Deadlake

That is my concern as well, I would purchase a scope who's tube currents would never be steady. I'd need to be retired so I could stay up all night waiting...

Lockwood would make the primary, however the secondary maybe some one else. It's a total system so I see it would be hard for a mirror fabricator to give a system figure for a scope. Also here is a good article why looking at a single figure can be misguided: https://zambutomirrors.com/zambutoopticalce.html

APM have a new 6: doublet coming in: APM 6" F/8 doublet will be built with FCD 100 and LAF53 as matching glass, we should come out with the 6" F/6 similar or slightly better The 6"F/6 in Astro-refractor design will have a similar correction as our 152 F/8 ED, better is almost impossible. So best colour correction will be around 152 mm ED, good but not as good as an LZOS triplet. Ps: You mention a minimum tolerance for a lens you are buying and one hour later.....

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?

How much was the FS128 when it was out, relative to a 100mm Takahashi? I suspect at 130 mm the TOA is popular as one of the best imagining scopes at that aperture and that's where the market is. Note: Takahashi should supply a lens report, LZOS and AP guarantee a minimum tolerance. TecnoStar also provides a minimum lens quality on their 130 mm model as well.

No, but it’s kept in the garage so starts closer to required temperature

😃 Ha-ha, but seriously bubbles in glass would slow down cooling. Where are Takahashi specifications for Strehl or bubble density? Jerry have you done a Stu and have a LZOS 152 on order? By the way not knocking TSA-120, best 120 mm out there.

The AZ100 weight is 5x this mount. I like slow motion but I can compromise if setup is quicker and I can move the scope around over the night. Also slow mo on any mount I’ve used introduces wobble which I do not get with my SXP2, I can zoom around all night and no wobbles.

That’s slow compared to a 130 mm triplet I own, Takahashi make you wait for the good views…😃

Have you contacted AnakChan on CN, he might be able to help.

The SB10 has a Ethernet port so you can plug it directly into the asi air pro no Wi-Fi bridge required. I use a mini Wi-Fi router so not a big issue, just takes up a USB port for power.

When I get a lighter mount for the LZOS maybe I’ll bring it to Walton. If @GavStaris interested we could compare views with his AP130GTX.

I looked at it as well, but it was too slow for my use case and also it’s repudiation for cooling down relatively slowly.

@Stu Did you ever look thru @GavStar AP130GTX? Wonder how they compared, given the AP130GTX costs €3500 more?

How does colour/contrast compare between your LZOS and TOA?

Ageema already make them, however a long wait time and not that much lighter then many triplets.

Discussed with Bill P. Slow mo: With scope in balance on the CT20 I found the movement as smooth and actually more precise than what I am used to with slo mo controls. So it was quite amazing even at 600x as was able to move even the tiniest bit in the FOV very easily. It was really quite amazing as was able to move from crater to crater in the Moon at high mags quite effortlessly with no jitters in the view. More intuitive to move also compared to the two axis movement with slo mo. I was quite taken aback by the experience it was so pleasant moving so effortlessly across the Moon’s surface at high mags. EP changes: As far as clutches, the NOH has them for both Alt and Az. The two silver knobs on the vertical shaft in the pic in my review. Using the clutches was able to move between a 40XW and a tiny 6mm Abbe and not have to rebalance. With that major weight difference, I think more than 600g, there was a little backlash, but minor IMO. Encoders: The encoders will be available by the end of the year. I understand they attach to the mount as is and that customers will purchase them directly from the encoder manufacturer. Thoughts: Using a super mount tripod that means mount plus tripod would total 5.5 kg, that’s less then some tripods. Super mount also has a half-pillar… This would make my LZOS 130\ F6 portable around the garden. An AZ100 with a t-pod tripod would be around 16.5 kg and then the scope. Amazing it can take a C14 and C11 for a spin: C14/C11 Demo

Yes, typo on my part.

Mine has 4 cm’s less to be more bino friendly.

I think the limit of how big to go with a APO is how much mount you out able to accommodate. The weight of my 4" can be taken easily by a Scopetech Zero whereas my LZOS needs an SXP2 mount , a SXD2 would not be able to point it reliably. For size comparisons: Note the dew shield stick out more on the AG scope than the KUO tube (the one @Stu has), but the tube length is 4 cm shorter. (Corrected focal to tube length) Tonight, well scope night app was all over the place. Either takeout the SXP2 early which is a must for tracking planets or go with the 4" and the Scopetech Zero. The SXP2 is around 11 kg, plus 6.5 kg of weights and other bits I need a good night and set up early for this to be worth while. The AZ100 is still 10.5 kg plus saddle etc, not grab and go. The other option would be to get a Crux mount which is 4.5 kg or maybe an Alt-Z like the new NOH CT-20 (2 kg). Bill P tells me even with the nudge method for moving he can still use is 152 APM ED at x600 (another option you can buy) on the moon using the CT-20 and its smoother to manoeuvre then mounts with slo mo's. The CT-20 a weight of 2.5 kg and a light weight tripod makes 130 mm LZOS becomes a lot easier to get out with since I don't need a heavy mount, I could even move it around connected which is not some thing I could attempt with the SXP2 or AZ100. The Crux is great however I'd need to sell the SXP2 as I cannot justify having both mounts. To make say a TOA-150 (not mine) more transportable the RST-300 is used, again not cheap, but adding up the weight of the tripod and mount below is under 10 kg, considering what its carrying lightweight. In summary its the weight of the mount that limits me in taking out a 5" APO. Cool down, well thats 30 minutes and you are ready, so not a big deal. @Fedele Have you worked out how to mount this scope (AZ100?), I think that limits what you can do. Rupert @ Astrograph tells me no more LZOS lens cells till Jan 2023, all allocated, so unless you can find one second hand you might have to cross that off you list. TEC 140 from last year have still not been delivered. It's a long wait for a premium APO. Maybe the APM 152 mm ED is the way to go, very good reports on this scope.

I suspect yours might be a little lighter, APM focuser, tube rings a little lighter KUO tube heavier. Around 11.1 kg's:

This is true, the weight of the mount is less then the alternatives and it's very quiet given the belt drive. i.e. little if no maintenance. The SB10 is the unique selling point which I use most of the time. The only area it falls short is not way to upload a list of targets (like double stars). For this I use starry night which can drive the SB10 via wifi, however Luminous Pro can also support the SB10 as well. You do need SB10 dedicated support as no Meade compatibility. I use mine for visual, I cannot give a report on PEC. There are reports on CN of users getting very accurate tracking, so you may be best to search on that forum for first hand reports. The other alternatives I was looking at where the Rainbow and Crux mounts, but I thought they where a little too new. When the second generation of them comes out I'll revisit. The Avalon Linear might also worth looking at, build quality is great and belt driven too. The controller looks very good as well.

nice! I'd be interested to know which you will use the most, DOB or APO?

The F9.2 have a Strehl on average of 0.99 and are better colour corrected. However the F6 is more flexible IMHO.

We went off at a tangent when playing what else has Stu bought. 😀 @jetstream Dob fondness.