David Weaver Reviews

What makes this system work so well is the Tak compression ring to hold the eyepiece instead of clumsy thumbscrews that would need to protude through the body. The eyepiece is completely self-contained in the ocular holder inside of the camera holder. Two thumbscrews allow quick disconnection of the camera holder (which uses a standard T-mount) with the with the ocular holder. Note that this also allows rotation of the camera body about the optical axis. A third thumbscrew allows the camera tubes length to be extended as needed. Very solidly built, worth every penny. Mine only came with a 1.25 ocular holder, although the FS Series manual indicates that it should come with both a 1.25 and a 0.965 ocular adapter. Not an issue for me since I only have 1.25 oculars. The solid construction insures that the film/CCD plane will not tilt off-axis.

The Camera Angle Adjuster works with the CA35 to allow you to rotate the camera body connected with a wide T-mount to adjust the framing of the photographic target. I would give it a 10, but all Tak accessories are a bit pricey. For the price it should include the CA35.

Adapts the 2.7 focuser to the Tak wide mount T-ring. You will really want to purchase the Camera Angle Adjuster with this so you can rotate the camera body around the optical axis for framing your photographic target. No vignetting with prime focus on an FS-102, I havent tried it with a reducer yet. I feel this should be included with the Camera Angle Adjuster for the same price that the CAA currently sells. Takahashi likes to nickel & dime you to death on accessories.

Solid construction is a recurring them with Takahashi. The clam-shell design with a single knurled tightening nut makes it simple to balance as you add/remove accessories & cameras. A felt liner protects the OTA from scratches and allows the OTA to slide smoothly while balancing. The knurled tightening nut has slightly chipped the paint on the tube holder itself from my own carelessness in letting it rest on the holder when not in use. The clam-shell looks like it could accomodate scopes of slightly varying diameters easily.

I only gave it a 7 because of the price. I have used mine for over 2 years with my EM-200. The cable remains flexible enough in sub-freezing temperatures. Note that it is really an RJ12, not RJ11! ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RJ11