Telescope Reviews: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth?

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John J
professor emeritus

Reged: 11/05/07

Loc: Beresford SD

Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth?
#2966816 - 03/06/09 01:52 AM

Hello. I am in a position to sell a Celestron 14" F 1.7 Schmidt Camera that was in storage at a local college. It is complete with Tripod, Fork and Wedge, and the 5" catadioptric Celestron guide scope. The school and I have no idea of it's value. I am contributing my help as a member of the local astronomy club and college supporter. The unit is complete as far as I know and has been taken very good care of.

Tripod.

Fork.

Wedge.

Camera.

Guide scopes.

Manual.

Any help with it's value would be appreciated. We would like to see it move into a nice home at a reasonable price.

JJ

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ukcanuck
Vendor (Skylight Telescopes)

Reged: 11/07/06

Loc: London, UK

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: John J]
#2966896 - 03/06/09 04:13 AM

If it's any help, I sold an 8" Celestron Schmidt Camera last year for £240 GBP. This was the OTA alone, and was missing the film holder.

It doesn't get much more niche than this scope.

Finding someone capable of operating this scope, still working in film, or capable of modifying the scope to use digital technology was daunting. Having said that, a buyer popped up pretty quickly for the price I offered it at.

FYI, digitizing has been done, see here: http://www.astrosurf.com/comolli/oss2.htm

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gts055
sage

Reged: 05/01/06

Loc: Victoria, Australia

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: John J]
#2966915 - 03/06/09 04:27 AM

Wow, there won't be many of these about. There is also a large eqatorial mount and pier in the background. As to value, I have little idea. The other popular astronomy sales and forum site had one (on a large equatorial mount) recently for $9000.00 US Dont know if it sold.
Best wishes Mark

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ukcanuck
Vendor (Skylight Telescopes)

Reged: 11/07/06

Loc: London, UK

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: gts055]
#2966957 - 03/06/09 05:58 AM

Quote:

There is also a large eqatorial mount and pier in the background.

I think that's a Cave. I can certainly see Astrola on the mounting...

...looks like a big one too.

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JamesE
impetuous lurker

Reged: 10/22/07

Loc: Westbank, BC, Canada

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: ukcanuck]
#2967289 - 03/06/09 10:27 AM

does the blue/black trunk underneath the wedge have the Orange C14?

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John J
professor emeritus

Reged: 11/05/07

Loc: Beresford SD

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: JamesE]
#2967386 - 03/06/09 11:15 AM

The 14" Schmidt Camera is in the wooden plywood box with foam padding.

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woodsman
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 03/12/08

Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: JamesE]
#2967416 - 03/06/09 11:28 AM

I would think that the C14 Camera tube alone would be worth about $1500. I'm basing this on what I just paid for a C8 Schmidt camera. If you are including the fork mount, wedge, and tripod, then it would of course be more than just the tube. If I were in the market (I'm not), I would be willing to give $2000 for the Tripod, Wedge, Mount, and Camera, but I think you could definitely get much more than that, especially with the C5 guide scope, 10/40 finder and small finder. My estimation would be that a serious buyer would be willing to give at least $2500-$3000 (the camera could be worth more than $1500). That could be a low estimate. Now, one question, if James is correct, and I agree with him that the black trunk under the wedge is a C14 case, what would your club do with the other C14 OTA, being that it now has no fork mount? Rich

Edited by woodsman (03/06/09 11:33 AM)

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Dr Morbius
Post Laureate

Reged: 02/06/07

Loc: ManorvilleNY-but not for long

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: woodsman]
#2967443 - 03/06/09 11:39 AM

I didn't know they made this item. Does anyone know the years they produced the 14" Schmidt Camera?

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gnabgib
sage

Reged: 06/05/05

Loc: Fall River MIlls Ca.

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: woodsman]
#2967454 - 03/06/09 11:42 AM

If you are looking for offers I will place my bid for $2500. I worked for Celestron years ago and am familiar with the problems these cameras pose. (alignment, collimation techniques, focusing etc.) You did not mention if the film holders are still with the camera? By the way only a hand full of the 14's were made (6?) due to the issues with keeping everything in alignment, focus etc. Usually the receipient had to make the final adjustments to collimate and focus before achieving satifactory results. This usually took about one hundred photos with adjustments between each photo. The 5 inch and 8 inch schmidt cameras by comparison were much more robust and could tolerate transportation ( shipping ) nicely.
Kevin

Edited by gnabgib (03/06/09 11:50 AM)

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JamesE
impetuous lurker

Reged: 10/22/07

Loc: Westbank, BC, Canada

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: John J]
#2967463 - 03/06/09 11:45 AM

Quote:

The 14" Schmidt Camera is in the wooden plywood box with foam padding.

No, no, no, what I mean, is if there is ALSO a Orange C14 in that Blue trunk? From the limited reading I have done, the camera was typically sold as just an OTA to be piggybacked on a C14. But sometimes the camera was purchased with a mount.

So basically I am wondering if you have 2 orange gems sitting around there. The trunk looks the right size.

James

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woodsman
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 03/12/08

Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: JamesE]
#2967499 - 03/06/09 12:00 PM

Hey James, I think that C14 Schmidt camera was made to go into the fork mount. If you look carefully you will see what looks to me like a guide pin that would allow it to ride in the fork. The C8 Schmidt camera could be mounted in the C8 fork or assembled to ride on top of the C14. The C14 camera is so huge that it would have to ride on top of a 20 inch or so Cassegrain, so I'm pretty sure that it was made to go with the fork mount. One other thing, from what I understand, according to my Schmidt camera manual, and I am quoting the manual, "Film holders are NOT interchangeable between cameras". The back plate of the film holder is precisely machined to match the focal surface of each camera. It would be important to have the Original film holder with the camera. Celestron even indicated that if extra film holders were required, they should be ordered at the time with the camera.

Edited by woodsman (03/06/09 12:25 PM)

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John J
professor emeritus

Reged: 11/05/07

Loc: Beresford SD

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: gnabgib]
#2967501 - 03/06/09 12:00 PM

I am not trying to sell here on this forum. We are just looking to find what a market value may be for this equipment. I will be visiting the college on Monday March 9th to inventory all of the equipment. It is to my understanding that this was stored as a complete functional unit. If you are truly interested please feel free to PM me.

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woodsman
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 03/12/08

Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: gnabgib]
#2967525 - 03/06/09 12:09 PM

Quote:

If you are looking for offers I will place my bid for $2500. I worked for Celestron years ago and am familiar with the problems these cameras pose. (alignment, collimation techniques, focusing etc.) You did not mention if the film holders are still with the camera? By the way only a hand full of the 14's were made (6?) due to the issues with keeping everything in alignment, focus etc. Usually the receipient had to make the final adjustments to collimate and focus before achieving satifactory results. This usually took about one hundred photos with adjustments between each photo. The 5 inch and 8 inch schmidt cameras by comparison were much more robust and could tolerate transportation ( shipping ) nicely.
Kevin

I am pretty darn sure that there is a C14 Schmidt camera, which is serial number 10 for sale somewhere on another site. It has been referred to in an earlier post, but I remember seeing a 10 on the picture of the plate. I have Celestron's catalog from Oct. 1977 and it has the 8 and 5.5 inch cameras, but no 14. I had heard the same thing about the 14s that they were so expensive that they didn't sell well. Wasn't the C8 Schmidt camera more expensive than the C8 itself back then? Rich

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gnabgib
sage

Reged: 06/05/05

Loc: Fall River MIlls Ca.

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: woodsman]
#2967532 - 03/06/09 12:13 PM

Looks like a Cave 12 inch observatory mount and scope in the background also! What a monster!!

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JamesE
impetuous lurker

Reged: 10/22/07

Loc: Westbank, BC, Canada

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: John J]
#2967552 - 03/06/09 12:25 PM

Hi Rich,

Thanks for correcting me. My mistake. I need to limited my input as I don't know enough on this topic.

Having said that, I still wonder if there is a C14 as well in that box. Bob Piekiel would be a good resource on this.

James

Edited by JamesE (03/06/09 02:29 PM)

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John J
professor emeritus

Reged: 11/05/07

Loc: Beresford SD

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: gnabgib]
#2967558 - 03/06/09 12:27 PM

There are actually A bunch of goodies here but our Astronomy club has dibs on the Cave equipment. In the link here you will find a 16 Cave F 7.9 scope and a 12.5" F 6 scope and their prospective mounts.

There are some other smaller scopes of 8" and some older UO finder scopes.

http://homepages.dordt.edu/dallen/Observatory/Telescopes/index.html

JJ

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gnabgib
sage

Reged: 06/05/05

Loc: Fall River MIlls Ca.

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: gnabgib]
#2967567 - 03/06/09 12:31 PM

Rich;
I do believe the 8 inch camera WAS more expensive than a C8 at the time. Just before Celestron discontinued them I believe they were selling for just under $2000 for the OTA alone. The advent of modern ccd cameras has made the schmidt camera somewhat obsolete unless you are willing to convert it to use a ccd. The main problems being flattening the curved focal plane and installing the ccd in the center of the tube. Not insumountable but somewhat challenging.
I used to offer rebuilding and focusing services on these cameras. The 8 inch typically took a solid day to get focused and that was with the proper optical bench. At the time Kodak 2415 being so fine grained it forced me to hold focus of the film holder to + - .0002 inch. At these fast f ratios there is no "depth of field".
Kevin

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woodsman
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 03/12/08

Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: JamesE]
#2967601 - 03/06/09 12:48 PM

Hi James,
I think you are correct, that case looks like its for a C14. I mentioned earlier that if they have a C14, like you indicated, they may not be able to sell the Schmidt camera with the fork, tripod, and mount, as they now wouldn't have anything to hold the C14 OTA. The reason that I think the C14 is meant to mount in the fork is because my C8 Schmidt camera has a mount with it to ride on top of the C14, but also has holes in the side of the OTA so that it can be mounted directly in the forks, while using a C5 or C90 as a guide scope. The C8 Schmidt tube is as long as the C14 OTA, so that C14S must be around 45 inches long. That's why I think that the C14S tube is too large to ride on top of the C14, but you could be completely correct as I can't find anything in my old Celestron literature that shows or even indicates that Celestron made a C14 Schmidt camera.

Post Extras:

woodsman
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 03/12/08

Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: gnabgib]
#2967645 - 03/06/09 01:11 PM

Hi Kevin,
Since I plan to stick with film for quite a while, the C8 Schmidt won't be obsolete to me, its just going to probably be difficult to explain to the developing lab why I'm a dinosaur and still need my film slides or negatives

. I won't convert my Schmidt camera to CCD as I am certainly riddled with ADD and I am too damn stupid to figure out how to do all this computer stuff. Since I probably have ADHD as well as ADD, I needed a Schmidt camera as I don't have patience to wait for hours to get a single exposure from the prime focus of my SCTs. Now combining the ADD with the ADHD and then piling on the CCD, an EEG would probably show a very erratic brainwave. This would most likely lead to a complete nightmare scenario, with telescopes and cameras thrown across the room in frustration, and being that CCD cameras are fairly expensive, I would rather break an older and much cheaper SLR camera... Very logical, don't you think???

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John J
professor emeritus

Reged: 11/05/07

Loc: Beresford SD

Re: Celestron 14" Schmidt Camera What's it Worth? new

[Re: woodsman]
#2967704 - 03/06/09 01:28 PM

Dug around and found a picture of a similar set up. This is the C 14 Schmidt Camera with fork wedge and tripod. The C 5 rides piggy back on top of the C 14.

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