James A. Edwards Reviews

I had purchased the UWA Meades to capture Mars in its transition but found 2 Tak Les which made viewing the Red Planet better...Not saying the Meade UWAs arent very good planetary pieces, I just like the LE 5mm better...Good eye relief and the optical quality as with any Tak item is truly hard to beat...I highly recommend the 5mm LE for those wanting a great high powered plossl! Easy 10 stars!

I have owned a number of medium to large cassegrain telescopes and believe me, this is a great addition as an alternative to your factory finder...Easy to use and install, I never leave home without one!

After using both the TeleVue 27mm & 41mm Panoptics I decided to give this Mid Ranged eyepiece a go...One simple word to discribe the 35 Pan, its a Monster! In both my Takahashi TOA130 and Mewlon 250 I use this piece for deep sky for faint Nebula and Galaxies most being the Messier type and without fail the 35mm Pan increases the imagine quality on faint objects allowing for greater detail when moving down from the 41 or between a higher powered piece which doesnt have the eye relief...I also use a TV 31mm nagler when viewing these same objects but the 35mm Panoptic will give you a better chance to increase the visual detail making this eyepiece easier and better for you to use...This is a great piece to have in your collection, 10+!

I own a number of wonderful TV eyepieces, most are a wide range of naglers and the mid range TV panoptics but I was in need a solid eyepiece with just a little more power then my 31 nagler provides...That isnt to say this is a piece to replace the 31, but the best decision you can make when you need that extra magnification...It complements the 31 extremly well and between these 2, your visual quality only gets better...The 26mm T5 nagler will give you exceptional detail and optics, another great piece to your puzzle! J.E.

Having been mostly a Cassegrain user, I elected to try a Refractor with a Meade 102ED as my first, then moving into the Takahashi scopes. Well, this is one magnificent refractor easily within the top size and lense type in the world. The images whether they be planetary, a general open or closed star cluster or when viewing deep sky looking at Nebula or galaxies the TOA-130 not only gives you superior images and detail, the rich real like background image will astound you. The fit, finish and overall machanical quality is unmistakenly Pure Takahashi, but it is the optical quality and performance of this refractor that you notice from your first view. I also use mine with the Tak 1.6x extender and this Amazing triplet only gets better. 10+ star rating!!!

Having owned a few Fork type mounts, it wasnt very difficult to choose the Losmandy G-11. I decided on the 11 based by its quality, the weight it will handle and overall ease to use. The added accessories are also a must ( motor covers, clutch knobs and mount knobs )as they add some additional features to an already good system. For anyone looking for a solid, well made and easy to use large mount, look no further then this, the Losmandy G-11 is an outstanding plateform for visual or imaging astronomers, one I highly recommend!

Having owned 3 LX-200s, 1 Celestron C-14, a Takahashi CN212 and Mewlon 250 I can honestly say a Telrad is a must have for any size Cassegrain or scope type...They are easy to use and align which makes your viewing alot easier especially if your a visual astonomer and want a site that helps you pin point your objects...The cost makes it all the more agreeable and after you get the hang of using one, You will never leave home without one!

Having used the 2 TV Everbright as an upgrade from my stock type, I needed a smaller Diagonal to use in my finder scope having switched from its use with an auto-guider...The choice was very simple, I went with a tried and true Diagonal, this being the smaller version but only in size...If your looking out there for a great replacement for your exsisting 1.25 diagonal, look no further youll be happy you did, I Highly Recommend this version!

Since I am asked quite abit about this extender, I wanted to include a few more items of interest...This is an excellent addition for any Tak user wishing to increase your focal length without losing optical quality or contrast...When used in my Mewlon 250 not only was this 3000mm scope able to go as deep as many scopes with larger apiture but the images I captured of the trapezuim in Orion, were every bit as good as many CCD images and incredably life like...I rate this extender above the 10 scale listed, Exceptional!