Nicola Fletcher Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 1 hour ago, bosun21 said: I really, really need to avoid this thread. It's got to be the most dangerous thread I've encountered on SGL to date🧲 🔭 🧲😱. I think this is one of my favourite posts on SGL to date 😂 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, bosun21 said: I have no idea either, but I seem to have found myself in a Takahashi quicksand where I feel myself sinking. For some strange unfathomable reason I don't seem as though I'm making any effort to escape 😂. I've got a very nice one but don't feel myself yearning for another. I'm pleased that I got a TMB/LZOS as my 130mm scope and some other brands as well for my other scopes. I have tried a few Tak eyepieces but I didn't hang on those for long but that is more about my tastes in eyepieces rather than the Tak eyepieces I think. Again, it was nice to try them and "see for myself". I'm absolutely not knocking Tak of course, they make some really good stuff, but I don't worship the brand either. If I had not had the opportunity to own a Tak I would have been very curious though. There is so much talked about on forums about them these days, some of it quite sensible 😉 Edited August 22, 2023 by John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosun21 Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 1 hour ago, John said: I've got a very nice one but don't feel myself yearning for another. I'm pleased that I got a TMB/LZOS as my 130mm scope and some other brands as well for my other scopes. I have tried a few Tak eyepieces but I didn't hang on those for long but that is more about my tastes in eyepieces rather than the Tak eyepieces I think. Again, it was nice to try them and "see for myself". I'm absolutely not knocking Tak of course, they make some really good stuff, but I don't worship the brand either. If I had not had the opportunity to own a Tak I would have been very curious though. There is so much talked about on forums about them these days, some of it quite sensible 😉 Like eyepieces telescopes can be a very personalised item imo. I am happy with the three scopes I have at present. A 12" dobsonian on an EQ platform, a 6" reflector on a motor driven EQ5 and a Starfield 102 on a full go to EQ5. The only thing I feel is missing is a quick G&G set up for those short sessions squeezed into the cloud gaps. This is what drew me to this thread about the small Tak. I still keep saying to myself though that I should just buy a different brand of small ED doublet and the difference between them would cover the mount for it. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to sleep on it AGAIN 😂. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyS Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 4 minutes ago, bosun21 said: . I still keep saying to myself though that I should just buy a different brand of small ED doublet No no no, that won’t do. You need an FOA 60Q 😊 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosun21 Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 11 minutes ago, JeremyS said: No no no, that won’t do. You need an FOA 60Q 😊 It's actually the FC-76DCU and the 1.6 extender I have my eye on 🔭👀. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IB20 Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 6 minutes ago, bosun21 said: It's actually the FC-76DCU and the 1.6 extender I have my eye on 🔭👀. Tis very nice 😁 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Spock Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 I don't want to add temptation, but if you have a FS-60CB you can purchase a FC-76DC Objective Unit to fit to it. You then have two scopes, a 60 and a 76 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosun21 Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 1 minute ago, Mr Spock said: I don't want to add temptation, but if you have a FS-60CB you can purchase a FC-76DC Objective Unit to fit to it. You then have two scopes, a 60 and a 76 I was looking at this as well. Is there a clam shell for the 76, or would I be better sticking with rings and a vixen plate. Can the clam shell be fitted to a vixen plate as I know they are designed primarily for Tak mounts. Sorry for the questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Spock Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 It's the same size - you only need the 60 clamshell. You unscrew the 60 objective and screw in the 76. So, the FS60-CB is £749 with clamshell and finder; the 76DC objective unit £949, that's a total of £1698. The FC-76DCU is £1285.00 and the clamshell/finder is £355, a total of £1640... What? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 11 minutes ago, bosun21 said: I was looking at this as well. Is there a clam shell for the 76, or would I be better sticking with rings and a vixen plate. Can the clam shell be fitted to a vixen plate as I know they are designed primarily for Tak mounts. Sorry for the questions. I use a Vixen-type dovetail bar / plate bolted to the clam shell of my FC100. The clam shell on mine accepts M8 bolts so a couple of those and the Vixen dovetail bar is pretty securely held. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosun21 Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 5 minutes ago, John said: I use a Vixen-type dovetail bar / plate bolted to the clam shell of my FC100. The clam shell on mine accepts M8 bolts so a couple of those and the Vixen dovetail bar is pretty securely held. That’s ideal. Thank you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Challen Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 3 hours ago, Mr Spock said: I don't want to add temptation, but if you have a FS-60CB you can purchase a FC-76DC Objective Unit to fit to it. You then have two scopes, a 60 and a 76 I have an FS60-CB, and you have just added temptation 😉. With a 76mm objective and the Q extender, there are four scope options. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Challen Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 3 hours ago, Mr Spock said: It's the same size - you only need the 60 clamshell. You unscrew the 60 objective and screw in the 76. So, the FS60-CB is £749 with clamshell and finder; the 76DC objective unit £949, that's a total of £1698. The FC-76DCU is £1285.00 and the clamshell/finder is £355, a total of £1640... What? The FLO site says the FS60-CB is £749 for the ota only, finder and clamshell are extra, glad I got mine second hand 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josefk Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 8 hours ago, JeremyS said: No no no, that won’t do. You need an FOA 60Q 😊 8 hours ago, IB20 said: Tis very nice 😁 7 hours ago, Mr Spock said: It's the same size - you only need the 60 clamshell. You unscrew the 60 objective and screw in the 76. So, the FS60-CB is £749 with clamshell and finder; the 76DC objective unit £949, that's a total of £1698. The FC-76DCU is £1285.00 and the clamshell/finder is £355, a total of £1640... What? You lot are absolutely terrible 🤣 keep strong @bosun21 keep strong! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 11 hours ago, bosun21 said: It's actually the FC-76DCU and the 1.6 extender I have my eye on 🔭👀. Horrible things, don’t know what could possibly tempt you about them 😉 I do like the look of it despite the join lines, performance is fab too. Whilst I love the clamp for my FS-128, I use the MoreBlue rings and dovetail as I think they are lighter and more compact. Some think this is sacrilegious but I prefer it. Of course, you could also be tempted by a Feathertouch for them but they are unobtainium now unfortunately. This somewhat ludicrous setup shows the comparison between an FC-100DC, FC-76DCU and FS60Q. Having such a flexible system is really convenient, and I bought all mine secondhand (except the FC-100DC) so not quite so expensive. I swap the module between scopes, it has the most impact on the 60 but also improves the 76 I feel, sharpening up edge performance. I must say though, the FC-100DC is almost as convenient for travel, just requiring the removal of dew shield and focuser to be airline portable, and it is about as light as it gets for a full 4” scope. One note of caution. If wanting the most convenient grab and go/travel scope, I would possibly go for something like a TS 72mm. These have fpl-53 glass and at f5.9 are quite a lot shorter than the f7.5 FC-76DCU, with more aperture than an FS-60C Here’s the whole family for comparison. EDIT This is my airline portable kit which includes the 60 and 76, plus CoolWedge, BBHS mirror diagonal, various eyepieces, StarSense etc etc 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Spock Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 4 hours ago, Roy Challen said: The FLO site says the FS60-CB is £749 for the ota only, finder and clamshell are extra, glad I got mine second hand Perhaps this "The package version features the FS-60CB OTA plus Takahashi Clamshell and 6x30 Finderscope with Bracket" is confusing as there is only one choice available. Maybe @FLO could clarify. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Spock Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 Does anyone know if the FS60 extender offers any advantage over a x2.5 Powermate? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu1smartcookie Posted August 23, 2023 Author Share Posted August 23, 2023 (edited) 15 hours ago, Mr Spock said: I'm a short drive from RVO. That's where I got my old blue tube 10" Newt from. Nothing wrong with them but these days I'd rather but from FLO. The one thing i will say about FLO is that you can instantly see if something is in stock . With Rother Valley you constantly need to send enquiries which takes up their time to answer.... sometimes it takes a fair time for them to answer . Also i had a good "chat" with Chris at FLO the other day regarding a scope and i was really appreciative of his helpfulness . I can get that with Widescreen too though as i know Simon ansd Elena very well . Edited August 23, 2023 by Stu1smartcookie 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 1 hour ago, Mr Spock said: Does anyone know if the FS60 extender offers any advantage over a x2.5 Powermate? I’m sure it does, because the Tak extender is matched to the FS-60C, it also corrects (flattens the field) and generally tightens the edge performance up. Roger’s reviews may be helpful as the first link includes spot diagrams showing the inprovement: http://scopeviews.co.uk/TakFS-60Q.htm http://scopeviews.co.uk/TakFC-76Q.htm 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireballxl5 Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 The FS60CB and its extender make a great portable rig for solar eclipses... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elp Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 Taks should come with a health warning. I have so far managed to distance myself from them, lest I be caught in the trap of buying all the add ons for them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu1smartcookie Posted August 23, 2023 Author Share Posted August 23, 2023 IF , i am to buy one it will be the 60mm , with the extender ... i really begrudge paying for the cradle , but ces-la-vie . Already making up excuses as to "why" i need it .. 1 Research 2 Easy to Store 3 AstroBiscuits description of the "best small scope " Not sure if any of those will wash ... but at least its small enough to hide 😃 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyS Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 25 minutes ago, Elp said: lest I be caught in the trap of buying all the add ons for them. That’s all part of the fun of ownership 😊 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elp Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 8 minutes ago, JeremyS said: That’s all part of the fun of ownership 😊 But doing AP primarily is already a sinkhole without getting into a panic a-Tak. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elp Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 18 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said: IF , i am to buy one it will be the 60mm , with the extender ... i really begrudge paying for the cradle , but ces-la-vie . Already making up excuses as to "why" i need it .. 1 Research 2 Easy to Store 3 AstroBiscuits description of the "best small scope " Not sure if any of those will wash ... but at least its small enough to hide 😃 You need it because it's small and cute and needs your protection. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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