Askar SQA55 - 55 mm f/4.8 Super Quintuplet Astrograph - SQA55

Askar SQA55 Petzval Astrograph - 55 mm f/4.8
Perfect for Astro & Terrestrial Photography!

The Askar SQA55 is a portable refractor OTA with an aperture of 55mm, a focal length of 264mm, and a native focal ratio of F4.8. The SQA55 has great star point performance in astrophotography and photography.

The SQA55 adopts a quintuplet air-spaced design, including 1 piece of SD glass and 1 piece of ED glass. It supports 44mm full-frame imaging.

The Askar SQA55 has a Petzval lens structure. Due to the self-flattened design, users do not need to calculate specific back focus, While the recommended connection length is 55 mm, it can still come to focus somewhere between 50mm and 60mm.

The inside of the optical tube assembly has a painted matte finish to minimize reflections.

The lens hood is can be stored on the lens barrel in reverse when not in use to minimize overall length. When needed, all you have to do is turn the hood around and slide it into the slot meant to hold it firmly in place.

The front of the lens is designed with an M67 filter thread which can be connected to camera filters, which is convenient for daily photography as well as astrophotography. The rear-end is equipped with an M48 adapter that is machined with a built-in 2" filter thread for direct connection.

The f/ratio of the SQA55 can be set anywhere from f/22 to f/4.8 with a graded adjustment ring.

The handle features a multi-functional finder scope base slot, although the finderscope itself is sold separately. A variety of astronomical accessories can be mounted on the handle for lots of versatility. It has a quick-release design and can be both installed and removed without the need for any additional tools.

The included Vixen-style 200mm dovetail plate is designed with hand screws and a quick-release knob, which can be disassembled and assembled without additional tools.  The bottom of the plate has 1/20 and 3/8 holes to attach it directly to a standard tripod.

The SQA55 sports a dual-speed focuser with both fine and coarse adjustments that can be adjusted independently. The coarse adjustment is engraved with a reference scale for focusing distance in both imperial and metric markings. In daily photography, focusing can be adjusted according to the focusing scale. The coarse adjustment hand-wheel is equipped with MXL-type timing teeth, which can be used with a timing belt to mount an optional electronic focuser, such as the EAF.

For astrophotography, the coarse adjustment can be rotated to the infinity mark for focusing, and there is still a certain amount of leeway after the infinity mark.

Coarse adjustment is also designed with a locking screw for individual adjusting.

The SQA55 lens tube and 360° rotator both have independent locking screws. For daily shooting, the whole body can be rotated. For astrophotography, the high-precision rotator can be rotated independently, while the rotator is engraved with a scale, which is convenient for adjusting and saving the angle.

Four multi-functional quick-release adapters on the rear of the lens tube can be used to connect various accessories for photography and astrophotography.

SQA55 Specifications

• Aperture: 55 mm

• Focal length: 264mm

• Focal ratio: f/4.8

• Close Focus Distance:  5m

• Format Specifications:  44 mm

• Aperture Blades:  14 pieces

• Graded Aperture:  f/4.8 to f/22

• Focusing Mode:  Manual, but supports optional electronic focusers

• Accepts Filter Diameter:  67 mm for front aperture

• Objective lens: Quintuplet air-spaced Petzval APO

• Total length: 316mm (including dew shield); 244mm (without dew shield)

• OTA weight: 1.84kg

• Total weight: 2.18kg

• Rear-end adapter: M48*0.75 (with M48×0.75 filter thread)

• What's in the Box: SQA55 OTA，a military-grade waterproof carrying case，an inspection list, a manual