Askar 120 First Impressions - The New Budget APO King?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- Huge thanks to Askar for sending this over for us to use and review :-)
Can't wait to test further and share data with you!
• Askar 120 Review - So ... - follow up, no data worth sharing yet though, that will come!
If you'd like to buy this scope and at the same time give some much appreciated support then I do have affiliate links in place! :-D
First Light Optics -
www.firstlight...
365Astronomy -
www.365astrono...
HighPointScientific! :
www.highpoints...
or
bit.ly/3uzB4FJ
Affiliate links - If you want to use these then it'd really help me out at no extra cost to yourself! :-) Thank you!!
These tools have changed the processing game for me, no joke.
BlurXTerminator -
www.rc-astro.c...
StarXTerminator -
www.rc-astro.c...
NoiseXTerminator -
www.rc-astro.c...
GradientXTerminator -
www.rc-astro.c...
StarShrink -
www.rc-astro.c...
My 3d Print store -
My Ebay store - www.ebay.co.uk...
My Etsy store - www.etsy.com/s...
/ lukomatico
Gaming channel : / @lukomaticogames (will be reborn soon!)
Topaz Labs Affiliate Link! - topazlabs.com/...
/ lukomatico
Amazon Affiliate Links! - Anything you buy through one of these links will give me a small commission at no extra cost to yourself!
Amazon UK - amzn.to/3EOCgpV
Amazon US - amzn.to/3quGPlD
Update video! : ruclips.net/video/FNkcGdwskzQ/видео.html
"The New Budget APO King" There ain't no sucha thing as a budget APO.
It's all relative I guess, haha! Cheers for watching 👍
1500 ve 12000 plus for a takahashi fsq 130?? It’s super budget compared to what’s out there.
So glad you are reviewing this OTA, I am torn between the Askar 103 and 120, happy with what I have seen of the 103 with the reducer
Can't wait to show more as soon as the skies clear mate!! Initial tests in between clouds look great!
Hey Luke! Your enthusiasm is palpable :) Askar are killing it with the quality they're provided for the price. I've seen good corner stars on the 103 with the 0.6x reducer flattener which is bonkers for a 1k triplet apo. The 120 looks like a very well put together beast, and the 140 for 2k has really caught my eye as an 'affordable' TEC140 (those are 9k!) The 140 come with a Losmandy you will be pleased to hear :D clear skies at some point mate, and looking forward to hearing your thoughts when you get the chance :)
Thanks so much Chris mate, as always!! :-D I'm pretty flabbergasted by it lol, initial tests (admittedly brief) have me scratching my head as to 'how?!' - can't believe how good it is given the price, unreal!
I love the 140 option too mate, they look just big enough to manage without being absolutely silly!
Hope you're well mate! :-D
I really like your unboxings as you present how it would actually feel if I were to unbox that myself, well done 🙂 I have to say when it comes to refractors, Askar really knows how to make them a good experience. Even my inexpensive FMA180 pro feels and works like it should have been way more expensive. I should point out that as you might already know, Askar scopes have varying backfocus when used with their reducers. Askar has remedied that with an excellent back focus adjuster that could be purchased separately. I hope you enjoy your belated birthday gift to yourself, you deserve it! Keep those great videos coming my friend. Clear Skies!
That's really kind of you to say Dave, my friend!! :-D Thank you ever so much for your support, as always!
I'm really impressed by this thing so far in my (very) brief testing - can't wait for more clear skies to dive deeper!
Clear skies mate!
Why do triplets add a optional flattner? All scopes, at the minimum, should be quadruplets. Even a novice want round stars for visual use, as well as astrophotographers. I dont want to hear its to keep the price low because this hobby is expensive as hell. No more triplets!!!!
I kinda hear you, but really what's the functional difference between a triplet and flattener vs a quad? just freedom of back focus really, so it's a bit of a non-issue in my eyes :-)
Hi Luke
I’ve had my 120Apo for a month now and I love it!!!!
I use mine with my new AM5 mount and BTW it fits straight in with the vixen plate (no losmandy necessary) if you still have your AM5
Im using the 1x flattener and with my ZWO533mc pro and the stars are crisp. Still need to try the 0.8 reducer but for the price, I love this scope.
Cheers
Si
Good to know that Si! - I've had super brief testing inbetween clouds and I think my favourite performance is from the 1.0x flattener on full frame, the 0.8x reducer is great for aps/c but slightly suffers for FF.
Need some proper weather to really test of course!
Clear skies!
@@lukomatico Been fortunate to have quite a few clear skies lately, although it is summer down here in Australia so you'd expect that really!
Looking forward to trying the 0.8x reducer on this scope though. Any recommendations for a target?
cheers Si
Love the 103. The .6 reducer is great. Been imaging at 420mm with a WO 71 doublet and revisiting targets with the 103 and blown away at the improvement. Did visual on the moon at 700mm with a 12mm nagler and I think I may have stopped breathing for a minute. Bright moon and inky black space with no halo at all. Contrast was unbelievable. Imaging with a 183mc and no flattener at native and stars are still crisp to the edge. Probably need the flattener when I upgrade the camera. Hope they do a .6 on the longer focal lengths. Thats what sold me on the 103. 2 great APO scopes in one!
Really so glad to hear that mate, may you have countless more breathtaking nights under the stars! Clear skies to you!
If I'm asking a previously posted question, apologies. Do you guys think the vixen dovetail is perfectly usable? I intend to put it on an AM5. D plate adds $100. Already going to ne $4k in.
Perfectly usable in my opinion, yep 👍
Wow Luke, what a beautiful scope! I really love the Askar products as I own the Askar FRA400, fantastic little scope! I can’t wait to see your results Luke! I am Seriously considering selling my Esprit 120 and buying the Askar 120, it’s the same specs as my Esprit, as you know, but with the addition of a built in rotator, which I wish the Esprit had, and no wobbly dew shield 🤣 Watching this space Luke👍👍
Clear skies mate!
Hey Simon mate, hope you're doing well! :-D I can't wait to share more with you as soon as poss, it seems to perform great from my brief testing so far :-)
Clear skies to you my friend!
I have the 103, very well built, but the optics are compromised on sharpness, the output is on par with my Star 71 for level of detail, and well behind the Esprit 100.
Would you go for the SW evo Ed or the askar? 50/50 visual/photo
Hey mate! That's interesting to hear!
Are you using it with the reducer or the flattener by the way? In my limited testing so far it seems to be that the reducer softens the image a little compared to the standard flattener which is pretty much razor sharp it seems!
I'd go with the Askar personally, I've had a few evostar ED's and they are good, but not as good as the Askar in terms of image quality and miles behind in build quality 👍
I got my Askar 140 two months ago. The clouds just cleared, and I got to try it out, and I love it. Stars look great. Thanks for the video.
curious which targets you have shot on the 140 so far and how they look...
@allenbaylus3378 Only had the chance to do first Light on the Orion Nebula. It filled the frame and was my most detailed, best image of Orion I've ever taken. Stars great, core great, colors beautiful.
Ah mate that's excellent to hear! so glad it's good for you! :-) Clear skies!
i was thinking the exact same thing, there has to be *something* lacking! seems way too high quality to be sold at that price point, and yet i’m kinda expecting the optical performance to be great too… we’ll see!
Hey Gabe! - very brief initial testing suggests it's a keeper!! :-D can't wait to really put it through its paces though!
First thing I noticed is that it has rotational markings :). Being in the UK I frequently have to image a target over multiple nights and the camera/filterwheel can easily get rotated while the scope is indoors. My FRA600 unfortunately is lacking in this respect.
It's super useful for that aye mate, I really miss it when a focuser doesn't have them now!
Little late on this video, but I bought this scope last week, and the day it came in that night was a beautiful clear night and MAN! So happy I bought this scope. Took a chance and put it on my AM3 and the mount handled it with ease. Just to be safe I put the mount in heavy mode. Everything performed beautifully! I’m not sure how they managed the price?!
Really glad to hear that mate! It's such an awesome scope :-)
Really cool that the am3 handled it comfortably too!!
@@lukomatico definitely! After posting my response I thought maybe I should also check in with ZWO on what they thought of the longevity of the AM3 with a scope that size going forward and they actually responded quickly saying they didn’t see a problem with that scope on the mount.
Had the esprit 120 ready to buy just ordered this instead had seen images from it was waiting on a build quilty review luke sold it
Superb mate!! I think you'll really enjoy it 👍👍
@lukomatico hopefully mate ordered 0.8 reducer aswell using asi 533 with it so may not net 1.0 x flaterner
Can't wait to see the data! I want this scope in my collection for sure. The two focal lengths are right in step with my 65PHQ and C8 SCT.
Awesome to hear it mate!! :-)
Hey Luke, super qq. Looks like you had an esprit behind you with the Esatto focuser. Just wondering if that’s the esprit 120 and whether the reducer fits the Esatto?
Hey Rob! - It's the esprit 100 mate, sorry! Hope you're doing well :-)
Hi Luke,
That looks like a fine piece of glass. The focuser is impressive too. I will be looking forward to the actual review. Clear skies (or did you just curse yourself with a week to 10 nights of clouds by getting new equipment?)
Thanks so much for watching Pat!! :-) Clear skies have been in pretty low supply lately, hooo boy... it's been bad! I think I actually may have cursed all of England with stormy weather lately lol!
I added this scope to my list of potential candidates about 10 seconds before you uploaded this video. Very excited to see your final thoughts!
The Narrowband Channel just dropped an unboxing video of this scope. Then I saw yours. I've been contemplating the SVBONY SV550, also a triplet. Same price. No brainer, this has got to be better, or at least as good. Besides this has a 1.0 flattener available. SV550 only has 0.8 reducer. I'll be looking forward to the tests!
Can't wait to share more mate, wish my skies would clear up haha - I think this looks like a real keeper!
It's been an extremely cloudy 2 months. Just lucked out with 2 1/2 "clearish" nights". Past midnight, slim pikins' with my gear. OWL nebula is what I was working on. This scope would do it justice.
I couldn't wait, with the apparently small galaxies being all there is to image for the next few months, a longer scope was in the cards anyway. So I now have this scope on my bench. Received it yesterday. Everything you said is TRUE! What a thing of beuty. The unboxing video doesn't prepare you for actually having it in my hands. It's shockingly bigger than I thought. 1x flatener is on it. I'll be setting it up later.
One thing to mention is that thr rotator on mine doesn't have degree markings.
Can't wait to see first light with an OSC, every test I have seen is with a mono camera. I reckon you will love it.
Should be awesome mate, can't wait!! - I'll be testing with the FF zeus OSC as soon as possible :-)
Askar has such an interesting lineup - Askar V, 103 APO, 120 APO and 140 APO.
Can't wait to see where they go from here really!
Can't wait to see first light...she's a nice scope! I've been eyeing the 103, for the possibility of adding a .6 reducer, but this 120 is awful tempting too. Clear skies!
Thanks mate!! That 103 looks great aye 👍
Clear skies!
Why won't they divulge which type of glass is used in these scopes? I have been hovering over the 140 for weeks now.
Edited as I don't want to make assumptions haha - I don't really know why they don't divulge openly the glass type, but I've owned plenty of refractors now, fpl53 and a few fpl51, and I can say this 120 seems every bit as nice as FPL 53 for me. Certainly nothing like the fpl51 scopes of old which I really didn't like at all!
Hope that helps 👍
@@lukomaticoThank you 👍.
I wonder how it would compare to the cheaper 1399$ Svbony 122mm FPL51 triplet. I would bet my money on the Svbony.
I personally would not bet my money on an FPL51 refractor, I've had a couple and they aren't good in my experience. - this performs as well as my Esprit 120 that I had previously!
@@lukomatico the Askar 120 mm ED triplet also uses FPL51 glass just like the Svbony 122 mm. It's not using FPL53.
@@3dfxvoodoocards6 Askar haven't said what the glass is, so it's all just guess work (unfortunately usually by people without first-hand experience too)
I know it's not using FPL53 as it'd be advertised everywhere, but whatever it actually uses must have a very similar abbe index, it's certainly not fpl51 anyway!
Cheers 👍
@@lukomatico I don't want to contradict you however when they say ED it almost always is FPL51 or similar. When they use FPL53 or similar they always say that since it is higher quality glass and something to brag about. Only when they use FPL51 or similar for APOs they only say ED glass, because they what to hide that its actually lower quality FPL51 or similar.
Im beginning to think these are just same scope as the rest, and people pay for annodised aluminium and bigger thumb screws and the brand logo
Potentially mate! I couldn't say as I have no idea, but it's a great scope either way, haha! :-)
@@lukomatico yeah it looks like a lot of scope for the money. Ty for the video
It would be great if someone did a comparison of the complete Askar range so we know which one to look at. They have so many and it's gets very confusing. Interested as I have the FRA600 and was wondering where it sits in the overall offering from Asker.
Hey Rob! The FRA range is their high spec petzval range, the PHQ are the highest spec quads, the APO range are their triplets range, not natively corrected hence the need for the flattener or reducer 👍
Hope that helps place things a bit more
@@lukomatico Ive got a 400 FRA scope (their cheapest and least quality glass, but acceptable) and also a 107PHQ, their top of the range which is excellent, no field flatteners required. I believe this is in the middle in terms of quality and price. Do check the spot size diagrams for each scope.
Well i hope their QC is on par and the optics perform as expected, and the field flattener and reducer actually work, otherwise it's just a waste of time and money.
I love your unboxing reviews on that ratty couch! Keep it going.
Haha!! :-D Thanks mate, glad you enjoy it! :-)
Great first impressions video Luke. Looking forward to seeing how this performs. If it produces the goods then the likes of Skywatcher might be in real trouble. I love my Esprit 100 but the slipping focuser and floppy dew shield are annoying like you say. I almost hope it doesn't do well as I'm finding myself wanting to buy one now!
Haha!! I'm sorry about that Pete, it's certainly a seriously tempting scope - if it performs like it says it should (which initial very brief test suggest it does) then I'll be keeping this in the obsy, it's too nice to let go!
Clear skies to you my friend!
Good to see prices finally coming down a more reasonable area where they should…pandemic overpricing needs to go 😯
Agreed 1000%! Clear skies mate :-)
I don't think you can beat refractors for ease of use and performance. No collimation & guaranteed no dew problems with a dew heater. Obviously the downside is cost but not with this one!! Build quality looks very impressive given the cost. I think the esprit is something like £1200 more so enough of a saving against that to buy yourself an askar 400 fma and still have some change. Great review Luke as always 👏
collimation is killing me with my old 8 inch SCT...
Hey Paul mate! - Hope you're well :-)
I'm pretty blown away so far, very brief tests inbetween clouds thus far but I'm going to be thinking seriously about selling my newt for the second rig and just sticking with this on there now - collimation can be a pain in the rear as you say!
All the best, mate :-)
Luke
I have the 103 and it's an amazing scope, compares to the Stellarvue I use to own at 1/3 the price and the focuser is one of the best I've used.
That's awesome to hear mate!! So glad you like it 👍👍
Alright mate...just got AM5 for an upgrade in weight...should I go for 103 or 120??
If you want that longer focal length then go the 120 I think! Currently it looks like it's really sharp with the native field flattener :-)
If being a bit wider field is what you're looking for, then the 103 is likely the key!
Good luck my friend, and congratulations on the upgrade! 👍
Wondering if the front lens cell is collimatable. I suspect the metals are a less expensive alloy. I also suspect there will be some color fringing, but we’ll see. I own the ACL200 and I’m impressed with it very much.
Hey Keith! - I haven't checked yet if there's collimation grub bolts in the cell, if I take the dew shield off at some point I'll let you know!
All the best mate :-)
Looks a cracking scope mate I look forward to seeing how it performs, mind you hearing you checking out the tension in the focuser I thought you were going to have a crisis lol.
Clear skies
Thank you mate!! - I think I may have had a minor crisis lmao, at least we know it locks well haha!
How do. Am guessing sky is as crud up there as it is in Oldham. (Not much fun out on the bike neither)
Seen a lot of reviews of the 103 and all suggesting pinched optics. If you actually get a chance to test the 120 will be interested if it has same trait. Clear skies. (Someday)
Hey Steve! Weather has been bloody terrible mate, however I've taken every opportunity I could and now have the review ready - coming today! 👍
Good review matey.
Ive been trying to do this hobby with varied success since 2016. I often havnt got the time to commit to it like id like too. Ive got some ok gear & definitely dont want any thing else but I still totally love your reviews . Your the only astrophotographer I follow on you tube.
Ive been running a small group on Facebook,,single exposure astrophotography ,, since January 2017,,(sort of a birthday present to my self,,lol. ) People are kind enough to post one of the better subs they take now & again,,and honestly they allways blow me away.
Keep at it mate.
You do a great job. 👍
Ah mate thank you so much for that, you've always got a kind word to share and I really appreciate it!! it makes doing this job so much better to know folks are enjoying it!
Clear skies to you my friend, and good luck!
Nice review Luke sounds like you might have just bought yourself another telescope mate
That's always a risk for me wherever something new arrives!! 😂
Cheers for watching matey 👍👍
I’m considering upgrading from my Altair astro ED80. I have to say I’m tempted by this at the price. Though I am still hankering at the more expensive Askar 107 PHQ Flatfield 🤔
Hey Tom! - I'm really impressed by this 120 I have to say, can't wait to show more when the skies clear properly but I think this is a keeper!
All the best mate :-)
@@lukomatico it might be a good pairing using my 533MC with galaxy season upon us. I’m thinking of selling my edgeHD as I don’t find its giving me the framing I want in many cases. The 120 at 840mm would be more flexible in that regard especially with the optional reducer and sensors options. I have the 2600 as well as the 533
Really looking forwards to finding out how good it is as I'm seriously considering either that or the 103. Be interesting to see if the reducer causes any aberrations
Can't wait to show more mate, just need some clear skies!
I love your optimistic use of the word "budget". Remind me never to send you to Asda.
Asda is a bit up-market for me, I think a pint of milk and a packet of crisps is about £1500 at Aldi or Lidl these days 😂
As soon as you pulled the scope out of the foam I new you would want to hang on to it. So would I. Good review Luke. Thanks.
Haha!! you read me like a book :-D Clear skies mate!
Another great video Luke 👍
I can’t wait for your first light with this one i wonder what the target will be!
Hey dude! - Thanks so much, can't wait to really test this thing out as soon as these skies clear haha :-D Hope you're well!
Now that is a fine looking refractor at a very attractive price! And 2 finder scope bases too! Looking forward to seeing the results of first light with those optics! I have an Orion Eon doublet for just under that price point. Even though it is a doublet, it still gives my good stars. A bonus is that it has twist-lock (rotor-lock) connectors for adding in my diagonal or imaging train. Very handy in cold weather. I don’t have to fumble with the locking screws! Great video my friend. Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦
Thank you so much my friend, as always!! :-D Hoping you're having plenty of clear skies out there in Manitoba, Dr. B!
@@lukomatico still waiting for a clear night. Cloudy since Dec 15. Usually we get a lot of clear skies in the winter. It has been a strange one! Hopefully soon!
Thanks😉🙏🔭, Does the hard case fit in a check in suitcase for air travel ? What’s the measurement on the case?
Sorry about the late reply to this!
I think it'll be too long for overhead luggage but would likely fit in a main case for check in as you mention 👍
It's 31.5" long
Thanks, I have a astrotrip to Namibia in Mai/June so maybe I’ll go for the Askar 120 apo instead off my SW Esprit 100ed ✨🔭🙏🙏
Hi Luke nice video i can't wait to see the results from your test
Hopefully won't be long to wait mate, wish we'd have some clear skies!!
I want one!
Me too, haha! - I think I'll have to buy this one lol
Waiting on your review. 👍
I'll bring it out asap :-) Cheers mate!! I think you'll be very happy with it!
God it's so small!! I love it.
Me too mate haha, nice scope!!
Hi Luke, any first light images with this yet?
Hopefully a video coming soon mate, just need some more clear skies really! (And to get over the flu I have 😅)
@lukomatico cheers matey. And don't we all. Four clear nights in three months here in Finland. Crushing lol 😆
How many baffles does the tube have?
Three main ring baffles, one further constriction near the objective and finally the drawtube ingress would have a baffle effect - so depending on definition, 3 or 5 :-)
@@lukomatico Thanks!
Thanx ❤
Thanks for watching mate!! 👍
What a beauty!
It's a rather nice scope!! Thanks for watching mate 👍
It appears that spent a lot of investment on the glass but not as much into the focuser I am skeptical off the focuser. I will try to keep an open mind about this. Another thought I think this is a cheaper knock off of the William Optics line of scopes.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this Paul mate! I really like the focuser on this so far, I guess it's hard to convey how something feels with a video like this 👍
Clear skies mate!
Hi Luke, I have just bought a 115 f7 scope from another manufacturer following various positive reviews, and to be fair the limited test exposures I have been able to take so far indicate that it will be a good scope. Had I seen your review a few weeks ago though, I may well have gone with the Askar instead as there was only around £100 difference in price. The point is, there are a lot of decent scopes available at the moment at relatively reasonable prices, vary few scopes get bad reviews these days so it seems that choice may come down to visual appearance and personal choice alone. Without comparison with similar scopes it is becoming difficult to decide which scope to buy especially as some scopes are marketed under a number of brand names. Look forward to seeing your first light post. By the way, some of the cheaper apos have objective elements made from the older flp 51 glass, what glass does the Askar use?
All great points mate!! Sorry I can't really address everything 🙏
Re: glass, I can't be totally sure but I'd bet money on it being fk67 👍 it's very good