FS-60 Tak ?

[The60mmKid]

3 minutes ago, IB20 said:

I don’t even think Taks are that expensive. They will last a lifetime of observing if you’re into visual astronomy. They don’t become obsolete like a £2500 MacBook or depreciate like a brand new (any) car does.

(Saved as a screenshot to show to my partner when the time is right)

[Stu1smartcookie]

6 minutes ago, IB20 said:

I don’t even think Taks are that expensive. They will last a lifetime of observing if you’re into visual astronomy. They don’t become obsolete like a £2500 MacBook or depreciate like a brand new (any) car does.

That is very true , and something i will use when trying to explain to my wife when i want to buy one

( Saw your post after i had written mine , but i suspect it will be the holy grail in excuses and reasons to buy astro stuff)

 

Edited August 22, 2023 by Stu1smartcookie

[IB20]

It is a highly tuned and calibrated scientific instrument after all, not a toy as my wife likes to call it. 😒

[Stu1smartcookie]

5 minutes ago, IB20 said:

It is a highly tuned and calibrated scientific instrument after all, not a toy as my wife likes to call it. 😒

thats put a dampner on it ... hmm the inevitable "unnecessary Toy" response . 

[HollyHound]

19 hours ago, Nicola Fletcher said:

I also love my Tak FC76 DCU. It’s an amazing grab and go scope. I bought it for travel but use it at home so much, it’s a real all-rounder. I appreciate it’s close in aperture to your 70mm but the fact that it splits in two makes it truly portable even on the smallest planes.

Having (or had) all the scopes discussed - FS-60CB (with and without extender), FOA-60Q, FC-76DCU (with and without extender), FC-100D, FC-100DZ, and if you're looking for a truly versatile grab and go scope setup with absolutely minimal setup and pack away time... my suggestion is the FC-76DCU 👍

Here it is on the Berlebach Report 272 tripod, ScopeTech Zero mount, right angle finder and the APM 7.7 to 15.4mm SuperZoom... this setup has remained pretty much like this for almost three years now (minus the zoom), ready to go inside my home office, along with the Berlebach observing chair.

The telescope/tripod can be carried out (one handed if needed) in 2mins, followed quickly by the observing chair, and I'm observing in minutes... reverse to put it away.

It has been without a doubt, my most consistently used setup, even with 100m, 180mm and 254mm scopes available and is going nowhere 😃

Edited August 22, 2023 by HollyHound

[MalcolmM]

This little scope is so easy to use, such fun to use and gives such good views (for 60mm) that it is probably my most used scope.

I suspect it will not go as deep as your 70mm, nor will it resolve as much detail but it is very capable and very versatile care of extenders and objective units.

Pop it on a light photo tripod with a light video fluid head (or any other light mount of your choice!), keep it handy and you can take advantage of very short observing opportunities. I used to love getting in 10 minute lunar sessions before leaving for work in the winter mornings.

You mention using it for widefield; with a 28mm Erfle eyepiece, it has a larger FOV than my 15x70 binoculars.

Anyway, I'll stop there, I've said it all before 🙂

Maloclm

 

[MalcolmM]

6 minutes ago, HollyHound said:

The telescope/tripod can be carried out (one handed if needed) in 2mins, followed quickly by the observing chair, and I'm observing in minutes... reverse to put it away.

Your 76mm is my 60mm. I think you are stronger than me 🙂 

Malcolm

[HollyHound]

Just now, MalcolmM said:

This little scope is so easy to use, such fun to use and gives such good views (for 60mm) that it is probably my most used scope.

I suspect it will not go as deep as your 70mm, nor will it resolve as much detail but it is very capable and very versatile care of extenders and objective units.

Pop it on a light photo tripod with a light video fluid head (or any other light mount of your choice!), keep it handy and you can take advantage of very short observing opportunities. I used to love getting in 10 minute lunar sessions before leaving for work in the winter mornings.

You mention using it for widefield; with a 28mm Erfle eyepiece, it has a larger FOV than my 15x70 binoculars.

Anyway, I'll stop there, I've said it all before 🙂

Maloclm

 

Agreed, the FS-60CB is a superb little scope, and on a lightweight tripod it's super easy to carry out and about... however, I still think the FC-76DCU (especially given the it comes apart for packing) is a more versatile and (arguably) better "one scope" 🤔 

[HollyHound]

1 minute ago, MalcolmM said:

Your 76mm is my 60mm. I think you are stronger than me 🙂 

Malcolm

It's as far as I would ever go, carrying scope/mount/tripod in one unit... the FC-100DZ always goes out (in it's bag) separately to the AZ-75 mount... no way I'm risking carrying that 😆

I am fortunate, in that I have literally only a single corridor, two doorways to go through and no obstructions 😬

[johnturley]

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

Suggest you email them for accurate availability info. 
 

If I decide to get one, I would probably go to Rother Valley Optics who are nearby so that I could pick it up the scope in person, and avoid the risk of any damage or mis-collimation due to rough handling by the courier. I might also ask whether they would do a trade-in with my CPC 9.25 (which I purchased from them), although I suspect that any trade-in price would not be very good compared to what I could sell it for privately. 

I picked up my Esprit 150 direct from Es Reid after he had checked it over, so that I could be sure that this did not happen.

John 

Edited August 22, 2023 by johnturley

[Stu1smartcookie]

27 minutes ago, johnturley said:

If I decide to get one, I would probably go to Rother Valley Optics who are nearby so that I could pick it up the scope in person, and avoid the risk of any damage or mis-collimation due to rough handling by the courier. I might also ask whether they would do a trade-in with my CPC 9.25 (which I purchased from them), although I suspect that any trade-in price would not be very good compared to what I could sell it for privately. 

I picked up my Esprit 150 direct from Es Reid after he had checked it over, so that I could be sure that this did not happen.

John 

Living only 5 miles from  Widescreen Centre i agree with you . Mind you when i was living in hertfordshire i started at 5;30 am , drove to Rother Valley and then returned to Ely cambs before 10am . The things we do for astro gear !

 

[Mr Spock]

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.

[HollyHound]

On 21/08/2023 at 13:29, Stu1smartcookie said:

i am also looking at the StellaMira 80 F10, which would compliment my 70mm as a longer focal length option  .

The StellaMira 80mm f/10 is a superb scope, and will give you superb lunar, planetary views... only thing to bear in mind (as has been mentioned), is that it is quite heavy for an 80mm scope... the FC-76DCU is much lighter 🤔

It does work on exactly the same setup as I posted earlier though 👍

[JeremyS]

2 hours ago, johnturley said:

If I decide to get one, I would probably go to Rother Valley Optics who are nearby so that I could pick it up the scope in person, and avoid the risk of any damage or mis-collimation due to rough handling by the courier. I might also ask whether they would do a trade-in with my CPC 9.25 (which I purchased from them), although I suspect that any trade-in price would not be very good compared to what I could sell it for privately. 

I picked up my Esprit 150 direct from Es Reid after he had checked it over, so that I could be sure that this did not happen.

John 

What I am trying to convey is that there appears to be a shortage of FC 100DZ, due to a production delay in Japan. I see prospective US purchasers are drawing a blank lately. So if you are interested in one, then contact a UK dealer to check on current status and the delivery time. 

The delay was announced last September: https://www-takahashijapan-com.translate.goog/ct-news/topics/22ix22_info.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Anecdotally its due to the glass for one of the lens components being unavailable.

[Nicola Fletcher]

I think FLO had two DZs in stock recently - I bought one of them. I haven’t had a chance to properly use it and decide how much I like it compared to the FC76-DCU or the Starwave 102 ED-R. I don’t think I’d be objective enough to really compare them anyway. 
 

It tends to take me ages to ‘make friends’ with a new scope. Like @JeremyS, I really do suspect that the FC76 will remain my favourite scope. When it’s set up for a night out, I’m always giggly looking forward to getting it outside when it gets dark. It’s utterly fabulous to use on a Giro ercole mini alt-az mount, with just a carbon fibre tripod, 1.25 diagonal and three eyepieces. 
 

The other thing to say is that I’ve no intention of selling my Starwave. I think it stands up very well to the premium scopes. It’s robust, the tube is nice and short with the dew shield retracted which makes it easy to transport and the focuser is great. I’m very sentimentally attached to it also. I don’t think anyone would be disappointed with the views through any of these scopes!

[bosun21]

I really, really need to avoid this thread. It's got to be the most dangerous thread I've encountered on SGL to date🧲  🔭 🧲😱.

[JeremyS]

5 minutes 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🧲  🔭 🧲😱.

And @mikeDnight hasn’t chimed in yet

that will be fatal 

Edited August 22, 2023 by JeremyS

[John]

20 minutes ago, Nicola Fletcher said:

....The other thing to say is that I’ve no intention of selling my Starwave. I think it stands up very well to the premium scopes. It’s robust, the tube is nice and short with the dew shield retracted which makes it easy to transport and the focuser is great. I’m very sentimentally attached to it also. I don’t think anyone would be disappointed with the views through any of these scopes!

I agree and that seems to chime with the excellent comparative review that @Mr Spock did comparing the Starfield 102mm ED and the Tak FC-100 DF:

Test and Comparison: Starfield 102mm F7 ED Doublet v Takahashi FC-100 DF f7.4 Doublet (Fluorite) - Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups - Stargazers Lounge

I suppose the question that is often in the minds of some is "if there is so little performance difference in return for such a substantial additional cost, why do level headed astronomers spend their hard earned money on the "premium" brands ?"

Not sure we will ever answer that one !! 😁

 

 

[JeremyS]

1 minute ago, John said:

why do level headed astronomers spend their hard earned money 

Where are these mythical figures? 🤔🤣

[John]

2 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Where are these mythical figures? 🤔🤣

Somewhere having just as much fun but still with a lot better bank balances !

 

 

[bosun21]

3 minutes ago, John said:

why do level headed astronomers spend their hard earned money on the "premium" brands ?"

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 😂.

[Nicola Fletcher]

3 minutes ago, John said:

"if there is so little performance difference in return for such a substantial additional cost, why do level headed astronomers spend their hard earned money on the "premium" brands ?"

Why did I buy a second 4” refractor when I already had one I was delighted with? 
 

Because I’m so impressed with the FC76, I really wanted that in a 4”. Plus Takahashi scopes are so beautiful, a pleasure to use and I know the level of detail and craftsmanship that goes into making them. I do agree with @Mr Spock’s review though. The Starwave/Starfield is a great scope and I think it’s amazing value for money!

[mikeDnight]

10 hours ago, johnturley said:

That's interesting, I have for some time been tempted by a Tak 100 DZ, which I would be able to fund if I sold both my Celestron CPC 9.25, and Explore Scientific 127 FCD 100 Refractor, which to be honest I don't use very much these days. In particular the CPC is getting rather heavy for me to move around these days at my age (73), plus my wife keeps pressurising me to reduce the number of telescopes in the conservatory (my 14in Newtonian and Esprit 150 are in my observatory shed).

According to some posters the Tak fluorites perform like magic, permit 100x per inch of aperture to be used, and outperform other scopes of significantly larger aperture, in particular on planets.  So like yourself I have been curious as to how one would perform, for about the same price as the 100 DZ I could obtain an APM 140 Refractor, which would almost certainly be superior to the ES 127, but less portable. 

The Tak 100 DZ, would however be a very high quality, plus much lighter and more portable instrument, and according to the spec I would be able to take it in the cabin on aircraft, although I have heard from a couple of sources that the latter in not actually the case.

John 

 

 There's no doubt a 140 APM will have better resolution and light grasp John, but i think you really hit the nail on the head when you think in terms of portability. I've mentioned it before in several posts, that when I bought my first FC, a 100DC in 2015 the scope nearly wore me out. It was so light and easy to use, and packed quite a punch for its aperture class, that my time at the eyepiece greatly increased. It was such a pleasure to use that I set myself the little project of trying to find out just how much this little top end scope could really show me. In part this project was also prompted because of some negative thinking id read on SGL or CN, which implied that unless you live on Hawaii, small apertures are not really that capable. Well I don't live on Hawaii and I can confidently say that we don't need to. 

 The FC100DC was an awesome scope but I eventually succumbed to reviews about the DZ by Daniel M on CN. It was an emotional wrench for me to part with my DC and wait for a DZ, which arrived on a slow boat from Japan. During the month without an FC I had to resort to using one of those reflector thingies, a 10" F6. Finally my DZ arrived and it was simply gorgeous. I know I'm an oddball for preferring these small scopes over larger ones, but even for those with larger aperture reflectors, I doubt anyone would be disappointed by having a DC, DF, DL, or DZ in their optical arsenal.

[MalcolmM]

15 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

Takahashi quicksand

Quicksand? I thought it was sweetly scented cotton wool! Regardless, having fallen in, I'm in no hurry to escape 🙂

Malcolm 

[Mr Spock]

34 minutes ago, John said:

why do level headed astronomers spend their hard earned money on the "premium" brands ?"

None of my money is hard earned