Takahashi FSQ85 quick update.

[ollypenrice]

I've had the Baby Q for more than a year now since reviewing it on here and for Astronomy Now. I post this because of a casual conversation. 'No gear is perfect' someone said and I was about to agree when I thought, Hang on, the Baby Q. Could you reasonably criticise any aspect of its performance or construction? After many images and many, many hours of working with it I'm going to have to answer that question with, No, it really is sensibly perfect.

It isn't a scope one often comes across because most folks go the extra mile and buy the FSQ106. There is something truly outrageous about an 85mm scope at over £3000 all done. But the Baby Q is a killer and the focal lengths, 328 and 450mm, are SO useful. It holds focus better than big brother, I'm told, but really your choice depends on the image scale you want. I'm a widefield junkie so I went for the 85.

So... I just can't fault it and there it is in a nutshell.

Olly

[MartinB]

One fault for fsqs - adaptor hell. To go from visual to AP you'll need half a dozen, then take some out and rearrange if you want to use the flattener. It's an afternoon of peering at stupidly expensive little metal rings looking puzzled.

That's it though, can't think of anything else.

[ollypenrice]

One fault for fsqs - adaptor hell. To go from visual to AP you'll need half a dozen, then take some out and rearrange if you want to use the flattener. It's an afternoon of peering at stupidly expensive little metal rings looking puzzled.

That's it though, can't think of anything else.

Not on the Baby Q. There are no adapters at all. You just remove the camera and extender and put in the 2 inch EP adapter that comes with the scope. You wouldn't use it visually with the reducer, I don't think, though if you did then you'd need some gubbins. I know that the 106 is more arcane in this respect.

However, the adapter to get the right chip distance for the reducer was a darned nuisance to find and so expensive that I'm too embarrassed to say what I paid for it. The European importer simply said they did not know where I could find such an adapter. Not very good! Tom O'Donoghue kindly sourced one for me, however.

Olly