Littleguy80

If you base it on the numbers it's a close call: Secondhand Tak FC100DC £1400 (Based on ABS ad). Can work as Travel scope allowing sale of Equinox for say £300(?). Lighter than Starfield for perhapa plays more happily with the mini AZ so need to spend £200 on a new mount. Total cost £1100. (Tak will give some improvement over the Starfield and a lot of improve over the Equinox for travel. Higher upfront cost for a secondhand scope) New Starfield 102 £900. Too big for airline travel so need to keep Equinox 80. Heavier so maybe does need a new mount for £200. Total cost £1100. (Brand new scope with warranty for less. Performance still very good. Not suitable for airline travel so the 80mm scope remains as travel scope) Maybe it's an oversimplification but I started this thread to test my thinking on the Starfield and see what other options there were

Good point on weight and, yes, forgot to ask for length. I certainly don’t feel like I’m being pushed down the Tak route. It’s a good suggestion based on my comments about having a single 4” scope suitable for airport travel. Based on some research since, I’ve not seen any other 4” scopes mentioned as having that capability. It’s all good food for thought

@FLO Do you guys know if the Focuser and Dew Shield can be removed from the Starfield 102, similar to the Tak FC100DC? This is to shorten it for airport travel rather any sort of telescope vandalism.

I still have mine which I bought off you, Stu It’s still one of the best planetary eyepieces I own. A World Cup winner too: http://hyperionzoomlover.blogspot.com/2011/06/champ-meade-rgo-research-grade-ortho.html?m=1

Definitely more confusion but that was the point of starting the thread. There’s always something I hadn’t considered which inevitably leads me down other routes. Better to end up with the right scope first time!

Oh man. This is getting serious now 😂 I’d kind of written off a Tak due to the price but you look at the secondhand price and consider it replacing multiple other scopes and it starts to look better value. Now whether my wife sees it that way is an entirely different question 😂

Nice. Very similar line up to what I’m considering. How do you find the quark? Do you use it with both refractors?

Thank you for the suggestion though I’m assuming the Starfield doesn’t easily break down in the way the Tak does? Please don’t try it unless you know, I don’t want to be responsible for a broken telescope!

It’s a really tricky one. I think I mostly feel guilty that the Equinox 80 will likely see a lot less use once a 4” APO arrives. It’s given me a lot of joy as a travel scope so it’s a keeper unless I can find a 4” APO that’s the right size. Initial feeling is I’d rather have a 80mm and 100m than compromise on a 90mm

Thanks for sharing that thread. Lots of good info in there. There’s a big jump in price with the Tak though offset to some degree by being able to sell Equinox.

Looks pretty sweet with the binoviewers! The obvious follow up question to that is should I try binoviewers with the Equinox 80 before getting a 4” APO?

Haha I’m happy with my eyepiece collection so that should be good. It’s only if I go for binoviewers that I need to start doubling up!

Haha I think it’s the length of the tube that normally makes it too big. If you tell me the Tak comes with a Mary Poppins style bag then I’m in trouble 😂

Nothing bought yet but planning ahead. It’s been on my mind for Solar for quite awhile. I’ve been dithering a bit as a 4” is too big for carry on luggage so couldn’t replace the 80mm as a travel scope. I figure if you throw in the planetary, lunar views and widefield improvements over the 80mm then it will prove it’s worth. I have a TS Optics wedge which has performed well with the 80mm. I dare say, I’ll be tempted down the binoviewer route before I think about upgrading that 😂

I recently picked up a Clicklock diagonal which seems fab based on a couple of usages. I do like the idea of replacing the twist lock with Clicklock too. I think that also falls into the category of see how I go. One thing I’ve found is that, for me at least, I to build a setup over time if possible. Each upgrade adding little improvements.

I should have mentioned you too! I read more than one post about your lovely Starfield 😁

Haha sounds like it would be ideal. I’m definitely not against a new mount but figure it’s worth trying out what I’ve got first. Plus I can spread my purchases out to stop the family accountant asking any awkward questions 😂

Thanks Mike. I think the Starfield and Dob could become good friends. I used to wonder why people had so many scopes and eyepieces. I’m now seeing it more as having the right tool for the job. Thanks for all your posts on this subject in various threads. They’ve been a big help in getting me to this point and raised more than one chuckle along the way 😊

Nice. I do really enjoy planetary. The dob is great for it but does need the cooling time, collimation to be spot on and decent seeing. I think a 4” APO will probably deliver good results more often. I was kind of expecting that DSO’s would be disappointing compared to the dob but then that’s not really its specialty. I guess I’ll have to see how it goes with the mount. The AZ4 isn’t mega money if I do need something more.

It’s the only mount of it’s type that I’ve used but I’ve gotten on well with it. Even without the counterweight I’ve found it quite usable. I do loosen and tighten the az motion as I move between targets to keep it stable. Interesting comment on the AZ4. I noticed it’s only rated to 5kg which is what led me to look up the specs on starwave mini

The astronomy bug is biting again which of course means I’m thinking about buying new astro gear! My current setup is: SkyWatcher 10” Dob - My most used and most loved scope. Despite it’s size, it’s nearly always this scope that I bring outside at night. SkyWatcher Equinox 80 - Purchased as a travel scope. Nice for wide field. This gets the most use for white light Solar. DayStar Solar Scout 60mm - My first Ha scope. Have been very happy with it though I have no basis for comparison with other Ha scopes. I’ve been greatly entertained by reading a number of threads on reflectors vs refractors. There’s no denying that @mikeDnight makes a very strong case for a 4” APO. As does @Stu for the white light solar views. All this has led me to formulating the following plan. New scope - Starfield 102mm F7. I believe this is the same as the Technosky scope which @Victor Boesen reviewed really nicely. It may not be a Tak but I think it’s close enough for the money. Mount - I originally planned to get an AZ4 but after some research I a found my Altair Starwave Mini AZ is rated up to 6kg with the counter weight so I think this will be fine for the Starfield. Quark Chromosphere - Out with the Solar Scout and in with the Quark. It should be work with both refractors. I believe I’ll need a UV/IR filter for it though. To get full disc views, I’ll probably need a focal reducer. I’m expecting the new scope to give me improved planetary views on most occasions. My initial impressions of my 80mm frac was that is show less detail than the dob. Recent comparisons, based on short sessions show the frac giving better views when the seeing is average and nicer colour rendition For solar viewing, I want to see more detailed granulation in white light. As for Ha, again, hoping to improve surface detail and be able to throw more magnification at it. The Quark option seems to give the most flexibility. At this point, I’m just looking for thoughts on whether this makes sense. The dob will always be the DSO king but I’m sure the Starfield will be well used for shorter sessions or widefield on things like the Veil.

Looking forward forward to your report on the 10mm. I thought about that one myself but I have a 9mm BGO. There are just so many reports from top DSO observers on how good the 10mm is though….

Been quite awhile since I last bought anything astro related. Finally succumbed to Clicklock for my refractor. I’ve been using it on my Dob for years now and love it.

After reading this post earlier, I couldn’t resist pointing my iPhone at the comet. It shows up pretty well for a 10 second hand held exposure!

Returning from a family day out late afternoon, I went straight to the garden to see if I could spot Venus. I found it quickly and dashed inside to grab the 10" dob. Not long after I was enjoying the conjunction of Saturn and Venus. They were close enough to share the FOV at just under 100x mag. I grabbed a few pictures of the event. Clouds rolled in and I expected that to be the end of my observing for the evening. As I finished up the washing up, a little after 9pm, I noticed the stars shining so decided bring the dob back out to play. Hind's Crimson Star was my first target, as it had some discussion on another thread. A short star hop from Rigel brought me to its location. I don't think there's another star to compare for such a brilliant shade of red. I grabbed a quick shot with my DSLR just to capture that amazing colour. Keeping with a low power eyepiece, I enjoyed the green nebulosity of M42 and then spent some time, unsuccessfully, trying to see the reflection nebula in M45. My skies at home aren't quite dark enough for this. I moved into Cassiopeia to find a comet. On my way, I passed the wonderful Owl cluster (NGC 457) and M103. C/2020 V2 (ZTF), the less impressive of the ZTF's, is quite small, like a very small globular cluster. The additional challenge of finding it did add to the fun though. The second comet of the evening was C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) and was a new comet to me. Found in Draco, it was much larger and quite diffuse. A more typical comet in appearance. As a bonus it was situated next to the faint open cluster NGC 559. The headliner in the comet trio was, of course, C/2022 E3 (ZTF). Bright and elongated, bringing back memories of NEOWISE, despite falling short of it in terms of brightness. I tried to spot it naked eye but my skies were again not dark enough for that. I closed out the session with some time in Cancer/Gemini. The spectacular Beehive cluster led to Tegmine. The split of Tegmine only coming with the brilliant Vixen HR 3.4mm eyepiece. I was pleased that my manual tracking skills were up to this task. The Vixen staying in the focuser for a view of the Eskimo nebula. A great way to finish the session.