Hi Martin - a great review and very timely too for me. I’ve been contemplating this one ever since it was first reviewed about a year or so ago. Your review covered all the key questions I had. I have a 60mm f/6 and a 72mm f/6, both APOs. I realised late in the day I only usually use one at a time (I have 4 mounts capable of carrying a small refractor as a minimum!). I really like the wider field of view at 250mm focal length (I had a Red Cat 51 for a hoses while) as well as at 360mm, and I love the framing I get at 432mm. I also like to take a small telescope and mount overseas with me whenever I can, so the Askar V seems to tick all those practical boxes for me too. There was just the question of optical quality with all these different adapters and objectives. Your review took care of that nicely. Other reviewers did a similar thing and had similar results, and this is across different periods of time and ones of the wild, so they likely did not review the same unit each time. So, your review here tipped me over the edge and I bought one. I’m in the US although, like you, I’m a Brit (and also called Martin!) So that meant buying from the US. Plus it came with a free matching guide scope worth $99. First light was last night. I shot at 80mm with the standard flattener using my modified T7i, carried by my CEM 40 mount. Wow! That was my first reaction. You always worry if you’ve bought a lemon. Especially after I have had such great experiences with my first 2 APOs, both from Apertura. I was greeted with pin sharp stars, exceptional colour was very notable on my first target - Rigel… I wanted to see how it was with a bright star dominating the frame. It was excellent. Then I move on the IC434 with Alnitak doing its thing of being uber bright. But no misshapen core, no spikes, a perfect circle and the Flame Nebula was distinct, colourful and brighter than I expected. I’m currently stacking 120 x 1min subs on that and 200 of the same on M81 and M82. I did pop over to M44 for a richer stat field so I could check out the corners and edges for chromatic aberration and coma. There was no coma and the slightest of chromatic aberration which, on closer investigation, turned out to be slight sensor tilt - my t-ring is not quite perfect, so I’ll stick my ASI 294mc pro on tonight and see what happens. So, my initial experience seems to match yours as shown in your review. I don’t buy through your affiliate link because I’m in the US otherwise I would have. But I’d love to ‘buy you a big coffee’ if you have a link for that - keep doing what you’re doing here on YT and the way you are doing it! Cheers & clear skies from a Brit living near Phoenix, AZ.
Hi Martin. Thank you so much for your message, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I actually felt rather jealous as I have to send the Askar V back shortly. I would love to buy it but I have other items I am saving up for and need to keep them on track as they are for a “special project” I am now working on. I think a lot of less experienced astrophotographers don’t realise the enormous variation in apparent size of the objects in our night sky, as I very often read that classic question …”what’s the best telescope to buy”…I always answer by saying “don’t buy a telescope, buy a tracking mount”! I really appreciate feedback like yours as the work involved in making these videos is just crazy….especially when, like me, you work full-time. It would be so much easier if I was retired, but I have a few years to go before that happens. In the meantime, I wish you clear skies. And frankly, I wish we had more clear skies in the U.K. too…it’s been the worst 18 months I can remember.
You’re welcome and thanks for your reply. The weather has been and continues to suck in the Uk - I have friends and family north & south, east & west in Blighty and they say the same. Here in AZ it’s been the worst start to the year weatherwise from an AP perspective. I’m pretty sure we’ve already had our annual rainfall for the year of 6 inches, about 8x less than the UK’s - and we still have the monsoon season to go! The clouds only go when it is full moon, it seems!
Sorry for the delay. I have been on holiday! I use a Mele Quieter 3C to control everything, with ASCOM Platform, NINA and PHD2, plus all the ASCOM drivers for my devices (camera, filter wheel, focus motor, mount, guide camera, flats panel etc…)
I absolutely love the design of this scope. They clearly took some Vixen inspiration.
Great review- definitely an interesting product - thanks for sparing us the unboxing!!
I love they made space fr the EAF in the case
I love mine. Just used it today for some solar work.
Hi Martin - a great review and very timely too for me. I’ve been contemplating this one ever since it was first reviewed about a year or so ago.
Your review covered all the key questions I had. I have a 60mm f/6 and a 72mm f/6, both APOs. I realised late in the day I only usually use one at a time (I have 4 mounts capable of carrying a small refractor as a minimum!). I really like the wider field of view at 250mm focal length (I had a Red Cat 51 for a hoses while) as well as at 360mm, and I love the framing I get at 432mm. I also like to take a small telescope and mount overseas with me whenever I can, so the Askar V seems to tick all those practical boxes for me too.
There was just the question of optical quality with all these different adapters and objectives. Your review took care of that nicely. Other reviewers did a similar thing and had similar results, and this is across different periods of time and ones of the wild, so they likely did not review the same unit each time.
So, your review here tipped me over the edge and I bought one. I’m in the US although, like you, I’m a Brit (and also called Martin!) So that meant buying from the US. Plus it came with a free matching guide scope worth $99.
First light was last night. I shot at 80mm with the standard flattener using my modified T7i, carried by my CEM 40 mount.
Wow!
That was my first reaction. You always worry if you’ve bought a lemon. Especially after I have had such great experiences with my first 2 APOs, both from Apertura.
I was greeted with pin sharp stars, exceptional colour was very notable on my first target - Rigel… I wanted to see how it was with a bright star dominating the frame. It was excellent. Then I move on the IC434 with Alnitak doing its thing of being uber bright. But no misshapen core, no spikes, a perfect circle and the Flame Nebula was distinct, colourful and brighter than I expected.
I’m currently stacking 120 x 1min subs on that and 200 of the same on M81 and M82.
I did pop over to M44 for a richer stat field so I could check out the corners and edges for chromatic aberration and coma.
There was no coma and the slightest of chromatic aberration which, on closer investigation, turned out to be slight sensor tilt - my t-ring is not quite perfect, so I’ll stick my ASI 294mc pro on tonight and see what happens.
So, my initial experience seems to match yours as shown in your review.
I don’t buy through your affiliate link because I’m in the US otherwise I would have. But I’d love to ‘buy you a big coffee’ if you have a link for that - keep doing what you’re doing here on YT and the way you are doing it! Cheers & clear skies from a Brit living near Phoenix, AZ.
Hi Martin. Thank you so much for your message, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I actually felt rather jealous as I have to send the Askar V back shortly. I would love to buy it but I have other items I am saving up for and need to keep them on track as they are for a “special project” I am now working on. I think a lot of less experienced astrophotographers don’t realise the enormous variation in apparent size of the objects in our night sky, as I very often read that classic question …”what’s the best telescope to buy”…I always answer by saying “don’t buy a telescope, buy a tracking mount”! I really appreciate feedback like yours as the work involved in making these videos is just crazy….especially when, like me, you work full-time. It would be so much easier if I was retired, but I have a few years to go before that happens. In the meantime, I wish you clear skies. And frankly, I wish we had more clear skies in the U.K. too…it’s been the worst 18 months I can remember.
You’re welcome and thanks for your reply.
The weather has been and continues to suck in the Uk - I have friends and family north & south, east & west in Blighty and they say the same.
Here in AZ it’s been the worst start to the year weatherwise from an AP perspective. I’m pretty sure we’ve already had our annual rainfall for the year of 6 inches, about 8x less than the UK’s - and we still have the monsoon season to go!
The clouds only go when it is full moon, it seems!
wow. first i have heard of this. thanks for the review.. multiple scopes in one. very interesting
Yes, it’s a clever concept, and a nice piece of kit to use. I had to send it back after the review but I miss it now!
Excellent review very well conducted and presented, thank you! 🙏
Thank you!
Thanks for the video. What computer and software are you running to control your rig?
Sorry for the delay. I have been on holiday! I use a Mele Quieter 3C to control everything, with ASCOM Platform, NINA and PHD2, plus all the ASCOM drivers for my devices (camera, filter wheel, focus motor, mount, guide camera, flats panel etc…)
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