Since Lewis put his 76mm Tak up I have been thinking about getting a small grab and go refractor. With a 5.1" refractor for imaging and a 12" dob for deeper skies (dark site), I think I will be in need for a fast cooling refractor for those nights where I may just want to look at the moon or planets at home in a pinch. I know I'll probably end up wanting a small alt-az mount.
Refractor wise I am thinking around the 60-80mm mark. Not planning on doing any imaging with it so with that in mind a well corrected doublet may be all thats needed.
On the TeleVue line there is the TV-60,76 & 85.
Could go down the path of the SW ED80 (cheap alternative but still pretty good quality).
On the Takahashi side there is the 60, 76 or maybe the Sky-90.
Ultimately I'd probably rather the Tak over the TV, the Sky-90 for instance is cheaper than the TV-76 and is a fluorite doublet.
On that note, as I have never looked through a fluorite... Is it worth potentially spending that bit extra and going fluorite over a good FPL-53?
Although I had taken out my 130mm APO on two occasions, almost all of my refractor observations have been through a SW ED100. Very nice but I do think I want a premium grab and go for home use
Thoughts and suggestions are most welcome (begged for
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