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Questar Notes & Interesting Articles

These articles are provided as a courtesy by Company Seven for those customers who have helped to keep us in business.
These are usually copyrighted works and as such can not be disseminated or reproduced without permission.

Questar Literature from Company Seven’s Archives:

Mr. and Mrs. the founders (81,216 bytes)

“QUESTAR” booklet Moderate resolution reprint of original Questar 28 page illustrated booklet provided with new Questar telescopes, dated May 1954. File is 2,387,280 Bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format). Scanned copy of original from Company Seven’s Archives.

Right: Lawrence and Marguerite Braymer, the founders of Questar Corp., circa 1959 (49,000 bytes). In the archives of Company Seven.
Click on image to see enlarged view (127,814 bytes).

“QUESTAR” booklet High resolution reprint of original Questar 28 page illustrated booklet provided with new Questar telescopes, dated May 1954. File is in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format. Scanned copy of original from Company Seven’s Archives.
“QUESTAR” booklet Moderate resolution reprint of original Questar 35 page illustrated catalog and price list dated November 1960. File is 9,347,098 Bytes; typically a 20-40 minute download (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format). Scanned copy of original from Company Seven’s Archives.
“QUESTAR” booklet High Resolution reprint of original Questar 35 page illustrated catalog and price list dated November 1960. File is in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format. Scanned copy of original from Company Seven’s Archives.
“Distinctive Features” Extract from the Questar booklet of mid 1950’s; appeared as advertisement in January 1956. Scanned copy of original advertisement from Company Seven’s Archives.
“How to Tell Whether You Need A Questar” Questar advertisement from 1956 (and mid 1950’s); very much applicable today. Scanned copy of original advertisement from Company Seven’s Archives.
“May We Tell You About Questar?” Hand out with black and white image of the Questar as distributed by Questar in 1959. It mentions Questar may be seen in the traveling exhibition called “20th CENTURY DESIGN: U.S.A.” at the City Art Museum of St. Louis September 14, to October 25, 1959". The sheet also mentions “as advertised in Natural History magazine”. Scanned copy of original advertisement from Company Seven’s Archives. Download size is 1,213,812 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).
“Questar Gets A Lucky Rift In The Clouds” Illustrated hand out sheet with images of the Questar Standard 3-½ telescope and the total eclipse of the Sun as photographed by Mr. Dumont Rush on 2 October 1959, at the Canary Islands. Mr. Rush’s account mentions “I find the Questar a joy to use and a joy to carry.”. This sheet was distributed by Questar. Scanned copy of original advertisement from Company Seven’s Archives. From Company Seven’s Archives. Download size is 1,302,376 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).
“Questar Optical System” Extract: page 16 from the Questar catalog of November 1960 showing light path through the optical components. Scanned copy of original from Company Seven’s Archives.
“Instructions for Questar Powerguide” Moderate resolution scanned copy of original Questar complete three (3) page typed instructions for the version of the Powerguide AC-DC powered Drive Corrector as was provided up to about 1985. The copy shows fold marks and its age resulting from how it was stored in a Powerguide lid. Scanned copy of original from Company Seven’s Archives. Download size is 230,133 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).
“Questar Price List, October 1, 1958” Reprint of complete original Questar price list from October 1958 brochure. Notice how few offerings were on the list at this time. Scanned copy of original from Company Seven’s Archives. Download size is 131,146 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).
“Introducing The Questar 12” Moderate resolution reprint of original two-third page advertisement from October 1979 issue of Scientific American magazine. Content Copyright 1979 Questar Corp. Scanned copy of original advertisement from Company Seven’s Archives.
“QUESTAR 700” Moderate resolution scanned copy of an original complete twelve (12) page typed instruction manual for the Questar 700 ultra telephoto lens as provided from 1979 up to when the lens was discontinued in 1986. Someday we may add one of these lenses to our Museum display. Content Copyright 1979 Questar Corp. Scanned copy of original from Company Seven’s Archives, hosted by permission. Download size is 15,030,076 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).
“QUESTAR IN KENYA On Safari With The 700”, the complete six (6) page full color illustrated brochure featuring a series of color photographs of wildlife taken by Eugene J. Cohen, M.D.. during one of his annual visits to Kenya.
The photographs in this brochure were taken with his Questar 700, the first production version of the patented 700mm f/8 catadioptric telephoto lens that were introduced in 1976. This demonstrates the kinds of results that one could expect to attain when safely photographing wildlife from some distance with the compact and relatively lightweight (about 4 lb.) Questar 700 lens using a camera with the then recently released (1977) Kodak EKTACHROME 200 Daylight consumer slide film. Wildlife shown in the brochure include: Lions, Cheetah, Eland, Gazelles, Giraffes, Zebra, Hippopotamus, Wildebeest, Impala, Dik-Dik (captured in mid leap), a Rock Hyrax, and others. Also shown are several birds including a Gray Crown Crane, Augur Buzzard, Crowned lapwing (Crowned plover), and more. Some of the animals were photographed in repose, while some were captured while in motion showing how sharp the image could be even when photographing at f/8.

Keep in mind that in the late 1970’s and through to the digital age, these were very good photos. As famous and well-regarded as the EKTACHROME film was, many of the most memorable NASA images were taken with this film, we at Company Seven wonder at what results could be obtained today using the Questar 700 lens with a state of the art digital SLR camera with images processed with modern software.

Content Copyright 1978 Questar Corporation. Scanned copy of original from Company Seven’s Archives, hosted by permission. Download size is 10,884,315 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format). This is available on request only for those of our customers who have made it possible for Company Seven to survive and prosper over the decades.
QUESTAR “Photographing In The Rockies With the Questar 700”, the complete four (4) page full color illustrated brochure featuring a series of color photographs of wildlife and scenery taken in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone regions in the USA, over July.
The photographs in this brochure were taken with his Questar 700, the first production version of the patented 700mm f/8 catadioptric telephoto lens that were introduced in 1976. This demonstrates the kinds of results that one could expect to attain when safely photographing wildlife from some distance with the compact and relatively lightweight Questar 700 lens. However, the close up capabilities of the lens too are demonstrated as some objects were only 10 feet away. For comparisons, some animals (Elk, Moose, Mountain Sheep, Pronghorn antelopes, and a Yellow-headed Blackbird) and features including “Old Faithful” were photographed with a normal 50mm lens, then were again photographed but with the Questar 700 for comparison with stunning results! All photos were taken with KODACHROME 64 film, with a film speed of 1/125th second.

Consider how in the late 1970’s, and through to the modern digital age, these were very good photos. As famous and popular as the KODACHROME 64 film was, we wonder at what results could be obtained today using the Questar 700 lens with a state of the art digital SLR camera with images processed with modern software.

Content Copyright 1976 Questar Corporation. Scanned copy of original from Company Seven’s Archives, hosted by permission. Download size with our cover sheet 5 pages, file size is 17,946,866 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format). This is available on request only for those of our customers who have made it possible for Company Seven to survive and prosper over the decades.

U.S. Patent Number and Date Brief Description
1480793 Jan 15, 1923	Star map with stars represented by luminous material, with symbols varying in size representing magnitude.
2628529 Feb 17, 1953	Reflecting telescope with auxiliary optical system. A modified arrangement of the Questar optical system not put into production.
2649791 Aug 25, 1953	The basic arrangement of what would become the Questar showing the Moon Map and the Star Chart, the conceptual equatorial Fork Mount with Control Box, and the rotating optical tube assembly.
2670656 Mar 2, 1954	The basic arrangement of the Questar optical arrangement components support and focus control mechanics.
2693032 Nov 2, 1954	Proposed arrangement for a portable fork mounted telescope based on the Questar but where the telescope base serves as a housing for safe storage and transport of the telescope optical tube and other components.
D175388 Aug 23, 1955	Telescope, showing the ornamental design of the telescope from most perspectives. This was filed in Sept 1954 and so this shows a very early production arrangement that employed a post style pick-off mirror support.
2753760 Jul 10, 1956	"Multiple Image Telescope" shows concepts to convey light from either the telescope’s main optics or the Finder to the Eyepiece Port. This too predates the final production arrangement, for example a pick-off mirror is used for the Finder instead of the prism shown in this application.
4061420 Dec 6, 1977	"Catadioptric Lens System" the new design implemented in the Questar 700 lens. The invention provides a highly corrected catadioptric telephoto lens made. up of an aspherized negative meniscus corrector lens, a Mangin trype primary mirror, a secondary mirror, and two additional corrector lenses in line.

Above: Click on the Patent link to download or view the complete document as an Adobe .pdf file.

Questar Product Brochures:

Questar Astro 7 illustrated two page brochure describing the Astro 7 telescope. From Company Seven’s Library. Download size is 932,574 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).
Questar Field Model illustrated two page brochure describing the Questar Field Model telescope. From Company Seven’s Library. Download size is 1,563,246 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).
Questar Field Ranger illustrated two page brochure describing the Questar Field Ranger lens. From Company Seven’s Library. Download size is 2,617,602 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).
Questar FR-1 MKIII, Model 30004 color illustrated two page brochure describing the Questar FR-1 MK-III Long Distance Microscope. From Company Seven’s Library. Download size is 4,205,851 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).
Questar 7 Classic LW Titanium illustrated two page brochure of Questar 7 LW (introduced Fall 2002) from Company Seven’s Library. Download size is 175,927 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).
Questar 7 Classic illustrated two page brochure of original Questar 7 (discontinued Fall 2002 for Info purposes only) from Company Seven’s Library. Download size is 1,284,506 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).
Questar Standard 3-½ illustrated two page brochure describing the Questar Standard telescope. from Company Seven’s Library. Download size is 348,071 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).
Questar QM-100, Model 30003 illustrated two page brochure describing the basic Questar QM-100 Long Distance Microscope. From Company Seven’s Library. Download size is 412,734 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format).

Articles Regarding Techniques, Customer Feedback:

“Photography Using the Questar Telescope” article offering advice, explaining hardware and the techniques recommended to obtain better results when using a Questar as an ultratelephoto lens. From Company Seven’s archives.
“Prima Nocta: The First Night” extracts from a letter expressing the joy of the first night out in 1997 with a new Questar 3-½ astronomical telescope. Sent to Company Seven from our customer.
“Questar Telescope Service and Repair” information about obtaining service or repair of Questar products.
“Selecting an Astronomical Questar Telescope” by Company Seven a good overview of the decision making process of buying a Questar. While this article is geared more towards the astronomical 3-½ inch models, there are concise explanations of the various configurations and of the major optical and accessory choices which apply to most other consumer models including the Birder and Field Model telescopes, and the larger Questar 7 models.
“A Solar Telescope for Lovers of the Sun” An article about the development and operation of the Questar Solar Observatory based on the DayStar hydrogen-alpha filter. Contributed by the developer Michael Olshausen for Company Seven. Used by permission of the author with all rights reserved by the author.
“A Total Eclipse Of The Sun, Observed With A Questar Telescope” Letter from a customer of Company Seven who took his Questar astronomical telescope with Questar Full Aperture Solar Filter to the Black Sea in order to observe the total solar eclipse of 11 August 1999. Contributed by William Chandler with all rights reserved by the author.

Company Seven’s Virtual Archives and Museum:

“Arthur C. Clarke’s Comments About His Questar 3-½”. An excerpt from the nonfiction book “The Treasure of the Great Barrier Reef” by Arthur C. Clarke (b. 1917) where he described his Questar 3-½ as “the finest small telescope ever built--the 3-½ inch Questar, a jewel of precision optics which has produced close-ups of the moon that could easily be mistaken for Mount Wilson photographs”. We include images of the book cover and of an advertisement by the publisher Harper & Row. Also included are some notes that we found interesting about the the locations upon which the book is based. From Company Seven’s archives.
“Early Production Questar 3-½ Telescopes: 1954 and 1955” Illustrated article describing the original production Questar telescopes made in 1954 and 1955 with some mentions of changes that followed. From Company Seven’s Museum Collection.
“Mid Production Questar 3-½ Telescopes: from 1956 to the late 1960’s” Illustrated article describing a the production Questar telescopes made between 1956 with some mentions of changes that followed and comparisons with earlier production telescopes. From Company Seven’s Museum Collection.
“Questar 1.25" Brandon Vernonscope Eyepiece Canisters” Article describing an original protective metal cylindrical canisters sold as accessories for the Questar eyepieces in the early 1970’s. From Company Seven’s Museum Collection.
“Original Leather Case For Questar 3-½ Telescopes” Article describes the original style English saddle leather case provided by Questar with their 3-½ telescopes sold from 1954 to the Spring of 1968. From Company Seven’s Museum Collection.
“Leather Case For Questar 3-½ Telescopes 1970’s” Article describes the rigid leather case provided by Questar with their 3-½ telescopes sold from 1968 into the early 1980’s. From Company Seven’s Museum Collection.
“Questar 3-½ Moon Map and Star Chart”, illustrated article explaining the arrangement and use of these two distinctive aids to navigation that are provided with most Questar 3-½ astronomical telescopes. From Company Seven’s Museum Collection.
“Questar Powerguide Drive & Corrector” Article describing an original AC and 12 volt DC drive control system for the Questar Fork Mounts. From Company Seven’s Museum Collection.
“Questar Powerguide I Drive & Corrector” Article describing an original 9 volt DC powered drive system control for the Questar Fork Mounts. From Company Seven’s Museum Collection.
“Questar Seven S/N P-7-378-DP: A Restoration Mini-Epic!” The story of the restoration of an original Questar 7 telescope and Fork Mount. From Company Seven’s Museum Collection.
“Questar Seven Declination Vernier Manual Drive” Article describing an original Questar Seven Declination Vernier Manual Drive. From Company Seven’s Museum Collection.
“The Twenty Best Industrial Designs Since World War II” article by Walter Dorwin Teague in the 23 May 1964 issue of the weekly magazine Saturday Review. Walter Dorwin Teague was an internationally acclaimed architect and industrial designer. Teague and his company designed aspects of aircraft interiors for Boeing including that of the famous 707. The Questar is mentioned alongside the Karman Ghia Coupe, Triton Sloop, Honda motorcycle, Boston Whaler, Porsche 904, Head skis, Wegner chair, and the Boeing 707. Here the Questar 3-½ Standard telescope is item No. 10 in order of how these products came to Mr. Teague’s mind. In the article Mr. Teague goes on to explain “Another answer to the person who says we can’t produce fine craftsmanship in the US.A. Designed and built in the little Pennsylvania town of New Hope, this beautiful little telescope is the finest instrument of its kind in the world.”. This article is protected by Copyright but we obtained permission to host this for the benefit of our readers - please do not distribute this without permission. Download size is 1,243,053 bytes (in Acrobat Reader “.pdf” format)