369 replies to this topic

[rerun]

Ray,

Congratulations to your new FOA60 . Have a lot of fun with it.

 

Clear skies Markus 

[Sasa]

Mine has a silver cap. I think most FOA60 have a silver cap. Only saw one picture with a black one.

Clear skies Markus

Mine has black cap as well. It was bought directly in Japan.

[teashea]

I see there are two types of lens caps for FOA-60.

Who knows which one of them is the latest?

 

Sergey

The black cap is awful ----- I am waiting for an FOA60 that has been shipped from Germany (since there are none in the US) and I understand that it has the silver cap.  Tak does not make many mistakes but that black cap was certainly a mistake.  

 

[Kunama]

I think the Australian dealer still has a FOA and a FOAQ in stock........

[alvin58]

I talked to Land Sea and Sky in Houston ,Texas 2 days ago and asked if they had any Takahashi refractors in stock at all. They said they had one FOA 60. Maybe still?

Allen

Edited by alvin58, 29 March 2021 - 07:02 PM.

[Sasa]

The black cap is awful ----- I am waiting for an FOA60 that has been shipped from Germany (since there are none in the US) and I understand that it has the silver cap. Tak does not make many mistakes but that black cap was certainly a mistake.

With this I can only agree. It is the same kind of cover that is used for camera lenses.

[teashea]

The FOA60 has a better build feel. The dew shield being one instantly noticeable difference.

The FOA60Q I couldn’t notice any false color. The FS60Q it was hard to find but occasionally there on very bright objects.

The FOA60Q is pretty much perfect. 

Not knocking the FS60CB/Q it’s a great scope, but Tak just pulled out the stops on the FOA60Q. It’s razor sharp.

If you want pictures of them side by side let me know.

According to Takahashi -----

 

“The FOA-60Q has the highest optical performance among all Takahashi optical systems. It boasts the World’s highest level of optical performance, maintaining a Strehl ratio of 99% over the entire visible light range and the entire field of view of a full-size camera.”

[teashea]

I received the FOA60Q from Japan.  It arrived in two days, courtesy of DHL all the way.  It is small and glorious.  What a telescope.  

 

The FOA60 was promptly shipped but was delayed by outgoing customs in Germany and is now languishing in US customs in New York.  It has been sitting in the customs warehouse for three weeks.  Hopefully it will get out soon.  Poor little thing is probably scared and lonely.  

[alan.dang]

I keep switching between wanting to sell my FOA-60Q or buying another to make a binocular. It is an incredible instrument. It holds its own against my flagship Questar 3.5 with better than 1/10th wave optics (1/56th wave RMS).

I think it is a great option for lunar viewing and grab and go. In light pollution, you don’t get a lot of targets.

[rerun]

Have you ever used the FOA60Q with out the Q modul ? I have light polution here ,too. But find a lot of Targets for this little scope.

[Bill Barlow]

It seems with the Q module attached to the FOA60 it increases the weight by at least 2 pounds and creates a much longer moment arm since the length is much longer.  This might make this scope harder to use with light weight altaz mounts.  
 

Bill

[desertlens]

The Q module for the FOA-60 adds less than 6 inches and less than 1 pound. The result is easily mounted.

 

Edited by desertlens, 10 April 2021 - 01:45 PM.

[teashea]

Have you ever used the FOA60Q with out the Q modul ? I have light polution here ,too. But find a lot of Targets for this little scope.

 

 This is certainly a possibility.  The FOA60 with the Q module is very impressive.  

[teashea]

It seems with the Q module attached to the FOA60 it increases the weight by at least 2 pounds and creates a much longer moment arm since the length is much longer.  This might make this scope harder to use with light weight altaz mounts.  
 

Bill

I think that the fact that the tube is so small in diameter makes it look very long with the Q module.  In person it really is not very long.  

 

 

Edited by teashea, 10 April 2021 - 08:45 PM.

[desertlens]

Have you ever used the FOA60Q with out the Q modul ? I have light polution here ,too. But find a lot of Targets for this little scope.

Without the Q module, the FOA-60 is a very different instrument (ƒ8.8 as opposed to ƒ15 for one thing). The differences induced me to acquire both configurations separately. Well, that's my excuse. As you might expect, both are champs in the 60mm class.

 

[Erik Bakker]

Without the Q module, the FOA-60 is a very different instrument (ƒ8.8 as opposed to ƒ15 for one thing). The differences induced me to acquire both configurations separately. Well, that's my excuse. As you might expect, both are champs in the 60mm class.

 

FOA60bd.jpg

Can you elaborate on that a bit Craig?

[teashea]

Without the Q module, the FOA-60 is a very different instrument (ƒ8.8 as opposed to ƒ15 for one thing). The differences induced me to acquire both configurations separately. Well, that's my excuse. As you might expect, both are champs in the 60mm class.

 

FOA60bd.jpg

I agree that  they are both useful and that they differ from each other significantly.  Like you, I have purchased both because of that.

[desertlens]

Can you elaborate on that a bit Craig?

Erik, To begin with, I haven't done an A/B comparison session and am unlikely to do so. My observing opportunities have been so infrequent over the past year (due to weather conditions) that I much prefer to relax and enjoy observing rather than perform equipment evaluations. I doubt I could see any significant difference between these two instruments in a controlled comparison. I can say that the resolution and contrast performance of both scopes meets my expectations and is certainly better than my eyes or my air. CA is effectively nonexistent in both. Both have longer ƒ-ratios so they are eyepiece friendly and exhibit no significant field curvature. As far as functional differences, the FOA-60 (F=530mm) is used for general observing: clusters, brighter nebulae, easy doubles and the like. The FOA-60Q (F=900mm) is used primarily for solar system objects. I had a couple of gratifying sessions with it during the 2020 Mars opposition. One could access these different properties by swapping the Q module in and out but I'd rather not frequently exchange finely threaded tube segments, especially in the dark. The bottom line is that both of these instruments are simple, enjoyable and rewarding to use.

[Erik Bakker]

Thanks for your clear answer Craig!

[teashea]

Erik, To begin with, I haven't done an A/B comparison session and am unlikely to do so. My observing opportunities have been so infrequent over the past year (due to weather conditions) that I much prefer to relax and enjoy observing rather than perform equipment evaluations. I doubt I could see any significant difference between these two instruments in a controlled comparison. I can say that the resolution and contrast performance of both scopes meets my expectations and is certainly better than my eyes or my air. CA is effectively nonexistent in both. Both have longer ƒ-ratios so they are eyepiece friendly and exhibit no significant field curvature. As far as functional differences, the FOA-60 (F=530mm) is used for general observing: clusters, brighter nebulae, easy doubles and the like. The FOA-60Q (F=900mm) is used primarily for solar system objects. I had a couple of gratifying sessions with it during the 2020 Mars opposition. One could access these different properties by swapping the Q module in and out but I'd rather not frequently exchange finely threaded tube segments, especially in the dark. The bottom line is that both of these instruments are simple, enjoyable and rewarding to use.

 

Not swapping to Q module in and out is a very good idea.  Each time the aluminum threads are used, they are damaged a slight bit.