The red-blue color separation throughout the entire frame can be due to atmosphere dispersion. The best way to validate this is to shoot an object close to the zenith.
True. What Ive noticed is that the color separation is more noticeable near the edges. The stars in the center typically don't have that level of separation.
Thanks James! Don't have any astrophotgraphy gear yet, (have a 10" Dobson for eyeballing), and thinking about it and what I can do to start - you have something similar to what I was thinking about so this video was very helpful. Also, like your direct almost casual descriptions - excellent! Will be following your output now - Thanks Again & Clear skies
Great review James those stars look nice & tight to, even though I don't use Pixinsight (yet!) I'm always interested in watching your workflows using a colour camera as mono is way beyond me lol.
Nice review. I have only found great comments about this telescope. Those stars looks really really good across the whole fov. I suppose the longish focal ratio has a lot to do with how well corrected this telescope is. Would be interesting to see if everything holds nicely when using a focal reducer. Clear skies!
Thanks Sergio! Yes.. I do think it slower speed helps a lot. Sharpstar has spot diagrams with and without the reducer.. according to those spot diagrams, the stars are impacted negatively. With software such as blueXterminator, it may not matter much. I think this scope with the reducer compared to the equivalent FRA line would be interesting.
Hey James, very nice review. I found it on youtube, but also found it on Cloudy nights search (I may repost this comment there for the benefit of those searching CN). I’m planning to purchase a new AP setup when I get back to AZ in late October. I’ve been looking very hard at the WO Redcat 51 or even 71, but have to say the ZWO FF65 (AKA Askar 65PHW) is getting my attention. The new Redcat 51 “U” version says it cannot be used for visual at all, whereas the Askar/ZWO say they can be. Not that I’m likely to use it for other than AP, but always nice to have options. Like you, I also have (2) Nikon D5300’s, one of which is FS modded. I wonder if you’ve considered the ZWO ASIAir plus and if that would help your AVX guiding. I’m thinking of getting the SkyWatcher EQM-35i mount which would easily handle the 65 and all the goodies that go with it. So now that you’ve had the 6%PHQ for 8 months or so, what are your thoughts? Has it become your goto setup? Any plans for a followup review after using it for months now?
HI Mainuh! Thank you for your comments! I have no experience with the redcat line. Fellow youtuber @LogansAstro has both the 65phq and a redcat 51. IIRC the 65PHQ had better stars in the corners than his redcat. My feelings is that is the main strength of the 65PHQ vs similar scopes. It's a little bit slower @F6 without the reducer but that's the sacrifice it makes for really good star shapes across the field (plus not having to worry about backfocus). Yes.. I still use mine, every clear night. I have 3 mounts (2 EQ6R's and the AVX) so all three run as often as possible. I recently swapped camera's from the 533MC to the asi294MM because I wanted to get some narrowband imaging done with it. I also wanted to test out larger pixels on it. The AVX's inconsistent performance is due to its design/mechanics, so switching to an asi air would have no impact on the guiding. Besides.. I'm pretty sure the asiair is using a version of PHD2.. looks very similar. I've not planned on a follow up review of the scope.. but I've done a number of processing workflow videos on images I've taken with the 65phq (Monkey Head nebula, NGC 6914, Cygnus wall) with more to come! :)
Very encouraging. Just hope there is good QC in these scopes so that when mine arrives, it has nice stars to the corners also. The images you have produced with it so far look superb so, again, I am happy to see that. Now I must just wait impatiently.
I'm just getting started into astrophotography and I wasn't sure what kind of refractor telescope I should purchase. The three options I have in mind are the SVbony SV503 80ED telescope, the second is the 102ED version of the SV503, and the last option is the ASKAR 65PHQ telescope. I was just wondering if I should start with the 80ED and once I get more used to it, then upgrade to a more premium telescope?
Between the 3 you listed I would recommend the 65phq. The two SVbony scopes you mentioned are really good value scopes but both are doublets. This means the color correction is not going to be quite as good as the 65phq. The other thing to consider that with the 65phq you don't have to worry about getting a flattener/reducer (you'll have to buy one for the other two scopes, adding cost) and you don't have to worry about tuning backspace. And while it costs more up front, it may save you money in the long run because there will be no need to "upgrade" for that focal length/field of view in the future. The whole field is well corrected up to a full frame sensor, so your a bit future proofed with it.
@@DSOImager Alright thank you for that. And also for the camera I was thinking of either the ZWO ASI533MC Pro or the ZWO ASI294MC Pro since both are dedicated deep sky cameras. Which one of these cameras would be the better option for the 65phq or if there's another camera you reccommend by ZWO that would also fit nicely with the scope?
@@Sniper_Thief That is a tough choice. Both are solid cameras. The 294MC gives you a larger field of view, but the 533mc has smaller pixels and a cleaner sensor (no amp glow). The amp glow of the 294mc isn't bad, calibrates out with dark frames but the 533mc is such an easy sensor to work with.. making it an ideal choice for a beginner. I lean towards the 533mc. In regards to other camera options.. the asi2600MC would be the next step up but the cost is significant.
@@DSOImager And one last thing. The mount that I wanted to use along with the 65phq was the Skywatcher EQ6-R PRO but I wasn't sure if this mount would be a bit overkill. Do you have any reccommendations for mounts or will this Skywatcher mount be a good pairing?
Hi James - it looks like I've stumbled across your YT channel (from your post on CN) - we were also chatting about this scope on AstroBin. I'd love to see a video on how you processed the Rosette nebula! My SHO version came out quite nice, but I also really like yours, and am always looking for ways to improve. :)
Hey James, very informative video! Wanted to chime in regarding the comet processing, I'm not experienced with them either. But I figured scnr can really remove too much green from the coma, resulting in almost cyan color. Interesting thing to look into, most other photographs seem to have a green comet. Have a good day!
Thanks Mihajlo! I'll have to look back over my steps.. but what I think I did was to use a green color mask to protect the green on the comet while removing the green in the background. Sometimes the masks protection is not absolute and still allows for in this case a little bit of green removal. That said It's a delicate balance to get the color right. Thanks for chiming in :)
Very nice review supported by evidence. I would have gone for Askar 80 had I not purchased W/O GT71. Maybe I missed it, but did you mention what filters you used with ASI533MC Pro? I do have the 5 position filter wheel and interested to know how I can use it with OSC camera. Thanks in advance.
Hi there, thanks for the video. Can you list out the spacer sizes you used from the rotator back to the filter wheel. The M sizes, etc. I have a similar scope but it did not come with the extra spacers. thank you very much.
The scope came with three adapters that step it down in size. M68 > M54 > M48 > T2 >filter wheel. Good thing we don't have to worry about measuring backspace :)
Thanks again for the review of the 65phq, I finally got about an hour of clear skies with it after a month of clouds. I also have the asi533mc pro, I have the mm pro version too. Do you think that what the spot diagram shows has anything to do with my red filter having a focus point 20 to 30 steps different than all of my other filters (SHO-LRGB)? The LRGB filters are ZWO brand. My old scope was a doublet and the blue filter was the one that focused far from the other filters.
Not sure. I think the spot diagram is showing how the different colors look at the focal plane once in focus. That is interesting that red is the single one. Ha and S2 are also red light though.. so maybe I would expect those to show similar behavior.
Hi James just ordered the Askar 65PHQ. I've had some issue with Back-focus on Edge 8HD and though I'd take a step back and try a different approach for now as I am new to the hobby and getting a bit frustrated. Recently Purchased the ASI Air Plus and AMD 5 Mount and also have the EAF and and ASI183MC. So do you always just need the 55mm of back-focus with the 65PHQ? Or is that just if you're using the .75 Reducer ?? Trying to wrap my head around what my setup would look like with a reducer and without. I have many spacers available. Thanks in advance for any tips and or suggestions..
Hi Danny, with no reducer you do not need to worry about back focus. That's the nice part about these quads and quintuplets. :) If you add the reducer, then you would need to dial in the backfocus. I believe its 55mm for the askar 65phq.
For astrophotography, in the same weight class as the AVX, I recommend the HEQ5. The ZWO AM3/AM5 also look like good options but I have no experience with them.
Thanks! Unfortunately I don't. Since I was not guiding when I used the D5300 I had to toss a lot of subs. What I had left only added up to a few mins worth of exposure so I didn't think it would be worth it process.
Hello, I recommend a mount with a 30lb/13kg capacity. Something like a skywatcher HEQ5 or ZWO AM3 or AM5. I do not recommend the Celestron AVX. I have no experience with lighter mounts than these.
hi, i have heard about an issue with 2" filters with the Askar 400 (not sure about 300 or 65phq) and it seems they fix it in the 500, that there is not way to put it inside of the telescope (even when they say it can be screw in it) , can you confirm that with this 65? have you tried to put it in the optic train where is supposed to fit? im very interested on buying this one but if this is a real problem i would think in other telescope. Thanks in advance, cheers from Chile.
This spot diagram is almost as good as Tak Epsilon 130mm. IOptron CEM70 periodic error (PE) is better than AP 1100GTO. I returned CEM70 with scandal, since real PE was 30 fold larger than they claimed. However, I got my lesson. Some data (FWHM, eccentricity, etc) from pictures could have been helpful. You Tube doesn’t have resolution to show quality.
Good call, I should have shared the data/specs of the image analysis. It just escaped me. Yep.. resolution isn't good enough on youtube.. but the full size image is available on astrobin. :)
@@DSOImager Full size imaging is great, but they are after massive processing. It will be great to know data right after acquisition. For example, do you get FSWH < 2 with any of your scopes?
@@anata5127 Just checked a couple of images. With this scope, stacked & unprocessed: M45.= med fwhm 2.203px, med eccentricity 0.4549. Rosette= med fwhm 2.260, med eccentricity .5021
That test shot with the nikon 5300, med fwhm 2.557, med eccentricity .6597. On that eccentricity.. keep in mind those subs were unguided on a celestron avx.
@@DSOImager You used subframe selector on integrated file and specified image scale. Right? Or you used default image scale of 1. In my opinion, FWHM of 2.6 on mini scope with 65mm aperture could only be achieved with 0.5 um/pixel camera (doesn’t exist).
LOL. I cut my teeth on the AVX. First couple of years spent learning on it with my sv70t. Pressing it into service was like a journey into the past :) I almost picked up a used AP900 a couple of years ago but the seller got cold feet and the money I had set aside for it got spent on other things. I ended up with the EQ6R Pro. I would still like to get a premium mount some day.. but I think my next mount maybe an AM5 for this 65pha.. making for a very portable rig.
@@DSOImager Yeah, I sort of did too. Started with this terrible iOptron 3302B SkyTracker that couldn't handle any payload and then broke, so I got a used AVX maybe 4 years ago. Just havn't had the time or opportunities to use it much. Better than no mount though
The red-blue color separation throughout the entire frame can be due to atmosphere dispersion. The best way to validate this is to shoot an object close to the zenith.
True. What Ive noticed is that the color separation is more noticeable near the edges. The stars in the center typically don't have that level of separation.
Very thorough review and nice shots. Thanks for shooting the moon as well, super helpful
Thanks!
Thanks James! Don't have any astrophotgraphy gear yet, (have a 10" Dobson for eyeballing), and thinking about it and what I can do to start - you have something similar to what I was thinking about so this video was very helpful. Also, like your direct almost casual descriptions - excellent! Will be following your output now - Thanks Again & Clear skies
Thanks! I'm glad you found this helpful. Clear Skies!
It's coming along nicely James, I also particularly liked your little stick pointer there 😂.
Thanks Ollie! I think I was getting a little carried away with it, lol.
Great review James those stars look nice & tight to, even though I don't use Pixinsight (yet!) I'm always interested in watching your workflows using a colour camera as mono is way beyond me lol.
Thanks Tich! :)
Nice review. I have only found great comments about this telescope. Those stars looks really really good across the whole fov. I suppose the longish focal ratio has a lot to do with how well corrected this telescope is. Would be interesting to see if everything holds nicely when using a focal reducer. Clear skies!
Thanks Sergio! Yes.. I do think it slower speed helps a lot. Sharpstar has spot diagrams with and without the reducer.. according to those spot diagrams, the stars are impacted negatively. With software such as blueXterminator, it may not matter much.
I think this scope with the reducer compared to the equivalent FRA line would be interesting.
Hey James, very nice review. I found it on youtube, but also found it on Cloudy nights search (I may repost this comment there for the benefit of those searching CN). I’m planning to purchase a new AP setup when I get back to AZ in late October. I’ve been looking very hard at the WO Redcat 51 or even 71, but have to say the ZWO FF65 (AKA Askar 65PHW) is getting my attention. The new Redcat 51 “U” version says it cannot be used for visual at all, whereas the Askar/ZWO say they can be. Not that I’m likely to use it for other than AP, but always nice to have options. Like you, I also have (2) Nikon D5300’s, one of which is FS modded. I wonder if you’ve considered the ZWO ASIAir plus and if that would help your AVX guiding. I’m thinking of getting the SkyWatcher EQM-35i mount which would easily handle the 65 and all the goodies that go with it. So now that you’ve had the 6%PHQ for 8 months or so, what are your thoughts? Has it become your goto setup? Any plans for a followup review after using it for months now?
HI Mainuh! Thank you for your comments!
I have no experience with the redcat line. Fellow youtuber @LogansAstro has both the 65phq and a redcat 51. IIRC the 65PHQ had better stars in the corners than his redcat. My feelings is that is the main strength of the 65PHQ vs similar scopes. It's a little bit slower @F6 without the reducer but that's the sacrifice it makes for really good star shapes across the field (plus not having to worry about backfocus).
Yes.. I still use mine, every clear night. I have 3 mounts (2 EQ6R's and the AVX) so all three run as often as possible. I recently swapped camera's from the 533MC to the asi294MM because I wanted to get some narrowband imaging done with it. I also wanted to test out larger pixels on it.
The AVX's inconsistent performance is due to its design/mechanics, so switching to an asi air would have no impact on the guiding. Besides.. I'm pretty sure the asiair is using a version of PHD2.. looks very similar.
I've not planned on a follow up review of the scope.. but I've done a number of processing workflow videos on images I've taken with the 65phq (Monkey Head nebula, NGC 6914, Cygnus wall) with more to come! :)
Very encouraging. Just hope there is good QC in these scopes so that when mine arrives, it has nice stars to the corners also. The images you have produced with it so far look superb so, again, I am happy to see that. Now I must just wait impatiently.
Thanks Logan! How much longer is your wait?
@@DSOImager supposedly end of Feb/early March.
HiJames..great review.
I would love a workflow video on the Rosette nebula.
Thanks Dwayne! I'll get one done.
I'm just getting started into astrophotography and I wasn't sure what kind of refractor telescope I should purchase. The three options I have in mind are the SVbony SV503 80ED telescope, the second is the 102ED version of the SV503, and the last option is the ASKAR 65PHQ telescope. I was just wondering if I should start with the 80ED and once I get more used to it, then upgrade to a more premium telescope?
Between the 3 you listed I would recommend the 65phq. The two SVbony scopes you mentioned are really good value scopes but both are doublets. This means the color correction is not going to be quite as good as the 65phq. The other thing to consider that with the 65phq you don't have to worry about getting a flattener/reducer (you'll have to buy one for the other two scopes, adding cost) and you don't have to worry about tuning backspace. And while it costs more up front, it may save you money in the long run because there will be no need to "upgrade" for that focal length/field of view in the future. The whole field is well corrected up to a full frame sensor, so your a bit future proofed with it.
@@DSOImager Alright thank you for that. And also for the camera I was thinking of either the ZWO ASI533MC Pro or the ZWO ASI294MC Pro since both are dedicated deep sky cameras. Which one of these cameras would be the better option for the 65phq or if there's another camera you reccommend by ZWO that would also fit nicely with the scope?
@@Sniper_Thief That is a tough choice. Both are solid cameras. The 294MC gives you a larger field of view, but the 533mc has smaller pixels and a cleaner sensor (no amp glow). The amp glow of the 294mc isn't bad, calibrates out with dark frames but the 533mc is such an easy sensor to work with.. making it an ideal choice for a beginner. I lean towards the 533mc. In regards to other camera options.. the asi2600MC would be the next step up but the cost is significant.
@@DSOImagerThank you for that
@@DSOImager And one last thing. The mount that I wanted to use along with the 65phq was the Skywatcher EQ6-R PRO but I wasn't sure if this mount would be a bit overkill. Do you have any reccommendations for mounts or will this Skywatcher mount be a good pairing?
very well done review and good skills, review was crisp clear and concise.
Thanks!
Hi James - it looks like I've stumbled across your YT channel (from your post on CN) - we were also chatting about this scope on AstroBin. I'd love to see a video on how you processed the Rosette nebula! My SHO version came out quite nice, but I also really like yours, and am always looking for ways to improve. :)
Hi John! I should have video out on the Rosette within the next couple of weeks. CS! :)
Nice scope... I might of bought the right Nikon camera for a beginner...looking at tracking scopes thanks.
Thanks!
looks like a great little scope, great review on the 65PHQ.
Thanks Jason!
Hey James, very informative video!
Wanted to chime in regarding the comet processing, I'm not experienced with them either.
But I figured scnr can really remove too much green from the coma, resulting in almost cyan color.
Interesting thing to look into, most other photographs seem to have a green comet.
Have a good day!
Thanks Mihajlo! I'll have to look back over my steps.. but what I think I did was to use a green color mask to protect the green on the comet while removing the green in the background. Sometimes the masks protection is not absolute and still allows for in this case a little bit of green removal. That said It's a delicate balance to get the color right. Thanks for chiming in :)
They make nice scopes. Nice review James
Thanks Glenn!
Very Nice Review!! The spot Diagram was Interesting!
Thanks! Yea.. I'm glad they are sharing those spot diagrams.
Is it possible to unscrew that handle and add a mount for guide scope up the middle? Great vid!
Yes. I removed the handle and mounted a guide scope there. There are threaded holes on the sides of the rings. I put the handle there.
Nice review bud. I almost picked up an askar 200.
Thanks! They certainly have an interesting and growing line up.
Very nice review supported by evidence. I would have gone for Askar 80 had I not purchased W/O GT71.
Maybe I missed it, but did you mention what filters you used with ASI533MC Pro? I do have the 5 position filter wheel and interested to know how I can use it with OSC camera. Thanks in advance.
Thanks! I'm using a Astronomik L2 filter and L-Extreme filter. I believe I also have a cls filter and a plain S2 filter in there as well.
@@DSOImager Thanks for your quick response. Much appreciated 🙏🏼.
Hi there, thanks for the video. Can you list out the spacer sizes you used from the rotator back to the filter wheel. The M sizes, etc. I have a similar scope but it did not come with the extra spacers.
thank you very much.
The scope came with three adapters that step it down in size. M68 > M54 > M48 > T2 >filter wheel. Good thing we don't have to worry about measuring backspace :)
Skinny Horsehead Nebula? I think you've found the Loch Ness Monster James! Scope looks excellent too.
Ah.. perfect! That's an awesome name for that structure. :)
Thanks again for the review of the 65phq, I finally got about an hour of clear skies with it after a month of clouds. I also have the asi533mc pro, I have the mm pro version too. Do you think that what the spot diagram shows has anything to do with my red filter having a focus point 20 to 30 steps different than all of my other filters (SHO-LRGB)? The LRGB filters are ZWO brand. My old scope was a doublet and the blue filter was the one that focused far from the other filters.
Not sure. I think the spot diagram is showing how the different colors look at the focal plane once in focus. That is interesting that red is the single one. Ha and S2 are also red light though.. so maybe I would expect those to show similar behavior.
@@DSOImager Hmm, very true. I didn't think of that, I will have to do more testing and imaging. thank you for the response. Clear skies!
Nice review!
Thanks Jason!
Nice review! Anything new in regard to the diffraction spikes?
Haven't seen a re-occurrence. I figured they'd show up in the M45 shot given the high number of big and med sized stars.
Hi James just ordered the Askar 65PHQ. I've had some issue with Back-focus on Edge 8HD and though I'd take a step back and try a different approach for now as I am new to the hobby and getting a bit frustrated. Recently Purchased the ASI Air Plus and AMD 5 Mount and also have the EAF and and ASI183MC. So do you always just need the 55mm of back-focus with the 65PHQ? Or is that just if you're using the .75 Reducer ?? Trying to wrap my head around what my setup would look like with a reducer and without. I have many spacers available. Thanks in advance for any tips and or suggestions..
Hi Danny, with no reducer you do not need to worry about back focus. That's the nice part about these quads and quintuplets. :)
If you add the reducer, then you would need to dial in the backfocus. I believe its 55mm for the askar 65phq.
@@DSOImager Thanks so much again so i could take the spacer off my camera and attach directly to the scope and be good to go?
@@dannyfurdon should be. As long as you can reach focus your good.
@@DSOImagerJames I wonder if I put my filter drawer then my camera if that would cause problems? Guess I’ll have to see next week!
Review was good. I'm also interested in 65phq :)
Thanks! It's a solid scope :)
you mentioned a negative comment on avx mount, do you have a preference to recommend to a beginner
For astrophotography, in the same weight class as the AVX, I recommend the HEQ5. The ZWO AM3/AM5 also look like good options but I have no experience with them.
Thanks for the video! looking into getting this scope.
Would you happen to have the full stack of the Pleiades with the D5300 available to see?
Thanks! Unfortunately I don't. Since I was not guiding when I used the D5300 I had to toss a lot of subs. What I had left only added up to a few mins worth of exposure so I didn't think it would be worth it process.
Hi, what would be the ideal mount for this astrophotography telescope? Thank you.
Hello, I recommend a mount with a 30lb/13kg capacity. Something like a skywatcher HEQ5 or ZWO AM3 or AM5. I do not recommend the Celestron AVX. I have no experience with lighter mounts than these.
hi, i have heard about an issue with 2" filters with the Askar 400 (not sure about 300 or 65phq) and it seems they fix it in the 500, that there is not way to put it inside of the telescope (even when they say it can be screw in it) , can you confirm that with this 65? have you tried to put it in the optic train where is supposed to fit? im very interested on buying this one but if this is a real problem i would think in other telescope. Thanks in advance, cheers from Chile.
Hi Vito, I'm afraid I don't own a 2" filter so it's not something I've tested.
This spot diagram is almost as good as Tak Epsilon 130mm. IOptron CEM70 periodic error (PE) is better than AP 1100GTO.
I returned CEM70 with scandal, since real PE was 30 fold larger than they claimed. However, I got my lesson.
Some data (FWHM, eccentricity, etc) from pictures could have been helpful. You Tube doesn’t have resolution to show quality.
Good call, I should have shared the data/specs of the image analysis. It just escaped me. Yep.. resolution isn't good enough on youtube.. but the full size image is available on astrobin. :)
@@DSOImager Full size imaging is great, but they are after massive processing. It will be great to know data right after acquisition. For example, do you get FSWH < 2 with any of your scopes?
@@anata5127 Just checked a couple of images. With this scope, stacked & unprocessed: M45.= med fwhm 2.203px, med eccentricity 0.4549. Rosette= med fwhm 2.260, med eccentricity .5021
That test shot with the nikon 5300, med fwhm 2.557, med eccentricity .6597. On that eccentricity.. keep in mind those subs were unguided on a celestron avx.
@@DSOImager You used subframe selector on integrated file and specified image scale. Right? Or you used default image scale of 1.
In my opinion, FWHM of 2.6 on mini scope with 65mm aperture could only be achieved with 0.5 um/pixel camera (doesn’t exist).
man the AVX, what an average machine lol. I wish I hadn't rushed to buy the first used mount I could find.
LOL. I cut my teeth on the AVX. First couple of years spent learning on it with my sv70t. Pressing it into service was like a journey into the past :)
I almost picked up a used AP900 a couple of years ago but the seller got cold feet and the money I had set aside for it got spent on other things. I ended up with the EQ6R Pro. I would still like to get a premium mount some day.. but I think my next mount maybe an AM5 for this 65pha.. making for a very portable rig.
@@DSOImager Yeah, I sort of did too. Started with this terrible iOptron 3302B SkyTracker that couldn't handle any payload and then broke, so I got a used AVX maybe 4 years ago. Just havn't had the time or opportunities to use it much. Better than no mount though
Anyone got a case recommendation for this scope? Recently got one, now I need a case or bag that fits properly.
I'm afraid I don't. I have not traveled with mine yet. Hopefully someone comes along with a recommendation.
@@DSOImager I found one. I got an Apache 3800 hard case for it.
@@Sw87sw87 Nice! That one looks good. Thank you for responding back.