badhex

Silly me. Should have just checked if Ernest had written a review before posting here, which of course he has: https://astro--talks-ru.translate.goog/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=573&start=25&_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp&_x_tr_sch=http#p46443 Short version: he does not recommend it for a number of reasons including the image quality being like a sub-par Erfle, and the significant focus travel needed to reach focus. I'll read the rest in more detail later but seems like it may not be comparable to the rest of the line. @Froeng seems to have had good experiences though - would love to hear more!

Cheers Steve, I saw this as well and wondered if anyone had written any more in depth reviews/comparisons. My feelings are similar to yours; although it is obviously a lot cheaper (whilst on offer), it seems at least from a cursory search like it may not beat the 30mm UFF. I'll have a dig around and report back if I find anything.

When making a rather expensive tripod purchase last year, the wise man that is @Stu who owned the same tripod said to me that my purchase would be "a case of buy once, cry once" and he was absolutely correct. I can only pass on this same sage advice to you regarding the Starfield; you'll sweat when clicking the purchase button, but once you look through it under a clear sky and see no false colour and pinpoint stars, you will not be thinking about the money you spent 🙂

Would love to read a review of this one - anyone on SGL or CN written anything substantial?

It's a great setup! The lighting and industrial ducting also add to the ambience 🙂

😂😱

Hell of a rig that @Stu!

Great pictures and great scopes @mikeDnight! I can see why you are smiling so much 🙂

Lovely! Needs the industry standard banana/ bean can for scale 🙂

Hello @jetstream and welcome back! @Littleguy80 as Gerry says above, will be interested to hear what you go for in the end. FWIW I never take my TS102 (Starfield equiv.) on a plane, it's too large for hand luggage even with the dewshield retracted. When I travel with a scope I take my WO ZS73 which is a great little RFT and I can fit everything in a backpack, but obviously this is not comparable to the TS102.

I found views through the Mak to be crisper and it handled average seeing better than the SCT, even though it was nominally an inch smaller. Some of this is probably due to the central obstruction being quite a lot smaller on the Mak, and also could be the SCT needing collimation where Maks rarely need it unless they've been handled roughly. Arguably though if portability is a key requirement, then you want something that holds collimation better. Of course it's somewhat just personal experience, and I really want to love my C5 but just somehow it's never worked for me. I've read similar comments on SGL regarding the less than perfect planetary views with SCTs vs Maka, IIRC Ed Ting may also have said something similar in the past. This could also just be my confirmation bias!

Another vote here for the Starfield, assuming your budget does not stretch to a Tak. You definitely will not be disappointed. Obviously you are also unlikely to ever regret buying a Tak though! I don't own a Tak (though I am soon going to be in Japan for a couple of months so that might change 😂) so I obviously can't speak for it first hand, but something that might be worth considering outside of optical quality is that Tak accessories may be a slippery slope to an empty wallet. Quite a lot of the bits and bobs are Tak specific and generally are not cheap. One thing I love about these 4" scopes is that you can drop in a 40mm 2" EP and get 4 degrees of sky, and the Starfield comes with an excellent 2" focuser right out of the box. I am not sure what accessories the FC100 comes with so you might need to spend a bit more to get the correct visual back for 2". Again though, I don't own one so maybe @Stu or @JeremyS could chime in with some real world examples of additional costs?

For best portability, I would also recommend a Mak (specifically Mak over over SCT, I loved my Skymax 102 but have never managed to get the same enjoyment out my C5 - I've read other people have had similar feelings but of course it is somewhat personal choice). Obviously you will need a half decent mount for planetary viewing, I would also recommend the AZ-GTi for this class of smallish scope, but it may struggle with a mak larger than 127mm. I know some people have used it with a C6 also, but I can't say what their experiences are like. The AZ-GTi aluminium tripod is okay as a starting point for a small scope and lightweight enough to be portable but for best planetary views you may want to think about something more sturdy going forward. Depending on your budget, you could do worse than: Mak 127 (Bresser or Skywatcher) AZ-GTi Carbon fibre tripod (can be expensive but well worth it IMO) NB. Personally I have a 4" doublet which is excellent for both planetary and widefield, but it is larger (longer) and heavier, and definitely requires a sturdier mount and tripod. More flexible in terms of targets, but definitely less portable in my experience.

Haha, I suspect there will be many more over the next three months or so!

Glad the AZ-GTi behaved! Sounds like a great session.

Last night was absolutely clear as a bell, not seen it like that for months. Unfortunately all my gear was packed into a lorry and shipped to the UK on Friday 😵

Not so much under the radar but perhaps at altitude, my Meade 5000 HD-60 9mm has always been a strong performer. It doesn't fit in my main small EP case having been usurped by a Pentax XW 10mm which is definitely a superior EP, but I try to make sure the HD-60 doesn't get neglected completely.

Less under the radar and more over the moon 😂

Yes, identical as others have said, although the TS has a finder bracket included. I prefer the Starfield logo though. TS do another doublet line including a 102 F7 which they refer to as ED and not Photoline. The glass is apparently from Ohara but no mention as to specific types.

Is this the doublet? If so I have the same - great scope! I know many Starfield owners will agree

Not what the postie brought, but rather what the moving company took away; all of the astronomical equipment I have purchased and used over the last 8 years since moving here has now been packed onto a giant lorry, not to be looked through again until at least May / June time 😭😱 They've obviously taken most of my other belongings too but I mean who cares about that stuff? 😂 Weird feeling. Even weirder that we don't leave Berlin until end of Feb, and I've essentially had to pack for now, my upcoming two month Japan trip, and then at least a month in the UK before we get stuff back. I did think of keeping the tiny ultralight travel scope setup with me, but as it is a) 100% cloud cover all day every day at the moment, and b) I will be in Tokyo for a significant portion of my time I figured I will just have to deal with it! Or buy a Tak while I'm in Japan (with a handle of course) 😎

All the more due to our dear departed John Handleby. I do and shall continue to think of him any time handles are mentioned. Shame we can't get a handle reaction added to SGL!

Haha actually a long time ago I had planned to build an interface to meade style dual axis motors on a LXD-55 clone. I initially thought of using a Raspberry Pi, but since there is a lack of realtime clock for the sidereal tracking, I found plans for a DIY PIC-based controller which would be the brains driving the motors, with a Pi as the interface between any USB/Bluetooth/Wireless controller I fancied. Then I moved countries and it never got off the ground!

You can actually use a synscan handset with the AZ-GTi, not sure if that is a suitable option for you?

This is true! It has genuinely been horizon to horizon clouds since I had a shoulder op in Dec. At least I wasn't missing much during my first couple of weeks recovery but I'd actually got everything set up and ready to go under a bbq cover, so if it had been clear I could get a session in without having to lift or move anything. Oh well, better than nothing! Here's hoping that the weather will be better in May/June in the UK when I get all my stuff back!