Takahashi FC-100D v SkyWatcher ED120

[John]

I hope this is not going to descend into a CN type thread ???? - if we are going to start dredging out old test results I think I'll bow out ......

My eye tells me that the Skywatcher ED120 objective is excellent and I've had the TMB/LZOS and Tak FC100 to compare it against for the past 4 years.

 

[paulastro]

 

No apology necessary Mike.  Personally, I always try and observe things in focus, and what's more l love observing coloured stars.  I'm also rather relieved my scope has CA and that it isn't perfect, or I wouldn't have been able to afford it in the first place.  🙂

[paulastro]

25 minutes ago, John said:

I hope this is not going to descend into a CN type thread ???? - if we are going to start dredging out old test results I think I'll bow out ......

My eye tells me that the Skywatcher ED120 objective is excellent and I've had the TMB/LZOS and Tak FC100 to compare it against for the past 4 years.

 

No worries in that regard John.  Mike and I both have weird senses of humour, and know each other well enough not to take each other too seriously 😄.

[djpaul]

4 hours ago, Stu said:

Well, I still have an FC100DC, my most used scope (throughout my 20 years observing), and don’t have another 120ED. Take from that what you will.

My feelings were always that I never felt I was missing out on any detail with the Tak, and the sheer useability and grab and go nature makes it so much easier to use regularly that it’s a no brainer for me. If I were at a darker site and did more deep sky observing I may think differently, although would use the Mewlon more for that.

For the record, if I had the space and spare cash I would probably still want to have a 120ED around because I do think they are great scopes.

Heres the 120ED i bought off you Stu . My first scope i bought when starting off some 4 years back . 

It has served me well and ive done some upgrades to it over the years.

[GazOC]

That sort of test is always going to show the difference in handling colour in between a good triplet and a good doublet and ties in with both the ED120's I've owned but I've seen plenty of reviews of the scope that mentioned comments such as "no false colour either in or out of focus" which I tend to put down to people getting a bit carried away with their new telescope.

[Alan White]

11 hours ago, John said:

 keep intending to post something on this, having owned both the Tak FC100-DL and a Skywatcher ED120 for 4 years now.

@John, from those in the original thread, you are the last with the two scopes and here on SGL at present.

Both @DRT and @Moonshane have not been here on 2020 so far, hope they are OK.

 

[John]

46 minutes ago, GazOC said:

That sort of test is always going to show the difference in handling colour in between a good triplet and a good doublet and ties in with both the ED120's I've owned but I've seen plenty of reviews of the scope that mentioned comments such as "no false colour either in or out of focus" which I tend to put down to people getting a bit carried away with their new telescope.

I've seen the same written about achromats, even quite fast ones

 

[Peter Drew]

1 hour ago, GazOC said:

That sort of test is always going to show the difference in handling colour in between a good triplet and a good doublet and ties in with both the ED120's I've owned but I've seen plenty of reviews of the scope that mentioned comments such as "no false colour either in or out of focus" which I tend to put down to people getting a bit carried away with their new telescope.

There is quite a difference in the perceived out of focus residual colour comparing imaging and visual, it is less noticeable visually and even varies between observers.     🙂

[GazOC]

I can only comment on the visual side of things Peter, I don't image. Both ED120s I've owned have clearly shown colour either side of focus through the eyepiece. I know tolerance for this varies from observer to observer but that some can apparently see none at all really, shall we say, "surprises" me 😉

[mikeDnight]

My experience with the three 120ED's I've owned is that all were excellent. There was noticeable colour inside and outside of focus, but in focus where most of us tend to observe, the colour correction was essentially free of CA. If the night was turbulent and the focus fluctuated, then there may be a little colour visible, and there is a fine colour fringe to the limb of the Moon, but as a visual scope I will always consider it a true apo. The first time I saw through a 120ED I felt it was as colour free as my old FS128. But CA doesn't tell the whole story, and neither does the aperture difference between scopes. All three of my 120ED refractors gave great lunar and planetary views and would often outperform much larger reflectors as regards fine definition, but in all the years I owned them, none ever gave a view of Jupiter as detailed and well defined as the view paulastro's FC100DL gave. Paul's DL was in another league as far as I'm concerned.

Edited June 16, 2020 by mikeDnight

[GazOC]

Totally agree, Mike. In focus I see no CA on most stars on decent nights and very little on the two big gas giants

It's a pretty consistent performer and it takes a good nights seeing for my 180 Mak to clearly show more lunar/ planetary detail despite the extra aperture

[dweller25]

The Tak FC125DZ fluorite doublet will sell like hot cakes 😈😈

 

 

 

If they ever make it 😂

Edited June 16, 2020 by dweller25

[Moonshane]

There's a great way to remove false colour inside and outside of focus. 😂

 

[andrew s]

I think all such test should be done double blind. 

Don't foresee any problems with that do you? 😉

Regards Andrew 

[dweller25]

1 hour ago, Moonshane said:

There's a great way to remove false colour inside and outside of focus. 😂

 

Yes that’s the method I use for all my observing 😂😂

Edited July 14, 2020 by dweller25

[Fedele]

where is the test?

[dweller25]

1 hour ago, Fedele said:

where is the test?

The Takahashi inner sanctum have suppressed it 😱

[Fedele]

is it a conspiracy?
just now that I have decided to enter?

[Alma]

Posted by mistake.

Edited January 12, 2021 by Alma
Error

[John]

The original poster has not been on the forum for well over a year now so I suspect they have moved on to other things.

I still have my Skywatcher ED120 and Takahashi FC100-DL though

 

[Fedele]

Someone of you, that want to sell me a 120Ed in real perfect conditions?

[Piero]

After 3 pages, it seems to me that this thread hasn't gone anywhere..

It is a shame because it would have been interesting to read about a star testing-based quantitative comparison between these two instruments.

Oh well..