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

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

More stuff to spend your hard-earned cash on

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

All your questions answered. Send your questions to digitalcamera@futurenet.com