Takahashi Epsilon-180ED astrograph only OTA version

Takahashi Epsilon 180ED astrograph tube-only version

Takahashi has introduced this astrograph with incredible photographic speed to meet the demands of modern large sensors, including digital SLRs, as well as deep sky cameras.

The Takahashi Epsilon-180ED astrograph has a diameter of 180 mm with a focal length of only 500 mm and a focal length of F/2.8. The Epsilon series telescopes are hyperbolic photo/visual astrographs with a perfectly flattened and illuminated field.

The high photographic speed allows very faint nebulae invisible with slower instruments to be imaged and makes it perfect for observing comets and galaxies. Very short exposure times also reduce tracking errors and allow for more point-like stars: the Takahashi Epsilon-180ED astrograph produces 10µ stars over the entire flattened field.

Both the photographic and visual fields are perfectly flattened at f/2.8, making this instrument ideal for photographing comets and galaxy groups. Thanks to the two-lens ED corrector, chromatic aberration is minimised and is less than that of a Schmidt Camera.

The large rotating ring on the focuser allows the entire focuser and camera system to rotate to any position to frame the field as desired. The ED corrector is integrated in the focuser, which also has an M54x0.75 mm thread for direct connection of CCD cameras. The focus extraction from the end of the focuser is 56 mm, which is the standard for film and digital cameras. Therefore a Canon EOS camera can be mounted directly on the focuser via a Takahashi Wide T-ring.

The secondary mirror measures 80 mm in the minor axis and its mount has three screws for collimation plus a central screw for locking and adjustment in rotation and depth.

Near the focuser there is an accessory plate where the finder can be positioned with a standard mount (quick release is optional) while another is located near the primary cell.

The primary mirror is oversized to 190 mm to ensure perfect optical quality over the available 180 mm field. The primary cell has three double-action collimation screws, three screws with lock nuts for adjusting the pressure on the primary to minimise the effects of seasonal temperature variations, and an air mask.

In terms of purely photographic characteristics, the Takahashi Epsilon-180ED astrograph has an image circle of 44 mm (edge illumination: 60%), which means that the entire diagonal of the 35 mm format is covered. Digital cameras with APS-C format sensors will have a virtually 100% vignetting-free field.