ISTAR Optical - About Us

Istar Optical was founded in 2009 and based in the Czech Republic, Europe by Ales Patrick Krivanek, engineer and designer. Ales’ vision is to make a variety of quality refractors available to amateurs astronomers worldwide for a reasonable price. His telescopes are not made on an assembly line, but are custom built by hand from quality CNC machined materials. The lenses are designed by Istar’s own Master Optician. Each telescope is assembled and tested at our facility in Southwest Florida, USA.

In a world of mass production and “cookie cutter” designs, Istar stands alone. Every astronomer is different and so it their idea of the perfect refractor telescope. This is why we offer a wide variety of scope configurations including lens diameters, focal rations, and focusers. On this web site you will find pricing for “bare” OTAs. Just add a focuser, focuser reduction ring, tube rings, dovetail, diagonal and shipping. Or, purchase the OTA, focuser reduction ring and add your own accessories. ATMers can purchase separate objectives, counter cells, tubes, baffles, rear plates and lens caps. The current Istar line of telescopes includes 8 models and 31 different configurations. Everything from a simple modified Fraunhofer doublet to a high tech 7 element astrograph. From 127mm to 250mm, flint and crown to fluorite and F5 to F15 focal rations, Istar has the scope to fit your needs and budget.

Istar Optical announces the opening of a new facility in Southwest Florida. On board to oversee sales and operations is Mike Harden of Fort Myers. He brings plenty of experience to this telescope manufacturer with a Bachelors degree in business, 17 years supervising an optical laboratory, 4 years as the sales manager of a large astronomy company and a lifelong passion for the hobby. Istar is moving its assembly and distribution from the Czech Republic to the United States. This move will increase productivity, improve distribution and establish a much needed presence in North America.

Ales Krivanek demands the highest degree of quality and customer service from himself as well as his employees. These policies are fundamental in every aspect of company operations from telescope design to customer delivery. Our people are friendly, knowledgeable, accessible and most importantly passionate about astronomy. So if you’re looking for a new refractor and want something special, personal and reasonably priced give us a try. We guarantee you’ll be glad you did.

Istar Optical Team