Telescope Comparison
Askar 103APO vs Askar 80PHQ
The price gap is real. The question is whether the extra capability is worth it at your stage.
First light
Askar · 103mm · £1,199
The custom-rig optical tube
- 103mm refractor — optical tube only, no mount included
- 700mm focal length at f/6.8
- Requires a compatible mount before you can observe anything
- Best for: observers who already own a suitable mount or are building a specific imaging rig
- Not a complete purchase — budget at least £100–300 extra for a mount before observing
Askar · 80mm · £799
The custom-rig optical tube
- 80mm refractor — optical tube only, no mount included
- 448mm focal length at f/5.6
- Requires a compatible mount before you can observe anything
- Best for: observers who already own a suitable mount or are building a specific imaging rig
- Not a complete purchase — budget at least £100–300 extra for a mount before observing
The full picture
The numbers that separate these two scopes — and what they mean at the eyepiece.
Aperture
Askar 103APO gathers 1.7× more light. On bright targets — Moon, Saturn, Jupiter — you won't notice. On fainter targets — dim galaxies, faint globular clusters — the gap is real.
Focal length
Askar 103APO's longer focal length reaches higher magnification with the same eyepiece — better reach for planetary detail. Askar 80PHQ's shorter focal length gives a wider true field — better for large open clusters and extended nebulae.
Focal ratio
Askar 80PHQ's faster f/5.6 delivers wider fields with any eyepiece — better for open clusters and large nebulae. Askar 103APO's f/6.8 provides more magnification per eyepiece — better for fine planetary detail.
Mount type
Neither scope includes a mount — both require a separate purchase before you can observe.
Weight (OTA)
Askar 80PHQ's optical tube is 1.0kg lighter. Relevant if you plan to use it on multiple mounts or carry the tube to dark-sky sites separately.
Optical design
Both are refractors — no mirrors to collimate, good contrast, colour-free stars with ED or APO glass. The differences between them are in aperture, focal ratio, and glass quality.
At the eyepiece
| Target | Askar 103APO | Askar 80PHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Planets | ||
| Moon | Excellent 103mm aperture delivers sharp crater detail and clean terminator views; the ED triplet produces essentially no chromatic fringing on the bright limb | Excellent 80mm aperture delivers sharp lunar detail; short focal length limits magnification but crater fields and terminator are crisp |
| Saturn | Good Rings clearly defined, Cassini Division visible in steady seeing; 700mm focal length supports useful magnification but aperture limits fine banding detail | Good Rings clearly visible at modest magnification; 448mm focal length limits high-power planetary detail |
| Jupiter | Good Two main equatorial belts and GRS visible; 103mm resolves some secondary belts in good seeing but can't match larger apertures for fine atmospheric detail | Good Main cloud belts and Galilean moons visible, but the short focal length constrains useful magnification |
| Mars | Moderate Small disc visible with polar cap detectable near opposition; 103mm and 700mm focal length limit the detail available on this demanding target | Challenging Small disc visible at opposition; 80mm aperture and 448mm focal length insufficient to resolve surface features reliably |
Deep sky | ||
| Orion Nebula (M42) | Excellent 103mm gathers plenty of light and 700mm focal length frames the full nebula complex well; Trapezium resolved and nebulosity extends visually | Excellent Bright target framed beautifully by the wide field; f/5.6 speed and sub-600mm focal length show full nebula extent |
| Andromeda Galaxy (M31) | Excellent 700mm focal length keeps the full extent of M31 in the field; 103mm aperture shows the bright core and hints of dust lanes | Excellent 448mm focal length captures the full extent of M31 including outer halo; 80mm aperture adequate for the bright core and dust lanes |
| Open clusters | Excellent 700mm focal length and wide true field frame showpiece clusters like the Double Cluster and Pleiades beautifully | Excellent Wide field at 448mm frames large clusters like the Double Cluster, Pleiades, and Hyades superbly |
| Globular clusters | Moderate 103mm shows a granular, textured ball but cannot resolve individual stars in the core; M13 and M3 appear mottled at best | Moderate 80mm aperture shows bright globulars like M13 as granular but unresolved fuzzy patches |
| Faint galaxies | Moderate 103mm aperture detects brighter Messier galaxies as smudges but struggles with fainter NGC targets visually | Moderate 80mm aperture detects brighter Messier galaxies as smudges; insufficient light grasp for dim NGC targets visually |
| Milky Way / wide field | Good 700mm is slightly long for sweeping starfield views but still delivers rich fields; a reducer brings it closer to wide-field territory | Excellent 448mm focal length at f/5.6 — ideal for sweeping rich star fields and Milky Way structure |
Other | ||
| Double stars | Good 103mm resolves doubles to about 1.1 arcsecond; f/6.8 is not ideal for high-magnification splitting but the clean optics help | Good 80mm resolves wider doubles cleanly; the fast f/5.6 focal ratio is less ideal than a long-FL refractor for tight pairs |
| Astrophotography (deep sky) | Not recommended No mount or tracking included; with a suitable equatorial mount this scope would rate Excellent — f/6.8, 103mm aperture, and ED triplet design are ideal for deep-sky imaging | Not recommended OTA only with no mount — requires a separate equatorial or GoTo mount for any deep-sky imaging; on a suitable mount this would rate Excellent |
| Astrophotography (planetary) | Moderate 103mm aperture captures reasonable planetary detail with a high-speed camera, but aperture and focal length limit resolution compared to larger scopes | Challenging 80mm aperture and 448mm focal length undersized for planetary imaging; a Barlow helps but cannot overcome the aperture limit |
| Emission nebulae (imaging) | Excellent 700mm at f/6.8 frames large emission nebulae like the Heart, Soul, and North America Nebula well on APS-C sensors; tight star correction across the field with a matched flattener | Not applicable |
| Galaxy groups (imaging) | Good 700mm focal length provides enough scale for galaxy groups like the Leo Triplet or M81/M82 on common sensor sizes while keeping good signal-to-noise at f/6.8 | Not applicable |
| Wide-field emission nebulae (imaging) | Not applicable | Excellent Fast f/5.6 quad APO with integrated flattener is purpose-built for targets like the Veil, North America, and Rosette Nebulae on a suitable mount |
The real tradeoff
Both scopes are capable. The question is which one fits the way you actually observe.
Askar 103APO
- You'll frame targets like M81/M82 and the Leo Triplet with enough focal length (700mm) to resolve real structure in galaxies — detail the 80PHQ's 448mm simply can't deliver at the same image scale.
- You'll need to buy and precisely space a separate field flattener or reducer to get flat corners on larger sensors, which means fiddling with spacer rings and testing back-focus distance before your first serious imaging session.
- You'll be loading roughly 5–6kg of OTA onto your mount before you even attach a camera and guidescope, so that lighter HEQ5-class mount you were eyeing may start to feel marginal — budget for something sturdier.
Askar 80PHQ
- You'll set up faster and lighter — the compact OTA and integrated quadruplet flattener mean no external corrector to buy, no spacer stack to assemble, and less weight taxing your mount.
- You'll be shooting at f/5.6 instead of f/6.8, which means roughly 30% shorter exposure times per sub — on a winter night chasing the Rosette or Heart Nebula, that difference in speed keeps you warmer and your data stacking sooner.
- You'll sacrifice reach: the 448mm focal length frames the entire Andromeda Galaxy generously, but smaller galaxies and planetary nebulae will look tiny on your sensor compared to the 103APO's 700mm view.
The dark side
Every scope has a personality. Here’s where each one gets difficult.
Askar
Askar 103APO
At £1199 for the OTA alone — no mount, no diagonal, no eyepieces — your total imaging rig will comfortably exceed £3000 once you add an equatorial mount, camera, guidescope, and the required field flattener.
The f/6.8 focal ratio is respectably fast for a triplet but noticeably slower than dedicated f/5–f/5.6 astrographs, meaning you'll need longer total integration times to reach the same signal-to-noise on faint nebulae.
At 103mm aperture, visual performance on planets and faint deep-sky objects is inherently limited compared to similarly priced 8–10 inch reflectors — this is not a visual telescope that happens to image well.
Askar
Askar 80PHQ
80mm of aperture captures significantly less light than the 103APO's 103mm — roughly 40% less collecting area — so faint targets demand longer total integration times to compensate.
The correct 55mm back-focus distance is critical: get the spacing wrong and you'll see field curvature and elongated stars in the corners, undermining the very flat-field performance the quadruplet design is supposed to guarantee.
Some users report the stock focuser can struggle under heavier camera payloads, and at £799 for an OTA with no mount, finder, diagonal, or eyepiece, the total system cost still adds up quickly.
Which is right for you?
Two different buyers. Two different right answers.
The custom-rig optical tube
Askar · Askar 103APO
You'll love the 103APO if you're stepping up from an 80mm-class imaging refractor and want more focal length and light grasp for galaxy season — you're already comfortable with equatorial mounts, autoguiding, and the workflow of matching a flattener to an OTA. You're targeting M81/M82, the Whirlpool Galaxy, and medium-field nebulae where 700mm gives you meaningful image scale. This isn't for you if you're buying your first astrophotography setup and don't yet own a mount, or if your budget tops out at the OTA price — the accessories and mount required to make this scope sing will cost more than the tube itself.
The custom-rig optical tube
Askar · Askar 80PHQ
You'll love the 80PHQ if you want a grab-and-go imaging refractor that's light enough for a mid-range mount, fast enough to keep exposure times short, and ships with its field flattener already built in — no corrector shopping, no spacer headaches. You're chasing wide-field targets like the Heart and Soul pair, the California Nebula, and big Milky Way starfields. This isn't for you if you want to resolve fine detail in smaller galaxies or planetary nebulae — 448mm of focal length keeps those targets small on your sensor — or if you're looking for a visual telescope, because 80mm at f/5.6 is a camera lens that happens to accept eyepieces.
Our verdict
At £799 versus £1,199, the Askar 103APO costs 50% more. It delivers 23mm more aperture — a real and visible advantage on faint targets.
If budget is a genuine constraint, the Askar 80PHQ will make you a happy observer. The Askar 103APO's optical advantage on faint targets is real and you are unlikely to regret it if you can stretch. If I had to choose without knowing your situation: start with the Askar 80PHQ, use it for a year, then upgrade knowing exactly what you want.
Askar 103APO
View Askar 103APO →Askar 80PHQ
View Askar 80PHQ →Deep field: Full specifications
Every data point, for those who want to go further.
Full specifications
Fields highlighted in blue or amber indicate the better value for that spec. Data is manufacturer-stated and may vary.
How much can it see?
| Spec | Askar 103APO | Askar 80PHQ |
|---|---|---|
Apertureⓘ The most important spec — bigger = more light = better views | 103mm | 80mm |
Focal Length Longer = more magnification potential | 700mm | 448mm |
Focal Ratio Lower f-number = wider field of view; higher = more magnification per eyepiece | f/6.8 | f/5.6 |
Optical Design The type of optics — each design has different strengths | Refractor | Refractor |
Coatings Better coatings = more light transmission through the optics | Fully multi-coated ED triplet on all air-to-glass surfaces | Fully multi-coated PHQ quadruplet on all surfaces |
How do you point it?
| Spec | Askar 103APO | Askar 80PHQ |
|---|---|---|
Mount Type The mechanical system that holds and moves the telescope | None (OTA only) | None (OTA only) |
GoTo Computer-controlled pointing — finds any of thousands of objects automatically | ||
Tracking Motor keeps objects centred as the Earth rotates — essential for astrophotography |
The focuser
| Spec | Askar 103APO | Askar 80PHQ |
|---|---|---|
Focuser Size 2" accepts wider eyepieces and gives better low-power views | 2" / 1.25" | 2" / 1.25" |
Focuser Type Rack-and-pinion is standard; Crayford and dual-speed are smoother | Dual-speed Crayford 2" (10:1 reduction) | Dual-speed Crayford 2" (with 1.25" adapter) |
Size & weight
| Spec | Askar 103APO | Askar 80PHQ |
|---|---|---|
OTA Weightⓘ Optical tube only — useful for comparing mount load capacity | 3.8kg | 2.8kg |
Tube Length | 550mm | 360mm |
Tube Material | Aluminium | Aluminium |
What's in the box?
| Spec | Askar 103APO | Askar 80PHQ |
|---|---|---|
Diagonal Tilts the eyepiece 90° for comfortable viewing — useful on refractors |
Blue highlight: Askar 103APO advantage · Amber highlight: Askar 80PHQ advantage · Greyed cells: equal or subjective.