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ptsouth97
member

Reged: 03/04/12

What is this? new

#5609380 - 01/06/13 10:37 PM Attachment (47 downloads)

Can someone please help me identify what this piece is? It came with a used Celestron C8 I recently bought. The guy I got it from doesn't know either. It is a right angle bracket that has a screw which fits a camera. Also, it has a single small circular bracket with three screws, kind of like for a finderscope. I thought maybe it was for holding a camera near the eyepiece for afocal photography, but that doesn't seem to fit. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Post Extras:

Mark9473
Postmaster

Reged: 07/21/05

Loc: 51°N 4°E

Re: What is this? new

[Re: ptsouth97]
#5609647 - 01/07/13 05:24 AM

Looks like something to hold a laser pointer, but I'm just guessing.

Post Extras:

snowcrow
sage

Reged: 10/21/12

Loc: Vermont

Re: What is this? new

[Re: Mark9473]
#5609663 - 01/07/13 06:06 AM

I think it's an Afocal adapter. Can the bracket with the three screws slip over an .965" eyepiece? If so, thats what it is.

Edited by snowcrow (01/07/13 06:14 AM)

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ptsouth97
member

Reged: 03/04/12

Re: What is this? new

[Re: snowcrow]
#5609684 - 01/07/13 07:02 AM

I was thinking afocal adapter, too, but there's not nearly enough clearance to use a DSLR, so it would have to have been designed exclusively for small, non-dslr cameras.

Laser pointer holder makes sense, too, except I'm not sure what it would attach to given the direction of the screw.

Post Extras:

junomike
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 09/07/09

Loc: Ontario

Re: What is this? new

[Re: ptsouth97]
#5610436 - 01/07/13 03:28 PM

Laser Pointer/Finder for Binoculars?

Mike

Post Extras:

csrlice12
Post Laureate

Reged: 05/22/12

Loc: Denver, CO

Re: What is this? new

[Re: junomike]
#5610492 - 01/07/13 04:07 PM

Ewwwww, whatever it is, put it down, you don't know where its been.......

Post Extras:

Starman1
Vendor (EyepiecesEtc.com)

Reged: 06/24/03

Loc: Los Angeles

Re: What is this? new

[Re: csrlice12]
#5610684 - 01/07/13 06:36 PM

I don't think it's an afocal adapter for a small pocket camera because it doesn't have a 2-axis adjustment.

[Note: Since many of these small cameras are fully manual and have chips as large as 14Mp, it's no longer necessary to use a DSLR for photography of this kind. In fact, DSLRs are darned difficult to use for afocal photogrqaphy unless you have eyepieces that allow the attachment of your camera body (like Baader Hyperions, for example).]

I think it is a finder bracket for a small finder and the extended part with the screw in it attaches the finder to a dovetail bar or a camera adapter on the back of an SCT. It could hold a laser, but might just as easily be a small optical finder.

Post Extras:

Eddgie
Postmaster

Reged: 02/01/06

Re: What is this? new

[Re: ptsouth97]
#5610736 - 01/07/13 07:01 PM

Looks a lot like an afocal camera holder to me.

First, it has a 1/4 - 20 thread facing up. This would indicate that a camera is destined for the plate the screw sits in.

There is a slot on the "eyepiece" holder piece which would allow the eyepiece holder to be moved vertically to bring the camera to the right height.

Since the threading of the 1/4 - 20 screw points "Up", there would be no way to mount a finder or something on a telscope body, and why would there be a slot to adjust the height?

Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, must be a duck.

And this looks and quacks like an afocal camera holder, so that gets my vote.

Post Extras:

Starman1
Vendor (EyepiecesEtc.com)

Reged: 06/24/03

Loc: Los Angeles

Re: What is this? new

[Re: Eddgie]
#5610873 - 01/07/13 08:35 PM

Quote:

Looks a lot like an afocal camera holder to me.

First, it has a 1/4 - 20 thread facing up. This would indicate that a camera is destined for the plate the screw sits in.

There is a slot on the "eyepiece" holder piece which would allow the eyepiece holder to be moved vertically to bring the camera to the right height.

Since the threading of the 1/4 - 20 screw points "Up", there would be no way to mount a finder or something on a telescope body, and why would there be a slot to adjust the height?

Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, must be a duck.

And this looks and quacks like an afocal camera holder, so that gets my vote.

1. every brand of camera has its mounting hole placed differently on the bottom. There would need to be a lateral piece (another axis) to put the camera lens in front of the eyepiece.
2. You assumed the knob and screw were put into the holder accurately. It could just as easily mount in the other direction.
3. The slot would adjust the position of the eyepiece for the finder.

Frankly, though, I agree with you but I think there is a piece missing that would allow the camera to be adjusted perpendicular to the slot.

Post Extras:

ptsouth97
member

Reged: 03/04/12

Re: What is this? [Re: Starman1]
#5612962 - 01/08/13 11:57 PM

Thanks to everyone for your help. I'm leaning towards afocal adapter at this point. Upon closer inspection, there is a screw that loosens to allow adjustments perpendicular to the slot. If you look in the picture, you can see the channel where it slides. Also, I noticed that the inside of the circular piece with the 3 screws is threaded, as if it can accept an adapter of some sort.

Post Extras:

Doc Bob
professor emeritus

Reged: 02/27/09

Loc: Maryland, USA

Re: What is this? new

[Re: ptsouth97]
#5614189 - 01/09/13 06:10 PM

. . . looks like a bracket for a "specific" make of camera (who knows what brand) - since the only adjustment is for the distance to/from an eyepiece. I pretty much agree with Don P . . .

Bob

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