Askar + QHYCCD

FRA500 with the QHY533M

Exact
41.0 mmof spacers

between the corrector and the sensor, for 55.0 mm of back focus.

41.0 mm of spacers puts the FRA500 with the QHY533M exactly on target.

Assumes the Askar F3.9 0.7x Full Frame Reducer (0.7× reducer) between the two.

The imaging train

Imaging train from sensor to corrector, 55.0 mm total: QHY533M 14.0 mm, M48 extension tube 40mm 40.0 mm, M48 fine adjustment ring 1.0mm 1.0 mm.sensorF3.9 0.7x Full Frame ReducerQHY533M — 14.0 mmQHY533M14.0 mmM48 extension tube 40mm — 40.0 mmM48 extension tube 40…40.0 mmM48 fine adjustment ring 1.0mm — 1.0 mm1.0 mm55.0 mmHover or tap a part for its full spec
Drawn to scale, sensor plane to corrector. Total 55.0 mm — the required back focus for this pairing.

Where this number comes from

The Askar F3.9 0.7x Full Frame Reducer wants 55.0 mm between its rear shoulder and the sensor.

The QHY533M contributes 14.0 mm of that on its own — sensor to front face — which leaves 41.0 mm for spacers.

40.0 mm + 1.0 mm comes to exactly 41.0 mm, so this combination lands on target with nothing left over.

What to buy

PartLengthThreads
Baader M48 extension tube 40mm
BuyAlpine Astronomical · US
40.0 mmM48
Astrodymium M48 fine adjustment ring 1.0mm
BuyAgena Astro · US
1.0 mmM48
Corrector to camera41.0 mm55.0 mm − 14.0 mm camera = 41.0 mm needed

Links to retailers are affiliate links. They cost you nothing and they pay for this site. They do not affect which parts are recommended — the stack above is whatever lands closest to target.

What you get

Focal length
350 mm at f/3.9 (from 500 mm native)
Sampling
2.22″/px
Field of view
1.85° × 1.85°
Sensor
11.31 × 11.31 mm, 3.76 µm pixels

Where to buy this setup

Where to buy the Askar FRA500

Affiliate link — they may earn this site a commission and change nothing above. No prices shown: this site is static, and a stale price is worse than none.

Where to buy the QHYCCD QHY533M

Affiliate link — they may earn this site a commission and change nothing above. No prices shown: this site is static, and a stale price is worse than none.

Where to buy the Askar F3.9 0.7x Full Frame Reducer

Affiliate links — they may earn this site a commission and change nothing above. No prices shown: this site is static, and a stale price is worse than none.

Read next

Sources and caveats

QHYCCD publish "14mm(±0.2)" for the QHY533M without stating whether that figure includes the adapter supplied in the box. We use it exactly as published, which is correct for the camera in the configuration it is sold in. If you have removed or added an adapter at the camera end, adjust accordingly.

We have not recorded the thread gender of every part listed above. The lengths are right; check that the faces actually mate before ordering.

Every figure on this page was read from the manufacturer’s own documentation and last checked in September 2026. Manufacturers revise them — ZWO and QHY both have, mid-model — so that date is part of the answer.

Check these figures against your own manuals before buying. If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it.

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