Paul LeFevre Reviews

I purchased the Takahashi FS60C intending to use it as a wide-field imaging scope. I could not be more pleased! This has to be the best bargain in refractors possible. The scope is very well corrected for chromatic aberrations, with no color focus shift across the visual wavelengths. A slight bit of blue mis-focus below the blue visual wavelengths can be compensated for with filters when imaging, but is not at all apparent visually. Its amazing what 60mm can show you when the optics are this good -- and the wide field of view when imaging lets me get all of M31 on the CCD chip (with the focal reducer), producing gorgeous, sharp, color-perfect images. Visually, this is a perfect grab and go scope for sweeping the summer milky way or large nebulae -- not the best for planets due to the short focal length, but with good high power eyepieces its even adequate for that, and the scope can fit in a camera bag! I cant rave enough about the typical Takahashi quality, reasonable price, and oustanding optics of this little scope -- for about double the price of a Chinese short-tube achromat, you can have a quality flourite APO that is optically in a whole different league. Anyone who travels and anyone who wants to do wide-field imaging should own this fine scope.