FIRST LIGHT
objects, and even a lucky solar image when the chance came, proving to be quite the all-rounder. It was at this point that we realised how much we love the Quattro 150P. It reminds us of our previous good experiences with our own larger version: compact and easy to use, fast, and capable of great results in the shortest time.
It was also at this point, however, that we remembered the foibles of f/4 telescopes, particularly when it comes to collimating. The optics are a lot less forgiving of slight errors, and unfortunately our review model arrived with several issues in the way it had been set up. For instance, the centre ring on the primary mirror was incorrectly placed and the secondary mirror was attached to its mount at a wonky angle, while the alignment of the spider vanes pulled the secondary mirror off to one side, producing diverging diffraction spikes. These issues, although easily remedied by experienced users, would make the Quattro 150P we used a frustrating telescope if you were new to fast Newtonian reflectors or precise collimation techniques. This has impacted the build and design score we were able to give it.
Fortunately, we had advanced collimation equipment available and were able to reasonably align the mirrors despite the errors in the factory setup, but if this was our own telescope we would strip it down and accurately rebuild it, blackening the shiny bevelled edges of the mirrors, as it has all the makings of an excellent performer once correctly set up. It really is a tempting purchase, especially at just £499. For such a capable 6-inch, fast astrograph with field flattener, the asking price seems a complete bargain, and well worth an afternoon tweaking and tuning the instrument until it performs at its true potential.