Takahashi LE 12.5mm

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Brand and Model:Takahashi LE 12.5mm
Price ($USD):$167.50
Type:Plossl
Focal Length:12.5 mm
Barrel Size:1.25 in
Apparent FOV:52.0 degrees
Field Stop Dia.:0.0 mm
Eye Relief:9 mm
Elements:5
Weight (lbs):0.2
Description:

Vote Highlights Vote
Takahashi LE 12.5mm
Very lightweight eyepiece sharp to the edge and fantastic coatings also barlow's well, gave me the best view ever of Saturn last year while barlowed, I am using a 12" Dobson F/4.93

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:10 Value:8
Weight: 9 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=556064

Takahashi LE 12.5mm
Easy to use and super sharp, edge to edge. Great color rendition and contrast too. Works well barlowed as well. Highly recommended.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=298795

Takahashi LE 12.5mm
Sharp, edge to edge. Great contrast and accurate color in both my Newtonian and my Refractor. Solidly made. A 'comfortable' eyepiece that is a pleasure to use.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=148762

Takahashi LE 12.5mm
Excelent central sharpness and contrast. Some astigmatism in the latest 1/3 of the field in a f/6 (MN 56 of 5"). The eye relief is comfortable but not very comfortable. I'm happy with it but I hope some more after I had tryed the 18 and 5 mm. The astigmatism disappear at the edge with the Powermate 2.5x and the views are excelents.

Valentín Díaz

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:8 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=558695

Takahashi LE 12.5mm
Excellent contrast and sharpness to the edge of the field. Bright and color free compared to some of the more complex optical designs offered. Works equally well in my APO refractor and big Dob. Well constructed and finished. Top performer in its class.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=70101

Takahashi LE 12.5mm
Sharp on-axis, very high contrast, very bright. Loses a point for lack of sharpness near the field stop compared to a TeleVue plossl, The two Taks with ED glass (5mm and 7.5mm) don't lose edge of field sharpness.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=43921

Takahashi LE 12.5mm
Couldn't agree more with the reviewer above, both on this eyepiece's performance, and the differences between the various brands. Truth be told, some of the more expensive eyepieces on offer are the one's that give the most problems to users. The Plossl type eyepieces, such as this Tak and others of its ilk, are a relatively simple design when compared to the Super-Duper,Wide-Field models, and generally give very satisfying results. I've had more than my share of poor images from so-called top level models I can tell you! The entire range of Takahashi LE eyepieces are superb, and while not the cheapest around, are certainly among the best. I especially recommend the 5mm & 18mm versions. They are truly first-rate, as is Meade's "Japan-made"version of it's 26mm Plossl. Make sure you get that one, and not the Chinese version if you buy a new Meade SCT. There's a heck of a difference!!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=43920

Takahashi LE 12.5mm
Got a chance to try my new Tak eyepiece early this morning (3:00 a.m.); the eyepiece did not disappoint. When viewing the moon, it showed crisp, contrasty, color free images througout the entire field. I did not notice any loss of image quality even at the field stop. Excellent eyepiece. I could not, however, fit it in my Ultima 2X barlow. This is not really an issue for me, as I have other eyepieces that serve me at that level of magnification, but it may be a problem for some.

I would also like to take a moment to get on my soap box. I used several eyepieces including the Tak, a Radian, a Meade 4000 plossol, and UO orthoscopics. ALL eyepieces performed very well and differences between them were minimal. For example, the Meade did distort and show some false color at the field stop, but the effect was minimal (the Radian shows some false color at the field stop as well, but not the ortho or the Tak).

Sometimes when we read or write about these differences it makes it sound as though they are huge. Truth be told most variations are VERY small (execpt for eye-relief which can create physical limitations for those who wear glasses and must be considered). So while the Meade showed some minor chromatic aberration at the very edge of the field, it is only $80 while the Tak is $180. Is it worth spending $100 more (over twice as much) to eliminate a small amount of color - in an area that your not concentrating on anyway? For some I'm sure it is. For others I simply leave you with the question as food for thought.

Newbies beware the hype. Well made main stream plossols provide images that are hard to beat at very reasonable prices.

Bottom line is the Tak is a superb eyepiece for those looking for top flight performance. I will be keeping it.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=43918

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