Best small & fast imaging lenses and telescopes for beginners
Disclaimer: This is not sponsored content
A few years ago the astrophotography advice mantra was “get yourself an HEQ5 Pro and a skywatcher ED80”! This meant a very steep learning curve using a heavy mount, long subs for a slow focal ratio, and a never-ending, fine-tuning guiding challenge. Nowadays beginners may choose a tracker and fast imaging systems that make their experience with the hobby so much better, before they bite the bullet trying bigger focal lengths. In this list, you can find five small and fast telescopes and lenses to use with star trackers and mounts for wide-field astrophotography, with a price tag of under 1000 euros.
Askar FMA180 f/4.5 Astrograph with reducer ~(449,00€)
This weird-looking lens is the smallest apo you can find optimized for astrophotography! The overall tube length is 145mm and weighs 395g almost like a small guider. It comes with a dedicated focal reducer that transforms the air-spaced 40mm apochromatic f/5.5 triplet 220mm to an f/4.5 180mm sextuplet astrograph that promises flat fields and sharp color-corrected images even with a full-frame DSLR.
Pros
Small and lightweight
Fast f4,5 focal ratio
Can be used as a guider/finder
Full frame reducer
Arca Swiss plate
Cons
ED glass is not FPL-53
Some blue fringing has been reported
Not very good without a reducer
Verdict: A great little lens dedicated to widefield imaging with a price tag that can not make you feel bad.
2. Askar ACL 200mm f/4 APO Camera Lens ~(839€)
The first camera lens specifically designed for astronomical imaging is here! Sharpstar seems to recognize the gaps in the industry very well and offers products that meet our expectations. The apochromatic lens comes with six elements in three groups including two ED elements to control chromatic aberrations up to a full-frame camera. The ACL200 has also a built-in filter adapter, two rings for precise focusing, and last but not least a collar that allows 360° rotation for optimal framing. What more could you wish for?
Pros
Fast f4 focal ratio
filter adapter for 48mm
adjustable focal ratio from f/4 to f/22
can be used for landscape photography
Arca-Swiss style connection plate
Precise focusing
Fixed 55mm working distance
Cons
Price may feel a little bit salty
Verdict: The first lens that seems to outperform traditional telephoto and zoom lenses costing far more. I have already ordered this lens so a special review will follow soon.
3. Samyang 135mm f2 ED UMC ~(540€)
I would be forever doomed in cloudland if I didn't mention this lens. A proven performance wide open that every widefield astrophotographer has tried once in his career. If you find a good sample of this lens you can use it wide open and capture a huge amount of light while keeping iso lower than you are used to. Even if you have to stop down a little you will not find such an affordable full-frame performer in this price range.
Pros
F2 is really fast
Well built
Huge field of view
Low chromatic aberration
Cons
Hard to focus at f2
Not weather-sealed
Hard to find good sample
Verdict: A budget fast and furious widefield lens, for beginners and experienced alike. A special review will follow soon.
4. RedCat 51 APO 250mm f/4.9 ~(910€)
The famous Redcat still sells like hotcakes. A perfect balance between performance and compactness this apo refractor with Petzval design and fpl53 optics offers a color corrected image field that supports full-frame sensors. Redcat comes with special features like a bahtinov mask, a helical focuser, a field rotator, and a slot for 48mm filters!
Pros
Sharp, very sharp
Colourful flat field
No need for extra reducer & spacers
bahtinov mask is really useful
helical focuser offers great focus precision
high quality built & finish
Cons
Some tilt may occur
Hard to find on stock
Verdict: William Optics changed the game with this little scope offering great value that's why is always out of stock.
5. Sharpstar 61EDPH-iii F/5.5 triplet ED APO ~(799€ with 0.8X reducer)
Sharpstar rocked our dark nights with this little telescope. It was so successful that a new version was introduced really quick and somehow rebranded from OPT as Radian raptor 61 f/4.5 apo (social media wars still going on). The dedicated o,8x focal reducer makes the 335mm f/5.5 scope down to the very fast focal ratio of f/4.5 and an effective focal length of 275mm. The compact design is enchanted by the tube rings carrying handle and a finder scope bracket.
Pros
Aperture is King
2.5" Dual Speed Rack & Pinion Focuser
Full frame imaging cycle
visual observing doable
extended back focus to attach filter wheel, Off Axis Guider etc.
Cons
User reviews found some chromatic aberration.
Verdict: Full of useful features and a bit faster than the competition in the same focal length, 61 EDPHii offers an OTA for beginners to grow with.
6. FRA 300mm f5 PRO ~(1,171€)
Askar strikes back with a Quintuplet fully air-spaced Petzval APO designed for astrophotography. It features a 61mm aperture with a 300mm focal length and a ratio of f/5, which makes it a fast telescope that is capable of capturing detailed views of deep-sky objects. The telescope also comes with a number of features that are designed to enhance its performance, including a retractable dew shield, a precision focuser, and a rotatable camera adapter that makes it easier to frame and capture images of celestial objects.
Pros
44mm image circle for full frame
No separate flattened needed
Comes full with dovetail plate, saddle handlebar, tube ring, and M42, M48, and M54 camera adapters
2.5"rack-and-pinion focuser
360° rotator
Cons
Some lateral chromatic aberration reported by a very small number of users.
