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Which Tak

Pig

By Pig
in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups

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Pig

Pig

Posted
Posted

As soon as I have sold my 110mm refractor I will pull the trigger on a 100mm Tak ( I may even buy one before selling my frac but I would rather sell first, I guess this is due to the small amount of  Scottish genetic code I have been blessed with)  the question is which one do I go for..... I have PM’d Stu for his advice but even with this sound advice I am still not 100% !!! I am almost sure I want the DF due to the slightly more robust focusser but at the same time I am in 2 minds as the extra focal length of the DL is also very appealing.

I know it is a great position to be in and maybe I should just throw a dice and be done with it...... ?

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Stu

Stu

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, Pig said:

I am almost sure I want the DF due to the slightly more robust focusser but at the same time I am in 2 minds as the extra focal length of the DL is also very appealing.

What are your intended targets Shaun? I think you mainly observe from home, is that right?

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Timebandit

Timebandit

Posted
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As soon as MikeDnight reads the post I am sure he will give you some sound advice . And also John as these gents know far more about Taks than most of us.

Therefore if you can get Stu, MikeDnight and John to agree on which Taks best for your individual needs . Then you have your answer IMO

 

Good luck Shaun and I am sure you will be more than happy what even you decide. wish I could afford one of these, maybe one day ☺

 

 

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Paul73

Paul73

Posted
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36 minutes ago, Timebandit said:

Good luck Shaun and I am sure you will be more than happy what even you decide. wish I could afford one of these, maybe one day ☺

I’m in your club.??☹️

I love reading the ‘which Tak’ threads just in case..... and this is coming from a confirmed dob lover!

Paul

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mikeDnight

mikeDnight

Posted
Posted

You can't go wrong with any of the FC100D series as they are all superb! What I would say is, that if your heart really yearns for the F9, then go with it. The F9 DL may still be a limited production run item with no guarantee there will ever be another. Technically, it is probably the best 100mm frac in production anywhere in the world!

However, the DC/DF versions are more compact while still able to power up to X100+ per inch on a good night without breakdown in image quality. The DC I think is the more lightweight of the two F7.4 FC's and the DC focuser has limited draw tube travel, the DF having more inward travel, or so I believe. Still I've found the DC focuser perfectly adequate for my own needs, though the Tak micro focuser is a very worthwhile addition on both DC and DF. All three FC100D's give truly textbook star images with zero observable spherical aberration. CA isn't an issue in any as far as visual observing goes. So if wider fields are a consideration I'd go for the F7.4. Having said that, even at F9 you still have a wide field scope! 

If the F9 had been available when I first saw the FC advertised, I'd definitely have chosen it over the F7.4. However, the F9 wasn't on the menu and so i bought the DC. Having used the DC now for almost three years, I can confidently say the F7.4 is a truly fine planetary scope. All three versions will sooner or later become unobtainable as Tak moves on to something different, so to grab any one is a wise move. But if the DL keeps calling, then now is your opportunity if the price isnt a barrier. Or you could buy an F7.4 along with a 1.6X extender Q and you'll have an F11.8 that you can cradle in one arm. 

Sorry I can't be of help!! :icon_biggrin:

 

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Stu

Stu

Posted
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That was the reason for my question. The only real way to decide between f7.4 and f9 is to think what your likely observing habit will be. If it is largely high power planetary, lunar, solar and small DSO, and portability is not a big issue then f9 makes total sense. If you want a more portable scope with carry on capability and the chance for wider field views, then the DF/DC is a better choice.

I chose the DC because it is lighter and I wanted to fit an FT straight away, so was also cheaper. Again, if weight is less of an issue then the DF may be a better bet.

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John

John

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I can't really add much to what has been said - all 3 FC-100 models are superb as far as I can see :icon_biggrin:

My DL is very portable but does need a little more stability in a mount than the F/7.4 does because of the tube length so that might swing it if you already have a mount in mind.

The DL costs a few more bucks than the other two as well now. It was pretty much the same price as the others when I bought my 1st run model. The DL has the 2.5" focuser like the DF.

Whichever you decide to go for you will own one of the very best 4" refractors available, IMHO :icon_biggrin:

 

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Pig

Pig

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Cher’s guys, this is all great and I haven’t piped in so far because I didn’t want to have too much influence on the comments.

Stu, 95% of my observing is in my back garden.... which on the whole is not bad form a light pollution bent. I don’t really prefer any particular type of target, I like them all .... at the moment I have enjoyed double star experience... and definitely solar... and I have the WO66 for full disc viewings !!

Gav is that a Manfrotto tripod carry case / bagI have one very similar. The image speaks volumes and the scope looks so portable it’s fantastic.

It sounds like all of the scopes will be great... but there is still one thing playing on my mind and it is about the benefit of having a longer frac IE the DL, it is a little more than I want to spend... but hey this is astronomy after all ?

Simon, your not wrong about Mike and John, I think John has a DL and I wonder how the 21mm Ethos performs, say with something like the Orion Nebula or the double Cluster !

Thank you all for your comments and please free to continue ? 

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Pig

Pig

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John, i started writing the above before your post so I hadn’t seen your comments..... some food for thought.....the length may cause some unwanted vibrations with my mount, I will have a chat with Kerry as he has the same mount as I.

? 

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Stu

Stu

Posted
Posted

Have a play with SkySafari Shaun. There is not a huge amount in it, but enough to make a difference on the larger objects. If the mount is not an issue then I'm thinking perhaps DL given that you are home based largely.

f7.4 vs f9 comparisons with 21 Ethos.

IMG_6075.PNG

IMG_6076.PNG

IMG_6077.PNG

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John

John

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Have to confess that I don't use my Ethos eyepieces with my DL. I have other scopes that give wider fields (eg: the Vixen ED102 F/6.5) so the Tak tends to be used for higher power observing with 1.25" eyepieces. My widest 1.25" eyepiece is the 24mm Panoptic which gives a 1.8 degree true field in the Tak F/9. Wide enough for most occasions really.

 

 

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GavStar

GavStar

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, osbourne one-nil said:

I like that bag! I like the bag's contents too. Is it a tripod bag?

Yes a padded Manfrotto tripod bag - about £70 on Amazon. There are different sizes - I think this one is the 90cm one.

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Piero

Piero

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I think you can easily make this decision based on the targets you are going to observe, whether you are going to use binos, whether you want to use 2" eyepieces, and finally whether you want to use an extension tube to observe.

I'm more than happy to answer questions about the DF if you need. I almost always use 2" eyepieces +/- 2" filters with this scope and in my opinion the focuser is adequate (heaviest ep is 35mm Panoptic (~750g), which gives 21x, 4.7mm exit pupil, and 3 degrees FOV in this scope). I don't do bino viewing, but I don't think you will have issues binoviewing with the DF using a short path diagonal like the Baader Zeiss T2 prism diagonal. 

The DF + 2" diagonal weighs about as much as the DC + 1.25" diagonal + 1 kg. Balancing is not really an issue though. I placed two M8 bolts at each side of my dovetail as "safety bolts" just in case the clamp on the mount slightly loosens. These two bolts also work perfectly for hanging weights and balancing the telescope. I bought a set of two 0.5kg wrist / ankle weights which can be used for this purpose. Doing so, there is no balancing issue whether observing horizontally, vertically or in between. The telescope remains balanced. When I swap a 2" ep with a 1.25", I simply block the axes in my AYO, remove one of these weights, swap the eyepieces, and finally unblock the mount axes.

 

You might be interested in the following thread. The first pages are about the Tak FC100 DC vs DF (including FT focusers). 

  

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Highburymark

Highburymark

Posted
Posted

Everyone has different criteria Shaun. The first and most important - great optics - can be taken for granted with any FC. So that frees you up to concentrate on other considerations. For me it was portability - I have long term back issues so needed a top quality, super light scope that takes a minute to set up, and can easily be taken anywhere I'm going. Also I don't use 2" EPs. So the 2.8kg DC was the obvious choice. The smaller DC focuser is strong enough to easily cope with binoviewers, but has limited travel. Personally, if I did 95% of observing from my own garden and and focused mainly on moon and planets, I'd go for the DL. 

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