jgricourt

I forgot to mention that I am very sensitive to slight color variation (I pass most critical color test), in that case I see color aberration but this is not obvious and I am sure that most will not see it. Like I said carefully finding the optimal focus point will help to make it disappear but this is not easy without 1:10 ratio speed. Anyway I am not surprised, I was expecting to see that in a refractor because there is none I can detect from a parabolic mirror using the right eyepiece. I can live with that, I choose a refractor also for many other reasons.

Here is my modest experience with a Takahashi refractor. I am a dobson guy for years but one day having heard so much about this holy brand making superlative refractors everyone knows, I decided to buy one. I choose what seem to me the very best of the 100mm lineup, I mean the Takahashi FC-100DZ. Mechanically yes they have their own way of doing it, remember initially they were in the iron casting industry before diverging into refractor making in the 60s. The rack and pinion focuser is harder to move than most chinese counterparts, still this focuser is buttery smooth no issue with that and I believe it could handle heavy payloads for astrophotography if needed. The optics is great but not stellar like many Takahashi fan boys like to repeat. Stars show textbook airy disks in and out of focus, planetary image are impressive for such small package but I noticed blue fringing on the moon or on brighter stars and focusing is quite critical to avoid this residual chromatic aberration. For sure this is not a triplet nor a magic doublet made by the fairies. There is also plenty of light path to accommodate any accessory you can throw at it. The scope splits in 2 parts, the longest has 60cm in length, which is easy to fit in a medium-sized case. Overall, I am happy with the brand, also you can find cheap finder shoes for Takahashi on the Ali marketplace !