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Tiny Tak Fan Thread

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#51 Bowlerhat

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Posted 30 November 2020 - 04:41 PM

With the examples I own, what you see is fact.  I haven't altered any serial numbers.  The earlier serial number has the smaller tube, fillets on the objective fairing, and small focuser.  The later serial number has the large tube, straight bevel, and large focuser.

 

With this information, it seems that the production of the two versions was not sequential, but simultaneous.

 

Very curious since I don't see the distinction in the advertising of the day.

This is interesting. So maybe there's some different distribution between the two. Thank you for the pictures.

Which one of the two has better focuser?


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#52 Chuck Hards

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Posted 30 November 2020 - 05:42 PM

Both focusers are excellent. Very smooth and no slop. The larger one has the sliding inner tube, but it is larger diameter than RA or Tasco, and droop-free. I use Tak 1.25" eyepiece holders on both. Very similar to the Swift 831 focuser but with a more precise "feel" -if that's possible. The big one cannot be adapted to 2", however.
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#53 Bomber Bob

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Posted 30 November 2020 - 06:46 PM

Chuck, thanks for all that info!

 

FYI:  I still haven't spent all my tax money... and, I'd like to see how a TS compares with an FC -- 100% academic purposes, of course...


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#54 Chuck Hards

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Posted 30 November 2020 - 07:01 PM

FYI:  I still haven't spent all my tax money... and, I'd like to see how a TS compares with an FC -- 100% academic purposes, of course...

 

The TS is about twice as long.   ;)


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#55 RichA

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Posted 30 November 2020 - 10:06 PM

I don't know if you consider it tiny, but the Sky 90 is small.  I've never had the pleasure of looking through one, but now a few are coming up used in the $1500 range, I'm tempted to get one and see. 



#56 Chuck Hards

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Posted 01 December 2020 - 05:25 PM

This is the only pic of my TS-50, unfortunately... and I had it set up much of the year.  Too busy having fun with it to take pics I suppose!  It's put away for the winter now.  

 

The throughput is better than the Swift 838, probably due to better coatings, but not by much.  But fainter stars are visible in the Tak.  The image is outstanding, at 50mm the uncorrected color is not worth mentioning.   And the mount just blows everything else in it's class out of the water.  Solid, precise.

 

Takahashi was a pattern maker and operated his own foundry before expanding into telescope manufacturing, he supplied castings and possibly machined assemblies to Swift and others such as Technical Instrument Corp.  In my book, that gives them Tak DNA.  wink.gif

 

This is my new top pick 50mm, and it took a Tak to displace the Swift 838 and Micronta 50mm as my favorites in this aperture.  They still have their charms, as well as achromatic perfection, but the Tak is a cut above.

 

The camera bracket isn't attached in this shot.  I have the standard Tak bracket as well as a tiny little pan/tilt head that a prior owner added to the kit.  This scope is a delight for quick looks at the moon, sun, and planets, as well as the perfect scope for double stars from the backyard in summer.   It is a really good match for the Lunt 1.25" wedge.  

 

Note the early version of the finder, before Tak abandoned the objective cell and made it integral to the tube itself.  Same optics.  I like this more traditional version, it matches the character of the main scope.

 

001a.jpg

 

 

 

 


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#57 Bowlerhat

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Posted 01 December 2020 - 05:55 PM

So with ts series, how does lens cell housing & focuser connected to the tube? are they screwed on?



#58 Chuck Hards

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Posted 01 December 2020 - 06:11 PM

Yes, both focuser and objective cell thread-on.


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#59 Terra Nova

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Posted 02 December 2020 - 11:48 AM

This is the only pic of my TS-50, unfortunately... and I had it set up much of the year.  Too busy having fun with it to take pics I suppose!  It's put away for the winter now.  

 

The throughput is better than the Swift 838, probably due to better coatings, but not by much.  But fainter stars are visible in the Tak.  The image is outstanding, at 50mm the uncorrected color is not worth mentioning.   And the mount just blows everything else in it's class out of the water.  Solid, precise.

 

Takahashi was a pattern maker and operated his own foundry before expanding into telescope manufacturing, he supplied castings and possibly machined assemblies to Swift and others such as Technical Instrument Corp.  In my book, that gives them Tak DNA.  wink.gif

 

This is my new top pick 50mm, and it took a Tak to displace the Swift 838 and Micronta 50mm as my favorites in this aperture.  They still have their charms, as well as achromatic perfection, but the Tak is a cut above.

 

The camera bracket isn't attached in this shot.  I have the standard Tak bracket as well as a tiny little pan/tilt head that a prior owner added to the kit.  This scope is a delight for quick looks at the moon, sun, and planets, as well as the perfect scope for double stars from the backyard in summer.   It is a really good match for the Lunt 1.25" wedge.  

 

Note the early version of the finder, before Tak abandoned the objective cell and made it integral to the tube itself.  Same optics.  I like this more traditional version, it matches the character of the main scope.

 

attachicon.gif001a.jpg

Nice scope! Do you still get the ‘3D marble floating in space’ effect when viewing the Moon?



#60 Bomber Bob

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Posted 02 December 2020 - 11:58 AM

NOT A TAK, but I did get a bit of that 3D Marble Moon effect with my chopped-down Tasco (K) 4VTE Astro @ 20x with a spectros KE25...  Can't find my BB-zoom KE30 from the SS151...  probably somewhere in my shed -- my Bermuda Triangle...


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#61 Chuck Hards

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Posted 03 December 2020 - 06:58 PM

Do you still get the ‘3D marble floating in space’ effect when viewing the Moon?

 

I'm embarrassed to admit that I can't recall looking at the moon with the idea in mind, never used a low enough power on the moon with that particular scope.  The moon has to have a lot of sky around it for the effect to be apparent, and I was always at medium to high magnifications with it.

 

I'll try again in a few months when it warms up again.  


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#62 starmason

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Posted 09 April 2021 - 04:36 PM

Well, here is my vintage 60mm Teegul "Tiny Tak" entry....

Excellent medium 500mm focal length - This FC doublet is the same as installed in the vintage FC-60, but with a more retro/cool looking OTA.  Has a very smooth helical focuser and manual drawtube.  I was fortunate that the fine Japanese gentleman who sold me this took the time to seek out the smaller (out of production) 5x25mm finder that fits perfectly in the "hoop" finder holder assembly.  Without that little finder this would not have been complete.  Can't believe how sharp this 25mm finder is when locating doubles.  Some say it is "too small an aperture" to be useful.  I say unless you look through this thing you can't appreciate how good it really is.  The unique front end "built on dew shield" with curved in front is unique and looks cool also.

This small Tak reminds me the TV Ranger with it's similar focusing design.  Much better optics, though.  I loved my Ranger, but this Teegul is a true apochromat and can take high power so much better than the Pronto/Ranger could.  Great mounting system also.  Excellent observing system and one of my favorite "grab and go" systems.  Pick it up in one hand, bring it outside and you are ready to observe.  Too bad they stopped making these unique tiny Taks as well as the FC-60 cousin as they were such amazing telescopes.  A few pics shown with the 1.25 inch Tak prism diagonal.

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#63 blakestree

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Posted 09 April 2021 - 05:49 PM

The Teegul 60's are ultra-cool. I missed one on the Classifieds a little while back. (Maybe this one?) Anyway, she's a beaut!


Edited by blakestree, 09 April 2021 - 05:49 PM.

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#64 starmason

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Posted 10 April 2021 - 05:13 PM

The Teegul 60's are ultra-cool. I missed one on the Classifieds a little while back. (Maybe this one?) Anyway, she's a beaut!

I agree it is a unique and beautifully designed OTA and focusing system.  Great for both day or night observing use.  Mount and tripod is lightweight and sturdy.  This one was advertised on Ebay and came directly from Japan.  


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#65 blakestree

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Posted 10 April 2021 - 05:17 PM

I agree it is a unique and beautifully designed OTA and focusing system.  Great for both day or night observing use.  Mount and tripod is lightweight and sturdy.  This one was advertised on Ebay and came directly from Japan.  

It's gorgeous! I think it's maybe better than the one I was looking at. Hope you two have many wonderful nights together.



#66 starmason

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Posted 10 April 2021 - 09:52 PM

It's gorgeous! I think it's maybe better than the one I was looking at. Hope you two have many wonderful nights together.

Teegul and I are not exclusive but whenever it sees clear skies it performs admirably.

I also enjoy my FS-60C - with 1.7x extender Q installed - also for F10 doubles splitting and lunar viewing. 

Both excellent scopes.


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#67 Sirius Black

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Posted 27 April 2021 - 05:36 PM

05C3E9FC-4354-4834-B96B-298B09241FDF.jpeg First time posting to Cloudy Nights, but this forum doesn’t make it obvious or easy.

 I was able to obtain an FC-50, my new favorite scope!  I have both a regular .965 diagonal and a Takahashi .965 herschel wedge.  Makes a great Sun scope.


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#68 Sirius Black

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Posted 13 May 2021 - 10:46 PM

32B2D88E-ACAA-48EB-9E96-06A71C7693E4.jpeg I feel like I am desecrating an important monument!  I now have a 5X25 Takahashi finder, but it is missing several paint chips and the crosshairs are messed up.  I probably need to send it to Land Sea & Sky for servicing or the crosshairs will be REALLY messed up.

 

Anyway, while I was waiting for the Takahashi finder to show, this Meade finder showed up online at a store catering to astronomers.  At less than 1/2 price I jumped on it.  The vendor sent me an email stating the eyepiece was not original asking if I still wanted it.  Thinking it’s basically just to be a space maintainer while I wait for my Japanese package to show.

 

I installed it in the finder bracket and judging by the size of the exit pupil it’s probably closer to 4X rather than the 8X the Meade was originally.  Man I love this thing!  As I’m getting older a right angle finder makes things so easy!

 

At this point, I’m going to have the original Takahashi 5X25 finder refurbished so my son can sell it with the telescope when I’m gone.  But life is too short to bend strange ways to look at the stars!


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#69 Sirius Black

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Posted 17 May 2021 - 06:17 PM

370B77F8-426E-4CE8-9388-BE958CB73EC3.jpeg 795A6067-A990-4A66-8FA7-E1E78507AD93.jpeg

What was once a black clamshell is now a Takahashi green clamshell.  I also placed the Takahashi 5X25 finder in the bracket just to get a look at the FC-50 to gage the improvement.

 

I’ll use the freshly painted green clamshell for a while to see how well it holds up before painting the gray clamshell on the Sky Patrol.                           


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#70 Sirius Black

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Posted 21 May 2021 - 07:32 PM

Just about finished with the “sprucing up” jobs.  The gray clamshell is now “Takahashi green”.  The 4X25 right angle finder is sporting Takahashi colors.

 

I still need to place black disks in the finders caps I created from translucent eyepiece cases.  I have a Herschel wedge to use for viewing the Sun and I want to make sure no Sun rays can find their ways through the finder cap to burn something unexpectedly.

 

I didn’t buy the $17 per bottle, small, very few ounces official Takahashi paint.  I took some parts to the local hardware store and paid them ~$17 per quart to match the color and the sheen.  Just think of the things I can paint Takahashi colors!

 

 

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#71 mitu0715

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Posted 26 May 2021 - 10:48 PM

Takahashi 1984 ad & my 1984 FC-50 (skycancer mount)

 


Edited by mitu0715, 26 May 2021 - 10:50 PM.

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#72 barbie

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Posted 29 May 2021 - 09:03 PM

I recently bought an FC60 off the CN classifieds and it has turned out to be the best 60mm aperture class scope I've ever owned in my 50 plus years of observing/ telescope owning!! A fabulous performer and a blessed find!!


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#73 Terra Nova

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Posted 30 May 2021 - 09:27 AM

I recently bought an FC60 off the CN classifieds and it has turned out to be the best 60mm aperture class scope I've ever owned in my 50 plus years of observing/ telescope owning!! A fabulous performer and a blessed find!!

I thought it was truly wonderful as well. I’m glad you’re enjoying it! waytogo.gif



#74 barbie

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Posted 30 May 2021 - 03:25 PM

Thanks Terra!!
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#75 barbie

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Posted 31 May 2021 - 09:47 AM

Here's a photo of my tiny Tak FC60.

 

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