Short, fast, apochromatic refractors with a flat image field that don’t cost a king’s ransom are perhaps the Holy Grail of telescope design. Altair Astro’s 60EDQ f/5 quad astrograph with dual-ED optic

This chunky lens is a terrific telephoto prime with an exhilarating turn of speed www.sigmauk.com

Are you getting started outdoors, gearing up for a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, or just need to save a few quid? We all need to get out, even in this economy. Here’s the lowdown on the best, more budget-friendly backpacking kit our team have reviewed over the last year or so, in one place for the first time

GETTING KITTED OUT 40 YEARS AGO WAS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM TODAY, WRITES OUR GEAR GURU DAVID CHANDLER …

Tim Irwin’s 3D printed 90mm lens is a whole lot better than it looks, says Damien Demolder , and it produces some useful, and fun, results

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