Askar 50P Review: A Tiny, Fast Telescope Built for Wide-Field Astrophotography

Introduction

The Askar 50P is a tiny telescope with a clear mission: fast, wide-field deep space astrophotography in the smallest package possible. It is a 50 mm quadruplet Petzval APO refractor with a 190 mm focal length and a super fast F3.8 focal ratio. Do not let the small size and affordable price fool you, though. This is a highly capable imaging telescope designed to collect light quickly and produce stunning wide-field images.

Who the Askar 50P Is For

The Askar 50P suits anyone getting into wide-field deep space astrophotography, or anyone who simply wants something small and portable. It lacks the focal length for galaxies, but it makes up for that with its fast focal ratio, portability, and ability to capture a large area of the sky at once.

It is especially fun for shooting large deep space targets like the North American Nebula, Rho Ophiuchi, or even multiple nebulae in a single frame. Think big, beautiful, wide-field space portraits.

Portability and Mounting Flexibility

At only 6 inches long and 3.1 lb in weight, the Askar 50P is genuinely easy to transport. That light weight also opens up mounting options: you can put it on a proper equatorial mount, or pair it with a small astro tracker. Fewer constraints on the mount side means a lower total cost of ownership and more nights actually imaging.

Optical Design and Image Quality

The Petzval design is the headline here. Because the quadruplet lens arrangement handles field flattening internally, you get a clean, flat field image without needing a separate field flattener or worrying about back spacing. That simplicity matters a lot for beginners and anyone who wants less fiddling between sessions.

The flat field holds up on APS-C size sensors, so the 50P pairs nicely with most popular astronomy cameras. And because it is a quadruplet design with SD glass, you get better color correction, sharper stars, and a cleaner image across the frame.

Built-In Features and Accessories

Askar has packed some genuinely convenient features into this little scope. The rear offers M54 and M48 threads with a built-in 2-inch filter holder, and a 360° rotator makes framing your target easy. An included handlebar doubles as a finder mount, so you can attach a guide scope or other accessories without extra hardware.

An optional auto focusing kit is also available if you want to pair the 50P with an EAF or other auto focusers, which rounds out a very complete imaging package for such a small telescope.

Buying Advice

If wide-field deep space imaging is your goal, the Askar 50P hits a sweet spot. The fast F3.8 focal ratio collects light quickly, the Petzval optics remove the flattener and back-spacing headaches, and the size and weight make it one of the most travel-friendly imaging refractors around. Just be clear about its limits: at 190 mm of focal length, small galaxies are not its strength. For large nebulae and expansive star fields, it is a great fit.

Conclusion

The Askar 50P proves that a small, affordable telescope can still deliver serious imaging capability. With fast optics, a flat field up to APS-C, thoughtful built-in features, and true portability, it is a strong option for wide-field astrophotography or as a compact grab-and-go imaging scope.