Newly acquired Tak FS128

[Stu]

Wonderful scope Aaron, definitely on my wish list one day!

I am coming round to the Takahashi way, I do actually love their looks and whilst very different to the Televues, there is something refreshing about their clean lines and light weight. The optics are lovely too!

I'm sure the focuser on the 128 will be lovely, but I confess I've not been impressed by a used example I've had on a smaller scope (60mm) and replaced it with a Feathertouch, much nicer.

I look forward to hearing all about your first views.

Two more things to say....

1) Not all 6" fracs need to be as long and well built as John's tank barrel!

2) Your very understanding wife must have alot of shoes and handbags ;-), it seems to help!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Congrats on that new scope. I personally do not care what a scope looks like, scopes and EPs are for looking through, not at. By all accounts the Taks are great in that respect. I have not looked through one yet, only seen a couple with loads of CCD kit attached. Olly's TEC-140 is the best frac I have looked through yet, under the conditions at that time, the big flux bucket of a 20" Dob (Sir Isaac, to friends) hit it for six on galaxies and globulars, I must say, but the views through the TEC on M13 were great. We did get to see Jupiter with it, but it was too low and the seeing was best described as looking through a transparent pan of boiling water, so the apo couldn't prove its planetary credentials. Would love to look at planets through suc a big APO some time under really good conditions

[Joves]

I must say, the sterile Takahashi look is a lot more appealing (but not necessarily less sterile) in real life!

John, it's probably frightening (for me at least, having ponied the dough on this one) how closely they perform. I have never looked through a Skywatcher ED, but was very close to buying one once upon a time.

Mike, I've paid more in Aussie dollars for this scope now than you did for yours in pounds new 12 years ago... Hopefully this says something for the retaining value of this scope. Not that I think I will be selling it. Sorry Matt...

Matt, thanks for the advice, the pics, taking such good care of it in the time you had it, for the case reduction (I can only imagine it before) and for your well wishes with it... Can't wait to actually take a look through it when the clouds clear!

Stu, my wife has plenty of handbags and they're of the variety that closely compare to the value of these scopes, so it seems only fair. My "stuff" does seem to take up a fair amount more space than hers though. I reckon that'll be what gets me in the end!

Michael, you once mentioned that you'd like to look at the southern skies through my then newly acquired Orion 110mm "apo". The offer still stands if you ever find yourself back in Sydney... Oh, and I'll let you take a peek through this one as well

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

If I ever go down-under again, I will surely drop by. Might bring a suitcase dobson as well

[mikeDnight]

I can't believe I had a FS 128 and sold it. I also can't believe I had a FS 152 and sold that. I now have a FC 100 which I'm never ever going to sell for love nor money. Its so cute i can cradle it in one arm, which I often do. Strange I know!

I can only hope that Takahashi will bring out a revamped FC 125, then I can at least get back to where I started. I'll never make the mistake of selling a Tak again.

Joves, its good really you paid so much. It shows just how much value the seller placed on the scope, which in turn is an indicator of its true potential.

I'm starting my FC 125 fund today in the hope that someone from Takahashi will read this post, see my desperate state and feel sorry for me. There's no need to rush manufacture Mr Takahashi, it will take me some time yet. :-)

Mike

[ollypenrice]

It's purely the choice of colours that creates that association, Olly.  It's so redolent of 70s hospitals and dental surgeries

James

Also something about the unmachined outer surfaces of the castings as well, don't you think? It takes a certain confidence to leave them unprettyfied.

Olly

[dweller25]

I am also the lucky owner of an FS128 and it is a superb performer - for a 5" scope.

But the Tak focuser was it's weakness - it has now been replaced with a Feathertouch which has vastly improved the overall feel good factor when using this scope.

For me it's the Goldilocks scope - excellent optics and not too heavy for my bad back.

[Joves]

A little exercise in size differences.

TV76 vs Genesis SDF vs TV102 vs NP127 vs FS128

[Joves]

I am also the lucky owner of an FS128 and it is a superb performer - for a 5" scope.

But the Tak focuser was it's weakness - it has now been replaced with a Feathertouch which has vastly improved the overall feel good factor when using this scope.

For me it's the Goldilocks scope - excellent optics and not too heavy for my bad back.

I know what you mean, David. It's surprisingly light for its proportions. Certainly lighter than the NP127.

[nightfisher]

By eck Joves, your kit list is like a premium astro shop display, you must have a very well paid job, lovely scope though

[Joves]

Haha... Thanks Jules. Will make for a fun garage sale someday!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Hi Joves.

You're in for a real treat!

On a really steady night the Takahashi will give you X100 per inch of aperture. I remember having a competition with a friend, who at the time was using a similar aperture TMB triplet. We pushed the magnification well over the top just to see what the breaking point would be. The Takahashi's star image remained essentially perfect at around X2,800.00. The TMB reached around X1,700. I have to confess though that the reason for the TMB only reaching X1,700 is that my friends eyepiece collection ran out of steam. He begged me to lend him mine but I wouldn't. He he! I won! :-)

The contrast in the Tak FS 128 is legendary, as are all their fluorite doublets. Takahashi have returned to using true fluorite for that very reason. The first view I had through the new FC 100 was a real stunning moment for me. Its contrast is outstanding. My friend who I mentioned earlier and who has over 45 years observing experience said, it was the only scope that had ever truly WOWED him on his first look through it.

I think you should get one to use as a grab and go scope. I'm sure your wife will eventually come back to you. :-)

I'd like to be a fly on the wall when your good lady gets her first look at the FS 128. He he!

Mike

I am just wondering about the maths here: How do you get to 2,800x? An FS128 has a focal length of 1,040mm, which requires an EP of 0.3714mm. Even with a 4x PowerMate, you need a 1.486mm EP, and with the 5x PowerMate 1.857mm. Only by using something exotic like the Baader variable Barlow 3-8x at maximum magnification can you get away with a 3mm (2.97, to be precise).

At 2,800x all you could hope to see is well formed Airy discs (seeing discs more likely), and the image would be horribly dim. How is there enough light to judge the optical quality. One tenth of that magnification (280x) on a 5" scope gives an exit pupil of 0,457, which is still in the realms of the feasible, but fairly dim (I occasionally push both the APO triplet and the SCT to 0.5 or just beyond on the moon and Mars). a ten times smaller exit pupil means 100x dimmer (or exactly 5 magnitudes. What targets could be used to identify any differences?

[Joves]

2800x would be pretty impressive!!

[garryblueboy]

Quality real quality congratulations .

[Joves]

Hi Joves.

You're in for a real treat!

On a really steady night the Takahashi will give you X100 per inch of aperture. I remember having a competition with a friend, who at the time was using a similar aperture TMB triplet. We pushed the magnification well over the top just to see what the breaking point would be. The Takahashi's star image remained essentially perfect at around X2,800.00. The TMB reached around X1,700. I have to confess though that the reason for the TMB only reaching X1,700 is that my friends eyepiece collection ran out of steam. He begged me to lend him mine but I wouldn't. He he! I won! :-)

The contrast in the Tak FS 128 is legendary, as are all their fluorite doublets. Takahashi have returned to using true fluorite for that very reason. The first view I had through the new FC 100 was a real stunning moment for me. Its contrast is outstanding. My friend who I mentioned earlier and who has over 45 years observing experience said, it was the only scope that had ever truly WOWED him on his first look through it.

I think you should get one to use as a grab and go scope. I'm sure your wife will eventually come back to you. :-)

I'd like to be a fly on the wall when your good lady gets her first look at the FS 128. He he!

Mike

Would be interesting to see how the FC100 compares with the TV102... Hmmmmm

[John]

Would be interesting to see how the FC100 compares with the TV102... Hmmmmm

Are you going to buy an FC100 to find out Joves ?

[mikeDnight]

I am just wondering about the maths here: How do you get to 2,800x? An FS128 has a focal length of 1,040mm, which requires an EP of 0.3714mm. Even with a 4x PowerMate, you need a 1.486mm EP, and with the 5x PowerMate 1.857mm. Only by using something exotic like the Baader variable Barlow 3-8x at maximum magnification can you get away with a 3mm (2.97, to be precise).

At 2,800x all you could hope to see is well formed Airy discs (seeing discs more likely), and the image would be horribly dim. How is there enough light to judge the optical quality. One tenth of that magnification (280x) on a 5" scope gives an exit pupil of 0,457, which is still in the realms of the feasible, but fairly dim (I occasionally push both the APO triplet and the SCT to 0.5 or just beyond on the moon and Mars). a ten times smaller exit pupil means 100x dimmer (or exactly 5 magnitudes. What targets could be used to identify any differences?

Made a mistake here chaps!

I was using a FS 128 at 1040mm FL, a 2.8mm Hi LE, a 2x Barlow and 5x Powermate.

It was a silly thing to try but the image was still sharp (ish). Not scientific, just amusing to try.

The actual power was nearer X3800.

X3714 more precisely.

The scope was mounted on a Celestron style Losmandy G11 and was tracking all the time, yet it was still a real struggle to keep the star in the field.

As far as the image being dim, it didn't appear so to us. The star remained bright and its diffraction rings didn't break down as we'd expected them to do at such a rediculous power.

F = 1040 / 2.8 = 371.43 X 5 = 1857.14 X 2 = 3714

This gives a ridiculously tiny exit pupil of .03mm, which on the face of it seems almost unusable, but it wasn't as impossible as it seems. The hardest part was to keep the star in the centre of the field as the magnification was increased.

Mike

[mikeDnight]

A little exercise in size differences.

TV76 vs Genesis SDF vs TV102 vs NP127 vs FS128

You know you'll have to buy that Tak 128 a little Pal to play with. He's all alone and needs a Tak friend, just so those TVs don't begin to bully him.

Your wife won't mind if an FC 100 suddenly turned up on the scene. In fact I recon she wouldn't even notice. :-) :-) :-)

Mike :-)

[Joves]

Haha... Mike, her new scope radar seems to be getting better. You might be right though, I reckon a smaller version of the Tak could potentially slip past unnoticed...

... That would just be being silly though, surely...

[Joves]

Are you going to buy an FC100 to find out Joves ?

I'm reckless, John... Not quite THAT reckless though

[mikeDnight]

Haha... Mike, her new scope radar seems to be getting better. You might be right though, I reckon a smaller version of the Tak could potentially slip past unnoticed...

... That would just be being silly though, surely...

I remember seeing a Simpsons episode where Homer bought Marge a bowling ball with Homer written on it, for her birthday.

Hmmm???

Mike :-) :-)