Takahashi
FC-60 Review
The FC-60 was the last of the original
FC line of Takahashi refractors, produced during the Nineties and early
Noughties to replace the FC-65. Takahashi have since rebooted the FC line, but
with the notable absence of the FC-60, replacing it (eventually) with the optically
innovative FOA-60.
Takahashi's FC-60 has been a bit of a
holy grail among classic scopes for me. I first read Ed Ting's review twenty
years ago and have wanted one ever since. Trouble is, the FC-60 has become so
collectable in the U.S. that every time one appeared on Astromart
someone beat me to it; meanwhile they almost never come up in Europe.
Eventually, I took the risk and imported this 1990 example from Japan.
Here I m going to test the FC-60 as a
classic, comparing it with its contemporary, the Tele Vue Ranger; but I also
compare it against the recent and optically sophisticated FOA-60 and FOA-60Q.
At A Glance
|
Telescope |
Takahashi FC-60 |
|
Aperture |
60mm |
|
Focal Length |
500mm |
|
Focal Ratio |
F8.3 |
|
Length |
420mm w/o visual back (490mm with) |
|
Weight |
1.2Kg bare, 1.8Kg incl. clamshell and finder |
Data from Tak/Me.
The FC-60 in
a 1991 brochure on the P2Z mount.
Design
and Build
The FC-60 replaced
the FC-65 in Takahashi's FC range of fluorite doublet refractors that
went from 50mm to 125mm. All were Steinheil fluorite-at-the-back doublets and
have legendary performance, particularly for contrast. Unlike the modern FC
series, all were designed first and foremost as uncompromising planetary and
lunar scopes.
The FC-60 shared
the earlier FC-65's 500mm focal length, but little else (see below). It was
introduced later than the rest of the range, some eight years after the
generally similar FC-50.
When researching this review I was unable to discover when the FC-60 was introduced, but I was contacted by a helpful reader (Ken Tatematsu - thanks!) who checked the back issues of Tenmon Guide magazine at his observatory and discovered that that the July issue had an introduction to the FC-60 as a new face. So it seems the FC-60 was introduced in mid 1990, making mine an early example.
The later FS-series was introduced just four years later and so the FC-60 was produced after the demise of the other FCs, much as the FS-60 has remained in production after the rest of the FS-series.
Compared to
the luxury FOA-60 which has finally replaced it, the FC-60 is a budget
Takahashi: it has a fixed dewshield, a plastic objective cap and plastic
imitations of the classic Tak silver focuser wheels
(on which more below). Otherwise, it's a typical
Takahashi of its generation, which is to say I love it: lime green cast focuser
and lens ring, a white tube and Fluorite emblazoned on the dewshield.
Below I've included some photos of the FC-60 alongside some other
small Takahashis (and a Tele Vue Ranger), for comparison.
Colours
As far as I
know, all FC-60s have this colour scheme, i.e. lime
green and white with blue decals. A variety of other colours and combinations
have graced other Takahashis before and since. For
more on this, I've written a separate article here. The smaller FC-50 was produced with both the lime
green and the older blue-grey enamel (see below), but I can't
find evidence that the FC-60 ever was, because it was introduced later.
Three long-f
60mm Takahashis, top to bottom: FOA-60Q, FS-60Q,
FC-60.
Takahashi
FC-60 and an FC-50 with the older blue-grey enamel.
Takahashi
FC-60 with its contemporary, the TV Ranger.
FC-60 with
its forerunner, the FC-65.
Optics
The FC-60
has a Canon/Optron foil-spaced doublet with the
fluorite at the back in a Steinheil configuration. To check that it really is
fluorite, I did a laser test (see below): fluorite doesn't
scatter light, so disappears, unlike the glass (the bright spots are scatter
from air-glass and air-fluorite surfaces).
The
non-adjustable lens cell has the old Tak standard of
green writing around the edge telling you the aperture (60mm) and focal length
(500mm), which gives F8.3. By comparison, the FC-50 has an adjustable cell, like the earlier FC-65.
Those green
letters also state MC which means multi-coated. Shine a light in and the lens
does look very transparent in the way fluorite doublets do. However, the
coatings have a bluish hue compared with the tobacco-colour of the latest on
the FOA-60 and this does I think yield a slightly warmer tone to the image that
is apparent on the Moon.
The fluorite
element at the back is uncoated, as it was on all the original FCs. One of the
reasons for adopting a fluorite-at-the-back design was to protect the delicate
mineral crown. But interestingly, older Takahashis without the multi-coating seem to suffer from hazing of
the flint element.
The later FS
(for front surface) series of F8 fluorite doublets had their fluorite at the
front in a Fraunhofer configuration; but for whatever reason, the FS-60 was
(and still is) F5.9 - a much more imaging-centric format than the F8.3 FC-60.
The latest FOA-60
also has a front-surface fluorite doublet, but a large air gap between the
elements to further control aberrations means a larger, heavier cell and
potential sensitivity to knocks that affect centring and/or collimation (I have
seen this on both an FOA-60 and the Sky-90 which has a similar cell).
Laser test
confirms the FC-60 is a Steinheil fluorite doublet.
Tube
Whereas the
FS-60 has an 80mm tube, the FC-60 shares its slimmer 68mm one with the its
modern replacement the FOA-60 and its forerunner the FC-65 and the FC-50 too.
The FC-60 and FC-50 share the same slim dew-shield; the older FC-65's is
larger.
Compared to
the FOA-60, the FC-60 has one big advantage: weight. At just 1.8Kg including
its clamshell, the FC-60 is roughly the same weight as
an FS-60C and almost half a kilo lighter than the FOA. This weight advantage
over the FOA-60 is surprisingly meaningful - on the Teegul
it doesn't need a counter-weight, whereas the FOA-60
does. The FC-60 is more stable on a photo tripod too.
For further
context, the FC-60 also the same weight as the contemporary Tele Vue Ranger,
despite being much longer.
The FC-60 has one knife-edge baffle in its tube, and two in the focuser drawtube, for maximum contrast.
FC-60
focuser has lots of travel, standard 0.965 visual back.
The 0.965
visual back is protected with a plastic cap.
Focuser
I have
experienced a couple of pretty bad Takahashi focusers
over the years - one on a Sky-90, the other on an FS-60 (though another FS-60 I
owned more recently was fine) - but that's far from typical and was probably
due to wear from use with heavy cameras, or perhaps just user fiddling.
However,
though the little focuser on this FC-60 is thirty
years old it is just perfect: oily
smooth and precise, completely free of image shift and with just the right feel
and weight. I thought this might have been chance, but the second I've owned is the same and capable of finding best focus even at 200x.
The FC-60
came as standard with a 0.965 visual back and a matching prism diagonal, both
terminated with twist-locks. The 0.965 VB is protected with a screw-on cover typical
of Taks from that era.
The standard
FC-60 focuser has a very short body, same as the FC-50 and similar to the FOA-60. A later version, the
FC-60NZ, has an imaging-friendly focuser derived from the earlier FC-65 with a
larger body and wider drawtube.
FC-60NZ:
image courtesy of Christian Cammoranesi.
Another
interesting point for Takophiles is the focuser
knobs. On this FC-60 they're plastic imitations of the
heavy anodised knobs typical of high-end Takahashis. I ve seen these plastic knobs on various small Taks, including an FS-78 and an FS-60. I think the current
FC-100DC may have them too. Strangely, the FC-50 has the solid anodised knobs,
but in a smaller size to complement its bijou look.
Another
minor point is that these FC-60 knobs are shinier than recent examples. I
thought they were re-sprayed, but not so. Again, studying online photos
suggests that they were produced like this for a while.
Takahashi
focuser knobs, L to R: FC-60 plastic, modern plastic, anodised metal.
The
miniature anodised knobs on an FC-50, compared with the standard size on an
FS-60Q.
Mounting
The FC-60's
weight is as low as small refractors go this side of a few tiny Borgs: the same
as a TV-60 or Ranger. It is a perfect match for mini-equatorials like
Takahashi's Teegul SP or more recent PM-SP, but is
fine on small alt-az mounts like Vixen's Mini or
Mobile Portas too. A Vixen compatible dovetail with
35mm-spaced M8 threads is available, intended for the Mewlon
210 but ideal for all Tak clamshells.
The FC-60
will also mount successfully on a sturdy photo tripod with a fluid head. I used
a light Berlebach tripod and Manfrotto 701RC head for
this review.
I mounted
the FC-60 atop my big and very stable AP1200 mount when imaging.
FC-60
mounted on a PM-SP mount (note different colours). Shown with 0.965 visual
back and Tak diagonal.
FC-60 on a
fluid photo head and light Berlebach tripod. Shown with 1.25 visual back.
OTA with
original accessories - 0.965 visual back, 5x25 finder, 68mm tube ring.
View through
the 5x25 finder.
Accessories
The 68mm
tube ring was standard on the FC-60, the FC-50 and the
FC-65; it can also be substituted with a modern one for the FOA-60 (compare
photos above).
The smaller
FCs would have been fitted with Takahashi s tiny 5x25 finder - an outstanding
little optic, with properly baffled and blackened internals, a little helical focuser and a wide sharp field; like a smaller version of
the usual 6x30 (see above).
Please
note: though a ring mount for the 5x25 finder was available for the later FS-60,
it doesn't fit these older scopes: the base is too
wide, the mounting holes and bolt threads too large.
The FC-60
came with a 0.965 visual back. It can be directly replaced with the 1.25
equivalent from an FS-60. There is no 2" eyepiece holder option for the
standard focuser, but Takahashi sell an FC-60/FC-65 adapter ring for their
multi-flattener (part no. CA-65) for imaging.
The FC-60
was likely supplied with 18mm and 7mm Takahashi MC Orthoscopic eyepieces (and a
matching 0.965 prism diagonal).
Supplied
Takahashi MC Orthoscopic 18mm and 7mm eyepieces.
Swapping the
standard 0.965 visual back for a 1.25 one from an FS-60 or equiv.
In
Use Daytime
Waiting on a
fellside for the planets to pop out in the dusk sky, I enjoyed using the FC-60
as a spotter. I viewed the brightly-lit power station across the bay; followed
planes whizzing across the western sky; examined a farmhouse in the darkening
valley below lit weirdly blue by unseen Christmas lights. A bright satellite
slowly passed to the east and I followed that too. Wind turbines turned in
silhouette against the sunset horizon.
I discovered
that the FC-60 makes an outstanding spotter and birding scope - lightweight and
steady on a photo head, quick to focus, it has a wide super-sharp field free of
false colour even at 100x and beyond.
Most
telescopes I review are too heavy or likely too fragile for use in the field,
but the FC-60 would work well so long as you keep it dry and deliver sharper
high-power views than the Ranger, which was much more commonly seen in hides.
My usual
daytime shot of over-exposed branches is very revealing of false colour. The
FC-60 shows the merest traces of green and purple in unfocused parts of the
view. This level of performance is close to a triplet super-apo:
In
Use Astrophotography
Allowing for
its small image scale, the FC-60 takes an excellent image of the Moon at prime
focus - sharp and detailed.
F8.3 sounds
bad for deep sky imaging, but with modern camera sensors it's
usable and the 500mm focal length means a wide enough field for most things.
You would at least need the 1.25 visual back to allow any form of imaging,
though.
At ISO 3200
my Fuji X-Trans APS-C camera isn t noisy but allows
decent 60s subs of brighter subjects through the FC-60. Star images are tight
and virtually free from nasty bloat and violet fringing. On an APS-C sensor,
off-axis aberrations aren t too bad without a
flattener, but there's not much point in full frame with a 1.25" visual
back.
FC-60 Moon
(cropped) with Fuji X-Trans APS-C CSC.
Unprocessed
sub of the Pleiades through the FC-60: 120s at ISO 3200 with Fuji X-Trans APS-C
CSC.
In
Use The Night Sky
General
Observing Notes
Sharp
optics, low weight, rapid cool-down and a superb
focuser make the FC-60 a pleasure to use.
Note that the
FC-60 balances right at the focuser end of the tube, which can look a bit
strange but is essential on the Teegul where
otherwise the focus knobs would hit the RA housing. The Teegul
and FC-60 were very closely designed together from this perspective with just a millimetre or two in it.
False colour
is generally absent. Focusing through the bright limb of a nearly full Moon
centre field to avoid eyepiece effects produces the merest tint of gold and
rose either side of focus through the FC-60.
For
comparison, a modern FOA-60Q perhaps the most perfectly corrected refractor
ever made - yields no trace of false colour, but needs front-surface fluorite,
a large air-gap, four elements and an F15 focal ratio to achieve it.
My first
FC-60 had a perfect focuser and my second is the same: wonderfully smooth and precise with no image shift.
Cool
Down
Compared to
the Mewlon reflector I was testing at the time, cool
down is laughably rapid. Straight from a warm house into a freezing November
night, the FC-60 gives the Moon a halo of stray light, just the way a poor
optic does. After ten minutes, space is inky black again, cool-down complete.
Star
Test
The star
test is excellent with just the usual trace of under-correction. In-focus
diffraction pattern and Airy disk are text book perfect.
The
Moon
I woke one
frosty November morning to excellent (8-9) seeing and a last quarter Moon high
in the sky just off the meridian, with Albategnius on
the terminator. Skidding out onto my icy balcony, the FC-60 quickly gave a
stunning view for such a tiny refractor.
A 3.5mm
Nagler giving 143x showed loads of sharp detail along the terminator: Mons
Piton, bathed in evening light; the craterlets like a string of beads along
Rima Hyginus and nearby Rima Ariadaeus, black with
shadow and running off into the darkness; Alphonsus with its offset central
peak, dark patches and hummocky ridge; the Straight
Wall and its odd arrow-head at one end; the slumped walls of Tycho in
extraordinary detail. Clavius and its arc of craters.
On a
different occasion, I'd been examining Mare Imbrium
through the FOA-60Q at 180x with a 10mm Zeiss Abbe Ortho in the Zeiss 2x barlow. Surely the old FC-60 couldn t
take that kind of magnification? I swapped the Zeiss 10mm for a 6mm to give
167x in the FC-60 to see. The view was the same, sharp
and full of subtle shading contrast where the bright rays met dark Mare lavas.
I watched a star just off the limb in absolutely black
space.
The shortest
focal length eyepiece I have is a 2.5mm Nagler giving 200x in the FC-60.
Amazingly, there is no softness or image breakdown at that mag, just a trace more false colour focusing through the limb and a slightly
dimmer view. This was a real close-up encounter with the rugged craters of the
Moon with none of the lilac wash suffered by the Tele Vue Ranger I was testing
at the same time. The limb showed mountains silhouetted against black space as
only the finest scopes can.
The FC-60
gives an extraordinarily beautiful high-power view of the Moon for such an old
telescope, comparable with the state-of-the-art FOA-60Q alongside.
Planets
With the planets clustered low in the western dusk sky, I had to climb
the local fell to see them. It was the first day of Advent and a silvery
crescent Moon hung over a blood-orange dusk that reflected in cirrus above and
bay beneath. It was brutally cold and my fingers numbed as night slowly fell on
a crunchy fellside.
Venus
A brilliant, full-disk Venus boiled low to the horizon, with lots of
false colour from the atmosphere (not the FC-60!) blue and orange either side
of the planet. Some six weeks later in its elongation cycle, a magnitude -4 Venus,
at a much higher altitude (~18 ), showed a perfectly
defined gibbous disk. It was absolutely pure white at
100x, with not a trace of false colour, even out of focus.
Mars
Almost two months after the December 2022 Mars opposition, Mars was
just 11.2 in diameter, but at a favourable 60 degree altitude. I had recently
received my second FC-60 (I foolishly sold the first) and was anxious to try
it. At 142x with a 3.5mm Nagler, Mars was a perfectly sharp and distinctly
gibbous disk, with no softness or false colour.
I was surprised to see albedo markings, so I upped the power with first
a 2.5mm Nagler and then a 2.5mm Pentax XO giving a very high (for a 60mm) 200x.
I was amazed to find the FC-60 took the high power to reveal bright
Hellas (probably covered with cloud) in the south, with the dark stripe of Sabaeus Sinus in the west and Mars' most recognisable
telescopic feature - Syrtis Major - in the west.
Jupiter
At 100x with the 5mm setting of a Nagler Zoom, I noted a very sharp planetary disk with excellent contrast. The equatorial belts revealed features, darker spots and variations in thickness. Further fainter belts were visible to north and south, along with dark polar hoods. At 125x with the 4mm, the image was still perfect but didn't yield much more detail.
The Galilean moons were shown as perfect tiny disks of slightly varying hue and brightness, with Io close in and noticeably yellower than the others.
Saturn
At 100x with a 5mm Nagler, I could
see all the usual details with perfect sharpness ring shadow, hints of a
partial Cassini Division, polar hood and the planet partially obscured by the
rings.
Deep
Sky
The FC-60
works as well as most 60mm refractors for deep sky, perhaps giving away only a
little brightness to the FOA-60 with its latest multi-coatings on all elements.
The Pleiades are sparkly and brilliant, with pinpoint stars across the whole
field. The open clusters in Auriga show masses of stars, easier to pick out
with averted vision. The Great Nebula (M42) in Orion reveals its extended arms
and hints of structure in the central region.
But this is
an area where the 60mm Takahashi with its uncoated fluorite gives quite a lot
away to the 70mm (and fully coated) TV Ranger. The Tele Vue offers brighter DSO
views and is the better scope if you like low-power Milky Way surfing.
At 143x with
a T6 Nagler 3.5mm the Double Double (Epsilon Lyrae) was a perfect split on both components.
Summary
The FC-60 was
once Takahashi's entry-level budget scope, but has become something of a
collectors item. It's not hard to see why: no one
makes anything quite like it today.
Today, small
apochromatic refractors are designed for imaging, with hefty focusers and wide
visual backs, short focal lengths and improved
correction in the blue and violet. In contrast, the FC-60 is optimised for
visual use, especially on the Moon and planets. Meanwhile, the doublet
objective, slim tube, fixed dew-shield and 1.25" only focuser make it very
light-weight, rugged and easy to carry and mount.
Even with its
tube ring, the FC-60 is as light as a tiny TV-60 or FS-60, but takes
magnification better and gives even better Solar System views. Recent
long-focal-length Takahashi 60s - the FS-60Q and FOA-60 - are half a kilo heavier and so slightly
more awkward to carry and mount.
So, true to
legend, the FC-60 does make a wonderful super-light travel scope for the Solar
System - for eclipses, but also for Mercury or the early days of a lunation.
For someone with a big Dob or SCT it remains an ideal second scope for quick
looks too.
The FC-60 remains the perfect small
apochromat for visual use and travel, especially for the Solar System. I love
it. It s a classic and it deserves to be.
