Takahashi Epsilon 130d

[Highburymark]

Thought it was worth posting a few impressions of my Takahashi Epsilon 130d nine months after buying it from a fellow SGL member, as these scopes are still relatively rare, and there’s not much information out there on how user-friendly they are. This was my first experience of a (semi) Newtonian after owning predominantly refractors and catadioptrics in the past - though with its ED corrector lens, the Epsilon actually qualifies as a catadioptric rather than a classical Newt - just a very fast, very yellow one.

I bought it not for imaging, but for night vision. With a 55mm plossl and 3nm ha filter, the F/3.3 focal ratio is transformed into a wickedly-fast F/1.65, perfect for hoovering up faint nebulae. Stars are pretty much tight to the edge with well corrected eyepieces like Panoptics. 

I was a little concerned about collimation before the scope arrived. It had come from Ireland, and although it was very nicely  packaged, I’d read enough about the challenges of aligning such a fast reflector to be a tad nervous. Amazingly, it arrived perfectly collimated - and has remained so ever since. Another major benefit is the focuser - more than capable of holding a long monocular and eyepiece stack. I have added an MEF-3 fine focuser to increase precision.

With relatively short focuser travel, finding the right combination of adapters to bring each eyepiece to focus can be an issue. I’ve found T2/Baader clicklocks work well, though fellow stargazer Gavin has kindly given me a set of bespoke adapters to make the job even simpler. At just under 5kg it’s a relatively easy scope to mount. I mostly use a Giro Ercole Mini on a Gitzo tripod, though the go-to SW AZGTi also carries the Epsilon reasonably comfortably. With such a light system, I find a counterweight is absolutely essential. I’ve also added a safety screw to prevent any slipping of the OTA while observing.

Buying an Epsilon was something of a risk, particularly for someone with no real Newtonian experience. I took the risk as no other scope offered the same blend of fast optics, bombproof construction, modest size and weight, and decent focuser. The closest rival was the 6” F/2.8 Boren Simon from TS but it was too big for my requirements.But the Epsilon’s been a joy to own - and even more important, to look through. Whether it’s being used for imaging or night vision, the little yellow Tak’s a class act.

 

[tooth_dr]

Nice report.  I was very tempted by this scope when it came up for sale.  It is without doubt a beautiful scope to look at and was well cared for by previous owner Richard.

[Highburymark]

Thanks - and yes, it was in immaculate condition thanks to Richard

[GavStar]

2 hours ago, Highburymark said:

Thanks - and yes, it was in immaculate condition thanks to Richard

Mark,

Thank you for this review. As you know, I also had a 130d specifically for night vision for about a year. 

It’s a great scope for night vision from light polluted sites since the ultra fast effective speed with the 55mm plossl pulls out the nebulae very effectively with narrow ha filters.

In the end, my refractor preference meant I replaced it with an fsq85 which does a similar sort of job with night vision monoculars but with imo slightly cleaner stars. (With a reducer and 55mm plossl I can get to f1.9, so nearly as fast as the Epsilon)

I’d be very interested to read any reports you post on observing with this scope and night vision!

[Highburymark]

All true Gavin - would like to think that I’d have been brave enough to buy an Epsilon myself without any lead or influence from outside - but I’d be completely wrong.