Takahashi TOA-130NS 130mm f/7.7 Triplet Refractor OTA with MEF-2.7 Focuser

Product Overview

The TOA-130NS is Takahashi's 130 mm ED apochromatic triplet, built around a highly air-spaced three-element objective for the highest order of color correction Takahashi offers at this aperture. The native focal length is 1000 mm at f/7.7, and the tube ships with the Micro Edge Focuser MEF-2.7, a dual-speed 2.7-inch rack-and-pinion unit sized for the load of a full imaging or visual accessory train. Published catalog weight is 9.9 kg, and the tube extends from 1013 mm to 1144 mm as the drawtube travels.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you want serious resolving power in a refractor — 130 mm of ED apochromatic aperture at f/7.7 handles detailed planetary and lunar work and tight deep-sky framing, and the MEF-2.7 focuser is built to carry heavier imaging accessories without flexing. It suits an observer or imager stepping up from a smaller apochromat who has a mount rated well above the 9.9 kg tube weight once accessories are attached.

Key Features & Design

• Highly air-spaced ED triplet, 3 elements in 3 groups: two S-FPL53 ED elements deliver Takahashi's highest published order of color correction at this aperture.
• 1000 mm focal length at f/7.7: strong native resolving power for planetary, lunar and tight deep-sky targets.
• Micro Edge Focuser MEF-2.7 included: a dual-speed 2.7-inch rack-and-pinion focuser built for heavier imaging trains.
• 222.5 mm back focus at prime focus: published by Takahashi for the native configuration.
• Retractable dew shield: tube length runs from 1013 mm to 1144 mm as it extends.
• Knife-edged internal baffles: reduce internal reflections and improve contrast.

Optical / Mechanical Design

The TOA-130NS objective is a highly air-spaced triplet using two S-FPL53 ED elements, a configuration Takahashi builds specifically to push color correction beyond what a standard doublet or single-ED triplet achieves. At f/7.7 and 1000 mm focal length, it favors resolving power and reach over imaging speed, and the hard multicoated optics and knife-edged baffles are aimed at high-contrast planetary and lunar views as much as deep-sky imaging. The design accepts a family of Takahashi correctors: the TOA-35FL field corrector holds close to the native focal length at 980 mm, f/7.5, with a 40 mm image circle and 117.5 mm back focus; the TOA-645FL flattener runs 990 mm at f/7.6 with a larger 60 mm image circle and 56.2 mm back focus for medium-format sensors; and the TOA-35RD 0.7x reducer drops the system to 698 mm at f/5.4 with a 44 mm image circle and 65.5 mm back focus for wider-field imaging.

Recommended Uses

High-resolution visual observation of planets, the Moon and double stars; tight-framing deep-sky and planetary astrophotography; medium-format imaging once paired with the TOA-645FL flattener; observatory or serious amateur setups on a mount rated well above the 9.9 kg tube weight.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

At prime focus, back focus runs 222.5 mm. Adding the TOA-35FL corrector changes that to 117.5 mm at f/7.5; the TOA-645FL flattener changes it to 56.2 mm at f/7.6 with a 60 mm image circle for medium-format cameras; and the TOA-35RD reducer changes it to 65.5 mm at f/5.4. Each accessory resets both the focal ratio and the spacing your imaging train needs to hit, and the Takahashi Back Focus Guide lists all three configurations in full — send us your camera and filter setup and we will confirm the fit with you. Note that the closely related TOA-130NFB carries a different published weight (11.7 kg) and a different back focus (274.5 mm) due to its larger MEF-4 focuser; the two are separate products, not variants of one another.

Good to Know Before You Order

Mount, tripod, and finder are sold separately: this listing is the optical tube assembly with the MEF-2.7 focuser attached.

Imaging performance depends on the matched corrector: the bare optical tube favors visual use and longer-focal-length imaging; the TOA-35FL, TOA-645FL, or TOA-35RD is what flattens the field for most deep-sky imaging trains.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to set up?

No — it is a fixed-mirror-free refractor with nothing to collimate in normal use. The MEF-2.7 focuser is a standard dual-speed rack-and-pinion unit.

What is it best used for?

High-resolution planetary and lunar visual observation, tight deep-sky framing, and imaging once paired with a TOA-series corrector.

Does it need extra accessories for imaging?

For a flat field, yes — the TOA-35FL, TOA-645FL, or TOA-35RD, matched to the back focus your camera train needs.

What mounts is it suited to?

A mount rated comfortably above the 9.9 kg published tube weight once a full imaging or visual accessory load is added.

How is this different from the TOA-130NFB?

Both share the same 130 mm optical design, but the NFB ships with the larger MEF-4 focuser, weighs more at 11.7 kg, and has a longer 274.5 mm back focus — the two are separate products, not interchangeable configurations of one tube.

Bottom Line

In short: a 130 mm f/7.7 ED apochromatic triplet with the dual-speed MEF-2.7 focuser included, built for high-resolution visual work and flat-field imaging once paired with a TOA-series corrector.