2nd run of Takahashi FC-100DL's due soon

[Paul73]

43 minutes ago, Alien_Photons said:

Its good to share.

Too right! 

Sharing the joy amongst one's peers is fine.

Gloating and one upmanship is not.

I'd view one of these lovely scopes as the constant in my collection. Other scopes will come and go. But the Tak 100 would be a keeper. Not too big. Not too small. Just right!

Other financial commitments will prevent me indulging for the foreseeable future, but I will treat myself one day. It will be a present for just me. I think that most SGLers would understand that. 

Paul

PS. @fireballxl5 looking forward to the first light report with pictures. A 150 Tak. Splendid!

[Ibbo!]

I still think my old FS102 f8 is the best scope in my collection but the focuser needs a bit of work or an upgrade.

[mikeDnight]

8 hours ago, Ibbo! said:

I still think my old FS102 f8 is the best scope in my collection but the focuser needs a bit of work or an upgrade.

Whats up with the focuser Steve?

Sometimes the Tak focuser, though ok, can be a bit too stiff for smooth critical focusing at high power. The Tak micro focuser is an absolute godsend when it comes to effortlessly maintaining critical focus on lunar or planetary. Though not cheap they are excellent!

Mike

[kerrylewis]

I've been in touch with Ian King about these FC-100DL  scopes and he is happy for me to update the forum. Takahashi are due to manufacture a batch in the summer and they should be available in the autumn. Ian will obtain as many as he can. 

[Ibbo!]

4 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

Whats up with the focuser Steve?

Sometimes the Tak focuser, though ok, can be a bit too stiff for smooth critical focusing at high power. The Tak micro focuser is an absolute godsend when it comes to effortlessly maintaining critical focus on lunar or planetary. Though not cheap they are excellent!

Mike

there is quite a bit of movement from side to side now, Ive tried adjusting it but it has not worked so far.

[Stu]

7 minutes ago, Ibbo! said:

there is quite a bit of movement from side to side now, Ive tried adjusting it but it has not worked so far.

I have never liked Tak focusers, the one on my FC-100 has never been used, it was replaced by a FeatherTouch straight away.

[John]

The focuser on my FC-100DL was a little uneven in tenstion along it's travel when I 1st got it but I used the 2 small grub screws on the focuser top and the R&P tension plate underneath to make some small adjustments and now it's buttery smooth through it's whole length. One of the best focusers I've used

[AstroSylv1]

I wonder if it is going to be a batch of 100pcs or more...

[John]

My guess would be a further 100.

[JeremyS]

On 12/04/2017 at 01:38, Ibbo! said:

I still think my old FS102 f8 is the best scope in my collection but the focuser needs a bit of work or an upgrade.

Mine too! And I've had a few scopes! But I've not felt the need to upgrade the focuser.

Jeremy

[mikeDnight]

I've observed a few times now with paulastro's DL and the focuser is firm but not unusable. It seems many modern Taks are receiving some bad press regarding the stiffness of their focusers. My FS128 and FS152 had buttery smooth focusers, but my FC100DC was definitely on the firm side. I did adjust the grub screws to ease the tension and also bought the Tak micro focuser. My scope is now a joy to use and critical focus, even at high power, is touch perfect. Even though Paul's DL focuser is acceptable, I feel it would benefit greatly from the micro focuser attachment especially for lunar and planetary, which is where these scopes really shine. Lunar and planetary images constantly move in and out of focus with the atmosphere and with change in altitude. It would be a crime to deny such an optical masterpiece the ability of performing at its optimum. Though the micro focuser isn't a cheap item, it is still cheaper than many eyepieces. It's just a shame Takahashi don't include it as standard!

Mike

[John]

10 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

.... It's just a shame Takahashi don't include it as standard!

 

There seem to be some rumours that Tak might included the micro-focuser with the new run of the DL. The price may well be higher to reflect this though.

 

[paulastro]

16 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

I've observed a few times now with paulastro's DL and the focuser is firm but not unusable. It seems many modern Taks are receiving some bad press regarding the stiffness of their focusers. My FS128 and FS152 had buttery smooth focusers, but my FC100DC was definitely on the firm side. I did adjust the grub screws to ease the tension and also bought the Tak micro focuser. My scope is now a joy to use and critical focus, even at high power, is touch perfect. Even though Paul's DL focuser is acceptable, I feel it would benefit greatly from the micro focuser attachment especially for lunar and planetary, which is where these scopes really shine. Lunar and planetary images constantly move in and out of focus with the atmosphere and with change in altitude. It would be a crime to deny such an optical masterpiece the ability of performing at its optimum. Though the micro focuser isn't a cheap item, it is still cheaper than many eyepieces. It's just a shame Takahashi don't include it as standard!

Mike

Well Mike, if you (or anyone else for that matter), would like to buy me the Tak micro focuser, my birthday is on May 15th !!!!!!!!!! 

[mikeDnight]

57 minutes ago, paulastro said:

Well Mike, if you (or anyone else for that matter), would like to buy me the Tak micro focuser, my birthday is on May 15th !!!!!!!!!! 

What a brilliant idea! 

Mike