Hi all. This is a bit of a rant.
I bought this Tak 130 from the dealer here in Australia (interesting experience to say the least) and was surprised by the amount of coma that is evident in images taken. A search of the net failed to find one comment that criticizes the scope's performance in that area amid all the advertising hype. Well here is one.
For the price of these instrument one would think coma would not exist to the degree it is so easily visible. Takahashi answer is to expect customers to purchase a field flattener at an exorbitant cost instead of improving their optics. This I had to do from overseas much to my chagrin.
I found I have less coma in my images taken using my old newtonian with a self ground 8 inch - f6.7 mirror. (Hey! perhaps I should get a job with Takahashi as a optical consultant.)
Not likely would I buy another Tak product based on what I now know. I wonder how Astro Physics and other good quality scopes stack up regarding coma. If you are a refractor owner I would like to hear your views.