I'd reviewed this eyepiece on another website a while back, so here it is again with some newer tests:

I purchased this eyepiece blindly, simply because of the name, I mean how could Takahashi screw up an eyepiece right? I was right, and for the price (around $180) it really was an awesome deal.

I owned many other eyepieces (Meades and Televues) that I have since sold. Those were great eyepiece no doubt, but the Takahashi was better, example:

The Televue has a wider field of view but looses some sharpness towards the edge.
The Meade doesn't have as good a contrast, it is good but just not as good as the Takahashi.
The Televue and the Meade were more expensive.

Color tests show NO color when used with a Takahashi FS102 refractor and certainly not with an 9.25 inch SCT from Celestron.

The wide field of view and relatively long eye relief make this eyepiece one of my favorites.

For planetary use, I couldn't recommend a better eyepiece. Taks are known for astrophotography, but trust me, Saturn and Jupiter are simply awesome on a good night, the rings of Saturn are clearly divided, I saw Jupiter's red spot one night, it wasn't really red, rather washed out orange, but still.

Even when the views are bright, there is no color around the edges, this is probably due to the ED (Extra Low Dispersion) glass and the 'fully multi-coated' feature.  

for DSOs or larger field of views you will need something bigger, like the Takahashi LE-50mm, specially when used with a long focal length telescope. I did enjoy some DSOs through my 820mm refractor, but a shorter FL refractor could have shown more.

Final word: This eyepiece is a joy to have, I baby it like I baby my FS102. It is comfortable to look through, images are sharp and the price is just right.

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Takahashi FS102 on a EM-11 mount
Celestron C9.25 on a GM8 mount
Takahashi LE-5mm ED eyepiece
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Thanks for reading...

Pros

Wide FOV
Fully multicoated
Excellent contrast
Sharp views all the way to the edge
Surprisingly reasonable price

Cons

None

Rating

-- End of review