My Tak 60 FC both sits at the place of honor in my living room’s shelves and is the telescope I use the most for astrophotography. I can perfectly understand why people would fanatically grab the FC-50. Honestly, if I find one one sale one day, I will probably buy it. By the way, I bought my FC-60 after reading your reviews Ed. I think I can never thank you enough for this ;-)
I love, love, love Takahashi scopes. The views through them are just so sweet. I had an FS102 on a Tak mount/tripod some years back. Great scope, amazing views! But, I hardly used it, so I sold it. I don't really regret selling it because I learned a valuable lesson about "the best scope for you is the one you actually use" and I passed on the scope to someone who actually used it. I've since had a couple other scopes which got used more, but still not much more. Unfortunately, I have a job that doesn't allow for me to stay up all night, so I sold off everything except my binoculars. I hope to get back into astronomy once I'm retired and don't have to worry about getting up early or staying up late. Thanks for the video Ed, I look forward to everytime I see that you've posted a new one. Clear skies.
Since I was a kid one of my favorite things to spot in garage sales were old cameras. One I remember was an extremely old Polaroid that I couldn't even find film for anywhere. Extremely impractical for me to own but I loved it. So this makes perfect sense to me.
Maybe one day I'll own a Takahashi, but the odds are against' it. I reckon if you use and enjoy what you can afford instead of chasing perfection, you'll be happier. Great video Ed, thanks!
I'm starting to understand the love for these small refractors... got a TS 60 then a Vixen Fl55SS... Maybe I'll try Tak 60 mm one day... TY for the review :)
My astronomy club fellows will set up 60mm scopes for Astrophotography while setting up 8 inch scopes for the public to view. Trying to get younger folks into astronomy as the club consists of mostly over 50s.
Great review Ed. Very consistent with your written review in the old days. I was wondering if you have run across the Tak Starbase 80 achro with alt/az mount. I've seen these new for around $600. Wondering if you've seen one and/or if you would do a review on it. I find the idea of a Tak achromat to be interesting, but not sure if it's worth the $600. Thanks and keep the reviews coming, I always find your telescope videos to be great.😎
Hi Ed. You have some great scopes. Do you ever come to Starfest here in Southern Ontario? If you ever do, Id like to meet you. I am an astronomer and concert pianist. I think those two go very well together. There is a Canadian concert pianist who has world renown named Anton Kuerti. He was quoted as saying he'd be a "pianist by day and astronomer at night".
Hi Ed, I think it would be a good idea to do a video comparing the SCT VS the Maksutov. Which is better and why, And which one do you prefer... And more things. In my opinion SCTs are better... I have a 6" and it's very sharp! Thanks for all!
Hi Ed, thanks for the great review. Would you consider reviewing the TMB/APM refractors sometime? Some of them like the TMB 100/800 would be really cool to see, for example.
It's a 50mm, the same size as most binoculars. Technically it has less light gathering capability than a cheap store model. Yes, I know it is far better in quality but it is a still a 50mm lens with a .965 eyepiece holder which everyone says is junk. What would you use this for, a really expensive finder scope?
Great! Passionate people see in their muse things that most will miss ... I'm more a results kinda guy ... Pushing gear to the max, flustering over 1m things that can and go wrong... Adaptive thinking... Mcguivering things into being ... Designed my own solutions and went back and forth... Yup ... The conclusion is always the same ... Chuck money at it and it will perform better 😂 As of late I got the apperture fever... I'm safe ... Blown all the budget for this year 🤣
Hi Ed not sure if you will see my question I have a chance to pick up a Tak What do you think a fair price is for a Tak FS 78 Number 1 for 1998 in a wood presentation case with Tak finder, bracket, clamshell, losmandy plate and Takahashi 2 speed focuser? Thanks
Try to find someone at your local club who has a C9.25" or a 10" SCT of Meade with good optics. That should have a fair amount of light gathering for Deep Sky Objects (visually), and Celestron C9.25 does well on the planets usually both visually and photographically, using the "lucky imaging" technique. But if you want to start photography of Deep Sky Objects, start with a small ED refractor of F6 and use a focal reducer.
I am interested in the Celestron StarSense Explorer 8” Dobsonian telescope. This telescope seems to have a several nice features that other Dobsonian telescopes do not have. Especially the way it locates targets in the night sky. I was wondering if you could review this telescope or have an opinion on it?
Get it for the Dob, not for the StarSense. In my experience the StarSense "feature" can be inaccurate and flaky. As of this writing, the whole phone/tablet integration technology isn't quite here yet.
Is it possible to use a 2" diagonal and 2" eyepieces on this old version FC50 ? What part numbers / adapters would I need? The idea is to get to as low magnification as I can get, to see a decent amount of a constellation at once.
I don't think the image circle on the FC50 is large enough to fully illuminate the field of view of a 2" eyepiece. Keep in mind, this thing was originally designed for .965" eyepieces!
Haha, now ask your mathematician friend what are the odds of the 19 frames a month session being directly followed by a 12 frames a month (with 9 consecutive...). Must be down to one over a bazillion. 🙈👍😊
7:56 on that note, what is actually special about these then? I get that the quality is high but it is a tube with some optics attached, the only complex thing is the optics.
I would not recommend this model to beginners. It is a statement product by a high end manufacturer catering to fanatics with larger collections. Takahashi fluorites are special. If you get the chance, look through one (preferably one of the larger ones) someday and you'll see what I mean.
That is a new(ish) low-grade Chinese-sourced brand. The model you picked is overpriced and has some red flags - the barlow and smartphone adapter are usually bad news, and one of their ads shows the reflector pointed backwards.
I think the thing I like most about Ed is how much he relishes the crazyness of astronomers and some of the things they do.
My Tak 60 FC both sits at the place of honor in my living room’s shelves and is the telescope I use the most for astrophotography. I can perfectly understand why people would fanatically grab the FC-50. Honestly, if I find one one sale one day, I will probably buy it. By the way, I bought my FC-60 after reading your reviews Ed. I think I can never thank you enough for this ;-)
I love, love, love Takahashi scopes. The views through them are just so sweet. I had an FS102 on a Tak mount/tripod some years back. Great scope, amazing views! But, I hardly used it, so I sold it. I don't really regret selling it because I learned a valuable lesson about "the best scope for you is the one you actually use" and I passed on the scope to someone who actually used it. I've since had a couple other scopes which got used more, but still not much more. Unfortunately, I have a job that doesn't allow for me to stay up all night, so I sold off everything except my binoculars. I hope to get back into astronomy once I'm retired and don't have to worry about getting up early or staying up late. Thanks for the video Ed, I look forward to everytime I see that you've posted a new one. Clear skies.
I have not had the Fc-50, but I have the FC-76 and still think it is as good as the day I got it. Good video Ed.
Since I was a kid one of my favorite things to spot in garage sales were old cameras. One I remember was an extremely old Polaroid that I couldn't even find film for anywhere. Extremely impractical for me to own but I loved it. So this makes perfect sense to me.
Maybe one day I'll own a Takahashi, but the odds are against' it. I reckon if you use and enjoy what you can afford instead of chasing perfection, you'll be happier. Great video Ed, thanks!
Nice. How about a video showing the Takahashi mounts?
I'm starting to understand the love for these small refractors... got a TS 60 then a Vixen Fl55SS... Maybe I'll try Tak 60 mm one day...
TY for the review :)
My astronomy club fellows will set up 60mm scopes for Astrophotography while setting up 8 inch scopes for the public to view. Trying to get younger folks into astronomy as the club consists of mostly over 50s.
@10:40 We all appreciate your dedication :) Amazing scope
Great review! I watched through a Takahashi FC50 the Cassini division at 200x on a steady night! Wonderful scope.
Great review Ed. Very consistent with your written review in the old days. I was wondering if you have run across the Tak Starbase 80 achro with alt/az mount. I've seen these new for around $600. Wondering if you've seen one and/or if you would do a review on it. I find the idea of a Tak achromat to be interesting, but not sure if it's worth the $600. Thanks and keep the reviews coming, I always find your telescope videos to be great.😎
I've been wondering about that Starbase for years! Anyone out there have one, and feel like loaning it to me?
Would love a video about the Takahashi Mewlon series (especially the big ones). Seems like a real winning design, especially for visual work.
Hi Ed. You have some great scopes. Do you ever come to Starfest here in Southern Ontario? If you ever do, Id like to meet you. I am an astronomer and concert pianist. I think those two go very well together. There is a Canadian concert pianist who has world renown named Anton Kuerti. He was quoted as saying he'd be a "pianist by day and astronomer at night".
For 頭の中で病気 by 頭の中で病気 👻 There was a dedicated reducer flattener for it (I have the older Gray model with the reducer)
Nice! I've never seen one of those.
You remind me of my 5th grade teacher and I almost shed a tear😅
Would love to have one to use as an ultimate guidescope.
Wow!!! What made him change his mind about letting you review that?
Vixen guy Watching in 360p :) Tak quality a given at any resolution.
Hi Ed, I think it would be a good idea to do a video comparing the SCT VS the Maksutov. Which is better and why, And which one do you prefer... And more things.
In my opinion SCTs are better... I have a 6" and it's very sharp!
Thanks for all!
Hi Ed, thanks for the great review. Would you consider reviewing the TMB/APM refractors sometime? Some of them like the TMB 100/800 would be really cool to see, for example.
Yes, the TMBs are outstanding. I just have to get my hands on one...
It's a 50mm, the same size as most binoculars. Technically it has less light gathering capability than a cheap store model. Yes, I know it is far better in quality but it is a still a 50mm lens with a .965 eyepiece holder which everyone says is junk. What would you use this for, a really expensive finder scope?
Great!
Passionate people see in their muse things that most will miss ...
I'm more a results kinda guy ... Pushing gear to the max, flustering over 1m things that can and go wrong... Adaptive thinking... Mcguivering things into being ... Designed my own solutions and went back and forth...
Yup ... The conclusion is always the same ... Chuck money at it and it will perform better 😂
As of late I got the apperture fever... I'm safe ... Blown all the budget for this year 🤣
Ed, have you ever reviewed binoculars? How much do you have to spend to get a decent pair?
Hi Ed not sure if you will see my question I have a chance to pick up a Tak What do you think a fair price is for a Tak FS 78 Number 1 for 1998 in a wood presentation case with Tak finder, bracket, clamshell, losmandy plate and Takahashi 2 speed focuser? Thanks
another great video
I really love your videos 😍😍. Can you help me to find a telescope which is good for Deep space and planetary photography.
Try to find someone at your local club who has a C9.25" or a 10" SCT of Meade with good optics. That should have a fair amount of light gathering for Deep Sky Objects (visually), and Celestron C9.25 does well on the planets usually both visually and photographically, using the "lucky imaging" technique. But if you want to start photography of Deep Sky Objects, start with a small ED refractor of F6 and use a focal reducer.
Any issue with fogging of the fluorite?
I am interested in the Celestron StarSense Explorer 8” Dobsonian telescope. This telescope seems to have a several nice features that other Dobsonian telescopes do not have. Especially the way it locates targets in the night sky. I was wondering if you could review this telescope or have an opinion on it?
Get it for the Dob, not for the StarSense. In my experience the StarSense "feature" can be inaccurate and flaky. As of this writing, the whole phone/tablet integration technology isn't quite here yet.
wow! what a dream 😓
Is it possible to use a 2" diagonal and 2" eyepieces on this old version FC50 ? What part numbers / adapters would I need? The idea is to get to as low magnification as I can get, to see a decent amount of a constellation at once.
I don't think the image circle on the FC50 is large enough to fully illuminate the field of view of a 2" eyepiece. Keep in mind, this thing was originally designed for .965" eyepieces!
Haha, now ask your mathematician friend what are the odds of the 19 frames a month session being directly followed by a 12 frames a month (with 9 consecutive...). Must be down to one over a bazillion. 🙈👍😊
7:56 on that note, what is actually special about these then? I get that the quality is high but it is a tube with some optics attached, the only complex thing is the optics.
I would not recommend this model to beginners. It is a statement product by a high end manufacturer catering to fanatics with larger collections. Takahashi fluorites are special. If you get the chance, look through one (preferably one of the larger ones) someday and you'll see what I mean.
@@edting i just got done building a 131mm refractor as my first scope.
Nice!!
did you see Astrobiscuit smash his Takahashi on his latest Video?
That physically hurt me to watch :(
I did
I just could not believe anyone would leave equipment out like that...it shed a new light on the 'ol biscuit.
@@harrisondohn8502
He obviously doesn't believe in the weather forecast.
Yeah that was tragic. I drag my stuff in every night I am out. He made me seriously consider getting that scope though!
could you give me your thoughts on the Gskyer 130 EQ professional reflector telescope? is this a type of dobsonian, and maybe a video
That is a new(ish) low-grade Chinese-sourced brand. The model you picked is overpriced and has some red flags - the barlow and smartphone adapter are usually bad news, and one of their ads shows the reflector pointed backwards.
@@edting im still looking , by the way I like all your videos thank you for the reply
Ed, what is the outer diameter of the OTA?
You need to play the lottery
What an expensive finder-scope!
Yes, but what a *luxurious* finder scope!
@@edting Agreed!😆Imagine the kind of scope that would shrug off having a Takahashi as a finder
it's a toy for collctors.