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Which Takahashi refractor?


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42 minutes ago, estwing said:

So the all singing,all dancing Tak is up there along with Skywatcher...

Yes! There's not a world of difference between the SW ED's and the Tak's. If I were to differentiate between the two, I'd say the Tak's are better colour corrected and the Tak won't break down when the seeing conditions permit silly high magnifications.

Mike

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4 hours ago, John said:

If you get a chance to look through a Skywatcher ED100 or an ED120 you will get a good idea of what people are on about. Their performance is pretty darn close to the premium brands being discussed here.

Interesting comparison, one day i will get a decent session in with the 120Ed 

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2 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Yes! There's not a world of difference between the SW ED's and the Tak's. If I were to differentiate between the two, I'd say the Tak's are better colour corrected and the Tak won't break down when the seeing conditions permit silly high magnifications.

Mike

Spot on I think Mike :smiley:

BTW, what are all these light bucket folks doing in this thread ? :wink:

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14 minutes ago, John said:

Spot on I think Mike :smiley:

BTW, what are all these light bucket folks doing in this thread ? :wink:

 

 

18 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Yes! There's not a world of difference between the SW ED's and the Tak's. If I were to differentiate between the two, I'd say the Tak's are better colour corrected and the Tak won't break down when the seeing conditions permit silly high magnifications.

Mike

I'm going to test my Chinese optics tonight at silly high mag if seeing allows, so far the SW120ED goes 300x on lunar like a razor.

 

ps I want a Tak frac to go along with the ZAO I can't have :)

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16 minutes ago, jetstream said:

 

 

I'm going to test my Chinese optics tonight at silly high mag if seeing allows, so far the SW120ED goes 300x on lunar like a razor.

 

ps I want a Tak frac to go along with the ZAO I can't have :)

That's X63 per inch Gerry. I hope you get a really good night and really get chance to push the mag to the extreme. The 120ED's are great scopes! If you manage X100 to X120 per inch you're in Tak territory, but even Taks need the seeing to play ball. The Moon is probably the target that responds best to high mag. My FC100DC has given wonderfully sharp, colour free views of the Moon and Venus at X474, which I would say is its sensible limit, all dependent of course on good seeing. Even though technically you might not resolve any more detail than at X50 per inch, there can be benefits to having a scope that can power up well. I'm currently still able to see albedo features on Mars by using very high powers to obtain the necessary image scale. It's currently just above 4 arc seconds in diameter.

Mike

Mike

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The fact that the Taks can take that mag is a testament to their optics Mike, great glass. My 120ED is very slightly miscollimated and this might limit the scope a bit. I'll test the SV90mm tonight on Jupiter and the moon if I stay up that late.

The SVR90mm APO triplet gave me the very best color rendition of Mars I have seen using the 3-6 Nagler zoom @ 210x and my new Vixen HR 2 2.4mm will test these frac optics well I think. That view of Mars, with its bright orange color, albedo features and icy white cap is burned into my memory Mike... to me fracs are all about color, nothing beats them here IMHO.

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Well, I never expected this thread to run as long as it has. There have been a few byways and diversions along the way, binoviewers for example, and we have inevitably got into the frac vs mirrors debate, but it's all been interesting. Thanks to all. 
My desire for a Takahashi started in 2006 when me and my family were lucky enough to go on a Mediterranean cruise which included Libya (before the stuff hit the fan) for the the total solar eclipse. I sat fascinated on the deck one day as two smartly dressed Japanese ladies assembled their matching Tak scopes and mounts to view the sun. Unfortunately  by the time that they had them operational the clouds had intervened and they immediately started to disassemble them again. But I was struck by how beautiful they were (the scopes!) in that subtle grey/green colour and how well engineered they looked. It was love at first sight 
Our desire for a particular thing can be irrational and not necessarily based on solid facts. Lots of people have favourite cars for example which they can desire even if they can't afford them. I remember working with a chap who had an obsession to own an Aston Martin. Although his salary wasn't great he was single and he managed to finally acquire one. For a few months he was ecstatic but then reality bit and he realised he couldn't afford the insurance, servicing etc., and he was forced to sell it.
Hopefully after the initial outlay  I won't have that problem but I have to admit that my desire for a Tak  is probably equally unreasonable. He loved high performance cars and his perception was that Aston Martins were the best and just wanted one.  I like refractors and also have that perception that Taks are the best so I would like one if at all possible. If I get one, perhaps I'll regret it, perhaps I'll be disappointed- who knows.......

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2 minutes ago, kerrylewis said:

 I like refractors and also have that perception that Taks are the best

Kerry, these refractors are among the best available. I highly doubt you will regret the purchase.

Gerry

-a light bucket member- but who wants a Tak.

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Lately I've tended to reflect on how much interest the money would earn V's the fun of finding out what these lovely bits of kit are actually like. For me it's a bit of a "no contest" in the current economic climate plus I'm not getting any younger either !

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15 minutes ago, John said:

Lately I've tended to reflect on how much interest the money would earn V's the fun of finding out what these lovely bits of kit are actually like. For me it's a bit of a "no contest" in the current economic climate plus I'm not getting any younger either !

Indeed John. There's no such thing as interest any more - in the financial sense, so why not go for interest in the best sense. Far more rewarding 

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3 hours ago, estwing said:

So the all singing,all dancing Tak is up there along with Skywatcher...

Yes, probably in the same way that an OOUK 1/10th wave is up there with a 1/6th :wink:

 

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  • 2 months later...

A postscript to this thread:

I now have my longed for Takahashi refractor - one of the lovely FC-100DL ones too! Gavster decided to sell his and I responded to his ad earlier in the week, and just a few days later I have it! :icon_biggrin:

I am delighted and can't really believe it, and now looking forward to trying it out.

Reports and pics to come 

 

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Congratulations Kerry!

I know just how ecstatic you're feeling, having recently acquired my first ever Tak, a lovely FS128 and EM2 mount:icon_biggrin:..

I have much to learn about the scope and how to get the best out of it, but every time I look at it I smile broadly..it's not rational but it feels a bit like climbing a high mountain and then admiring the view once you have toiled your way to the top, knowing that you will probably never go any higher in optical quality.

Enjoy your new scope and let us share your enjoyment with pictures and review please:hello2:.

Dave

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Kerry said

" I like refractors and also have that perception that Taks are the best so I would like one if at all possible. If I get one, perhaps I'll regret it, perhaps I'll be disappointed- who knows......."

Let's hope not Kerry, lucky you saw the ad before me, I  could have been round to collect in an hour from here :grin:

Dave

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2 hours ago, kerrylewis said:

A postscript to this thread:

I now have my longed for Takahashi refractor - one of the lovely FC-100DL ones too! Gavster decided to sell his and I responded to his ad earlier in the week, and just a few days later I have it! :icon_biggrin:

I am delighted and can't really believe it, and now looking forward to trying it out.

Reports and pics to come 

 

Congratulations on your new baby Kerry. You moved fast on this one! The ad was there then it wasnt; truly a case of survival of the quickest I feel! :icon_biggrin:

Logically it is a great move. Earlier this evening my friend paulastro pointed out some soberring facts that are worth considering. He said you won't find a sharper scope anywhere that will also deliver such high contrast, high definition, colour free views, and that will on the vast majority of nights resolve to the limit of the atmosphere, and be so easily manageable. It will also hold its value well for decades to come.

Mike

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