F15Rules

30 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

Hey up - This thread is about 5” Refractors not 4” plus a bit 🤣🤣

Well, to be fair, Jeremy's scope is actually a 4.742" refractor...only 5.6% less light gathering than the FS128🤪😋..

..or 7.3% less than a 130mm😁😂

Dave

PS.. to meet David's target weight of 6.5kg, Takahashi would of course have to abandon any thoughts of putting a handle on any new 130mm fluorite scope, meaning that Jeremy wouldn't be interested in one anyway!

10 hours ago, Stu said:

... and the 128 is a bit of a legend isn’t it!

Er...yes, I'd have to agree Stu!😆

Dave

Lovely, John..😊

I think, even today, the Vixen SP/GP mount makes a great, stable support for modern Tak 4 inchers👍.. (and Vixen 4inchers too, of course!!) 🤣

Dave

50 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Is that summer house painted Tak blue, Dave?

Well, there's a small amount of blue at the top, Jeremy, but there's a whole lot more Tak Green??

Dave

I hear you, Stu!!😁😁😊👍

Dave

Happy birthday for yesterday Alan!👍..

Lovely vintage Barlow lens, still deliver great performance.

Enjoy!😊

Dave

1 hour ago, John said:

Could a 130 doublet be colour free at F/8 even if Fluorite is used ?. I'm not sure it could. If some colour is going to be present, is that a risk for Takahashi's reputation ?

Yes, in focus for visual John.

See here:

http://scopeviews.co.uk/TakFS128.htm

As David says, in focus the FS128 is colour free. Vega is pure white. That's what matters to me. Intra- and Extra- focal images don't..🙂

If I was an imager, it might be different..

Dave

41 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

It’s just wishful thinking on my part Dave.

I am getting to the point of having a trolley made to support the FS128 plus mount so I can just wheel it around….

I do sympathise with your regarding your back, David..it must be frustrating for you..I find similar frustration with my decreasing visual acuity; fortunately it has stabilised recently, but I've had to accept my eyes aren't what they were, and train my left eye to be my main Cyclops observing eye rather than my traditional right eye. I also find binoviewing helpful as two eyes definitely seem better than one on some objects.

There is no doubt that the FS128 is a big tube for a 5", and I can see that if your back is suspect it would be much harder to handle than an equivalent 4" Tak, which are positively svelte in comparison!

The trolley sounds like a good compromise solution.

Dave

35 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

I MAY be tempted if an “FC130DZ” weighed around 6.5kgs with tube rings and finder.

That, to me, would be better than the FS128

The FS128 tube is already only 7.5kg excluding finder and rings..I don't use rings as I prefer the original Tak clamshell, and that stays on the mount when I take the tube off..the finder & bracket can't be much more than 500-750gms.

To get a hypothetical FC130mm F8 at 6.5kg weight including rings and finder would be a tall order indeed, and would presumably need either a thinner tube thickness, or a slimmer tube diameter than the oversize tube of the FS128 - or both! (could be done). I personally wouldn't want a thinner tube thickness supporting a fairly robust, large doublet..

Dave

4 minutes ago, Deadlake said:

You trust Takahashi's QA process and they do deliver, fair enough.
But why do other vendors such as LZOS and AP provide minimum tolerances or in some cases let you choose which lens you are getting from a small selection?

You'd have to get a definitive answer to that question direct from the manufacturer. 

But in the case of AP, if you are making potential customers join a 10 year plus waiting list to get one of their products, maybe you have to try to convince them that they are getting something extra for waiting that long?

Dave

1 hour ago, Deadlake said:

Takahashi should supply a lens report, LZOS and AP guarantee a minimum tolerance.

I think there are hundreds, if not thousands, of practical user "test" reports from satisfied Takahashi users worldwide. To me, they are far more valuable than technical reports that many (including me) don't understand, and what you see when you look through the scope is far more convincing than a piece of paper with obscure figures, often argued over as being subjective or slanted to a particular audience.

It may well work differently for imaging, but for visual use (the use to which most doublets are put), you can't beat the acid test of MK1 eyeballs! 👍

Dave

21 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

Why are they not making an FC130DZ ?

..so that you're not tempted to sell your FS128 David??😈😂

But joking apart, could such a doublet really be noticeably better than the FS128?🤔

I know mine isn't going anywhere, for any other scope!🤗😊

Dave

2 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Could be worse, Stu

 

Strange how the "cargo" stopped "Dead Centre" between those twin white lines?? 

Dave

Yes, Stu, I have..but I can't remember what the items were, let alone where they might be..

..handles, probably..

Dave

Congratulations Garry..👍

Both of those scopes look amazing on that mount and tripod. 

If I were you, I'd now sell off all my other scopes and mounts and spend the next 10 years just enjoying those two rigs - it would be next to impossible to improve much if at all on what you now have.

Let's see some detailed observing reports on these two great rigs  - asap please!!

Dave

Great report John and I envy you 3 consecutive pristine nights...I've had two decent nights in the past 2 months!

It seems so rare for our plans to come together perfectly like this, so it's a real encouragement to all of us to read of all the objects that look so great in just a pair of binoculars!

Some of the best views possible don't need any optical aid at all -  just the kind of conditions John has just experienced😊. 

Congratulations John!

Dave

A fascinating comparison between your FS (Flipping Superb)102 and FC (Fully Comparable) DZ100, Jeremy!

Of course, as an FS owner I'm biased, but I think that your comparison really shows how small the differences are between really fine optics.

The differences you describe are often quite subjective, and it's gratifying to see how little actual differences there are in the field between one of Takahashi's most recent refractors in the DZ and one of their most famous and innovative designs from over 30 years ago in the FS series.

I do hope you will resist any temptation to let the FS go in the future..you have a long history with it and more memories to create in the future, I'm sure..👍

Dave

Although I've posted about this scope in another thread, it seems right to include some shots on this one too..

Vixen SP102m achromat on GP mount..😊

Dave

Oh dear...just seen your last post😱...

Er..."APM LZOS 130 f6 - first light"...

Back on track... (for a moment I thought I'd logged in to the "dark side site" where an interesting thread then ends up being about something completely different!!😱😋😁)

Lovely Lzos glass you have there Stu, and your new observing site looks the business! It would be great to see a head to head comparison between your F6 and an F9.2 at some point..

Not a shootout, just a genuine observation based comparison between two great scopes with significantly different focal lengths.

By instinct I would normally go with "longer", as to me they look better, but I recall holding a longish Lzos scope years ago and was amazed by how heavy it felt..so I do understand why the short version appealed to you.

As for your other "little secret"... my money is on some kind of ship's funnel..but we will find out soon enough!🥴🤪😂

Dave

1 hour ago, Franklin said:

I had a Vixen LV zoom for a while Dave. Excellent eyepiece.

Thanks Tim.

I really like the form factor and simplicity of the LV range. 

Just wish the weather would play ball so I could get them all out together for a proper session!

Dave

Arrived today..

Vixen LV 8-24mm Zoom, in almost new condition. Gets great reviews and is the same as the one that Tele Vue own- branded some years ago.

Feels quite lighweight but nicely made, with continuous zoom (no clickstop), and has NO undercut on the barrel!👍🤩

Has 40-60mm degree range with 60deg at 8mm setting.

Shown here with my 5, 10 & 20mm LVs, all made in Japan.

I look forward to comparing the Vixen zoom with my Carton Japan 7-21mm, which has similar fov but feels significantly heavier.

Dave

I think all the Vixens with "LV" in the name are fine eyepieces.

One of my favourite eyepieces ever was the superb LVW 22mm which I bitterly regret selling. As I now like binoviewing on planets and lunar, I'd love a pair of LVW22's, but they are like hen's teeth these days.

I have a mini set of 5mm, 10mm and 20mm LV's and they are all excellent. I've just bought an LV zoom 8-28mm (also sold badged Tele Vue back in the day),which gets good reviews..it would be tempting to look for another zoom for my binoviewers at some point. All the Vixen eyepieces barlow well and have very generous eye relief. In the LV range they did offer a 2.5mm version and they do come up from time to time on the used market.

You mentioned floaters in your post? I do get floaters myself at higher powers, and I have found that binoviewers really do reduce the visibility of these wretched artifacts - quite noticeably, and two eyed viewing seems so comfortable once everything is properly set up.

Dav

On 02/09/2021 at 15:34, JeremyS said:

Getting a bit obsessed with this lovely Oklop stuff

Apparently Oklop are soon introducing a new bag for carrying various handles, Jeremy.. designed inDerby I believe..

Dave

Full respect to your design and engineering skills!👍

They look very solid..and heavy🏋️!!

What do you plan to mount them on?

Dave