Surfer Chris

Thanks John. From the reading I have done - it does seem that the 24mm Panoptic is quite a popular choice. I was very keen on the look of the Baader prisms and their click-lock mechanism. And there does seem to be an opinion that they may perhaps work better with dreaded undercuts? If money was no object then I would pick the Baader...but seeing as I have just spent the larger amount on a scope, it would be nice if I could get on with the cheaper Tak prism.

Hi Jeremy & John. Sorry I have only just seen your replies after submitting my last. Thanks very much for your kind input too. Well that's 6 out of 6 - even more conclusive! Yes, your set-up looks exactly what I was hoping for Jeremy. I think the combination of Tak plus wood Berlebach looks really good. But to be honest - all of these scopes look so nice! I do like the streamlined look of the 76DCU, and can definitely see that advantage for those who travel. Unfortunately, I have a terrible fear of flying and consequently don't do a lot of overseas travelling - hence no need for me to have that ultra portability that the FC-76DCU offers.

Thanks very much guys for the kind welcome and really helpful responses. I have just been out with the kids in the sunshine washing the cars for the last couple of hours. Well that's 4 out of 4 saying to go with the Takahashi FC-100DC, so that's good enough for me! It has given me the confidence to go ahead and place the order for the 100DC which I have just done. I think it was what my gut was telling me to do all along - but my sensible head was telling me that I could go with the 76DCU and put the extra £780 to use in clearing a tiny amount off the mortgage. Annoyingly, I have spent so much time stressing and thinking about it over the last few weeks that I could probably have spent that time working and earned the difference by now!!! Now that I have that dream scope on order though - I will have a good incentive to put that extra effort into doing a few more hours work and hopefully soon earn the extra I am paying out. I am hoping the Scopetech Zero will cope OK. I did see a video on YouTube comparing Scopetech Zero against a Vixen Portamount. In that video it appeared that a FC-100DC was being used OK. And the guys at FLO suggested it should be OK too. Next dilemma for me is the eyepieces! Initially I was looking at Tak Abbe Orthos, and the guys at FLO said that they are good for planetary. So I was going to perhaps try a 4mm or a 6mm to start with (probably 6mm). I figured just try one, if I get on with it OK, I can then always order another size immediately after. I was also thinking about either the 19mm or 24mm Televue Panoptic for low power wide views. Can I ask, do any of you use a Televue Panoptic for your FC-100's? If yes, would you go for the 24mm or 19mm if you had to choose one? And can I ask - are the Tak diagonals workable with the Televue eyepieces in your opinion? I have read a lot of posts with people complaining of issues with eyepiece undercuts not working well with Tak diagonals. Some seem to say this issue is unbearably annoying, some say it is not that bad and you can simply get around it by either not inserting the eyepiece fully (maybe using parfocal rings to hold the EP up), or reversing the compression rings in the diagonal. I did briefly consider a Baader Prism diagonal too, but especially now that I have committed to the more expensive scope, it would be nice to be able to use the cheaper Tak prism diagonal if I can do so without too much frustration. I have seen that apparently both the Tak and Baader prism diagonals are of a similar optical quality.

Hello from sunny Dorset! This is my first post on SGL (joined yesterday). I have been reading through posts on this website for a several weeks now, and it has been very helpful, providing me with a lot of information. So thanks very much! I am essentially a newcomer to this hobby, apart from some limited experience using a cheap 60mm Tasco refractor and a 115mm Tasco reflector many years ago as a teenager (some 25+ years ago). When I was a teenager, I did enjoy using these scopes but always looked forward to the day when I might be able to afford to get a better quality scope. Fast forward to 2020, and I suddenly got the urge to get back into it and get that scope I always wanted. Fortunately, I live in rural (central) Dorset, in a small village - with no street lights. So often I am lucky to have what appears to be fairly dark skies with the milky way frequently looking nice and bright. After a lot of reading up, I decided that I wanted to go down the refractor route. This is partly because I remember that I always enjoyed the views in the 60mm refractor over the 115mm reflector (all those years ago), but also because a lightweight grab & go refractor seems to fit in more with my current lifestyle. I currently work a lot (at home), having both a full time day job & then do additional free-lance work most evenings. I also have two young kids. So I picture my observations being limited to very quick sessions, whereby I quickly grab a set-up, lift it out through our patio doors into the garden, do 30-60 mins observing, then come back in again. I wanted a set-up that is fairly compact - so that I can leave it set-up in our dining room without being nagged too much for it being in the way! As I have been so extremely busy with work over the last few years (which has helped the financial side of things), I decided that I would treat myself and go down the route of a higher quality refractor (favouring optical quality over aperture). So that you know, my intention is that this scope would be my one and only scope (so it needs to be a good all-rounder). I don't really have space available for multiple scopes - plus I do have other hobbies so would prefer on good all round scope. I was kind of hoping to get a really nice quality scope that could be something I keep for life. In terms of what I am looking to observe - at the moment I have an urge to look at planets and the moon. No doubt I will want to look at DSO's too once I have a scope, but planetary and lunar were the original drivers. Anyway, having liked what I had read about Takahashi refractors, I have basically narrowed it down to either a FC-76DCU or a FC-100DC. But - I am now having difficulty deciding which one of these two scopes I should go for - hence I thought I would seek some advice from some better experienced people on SGL. As I want this to be a 'grab & go' set-up, I have opted for a lightweight Alt-az mount. The set-up I am currently looking to purchase consists of the following kit; Either Takahahsi FC-76DCU of FC100DC Berlebach Report 312 Tripod Scopetech Mount Zero Takahashi 1.25" prism diagonal Tak Abbe Ortho 6mm eyepiece Tak Abbe Ortho 12.5mm eyepiece Either Televue Panoptic 19mm or 24mm From the reading I have done, it seems that most people suggest going down the route of a 4" refractor is looking for a one and only scope (with a 4" offering an optimum capability in average UK seeing, yet still just about portable enough to not be inconvenient). Initially, I was leaning towards getting the FC-76DCU. I was informed that this would probably be quite close to the performance of a lot of 100ED (4" refractor) scope anyway, yet it would also provide something that is a lot lighter and more fun to mount and handle. In terms of package costs, it is working out to be around £2850 for the 76DCU option, vs £3650 for the 100DC. So although the 100DC scope itself is a lot more than the 76DCU, in terms of the entire package, the FC100DC option is only 28% more cost. So I am really struggling to decide if I should pay the 28% extra and get the 100DC. As a percentage, 28% doesn't seem too much - but then again it still represents £800 which is still a lot of money which the family would probably rather I spend on them! The things I am currently struggling with in making my decision are; If I go with the FC-76DCU, will I be disappointed with views? As a minimum I am hoping to be able to make out coloured belts & GRS on Jupiter and hopefully be able to make out the Cassini division on Saturn when they are back in a good position? Would be great if I could make out an ice cap on Mars too. In my Tasco scopes many years ago, Jupiter only ever appeared as a small cream disk with no features at all. Would the FC-76DCU generally work better on days of poor-medium seeing compared to the FC-100DC- therefore offering me more sessions per year? Would the 100DC be too heavy for the Scopetech mount? The Scopetech seems to claim 7kg capacity. The FC-100DC fitted with clamp and eyepieces etc. will probably be about 4kg. I am wondering if the mount stability offered by the lower weight of the 76DCU would in some ways compensate for the reduced aperture offered by the FC-100DC, thereby giving a more pleasing vibration free image? As a newbie, would one of these scopes be easier to get on with than the other? Does the split tube of the 76DCU compromise the optical quality in any way - e.g. does the threaded mid-tube connection potentially cause misalignment issues in the scope between eyepiece and objective - therefore am I better going with the one-piece FC-100DC? If for some reason I found myself in a position where I had to sell the kit in the future, is one of these scopes going to be significantly easier to sell than the other? Sorry for the lengthy post. Thought I would provide you with all the facts upfront. Any opinions to help me make my decision would be very welcome - otherwise it will probably come down to flipping a coin! Thanks, Chris