Tak owners - finders?

[ollypenrice]

1 hour ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

But isn't that just the wine.....

I don't think so....  I'd need a second opinion....

Olly

[avtaram]

I use a William Optics Multi Reticule Finder, it's nice and compact and you can vary the brightness.

 

[Rusted]

It would seem my poking gentle fun at the Tak appreciation society has not been appreciated.
As can be seen from my own set-up I greatly value function over appearance.

Of course that is an entirely personal choice. One based on over half a century of "real world" use.
Carrying an ice covered, white elephant in and out of an untidy shed, in the darkness, is not kind to cosmetic finishes.
Not protecting the finishes, with the utmost care, will always result in fading, scratches and corrosion over time.
Fear of such damage can even become a major hurdle to repeated and regular observation.
I would go so far as to say that you should never leave a pretty instrument, or mounting, in an observatory. It will quickly ruin it!

Anyway: Doing a quick search for Tak finders suggests that not all users are deliriously happy. 
I found buyer's reviews where Tak's own screws are blamed for direct damage to the OTA!
These users even suggested a complete redesign. Or to buy alternative finder brackets. Harsh criticism indeed from Tak owners!

Given the over-emphasis on cosmetic appearance, where Tak is concerned, I would suggest doing your own homework first.
Cosmetic damage to an OTA at these elevated price levels is unforgivable and likely to make a severe dent in resale prices.

Which is why I would never invest in Tak or AP. I don't want to be responsible for "ruining" a "pretty" telescope.
One where appearance is held in such high esteem that it can seriously affect its perceived value.
Totally regardless of its completely unchanged, high, optical quality.

That said, if anyone has a really battered, 150mm f/10ish AP, with A1 optics, going very cheaply, I might just make an exception.
In fact I'd take the lens in its cell and you can keep the original tube for a plant pot support in your drawing room. 

[Humour alert!]

[Stu]

@RustedI think it was more that the thread was about Taks not Vixens

I have an FC100 and while I try my best to keep it in good condition, I own it because of its optical quality not because of how it looks. Its compactness and lightness are the secondary reasons, cosmetics third.

If Tak did a RACi finder of equal quality to their straight through ones then I might be tempted if feeling flush, just because. But as others have said, the standard ones from SW do a perfectly adequate job; the views don't make your heart sing, but that's what the scope is for

[Peter Drew]

The perfect Tak finder:  10x50 RACI, decent adjustable alignment bracket like the SW types, visible crosshair, Tak quality optics, painted in appropriate Tak colour. Specs in order of importance.   😀 

Edited August 17, 2019 by Peter Drew

[Rusted]

This is a much wider subject than the mere choice of a finder.

It relates to the reasons behind the purchase of any and all instruments.

I can well understand the purchase of a Takahashi.
[Google spelling checker offered Hashish but I didn't inhale.]

Convenience, exemplary optical performance.
Gob-smacking views with tolerance of very high magnifications.
A short OTA is much easier to mount. Wide field of view from being short focus.
An investment which holds its value if well protected.

That said.. oh dear.. he's off again:

Perfect achromatism is to be had from the nastiest, spherical, 3.5", reflector mirror.
Very limited aperture. Even if it does bat well above the size of its costly glass.
Very high cost. Ian King doesn't even list prices against the models available.

Tak doesn't seem to have a monopoly on mechanical excellence.
A nice FT focuser is a frequent choice of upgrade.
A short F/L needs a very high quality, slow motion focuser more than most.
As do any optics with pretensions to quality, of course. Even a humble achromat at f/12!

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by Rusted
typo

[A McEwan]

Rusted:

You raise many interesting points! MY replies may not correspond chronologically to your points, but here goes.

The reasons for buying a Tak. For me personally, when I first became interested in astronomy, I had tiny amounts of disposable income and huge aspirations for quality equipment. I started off small and cheap and spent a couple of decades (!) going through dozens of scopes, getting the most out of each one, comparing and contrasting, tweaking and trying, until I found ones that were right for me. During that time "Takahashi" was always the name that was uttered with reverence as the benchmark of optical quality and excellent Japanese manufacture. Did I buy into the hype? Yes. But I had to wait a long time before I was able to buy the Tak (and even then it was an opportunity I could not refuse as it was an excellent price and the seller had a very sad and genuine reason for parting with his hardly-used Tak).

So, given all that, do I want to molly-coddle it? Yes, but no more so than any other quality scope I own. I always store them in cases between use, I always give them a clean down every few months, I make sure everything works as it should, if there are any DIY tweaks or mods I can make to improve PERFORMANCE, I do so. I always pack them away after a session, and am very careful to handle them carefully. Excessive? No. I don;t like to break my toys, and have never thrown a video game controller against the wall in frustration either!

Is colour-match important? It is to ME. Because? Of the above. I've waited a long time and I want it to be right in every regard. I will probably spend more time looking at it than through it, unfortunately, so a mismatched colour on an accessory is a big issue to me. In the same way that a cafe menu calling a bap a sandwich is wrong. In the same way that drivers forgetting where their indicator stalks are is wrong. 

It irks me.

Refractors give views that refractor lovers love. Of course Newts can be bought much more cheaply and do "basically" the same thing, but they are different. I'm not an Apo-snob. I like long focus achromats and I like biggish Newtonians and I like Maksutovs too, and have owned and used them all. Did I want colour-matched accessories for them too? Mostly, where possible. Did I molly-coddle them too and store them safely, mount them carefully, and polish out scratches on the OTAs? Yup.

So hopefully this explains some of the reasoning why I want the colour of the finder bracket on my telescope to match the existing hardware colour already present.

Ant  

[fireballxl5]

or, to coin a phase, if I want custard on my chips, I'll b*&^*y well have custard on my chips!

PS, I'm lucky enough to own an 11x70mm Tak 'super' finder, mostly used as a guide scope though - bought pre-loved when an opportunity to buy came along😎

[jock1958]

15 hours ago, avtaram said:

I use a William Optics Multi Reticule Finder, it's nice and compact and you can vary the brightness.

 

Interesting looking finder and much neater looking than my Telrad, how did you attach it to your Tak?

[Peter Drew]

I am somewhat opposite. I don't "mollycoddle" my equipment as most of it is at the mercy of the general public. I don't abuse it though and try and make sure it's in good working order. Given the choice between a white finder or a black one for a white telescope I'd take the white but I'm not fussy. As far as cutting a couple of inches off the length of the telescope or drilling some extra holes, if it improves the use for me then I don't think twice about doing it, even on a Tak. I'm not interested in resale value as I always keep them.   😀😀😀

[jock1958]

@A McEwan RVO showing the finder bracket your after in the classic Tak duck egg green! 

[A McEwan]

54 minutes ago, jock1958 said:

@A McEwan RVO showing the finder bracket your after in the classic Tak duck egg green! 

Yes, this is where I ordered from but was then told it would be blue. Thankfully, Adam later checked physically on the colour, and it looks like they have a green one for me.

[avtaram]

4 hours ago, jock1958 said:

Interesting looking finder and much neater looking than my Telrad, how did you attach it to your Tak?

The WO finder bracked is fixed with just one screw into one of the two holes that are used for mounting the Tak bracket.

Avtar

[JeremyS]

On 17/08/2019 at 08:11, Rusted said:

It would seem my poking gentle fun at the Tak appreciation society has not been appreciated

On the contrary, it's all good fun and none of us should Tak ourselves too seriously. And it gives us more opportunity to congrataklate our fellow owners 🙂

Tak owners are easy targets, but we have broad shoulders and contrary to popular opinion many of us do use our telescopes frequently to observe with (but we also enjoy the sheer joy of ownership too 🙂 ). I had my 18-year old well-used, but well cared for Tak FS 102 in operation in a farmer's field last night with others from Chester AS. A telescope is meant to be used. I just had to watch out for the cow pats in the field.....

Oh, I should also add that Taks are not oblivious to seeing conditions. Last's night's seeing was about as bad I have experienced ever.

So just to prove I was using my Tak in the field (literally), here's a couple of photos (you might have noticed that some Tak owners like photographing our telescopes 🙂 ).  Quality is a bit poor, due to it being dusk **

 

**  @Rusted, the mention here of "quality" refers to the photograph, not the Tak, of course  😉

 

 

 

PS to keep "on thread", the picture shows the Tak 10 x 50 illuminated finder. I use a quick realse dovetail system for the finder holder (yes, a Tak quick release unit, I confess) and I'm always impressed out the finder remains spot-on collimation in transit.

[A McEwan]

Nice setup, Jeremy! And yes, we have to be prepared for the odd little jibe or poke!    

I certainly use my Tak too. It's my main observing telescope - my all-rounder. It gets taken out to fields, the garden, the Inverness observatory, and on trips too, sometimes, so it is definitely not a white elephant!

Ant

[Stardust1]

If choosing a Tak finder for the FC-100D, I would personally pick the Tak 6x30 over the 7x50. The reason behind this is the Tak 6x30 is small and light compared to the 7x50. The 7x50 is huge when compared to the 6x30 finder. Overall the FC-100D is a portable scope, no need to add a bulk finder as 7x50.

Regarding the optical quality, the Tak finders are excellent. Very sharp and contrasty views. One can't go wrong. Especially if you add a Tak quick release. I use one Tak 6x30 finder with two Tak scopes, Sky90 and FS102NSV. Both scopes are equipped with Tak quick release.

This is off topic, regarding taking care of the Tak scopes and durability. Both of my Tak scopes are from 2004 or so. The FS102NSV is still in good condition. The startest is text book. The Sky90 is in mint condition. My experience is that Tak scopes are durable, if one handles these scopes with care, I guess that goes with other scopes as well.

Edited August 19, 2019 by Stardust1

[nicoscy]

 

 

 

A finder base for Taks which is compatible with regular finderscopes / RDFs is this one on AliExpress and it comes in silver and black options.

[andrew s]

On 18/08/2019 at 13:15, A McEwan said:

Nice setup, Jeremy! And yes, we have to be prepared for the odd little jibe or poke!    

I like the new blue Tak colour. I think all you Tak-a-holics need to sell your passe green Taks and get the new blue ones...

...hence depressing the secondhand market and allow a whole new generation of Takites to develop.

Regards Andrew

[Rusted]

sTAlaKtites?

I'll get my coat.

[JeremyS]

1 hour ago, andrew s said:

I like the new blue Tak colour. I think all you Tak-a-holics need to sell your passe green Taks and get the new blue ones...

Just between you and me , Andrew, I have a Tak confession. My Tak FC76 DCU is in the new baby blue livery, but the finder-scope holder is from one of my other Taks and is in the old green colour. Pleeeease don't tell anyone though.

[DirkSteele]

21 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Just between you and me , Andrew, I have a Tak confession. My Tak FC76 DCU is in the new baby blue livery, but the finder-scope holder is from one of my other Taks and is in the old green colour. Pleeeease don't tell anyone though.

WHAT!? A confession like that results in an immediate expulsion from Takahashi Owners Club. 😉

Edited August 20, 2019 by DirkSteele
typo

[A McEwan]

2 hours ago, andrew s said:

I like the new blue Tak colour. I think all you Tak-a-holics need to sell your passe green Taks and get the new blue ones...

...hence depressing the secondhand market and allow a whole new generation of Takites to develop.

Regards Andrew

LOL that's so funny!!!

 

No.

 

[A McEwan]

19 minutes ago, DirkSteele said:

WHAT!? A confession like that results in an immediate expulsion from Takahashi Owners Club. 😉

Or just confiscation of equipment for a while?

 

[Saganite]

52 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Just between you and me , Andrew, I have a Tak confession. My Tak FC76 DCU is in the new baby blue livery, but the finder-scope holder is from one of my other Taks and is in the old green colour. Pleeeease don't tell anyone though.

Absolutely disgraceful, shameful even.................Do you mean like this Jeremy ?

A Tak Blue version arrives this afternoon, so I will have a green one to sell.....................Insidious thread this  

[JeremyS]

5 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Absolutely disgraceful, shameful even.................Do you mean like this Jeremy ?

Yes, just like that.

I thought perhaps we could start a trend of mixing the colours - thus making it even more exclusive that the common or garden Tak club 🙂

But I see you have other ideas.... 🙂