Questar Advertisements
The pages that follow contain an index of Questar advertisements as they appeared in Sky and Telescope, Natural History, Scientific American, Modern Photography and many other publications over the course of several decades.
Questar Advertisements of the 1950s
Questar began running print advertisements in the June 1954 issue of Sky and Telescope. The company expanded their advertising reach to Natural History magazine in November 1958 and Scientific American magazine in June 1959. During this decade, an early version of the Field Model appeared and quietly disappeared. Other notable developments included the introduction of a full-aperture solar filter, the appearance of quartz mirrors, and a preview of a Questar Seven prototype.
Questar Advertisements of the 1960s
During the 1960s, Questar’s advertising gained more prominence in both Natural History and Sky and Telescope magazines. The Space Age went into high gear, and the company’s advertising matched the pace of that era. Questar’s branding continued to evolve as did its product offerings. It introduced a modern version of the Field Model in 1964 and announced production of the Questar Seven in 1967. Other new products and optical features that appeared included the Questar-modified Nikon F and Beseler Topcon Super D camera bodies, the Varitrac and Varitrac II, the Duplex Questar, broadband and VLR coatings, Cer-Vit mirrors, and the Powerguide controller. Stylistically, Questar’s print advertising moved away from presenting copy in dense blocks of text. Emphasizing the photographic capabilities of its instruments, the company featured numerous examples of images that owners took with cameras coupled with their telescopes.
Questar Advertisements of the 1970s
The 1970s saw a continuation of many advertising themes that Questar used in the prior decade. It put far more emphasis on instruments made for special applications. Questar also ran its first advertisement in Astronomy magazine in that publication’s September 1979 issue. With its product line continuing to evolve, the company announced the Questar Portable Pier (later known as the Folding Pier), the Cinema Model, a Fast Focus accessory for the Field Model, the Carpod accessory, the Starguide, a Questar-modified Olympus OM-1 camera body, and the Questar 700.
Questar Advertisements of the 1980s
In the 1980s, Questar heavily promoted the Questar 12, which the company introduced in the final months of 1979. Its offerings for special applications continued to evolve throughout the decade. In 1981, Questar ran its final advertisement in Natural History magazine. The Wide-sky Questars made their first appearance as did images of the Standard Questar with updated R2 optics.
Questar Advertisements of the 1990s
The 1990s witnessed further product introductions including the Questar Solar Observatory and a handheld Powerguide controller. During that decade, Questar also started to pull back from print advertising. The company ran its final advertisement in Scientific American magazine in February 1991, and its presence in Sky and Telescope magazine waned.
Questar Advertisements of the 2000s
In the opening decade of the twenty-first century, Questar announced the 50th Anniversary Questar, a Lightweight Titanium Questar Seven, and the Q-Max Spectrometer. The company concluded its print advertising run in the May 2005 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine.
All Questar Advertisements
A complete list of all Questar advertisements.
All Questar Advertisements by Year and Month
Tabular view of all Questar advertisements by year and month.