Nicola Fletcher

6 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Yes, it’s same focuser in the two models. 
Here’s a pic of the FC 76 DCU configured as I normally use it 

That’s really helpful Jeremy, many thanks!

10 hours ago, JeremyS said:

My basic set up with my FS 60 CB is indeed the top line in the chart. The pic I included the other day in a thread is with the Q extender and I needed to change the back a little to reach focus. 
The FS 60 focuser doesn’t have a lot of travel, so can be critical with some diagonals. The Tak diagonal has an unusually short light path so eats less back focus.

The are multiple ways to accommodate different back accessories. As Mike says, FLO (specifically Ian King - he’s put me right several times) can advise.

Thanks Jeremy- sorry, it’s the FC76-DCU but the extender is the same as for the FS60 I think - looks like the focusers are very similar between the two.

I just popped the Altair diagonal on it because it’s the only one I currently have. I’m going to get the Tak diagonal so hopefully that’ll make it more straightforward, but I’ll get in touch with FLO for their advice. Thanks for your help!

Thanks @mikeDnight - yes hopefully It’s not a big problem and someone who has the scope will be able to help. The diagonal is a 1.25” and looks fairly standard to me but I don’t really have enough experience to know. 

I have a follow up question - will this ever end?!!

I just set up the Tak with the accessories listed in the System Chart (everything except the FS-60CB adapter as shown in the top setup in the Systrm Chart), an Altair dielectric diagonal and either a BST starguider EP or the Baader Hyperion 8-24mm zoom. I can’t focus any of them with the diagonal, and can just about focus if I add back the adapter and attach the BST directly to the scope. The Baader Hyperion doesn’t work at all - I’m a long way off focus no matter what accessories I include. 
 

@JeremyS and @mikeDnight I noticed that you seem to have a different set of accessories on the back of your scopes. The FS-60CB seems to make the setup too long, and without it it’s too short. Is there a quick fix, and do you know if this will be an issue if I buy a non-Takahashi diagonal or EPs (and also if it will work better if I stick with Tak accessories)?

Thanks for your help and sorry about the endless questions! 

2 hours ago, Basementboy said:

Digital sacrilege, I should report you to Google!

Just kidding, I'll try that: I'd definitely prefer to buy from a local Uk dealer if possible.

Interesting about the zoom eyepiece, too. Do you find any downside?

I really like the zoom, it’s solid and well made but not too heavy. The clickstop mechanism is lovely to use. It fits with my grab and go setup well. Mind you, I don’t have experience with the very high end eyepieces (yet!) so can only compare with BST Starguiders, which I like very much. 

On 12/03/2021 at 13:19, Carl Au said:

I had the old Giro III, or should I say I wished I had the old Giro III. The Ercol mini or otherwise are both very nice mounts. I was looking at a mini myself, however I have started looking at forked mounts, TS have some interesting ones to look at. 

I bought it for my Takahashi FC-76 DCU but I actually really enjoy using it with the Starwave. I reckon it will hold both scopes which could be fun when on holiday with family! Good luck with your mount search, hope you’re also getting on with the AZ4! 

7 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

Here are a few eyepieces befitting a Takahashi. They are mainly Pseudo Masuyama's, based I believe in the Zeiss Astroplanoccular, and similar to the Takahashi LE series, although I like these more than the LE's as they are great right across the range. The LE's have a few lemons by design. My Vixen High Resolution eyepieces are really nice, and although they too are no longer in production, Takahashi still offer their amazing high resolution TOE eyepieces.

Wow! The TOEs are on my list - might have to keep an eye on the used market as well.

27 minutes ago, Stephenstargazer said:

So then Nicola, with the scope, diagonal and eyepieces are all but sorted. What about the mount? One of the trickiest bits in a light travel set. Few light Eq mounts except Tegul. The Scopetech Zero looks good, but perhaps you want Goto or tracking? My experience with an AZGTi was not great, but works for some.I suspect quality issues.

Careful - this might have to go to the mount thread!

I have a Giro Ercole Mini and am waiting for a lightweight carbon fibre tripod from Teleskop Express. It’s probably not as good as a Gitzo but they’re so expensive I’ll see if I can get a deal at some stage.

Thanks to @JeremyS I’m going for the Tak 6 x 30 finder, bracket and quick release shoe so the only things left are the diagonal and EPs! Thanks to everyone on here I’ve lots to think about and it sounds like I can’t go too far wrong. I’m delighted with the Tak and can’t wait to get it out to see how the setup works.

2 minutes ago, Deadlake said:

Depends if you are getting a 60 or 100 mm next. 😁

I think Jeremy has them all...the TSA120 is on my future radar...not quite yet though! 

1 minute ago, JeremyS said:

And then there is always the lovely Q x 1.7 module. You’d end up with 2 scope in 1 👍🏻

Stop - I am so ridiculously tempted to buy that!!! 

3 hours ago, jetstream said:

I think that when we get into this quality of equipment were splitting hairs for differences.

Haha I’m really glad to hear you say this! I am really enjoying choosing bits and pieces for this beautiful scope, especially with lockdown and rubbish weather. It still hasn’t seen first light!

I am keen to buy quality equipment and regard it as an investment. Use for future scopes would also be a bonus but I have absolutely no intention of ever parting with the FC-76, so a quality, lightweight kit would be great.

43 minutes ago, Space Hopper said:

If you're going down the bino-viewer route Nicola, i can't recommend the Baader MaxBright Mk2 highly enough.

You'll have no issues with eyepiece undercuts with the Max2. 

Its great value, has a short lightpath when coupled to the Baader diagonals, and using a GPC will solve any focusing issues.

 

Great, thank you Rob. I never really considered it before but as a scientist/pathologist, I spend a lot of time peering down microscopes and couldn't even imagine doing it with one eyepiece!

15 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

The Tak diagonal holds a binoviewer without any issue, but its Achilles heel is the savage, unnecessary, and hated undercuts on Televue eyepieces. 

The binoviewer looks great. Your setup is just amazing!

5 hours ago, Deadlake said:

By the way here is a unicorn, a certain zeiss EP.

https://astromart.com/classifieds/astromart-classifieds/eyepieces/show/zeiss-docter-125mm-90-degree-uwf-2-case

 

Do you really have to pay for membership on that site?

That looks fab - the case it comes with is amazing.

12 minutes ago, Stu said:

Just found a few shots of my old FC76DC. Lovely scope, still miss it in many ways. That’s another option you could look at, a 1.25” Lunt Herschel Wedge for a nice bit of solar observing. I sometimes used it with a 45 degree erecting prism; it made an excellent spotting scope.

Great pictures- the second one is exactly what I had in mind when buying this scope!

1 hour ago, Stu said:

I would likely stick with relatively lightweight options to suit the scope. It will help with balance as well as being easier to travel with.

Have you considered upgrading the focuser to a Feathertouch? Not a cheap option, but they are lovely and would give you 2” capability. I had the lightweight version on my FC76DC and loved it.

I would probably go with a Baader Zeiss T2 prism, nice short optical path length and will handle 2” eyepieces with minimal visible vignetting if needed. You can fit either a 1.25” or 2” barrel to the front so would have plenty of options. Likewise a 1.25” or 2” fitting for the eyepiece depending on the circumstance.

I use a Nagler zoom for high power. I have both 3 to 6 and 2 to 4mm, but the former would probably do. A 24mm Panoptic would be a nice, compact low power 1.25” option, and then I would probably look at Delites to fill the gap. I’ve not used them, but they have a great reputation and are lighter and more compact than other options. You could also consider a barlow like the Baader Zeiss Abbé Barlow, or TV x2.5 power mate to reduce the number of eyepieces needed.

One thing to consider is exit pupil size. Depending on your eyesight and number of floaters you have, high powers in small scopes can be problematic. Binoviewers are the main solution to this particular problem, other than staying above 0.5mm exit pupil or even higher.

Pic below shows the T2 Zeiss prism in 1.25” mode on the left, T2 BBHS mirror diagonal in 2” mode on the right.

Thanks Stu, yep I think I’ll go with that for it’s versatility. I have considered the Feathertouch and I might go with it eventually. My eyesight is good, luckily, and I’ve never been bothered by floaters, so haven’t really had any trouble with the eyepieces I’ve used so far. I’d absolutely love that Nagler zoom and I like the sound of the other EPs you suggest. Thank you very much!

1 hour ago, John said:

Yes, that is the diagonal. I currently use it with the Baader click lock 1.25 inch eyepiece holder, a 15mm T2 extension to ensure that my longest eyepiece barrel does not contact the prism and on the scope side a T2 - 1.25 inch push fit adapter. Links below. I have used this diagonal in 2 inch mode with a 2 inch eyepiece holder and a 2 inch push fit adapter but currently I find that I just use 1.25 inch eyepieces with my Tak refractor.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/baader-click-lock-125-inch-eyepiece-adapter-with-t-2-thread.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/baader-t2-extension-tube.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/diagonals/baader-nosepiece-125-t2.html

I owned the Tele Vue 1.25 inch dielectric for a while and still have a couple of the 2 inch versions with other refractors. Very nicely made mirror diagonals. I didn't get a chance to compare it (the 1.25 inch) with the Baader prism though. In all honesty I can't see much in the way of performance difference between the Baader prism and my 2 inch Tele Vue and Astro Physics diagonals but that's probably just me

I like the T2 prism diagonal on the Tak because it seems to suit the slender lines of the scope !

 

Fantastic, thank you for all this advice!! The T2 does look great with it from what I can see in the photos. It’s great to get your viewpoint and I really like this option.

@JeremyS do you find the Tak prism good? It seems to have mixed reviews online. I thought the TeleVue Everbright might be a step up from it but the feedback here seems to be overwhelmingly in support of the Baader T2 Zeiss prism. The Tak prism would definitely fit (a nice advantage!).

I agree, I had intended on 1.25 inch for travelling. I like the idea of the Baader BBHS Zeiss prism as you can use it as a 2" or 1.25" setup which would expand the potential for future use with 2" EPs or indeed on another scope. 

This setup looks cool: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/662918-takahashi-fc-76-dcu-vs-fc-76-ds-which-would-you-prefer-for-visual-observation/?p=9397436

The Baader T2 system looks heavier and is undoubtedly more expensive, but I can definitely see the advantages. 

@John is this the same as yours? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/diagonals/baader-t-2-bbhs-mirror-star-diagonal.html Would you mind sharing the other bits and pieces I would need, as the FC76-DCU has a 1.25" optical back and would therefore need an adaptor I think.

11 minutes ago, Deadlake said:

I'd also take a look at the APM EP's as well, since I know some people (above) use these more then the Ethos equivalents and they are very good value even after the price rises:

e.g. a APM HDC - XWA 20 mm 100° Eyepiece

The Ethos weigh more and stay tucked up so they do not get damaged.

A Nikon 12.5 HW would also be a good choice as well, as a Doctor EP's are hard to source.

With regards to the Baader diagonal, what sort of fields stop did you need to cover (How wide are the EP's you are going to use?). The Baader T2 goes up to 33 mm aperture, so if you are going with a wide EP you will need to step up to the 2" diagonal. The prism will give you less scatter, the mirror will cool down quicker and be better for faster scopes.

Best to plan for the future now on the diagonal or end up like me with both a T2 prism and a 2" BBHS.

You also may want a zoom, I'd wait for this one to be reviewed as people have high hopes for it:

https://www.apm-telescopes.de/en/hot-products/new-apm-super-zoom-eyepiece-7.7-mm-15.4-mm-1.25-connector.html

Ps. Did someone say this is going to cost more then your scope. 😀
 

Yep - lots of questions here and lots to think about! This is turning into more of a debate about the diagonal which is obviously important to get right before I decide on eyepieces. Do I really want to go for a 2" considering that one of the big advantages of the FC76 is its portability? I totally understand that the FOV will be far wider as @michael.h.f.wilkinson says, but to be honest I was thinking of sticking with 1.25" for this, getting eyepieces that can preferably also be used with 2" diagonals, and maybe going for a 2" when I go for a bigger scope? 

In terms of how wide the EPs are that I want to use, the 24mm Panoptic has been mentioned here and seems to be used by others with this and the 100mm Taks. Planning for the future is a great idea, but is it possible since it seems I have two different requirements, a fairly lightweight setup with the FC76, yet futureproofing this investment to allow me to use the kit with bigger scopes at home in the future?

I may be asking for too much here!

9 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

I use the Baader BBHS Zeiss Prism with T2 connections and it is superb, it also has the advantage of being able to screw in lightweight glass path correctors that act as x1.24, x1.6 or x2.6 multipliers. This would be my first move and I would then re-asses the performance of my current eyepieces.

This may help with the eyepiece choice.

 

Excellent, sounds like a plan. That's exactly what I will do. Thank you very much!

4 minutes ago, John said:

The set that I use with my refractors, which include the Takahashi FC100-DL are:

Panoptic 24mm

Delos 17.3mm

Delos 14mm

Pentax XW 10mm, 7mm, 5mm and 3.5mm

Nagler zoom 2-4mm

Of these, the Delos 17.3mm is probably not really needed because I tend to skip straight from the 24mm Panoptic to the 14mm Delos. The zoom to some extent doubles up on the 3.5mm Pentax XW as well but the versatility of the zoom is very valuable IMHO

There are other choices of course (rather a lot !) but this is where I've ended up and I'm very content with them. My diagonal for the Tak is the Baader T2 Zeiss-standard prism. I mostly use 1.25 inch eyepieces with my refractors and keep the 2 inch ones for the 12 inch dob.

@dweller25 makes a good point though, your current eyepieces are not bad by any means.

 

 

Thanks - that's great. The Nagler zoom would also complement the Hyperion which is 8-24mm so maybe that would be a good one to start with. I do like the BSTs and have also enjoyed using them with the Starwave, but the Hyperion is a fairly bulky, heavy thing and I wondered if it would be too big for the small Tak. There's a little devil on my shoulder saying I should get better eyepieces for the beautiful Tak too, so I get the most out of the optics....

12 minutes ago, jetstream said:

Baader BBHS,..

17.3mm Delos to start.

Thanks - hadn't even looked at the Baader BBHS! Thanks for your advice

5 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

But seriously, the eyepieces you have are quite good.

What kind of observing do you do ?

I know it won't be cheap, but the Tak has set a new bar 🤩

I like planetary when there are planets to see, but would like to expand to DSOs within the limits of what these scopes will allow. I don't see myself getting anything bigger than the TSA120 so basically 3-5 inch refractors. 

Hi everyone, 

So I recently bought a FC76-DCU, and am slowly accumulating a portable travel setup. I'm thinking of getting a TeleVue 1.25" diagonal for it, and was wondering if you could recommend eyepieces. At the moment I have some BST Starguiders (I used to use them on a 127 Mak that I recently sold) and a Baader Hyperion MKIV zoom, that I use on my 4" Starwave. I'd like some reasonably lightweight, high-quality eyepieces for home and travel. I've been looking at the TeleVue Delite, Nagler and Delos, as well as the Baader Morpheus eyepieces. To be honest, I don't really get a sense of the difference between these, and whether you would recommend one over the other, or something else entirely?

As I am under no illusions about my lack of willpower, and will no doubt add to my Takahashi collection in the future, it would be useful if these could potentially be used on other scopes.

Really appreciate your advice as always!

2 hours ago, Carl Au said:

I can not beleive how much I like my scope, I have sort of fallen back in love with astronomy again and I'm just getting out more, finding more gaps between the clouds , getting half an hour in with the moon. I use my scope using a Badder zoom and barlow. I can get down to 3.5mm easily giving me superb sharp detail across the lunar surface, better than any of the dobs I have previously owned. I highly recomend the Hyperion zoom/barlow combination with a good refractor, it's very handy for some jobs. I hate changing eyepieces to be honest and since the Hyperion Zoom is such a good eyepiece (as good as a TV Radian IMHO) I don't see myself going back to having a big collection again. The 2 inch ED30 I bought from TS fills the rich field gap at the other end of the spectrum. 

I completely agree Carl, It's such a step up from my last scope and an absolute joy to use. I was looking at Bode's twin galaxies last weekend and was so impressed with how much I could see. I'm looking forward to seeing Jupiter and Saturn. I also use the Baader Hyperion MKIV mainly, and I agree it is great. I'm using a 1.25in Altair dielectric diagonal, and I do find that it is very difficult to tighten it properly in the focuser, which means the eyepieces slide around especially with the weight of the Hyperion. But it's a minor gripe - the convenience of the Zoom is great. I saw you got the barlow - I am glad you find it works well with your setup. I use my scope on the EQM-35 Pro or else a Giro Ercole mini mounted on the SW tripod if I just want to have a look without the bother of setting up the goto. 

@Basementboy, I just rang Altair a few weeks ago when I was buying accessories for the Starwave and wanted to ask some questions. They were really helpful, and I wonder if it's a better idea to ring rather than email? Both the telescope and the accessories arrived really quickly, and I must say I have had a very good experience with Altair.