Takahashi Telescopes 7 Telescope Accessories

Takahashi has been producing precision parts for over 78 years, starting out in sand casting and later applying that expertise to the design and manufacture of optical equipment. For over 40 years now, they have been a major player in astronomical equipment of both amateur and professional quality.

You'll find every style of telescope imaginable in their extensive suite of models for home and institutional use. These include Newtonian reflectors, Cassegrain/Newtonians, classical Cassegrains, hyperbolic astrographs, corrected Baker RC astrographs, mounts, and oculars. Few optics companies can offer such a wide variety of product and remain in the forefront of the industry. The Takahashi Reflector OTA and the Takahashi Refractor OTA have never been designed to be inexpensive or to impress the user with large apertures. The priority for Takahashi telescopes has always been quality. Each telescope is made by hand to tolerances that machine-made products cannot match.

Known primarily in the United States for their innovation in refractor telescopes back in the late 1970s, they have only grown in popularity since. Takahashi has become particularly renowned for the combination of refractor-level quality in an optic reflector design. This can be seen in their popular Mewlon Series of Dall-Kirkham telescopes as well as many others.

Just like any manufacturer of high quality optics, the level of knowledge you have of the technology will determine which telescope you ultimately choose. Specifically, Takahashi is known for the use of fluorite apochromatic refractors which give them a significant advantage in providing overall brightness and contrast compared to similar sized instruments offered by competitors. However, fluorite is considered the gold standard among optics professionals and is priced accordingly. As such, if you are not properly introduced to its benefits and aware of the precision involved in the design, it may seem that a Takahashi telescope is far more expensive than it should be compared to competing models. We assure you, in terms of quality of image and ease of use, the Takahashi premium is well worth it to a serious amateur astronomer. For further details about the use of fluorite and its benefits, read "The Fluorite Advantage" or simply search technical articles for optics and fluorite.