlight. The FRA400 being f5.6 it will gather more light thought meaning more data in a shorter time. Thanks for watching and clear skies 👍

[@anata5127]

It is easier to get high quality scope with f7.5 than f5.6. Spherical aberration, curvature etc., can be well corrected. Problem with reviews of many Chinese products is that they already know that it is great. It doesn’t mean that everyone will get such high quality product. Do you really like ZWO focuser? I have tried couple of them. Their backlash is awful. I have now moonlite that is real-deal focuser. Doesn’t shift even micron for whole night and has zero backlash.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Yes the f7.5 really helps with the sharp stars especially in the corners. It is easily corrected as you state. I do like the ZWO focuser yes, I've used it on many different scopes now and not had any issues whatsoever. It's always been very reliable for me. Maybe you had a bad copy with yours? I know lots of people use the ZWO EAF and are very happy with it. Thank you very much for watching

[@anata5127]

@@RussellsAstrophotography You would like to tell that your ZWO focuser doesn’t have backlash and no shifting during night. Hmm …

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

@@anata5127 I’m sure there is backlash yes, but after a bit of a play with the settings I’ve got it spot on. I refocus every 2 hours and every 2° change in the weather. I know lots of people, in fact most astrophotographers I know, use the ZWO EAF and it seems to work perfectly for them as well

[@anata5127]

@@RussellsAstrophotography Well, it will work fine for wide FOV pictures, in which resolution (FWHM) of 4” looks perfectly fine. I have never seen one advanced astrophotographer who uses it. Who will put this type of focuser on AP, Takahashi, PlaneWave or Official Stellara scopes?!

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

@@anata5127 it’s works great on my edge hd…and I know lots of very talented astrophotographers who use it. There’s no write or wrong though, if you don’t like it and prefer something else then that’s fine. I know people who have tried other brands and come back to the ZWO EAF. Each to their own 👍

[@ShakeelNaim]

Hey Russell, just stumbled across your video while looking for a review of the Askar 80PHQ. I’m a total beginner to this but for years wanted to get a telescope for general use to look at the moon and planets. I’m also an amateur photographer and would also like to try astrophotography. Do you think this telescope would work well for normal astronomy and also photography. I just want one god quality do-it-all telescope.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Hi Shak, this telescope is amazing for astrophotography yes, you will be able to capture some great deep sky images with it. It's also really easy to use being a refractor scope. Regarding planets, this probably isn't the best choice, the focal length of 600mm isn't really long enough to view or photography planets. If you are after a better telescope for viewing planets then something like a SCT or Newtonian might be a better choice as they usually have a longer focal length, and can also be used for astrophotography. These are much bigger though and use mirrors so require collimation so there is a bit more of a learning curve with them. I hope this helps?

[@ShakeelNaim]

@@RussellsAstrophotography thanks Russell. I’ve been slowly watching all your other videos. Thanks for the info, so sounds like I could get a say 6” or 8” dobsonian for visual astronomy (moon & planets) and a refractor like this 80PHQ or a FSR400/500 for photography?

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

@@ShakeelNaim that sounds like a great combo. If you can afford it, I’d go for the bigger scope for visual. The extra light would really help. A refractor like the FRA400, 80PHQ, Skywatcher Esprit100, William optics scopes would be great for astrophotography. They are very simple to use and most produce great images

[@ShakeelNaim]

@@RussellsAstrophotography brilliant, thank you. I’ll probably start off with a refractor to begin with and add a dobsonian later on next year. Also assuming that along with the telescope I’ll need some sort of tracker and a base? I’ve seen you using this red box (ASIAir?). Is that used for tracking?

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

@@ShakeelNaim yes you will need a mount to put the scope on. I would suggest an equatorial mount such as the skywatcher HEQ5 pro or EQ6R pro or an ioptron mount. These can get expensive. Usually the more expensive the mount the bigger scope it can handle, and the bigger / heavier it is. If you buy one of the cheaper mounts this will be great for lighter scopes, more expensive mounts can handle heavier telescopes. If you’re serious about Astrophotography then It’s probably best to invest in a good mount as this will make life so much easier. The red box is the Asiair pro. It’s a mini computer which controls my mount, my guiding and my camera. It’s a very user friendly system that allows you to control everything with your phone or tablet, I’d highly recommend this if you are just starting. I’ve been using it for years and love it. There really is a lot of things to think about when it comes astrophotography.

[@metaldoood]

1:48 scary 😅

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Haha yep…my heart was in my mouth!