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  • 3 weeks later...
2 hours ago, Sunny Phil said:

I have the Bresser Electronic Eyepiece for planetary/lunar/solar??? photography and have an intervalometer on its way!

Very nice Phil. :thumbsup:

 

I'm looking forward a lot more images and some time lapses now. ;)

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  • 1 month later...

2 x Baader Hyperion Mk 4 Zoom Eyepieces. (From Widescreen Centre @ Astrofest)

 

Info here :

 

https://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/astronomy-eyepieces-and-barlows/baader-eyepieces-barlow-lenses/baader-hyperion-universal-zoom-mark

 

Thought i'd give them a tryout.

If i find i can't get along with them, i will sell them on.

 

32014208264_529a657d42_z.jpg

Edited by Bino-viewer
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Will do Kim. First impressions are positive enough.

They are well put together, offering 8 - 24 mm magnification options.

Theres 2" and 1.25" options. They have an M43 thread. Flo sell the M43 / T2 adapters so you can connect a camera etc.

Also winged eyecups. They have 'twist-up' eyecups so you can adjust eye relief etc. Theres evan a pouch to store them in.

 

How i get on with them / and how suitable they are for bino-viewing is the $64K question.

Just need a good night to try them out. How long that will be is anyones guess. Never known such a bad run of weather. I've observed just once this year so far.:(

I'll be in touch and give you first refusal if i wish to sell, and will give you a good discount. Current street price is £179.  (Flo & a few others)

 

 

 

6 minutes ago, Smithysteve said:

Nice Rob, they have a good FOV too ?

 

Looking forward to seeing what they can do Steve.

I'm slightly concerned about the 50 deg fov @ 24mm.  I've been spoiled using 24 Pans (68deg) !!

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21 minutes ago, Bino-viewer said:

 

Looking forward to seeing what they can do Steve.

I'm slightly concerned about the 50 deg fov @ 24mm.  I've been spoiled using 24 Pans (68deg) !!

 

We all get spoilt with large FOVs, but it all depends what you are looking at...

These zooms have a decent FOV at the 8mm end though unlike most zooms, let us know how you get on with them... whenever that will be ???

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My other Astrofest purchase has got me quite excited :

 

Astro Devices (based in Sydney, Australia)  Nexus DSC  (Digital setting circles)

 

I'm hoping this will revolutionise my observing.

It connects to encoders on the Altitude and Azimuth axis on my DM6 mount.

These were pre installed when i ordered it. This will give me an accurate way to locate any celestial object 

manually, following location arrows on the Nexus screen.

Best of all, it interfaces with popular planetarium software when out in the field (in my case Sky Safari Plus) 

by wireless conection using onboard Wifi & GPS.

I just need to fit it on top of my mount, do a bit of rewiring, and i'll be good to go.

Reading the manual, it looks to be fairly idiot proof ; a bonus for me.

 

I shall report on how it performs.

 

http://www.astrodevices.com/products/NexusDSC/index.html

 

32744550671_96c46ac0d9_z.jpg

 

Edited by Bino-viewer
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Never realised that they had a Mark IV out. And they've improved the spec a little from the previous version. It looks like a good price as well. I'm sure they will be very convenient in your binoviewer. There are always compromises in having a do-it-all eyepiece, due to the smaller low power FOV and moving lenses/extra lenses that can introduce unwanted aberrations. There used to be a top class Leica zoom that sold for about £700 each, but I bet the Baaders will perform almost as well.

 

Looking forward to a first light report on them and with your new digital sc, you're going to have a fantastic setup. :thumbsup:

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  • 4 weeks later...

Cheers,

 

750D arrived yesterday evening.  Not had an opportunity to try it out yet, but can confirm the condition of the camera is 'mint'.

This was priced and sold as an ex-demo model, however the only thing I can see is a mark on the box. 

The camera and accessories are unmarked & unopened, if I had been told it was brand new I wouldn't have had any reason to doubt it.

 

Service from   http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/  was very good and I would have no issue using them again.  I'll certainly keep an eye on their Clearance & Ex-Demo items.

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Portable power supply for Canon EOS 750D

 

Works in a similar manner to the cables/adaptors available for use with 12v car/leisure batteries but far more portable, which is a big consideration if using on the Astrotrac.

As this battery will attach nicely to the mount, closer to the camera, it will mean one less cable to trip over!

Cost is about the same as a single (official) Canon battery but claims to last for the equivalent of 6.

 

Time will tell but worth a go

 

CAB140519-7600.jpg

 

 

Al

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  • 2 weeks later...

A pair of Nikon Monarch 7 10x42 binos to replace my 8x42 Visionary. Been toying with these as an idea for a purchase for ages but the latest drop in the pound spurred me on to getting them before the exchange rate plummet affects the price of optics again.

 

I was wondering if I would see much difference in quality between the old visionary binos and the Nikons, well after using them for birding and a few stars the other night I can quite easily say the difference is very noticeable. The Visionary binos are great for 50 quid but the ED glass Nikons really show what good glass is all about.

 

 

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Very nice specification and quality on those Phil. They look like a brilliant all-rounder. :2thumbsup:

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They are nice and lightweight as well Pete, I hardly notice them round my  neck compared to some heavyweights I've had in the past.

They are made in China for Nikon but the quality is excellent. Nikon qc shows in them.

Edited by philjay
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  • 3 weeks later...

 

Vixen Wide Photo Adapter 60DX for Canon EOS DSLR.

 

This just arrived from Teleskop-Express (along with free sweeties!).

Really impressed with the build quality, looks and feels really solid.  Makes my exisiting Baader T ring seem very average by comparison.

 

This attaches direct to the 0.71x focal reducer on the back of my VC200L (F9 down to F6.4).  VC200L>Focal Reducer>60DX Wide Adapter>EOS 750D

Will be interesting to see what, if any,  difference a full 60mm dia connection makes rather than the usual 1.25" nosepiece on the T-Ring.

 

Quote

The new Wide Photo Adapter 60DX is designed to connect Dia 60mm threaded optical tubes with Canon
DSLR with EF-mount. The adapter is largely improved in precision, strength and durability by using new
materials and change of structure. The camera mount with larger inner diameter eliminates light loss in
surrounding, particularly in combination with full frame DSLR using large image sensor.

♦ Brass is used for the bayonet section where high precision and long-term durability are severely required.
♦ Overall strength is improved with larger diameter as well as thickness of compoments.
♦ Locking performance is increased by using more lock screws with larger knobs.
♦ Possibility in squaring error is reduced by using Delrin chip on the every screw tip.
♦ The original camera mount with larger inner mount diameter excellently reduces surrounding light loss.
♦ Stray light is thoroughly eliminated by careful blackening and light-shielding process.
♦ Fully compatible with all 60mm threaded accessories, while the conventional wide photo AD60 is replaced.
♦ Two different sizes of lock screws are provided for optimal lock and smooth camera rotation mechanism.
♦ Additional set screw without head is supplied for possible prevention of interference with camera body.

 

 

Al

IMG_20170406_114742x.jpg

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The Dobsonian Telescope, A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes, written by David Kriege and Richard Berry.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Dobsonian-Telescope-Practical-Manual-Building-Aperture-Telescopes/0943396557

 

Didn't get it from Amazon though - bought from an SGL'er in excellent condition like new. :)

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15 hours ago, Brantuk said:

The Dobsonian Telescope, A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes, written by David Kriege and Richard Berry.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Dobsonian-Telescope-Practical-Manual-Building-Aperture-Telescopes/0943396557

 

Didn't get it from Amazon though - bought from an SGL'er in excellent condition like new. :)

 Kim,

      Is this just for the read and general interest or are you contemplating building a DIY Dob!

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Well Al - I'm planning on building something 20" or over - maybe 22". I had fun making the replacement rocker box for my LB, and it seems to work fine - so I'm enthused to go large lol. I was quite inspired by the "mapstar 22" build" thread on SGL too. So it's a bit more than just a casual read, plus I got it for a song (less than half the current price). :)

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1 hour ago, Brantuk said:

Well Al - I'm planning on building something 20" or over - maybe 22". I had fun making the replacement rocker box for my LB, and it seems to work fine - so I'm enthused to go large lol. I was quite inspired by the "mapstar 22" build" thread on SGL too. So it's a bit more than just a casual read, plus I got it for a song (less than half the current price). :)

Nice!

You'll have to keep us updated on build progress....... then of course there's the 'first light'  party to organise :-)

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