Does the Askar 71F need a field flattener?

No. The flat field is part of the four-element design, and Askar rates the image circle at 44 mm, which covers a full-frame sensor. My captures here were taken with no separate flattener.

What is the real focal length of the Askar 71F?

Askar quotes 490 mm at f/6.9. Solving my Pleiades frame gives 1.59 arcseconds per pixel on the ASI2600MC Pro's 3.76 micron pixels, which works out at 489 mm.

Is there a reducer for the Askar 71F?

Yes. Askar makes a 0.75x reducer for the 71F, which takes it to about 367 mm at f/5.2. First Light Optics lists it at £189.

What mount do I need for the Askar 71F?

With its rings and dovetail it weighs 3.0 kg, so a camera and a guide scope still leave it a light load for a small equatorial or strain-wave mount. I imaged on a ZWO AM5.

Is the Askar 71F good for beginners?

For a beginner in astrophotography, yes: at $599 it is one of the best choices you can make. You still need a camera and a tracking mount, and a beginner who only wants to look is better served by a Dobsonian.

How does the 71F compare with the Askar 60F and 91F?

All three are self-flattening quadruplets with a 44 mm image circle. The 60F is 60 mm at 408 mm, the 91F is 91 mm at 609 mm, and the 71F sits between them at 71 mm and 490 mm.

Can I use the Askar 71F visually?

Yes. Askar designed it for visual observing as well as imaging; add a 2 inch diagonal and eyepieces.

What have I not tested on the 71F?

I did not test the 71F with a full-frame camera, with its 0.75x reducer, on the planets or for visual observing.

Askar 71F review: a $599 flat-field quadruplet refractor

Where does it rank on our leaderboard

Nine of the 42 telescopes on my board, against price
Rank	Telescope	Stars for Your Buck	Recorded UK price
1	Askar 50P	95 out of 100	£299
2	ToupTek Hope D60	93 out of 100	£749
11	Askar SQA130	82 out of 100	£4,695
14	Askar 71F	81 out of 100	£599
17	Askar 80ED	77 out of 100	£379
29	William Optics RedCat 51	69 out of 100	£849
36	Nakoh 60GT	52 out of 100	£899
41	Celestron 114 LCM	42 out of 100	£361
42	Celestron AstroMaster LT 76	13 out of 100	£200

Contents

01 Where does it rank on our leaderboard
02 Specifications and features
03 In the hand
04 How good is it? Here's what I captured
05 The rig on the mount
06 What is it for
07 Watch the review
08 Tested numbers
09 Should you buy it?
10 Questions and more about this review

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 81/100

Reviewed 23 Oct 2024 Updated 23 Sep 2026

Rank: #14 of 42 telescopes
Verdict: Damon recommends

Written by Damon Scotting 5 min read

Buy it if

You want your first dedicated imaging telescope, with the flattener already built in.
You image large nebulae and star clusters and want a field of about 2.7 x 1.8 degrees on an APS-C camera.
Your tracking mount can carry about 3 kg of telescope plus a camera for 60-second subs.

Skip it if

You want to look through a telescope tonight: this is a bare tube with no mount, diagonal or eyepieces.
You want small galaxies and the planets large in the frame: 490 mm is a wide-field focal length.
You already own a 60 to 80 mm flat-field refractor such as the Askar 60F.

A telescope that can do pretty much everything: this quadruplet flat-field refractor is insanely capable at such a low price.

Specifications and features

Against the telescopes I have reviewed

Compare with

Askar 71F reviewed #14 of 42	Askar 60F #8 of 42	Askar 91F #6 of 42	ToupTek Hope D60 #2 of 42	Askar 80ED #17 of 42
Recorded UK price	£599	£498	£995	£749	£379
Stars for Your Buck	81/100	87/100	89/100	93/100	77/100
Aperture	71 mm	60 mm	91 mm	60 mm	80 mm
Focal length	490 mm	408 mm	609 mm	280 mm	560 mm
Focal ratio	f/6.9	f/6.8	f/6.7	f/4.66	f/7
Optical design	Quadruplet air-spaced APO with one ED element, self-flattened	Quadruplet air-spaced APO with one ED element, self-flattened	Quadruplet air-spaced APO with one ED element, self-flattened	Five-element flat-field apochromat with SD glass, flattener built in	Doublet, one ED element
Image circle	44 mm (full frame)	44 mm	44 mm	44 mm	APS-C with the optional flattener or reducers
Back focus	32.5 to 82.5 mm from the M48x0.75 thread base (50.5 to 100.5 mm from the M54x0.75)	31 to 81 mm from the M48x0.75 thread base	45 to 75 mm from the M48x0.75 thread base	55 mm recommended	55 mm with the optional flattener or reducers
Focuser	2.4 inch dual-speed rack and pinion, 1:10 fine focus, 50 mm travel, 360 degree scaled rotator	2.4 inch dual-speed rack and pinion, 1:10 fine focus, 50 mm travel, 360 degree scaled rotator	3 inch dual-speed rack and pinion, 1:10 fine focus, 30 mm travel, 360 degree scaled rotator	3 inch dual-speed rack and pinion, 30 mm travel, 360 degree rotator	2 inch dual-speed rack and pinion, 70 mm travel
Weight, tube	2.5 kg tube; 3.0 kg with rings and dovetail	2.36 kg tube; 2.86 kg with rings and dovetail	3.92 kg tube; 4.52 kg with rings and dovetail	About 3.5 kg as supplied, not a bare-tube figure	1.7 kg; 2 kg with ring and dovetail
Length, tube	372.5 mm dew shield retracted with the 1.25 inch adapter; 473.4 mm extended with the photographic adapter	289 mm dew shield retracted with the 1.25 inch adapter; 369 mm extended with the photographic adapter	513 mm dew shield retracted with the 1.25 inch adapter; 636 mm extended with the photographic adapter	255 mm dew shield retracted	404 mm; 505 mm dew shield extended
Dew shield	Retractable	Retractable	Retractable	Retractable, magnetic	Retractable, reversible
In the box	Tube, pair of tube rings, handle, 230 mm Vixen dovetail plate, photographic adapters	Tube, pair of tube rings, handle, 230 mm Vixen dovetail plate, photographic adapters	Tube, pair of tube rings, handle, 230 mm Vixen dovetail plate, photographic adapters	Tube ring, dovetail plate, handle, M48 adapter, tilt adjuster, lens cap	Tube rings with carry handle, Vixen-style dovetail plate, 2 inch rear adapter, manual

In the hand

Six photographs

With a guide scope, on the ZWO AM5

Flat-Field lettering

With an ASIAIR on the tube rings

The focuser and camera end

On the ZWO AM5 at night

Setting up at night

How good is it? Here's what I captured

Four targets

NGC 7000 North America Nebula, ASI2600MC Pro

Integration: 1 h 1 min (61 x 60 s)
Field: 2.72 x 1.81 degrees
Telescope: Askar 71F
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM5
Target: NGC 7000 North America Nebula
Type: Emission nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

IC 1805 Heart Nebula, ASI2600MC Pro

Integration: 1 h (60 x 60 s)
Field: 2.7 x 1.8 degrees
Telescope: Askar 71F
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM5
Target: IC 1805 Heart Nebula
Type: Emission nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

M31 Andromeda Galaxy, ASI2600MC Pro

Integration: 4 h 12 min (252 x 60 s)
Field: 2.7 x 1.8 degrees
Telescope: Askar 71F
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM5
Target: M31 Andromeda Galaxy
Type: Spiral galaxy
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

M45 Pleiades, ASI2600MC Pro

Integration: 3 h 58 min (238 x 60 s)
Field: 2.66 x 1.68 degrees
Telescope: Askar 71F
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM5
Target: M45 Pleiades
Type: Open cluster with reflection nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

The rig on the mount

On the JUWEI-17, then on six other mounts

What is it for

Four things it is for

The flattener is built in

People often buy an extra attachment to get a flatter image, and it can cost quite a bit. With some telescopes the stars towards the edge of the image take on a weird shape and the colour starts to drift; the 71F has the flat field built in.

Room for a computer and a guide scope

Despite its small size, there is plenty of space to add accessories such as a computer and a guide scope.

Sixty seconds is enough

I could put a guide scope in one of the dovetail brackets and take 5 or 10 minute exposures, but I kept every image to 60 seconds, because anyone with a tracking mount can manage that, so the mount is no longer the deciding factor.

No filters, no guiding

My North America Nebula used no filters and no autoguiding, and yet it is beautiful.

Watch the review

Why this is my NEW FAVOURITE TELESCOPE?! Askar 71F · published 23 October 2024 · 6:29 · Watch on YouTube · 48,849 views, 1,636 likes on 2 Oct 2026

Jump to

0:54 Specifications: 71 mm, quadruplet, flat field
1:37 From the ASI183MC to the ASI2600MC
2:07 Andromeda and the Pleiades
2:43 Raw stack against the final image
3:07 The North America Nebula
4:02 The Heart Nebula
4:20 Mars and faint nebulae
5:08 60-second exposures on any mount

Transcript of the review video 1,200 words · 9 chapters · searchable

Press a time stamp to play from there.

0:00 A $599 quadruplet

0:02 at least 2,000 times a day I get asked the question what telescope should I buy and if you know anything about telescopes literally anything then 0:07 you'll understand why that is such a difficult question to answer because there are such a diverse selection of different telescopes not meant for different things we have telescopes that 0:14 are designed specifically for looking at the planets we have telescopes that are designed for looking at Star clusters nebula galaxies your neighbours no too 0:22 far but in today's video I think I found the answer to all our prayers a telescope that can do pretty much everything and capture images as amazing 0:29 as this but here's the really truly insane part this quadruplet flat field refractor telescope is only $599 so let's find out more about it and 0:41 look at some of the incredible images I have captured using it I'm Damon Scotting and this is astronomical so specifications this is a 71 mm quadruplet refractor telescope

0:54 Specifications: 71 mm, quadruplet, flat field

0:59 with a flat field what that means is the telescope has essentially a 3 inch diameter aperture so it lets in a decent amount of light the quadruplet part in its name 1:09 relates to the number of lens elements inside the telescope the flat field aspect is very important because people will often buy additional attachments for telescopes that will produce a 1:18 flatter image and it can cost quite a bit extra to add onto your telescope with certain telescopes when you get towards the edge of your image you'll 1:24 start to see stars have a bit of a weird shape and perhaps even the colour of your image will start to deviate slightly so 1:30 already we have two very important Buzz words that make this telescope very appealing quadruplet refractor telescope and flat field now when I initially did

1:37 From the ASI183MC to the ASI2600MC

1:39 this review I put the ASI183MC camera onto this telescope 1:49 I did take some very nice images with it but then the other night I decided why don't I really push this telescope to its 1:57 limits because what's the point of making a review video talking about telescope if you're not going to showcase the best of what the telescope 2:03 can see but the whole point of this is I've pushed it to its absolute limits and the first two Targets I imaged when using the ASI2600MC camera on this

2:07 Andromeda and the Pleiades

2:12 telescope were the Andromeda Galaxy and the Pleiades now I think the image of the Andromeda Galaxy is quite nice especially for the fact it was captured 2:19 with a $599 telescope but the one I've managed to produce of the Pleiades is one that was beyond my wildest expectations as to what could be captured from my 2:28 garden this is a Bortle 6 location which means there's a lot of light pollution and therefore it's very hard to bring out lots of fainter details 2:35 present in deep Sky objects like the Seven Sisters but I think you can agree that it's done a really good job here like a very impressive job I also want 2:43 to mention that the raw images are very different to the final image that I show you so this is the raw stacked image produced of the Andromeda Galaxy and

2:43 Raw stack against the final image

2:51 then this is my final image the fact I've taken these level of images with a telescope that cost less than $1,000 and for exposures from a Bortle 6 garden 3:00 that were less than 4 hours in total exposure I mean I just feel that's really impressive yeah right so I provided you with the appetiser now for the

3:07 The North America Nebula

3:08 main course because the next image that I captured was of the North America Nebula it's not really one that I've imaged much before in the past but I'm 3:17 very comfortable in saying that I think this image that I captured of the North America Nebula with the Askar 71F telescope is one of the best images I've 3:25 ever captured in my entire life but yeah I'm just blown away by the fact that this managed to capture that and if you weren't quite impressed by that I

4:02 The Heart Nebula

4:02 also imaged the Heart Nebula which I've actually managed to frame very nicely with the telescope and the camera I really like this image of the 4:10 Heart Nebula again it's picked out a lot of detail and there's a decent variety of colours and then the last one I've probably saved my least favourite image 4:17 to the very end but it's because it was getting very late in the night and I pointed it towards Mars and the only reason I put this telescope up against

4:20 Mars and faint nebulae

4:24 Mars was not to observe it it was actually because I could see on my sky Atlas that the planet Mars was passing near near by some nebulae which were 4:32 really really faint but I figured I'd give it a shot and just see what it could pick up and again it's done an amazing job I will be the first one to 4:39 say that I do think I've oversharpened this image ever so slightly but you can critique my editing of these images all you wish and if you think you can do 4:47 better yourself then why not purchase one of these telescopes by clicking on one of the links in the description below it's good it's it's really good 4:55 this telescope is very new to the market which I'm going to say is the reason as to why I haven't seen many videos on it 5:01 but I expect we're about to see an explosion in review videos of the Askar 71F because it is insanely capable at such a low price one last thing I want

5:08 60-second exposures on any mount

5:09 to mention real quick is that the images captured were 60-second exposures and I'm going to try and do this in future videos as well because I'm using an 5:18 AM5 tracking mount and I know that's the kind of thing that people are going to go after me for and say oh yeah the 5:22 telescope's great blah blah blah but it's only capturing these images because you're using such a powerful expensive telescope Mount well I think even with 5:29 the Sky-Watcher star tracker that I have you'd be able to capture 60-second exposures so you could very easily make the case if I put a guide scope in one 5:37 of the dovetail brackets on here I could be taking 10 minute 5 minute long exposures that are really good but instead I've kept it down to 60 seconds 5:45 because I think anyone with a tracking telescope Mount will be able to achieve exposure length that long using this telescope and I'm going to try and do 5:52 that in all future videos going forward so the mount is no longer an important factor towards considering what the telescope camera accessory is capable of 6:01 achieving because every Mount should be able to achieve 60 seconds all right thanks for watching the link to this telescope is in the description and the 6:08 comments down below so make sure to click on it to find out more and maybe even purchase one for yourself thanks for watching I'm Damon Scotting and this 6:16 was astronomical

Check out more videos on the Askar 71F

What Telescope should you BUY in 2025?

20 Dec 2024

WAS this the BEST week of STARGAZING EVER?!

29 Oct 2024

I tried out the SUPER POWERFUL ToupTek ATR2600C! (Who are ToupTek??)

20 Nov 2024

Tested numbers

-10 C sensor temperature during imaging

489 mm focal length, plate solved Askar states 490 mm

2.72 x 1.81° field of view

26 MP camera

Should you buy it?

81/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

The flattener is built in: a 71 mm quadruplet with a flat field, so there is nothing extra to buy to keep the stars in shape.
“I think this image that I captured of the North America Nebula with the Askar 71F telescope is one of the best images I've ever captured in my entire life.”
Under heavy light pollution, less than four hours of 60-second subs gave these images, and I just feel that is really impressive.
The dual-speed focuser, with its 1:10 fine adjustment, lets me pinpoint the stars.
“It is incredibly lightweight: the tube weighs just 2.5 kg, and 3.0 kg with its rings and dovetail.”
It delivers its stated focal length: my plate solves put it at 489 mm against the 490 mm Askar quotes.

Cons

At 71 mm of aperture it is quite a small telescope, so it collects less light than the 80 to 91 mm refractors around it.
At f/6.9 some find it slow; Askar's 0.75x reducer takes it to about f/5.2, as an extra purchase.
At 490 mm small galaxies, planetary nebulae and the planets come out small in the frame.
There is no case in the box: you get the tube, the rings, a handle, a 230 mm Vixen dovetail and the photographic adapters.

I'm overwhelmingly impressed by the Askar 71F: a quadruplet flat-field refractor telescope for $599 is absolutely unheard of.

Who the 71F is for

First dedicated imaging telescope

Buy

A camera and a tracking mount are all it needs to start imaging, with no flattener to add.

Wide-field nebula imager

Buy

A 2.7 x 1.8 degree field on an APS-C camera frames the North America Nebula, the Heart Nebula and the Pleiades whole.

Light-polluted backyard imager

Buy

Under heavy light pollution it still pulled the North America Nebula and the Heart Nebula out of 60-second subs.

Complete beginner who wants to look

Skip

The 71F is sold without a mount, a diagonal or eyepieces; for looking through, a Dobsonian is the better buy.

Owner of an Askar 60F

Skip

Keep it: the 71F is the same self-flattening quadruplet design with 11 mm more aperture. Spend the money on the camera or the mount.

Imager who wants f/5 or faster

Skip

At f/6.9 the 71F is not a fast astrograph. My recommendation is the ToupTek Hope D60 at f/4.66.

Three alternatives I have reviewed

Questions and more about this review

Reviewed by

Damon Scotting

The Telescope Man Verified

BSc (Hons) Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology, Loughborough University PGCE / QTS, University of Nottingham

About Damon About Damon Damon Scotting is The Telescope Man. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology from Loughborough University and a PGCE with QTS from the University of Nottingham, and taught physics in secondary schools before becoming an astronomy creator. He is a contributing writer for BBC Sky at Night Magazine and the author of 42 Wonders of Our Night Sky, and his photograph of the galaxy M100 with the dwarf planet Ceres was Highly Commended in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 competition run by Royal Observatory Greenwich. He has appeared on the BBC's Blue Peter. More than 750,000 people follow his astronomy channels on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, and he has reviewed more than 140 telescopes, mounts, cameras, filters and accessories hands-on for this site. More about Damon · How I test · Damon's book

I review all kinds of gear: most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way. How this site is funded

Eight questions, answered

Questions about the Askar 71F

Reviewed 23 October 2024 ·Updated 23 September 2026

I review all kinds of gear. Most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way: no company sees or approves a review before it is published. Shop links marked Ad are affiliate links: I earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. How this site is funded

Does the Askar 71F need a field flattener? No. The flat field is part of the four-element design, and Askar rates the image circle at 44 mm, which covers a full-frame sensor. My captures here were taken with no separate flattener. What I captured ↓
What is the real focal length of the Askar 71F? Askar quotes 490 mm at f/6.9. Solving my Pleiades frame gives 1.59 arcseconds per pixel on the ASI2600MC Pro's 3.76 micron pixels, which works out at 489 mm. Tested numbers ↓
Is there a reducer for the Askar 71F? Yes. Askar makes a 0.75x reducer for the 71F, which takes it to about 367 mm at f/5.2. First Light Optics lists it at £189. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
What mount do I need for the Askar 71F? With its rings and dovetail it weighs 3.0 kg, so a camera and a guide scope still leave it a light load for a small equatorial or strain-wave mount. I imaged on a ZWO AM5. What I captured ↓
Is the Askar 71F good for beginners? For a beginner in astrophotography, yes: at $599 it is one of the best choices you can make. You still need a camera and a tracking mount, and a beginner who only wants to look is better served by a Dobsonian. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
How does the 71F compare with the Askar 60F and 91F? All three are self-flattening quadruplets with a 44 mm image circle. The 60F is 60 mm at 408 mm, the 91F is 91 mm at 609 mm, and the 71F sits between them at 71 mm and 490 mm.
Can I use the Askar 71F visually? Yes. Askar designed it for visual observing as well as imaging; add a 2 inch diagonal and eyepieces. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
What have I not tested on the 71F? I did not test the 71F with a full-frame camera, with its 0.75x reducer, on the planets or for visual observing.