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About this product
Model: askar_fra300
Part Number: FRA300
Optical Bench Test
At FLO, we check all our Askar telescopes on an optical bench before dispatch.
So you can be confident your telescope will have well-figured optics, negligible false colour and spherical aberration, and no astigmatism (the bane of any optical system!). Star shapes will be round, not triangular, oval or egg-shaped!
This new Askar FRA300 60mm f/5 telescope is the smallest Astrograph in the Askar FRA series and has the fastest native focal ratio.
Features a flat-field, fully multi-coated quintuplet (five lenses) optical system with an air-spaced objective lens and one ED glass element. You need only to ensure the camera is within the telescope focus range. Fine-tuning of back focus spacing is not necessary.
The FRA300 delivers sharp star images with an RMS Radius of 2um in the centre of the field and has a 44mm imaging circle, so it covers sensor sizes up to full-frame.
The rear lens group has two lenses with a wide separation, which improves star quality and aberration correction. It also has very good control of full-frame peripheral light reduction.
The f/5 focal ratio (300mm focal length) enables short exposure times and provides a wide field of view.
Its compact, portable size makes it an excellent choice for use with smaller (more affordable) astronomy mounts.
Mechanically, the FRA300 Pro is assembled with high-quality CNC-machined components and finished with a smooth spray coating and light oxidation process, which is beautiful and practical.
The FRA300 includes a sturdy 2.5"rack-and-pinion focuser with coarse and fine focus adjustment for highly accurate focusing. It is also equipped with a universal M48X0.75 thread adapter.
There are also two separate M54X0.75 and M48X0.75 adapters in the standard kit for easy access to imaging equipment and accessories.
The focuser is also equipped with a 360° rotator, which enables users to rotate it to any angle when shooting.
In addition, the FRA300 Pro also comes complete with a multi-function handle and a 300mm vixen-style dovetail plate, which can be directly connected to various mounts and accessories. The multi-functional handle can also be connected to the universal vixen-style finder base. The long 300mm makes it easier to balance the telescope on the mount.
Specifications
Aperture size: 60mm
Focal length: 300mm
Focal ratio: F/5
Objective lens: Quintuplet fully air-spaced Petzval APO (including one ED glass)
Image circle: 44mm full-frame
Total Length: 303mm
Gross weight: 3.12kg
Net Weight: 2.26 kg
Rear End Thread: M48x0.75 Male
Maximum accessory connection (with the focuser fully retracted) in imaging mode:
- 71mm (from the base of M42×0.75 male thread)
- 67mm (from the base of M48×0.75 male thread)
- 71mm (from the base of M54×0.75 male thread
What's in the box
- Tube Holder
- Carry Handle,
- Askar 300mm Vixen dovetail plate,
- M42*0.75 and M54*.75 adapters
- Manual
Customer reviews
| Average Rating (2 Reviews): | |
20 November 2023 | Richard
I'm not really one for leaving reviews, but on this occasion, an exception must be made. This is a top-quality scope, really nicely made and worthy of the "pro" label (although this is really down to the quick F5.0 optics). Its a heavy scope for its size, and everything about it feels solid, nicely machined and very well put together. The paint job is lovely, not like a finish I have seen before. I also own an Edge 9.25 and an Esprit 100ED, but this is already by far my favourite scope. I've built this into a "ready-to-go" setup, with the easy addition of a ZWO EAF and ZWO OAG, it pairs nicely with the 2600MC Pro and 290mm Mini (OAG). Ignore any potential oversampling concerns; they are there, but only at 4:1 ratio and can be smoothed out by good dithering and post-processing anyway. I have all this riding on top of the Eagle 5S on an iOptron GEM 45. Its a lovely (red!) outfit 
Would I recommend this scope? 100% yes - images are super-sharp, right to the edges, and it is an absolute breeze to use for nice widefield images. Now go and buy one! You won't regret it (you'll probably go and explore the RedCat 61 first I expect, but once you realise the price difference and pretty much zero benefit from it vs this scope, I guarantee you'll be back for this one 
)
26 February 2023 | Robert
This is a great short focal length refractor aimed at astrophotographers. Has a completely flat field so no correctors needed. You may need a short adapter tube to get focus. Also looks great. Just had one chance to use it so far but managed to get both the Orion Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula in the same field of view with an APS-C sensor. Took one star off the rating as I needed to get a separate M48 to M42 converter - I use an OSC camera and could only fit the 2" filter in the M48 adapter plate which comes with the telescope. Is fitted with guide scope rail and extra attachment for fitting an ASI Air Pro or similar.
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