5254 replies to this topic

[CHASLX200]

I must live in an alternate universe, where $10 Vixen-made Celestron scopes don't exist -  I only ever see junk scopes in thrift shops. Oh, right - I live in Ottawa.

Even worse where i live.

[starman876]

Even worse where i live.

I used to walk barefoot two miles to school everyday

[deSitter]

I must live in an alternate universe, where $10 Vixen-made Celestron scopes don't exist -  I only ever see junk scopes in thrift shops. Oh, right - I live in Ottawa.

Hey the Sens are much improved!

 

I have always had good scope karma Don't know what I did right. Not only is the $10 scope a complete winner optically and mechanically, it is in perfect cosmetic shape. The baffling in the focuser is so good I decided against an upgrade to a 2". Without any flocking, it is BLACK inside when seen from the eyepiece.

 

-drl

[DouglasPaul]

I used to walk barefoot two miles to school everyday

So did I, uphill both ways in the snow.

[starman876]

So did I, uphill both ways in the snow.

in the snow?

[CHASLX200]

I used to walk barefoot two miles to school everyday

At least you went to school.

[CHASLX200]

in the snow?

No snow here but in Jan 1977.

[cavedweller]

starman876, on 12 Jan 2025 - 08:48 AM, said:

in the snow?

My dad grew up on a farm near Hubbard OH and always said he walked two miles to school in another state, snow or shine.

[Paul Sweeney]

On Friday I picked up this C8 from the early 80s. The tripod is an ATM job mad of aluminium and very stabil.

 

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[Paul Sweeney]

It came with these 5 eyepieces.

40mm Kellner (KD)

25mm (Circle T)

20mm Erfle (Circle T)

9mm (Circle Dash)

5mm (KD)

 

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[Paul Sweeney]

There appears to be a focal reducer. It works well for visual. The exception is the 40mm, where it causes massive vigneting.  

 

There is also a t-ring, but for what camera I cannot tell.

 

There is an adapter that looks like a 0.965 to 1.25", but is 1.25 to 1.25. It is threaded, and I assume it is to allow you to put in a filter, and then change eyepieces without having to unscrew the filter. There were 2 ND filters included. 

 

Finally, there was a long threaded tube included, which doesn't fit to anything. No idea what it is.

 

I tried to upload pictures, but even after resizing to 20% they are too large.

 

First light was Friday night. It was 95% overcast, but I got a few glimpses of Jupiter and the moon. The scope was slightly out of collimation but still delivered nice images. There is no mirror shifting.

 

Looks like it is a pretty good scope.

[RichA]

The focuser on my 7" ED had image shift like a C8.

Would have to be pretty severe, it's not the same as image shift in an SCT and to loose a planet (like you might at higher power in an SCT with mirror shift) the focuser would have to shift laterally about 4 inches because the image circle from the object is large.  You can see this for yourself if you just hold up an eyepiece with your fingers and move it about at the focus point.

[Weisswurst Josef]

On Friday I picked up this C8 from the early 80s. The tripod is an ATM job mad of aluminium and very stabil.

Congratulations from Munich to Heidelberg!

[Senex Bibax]

I used to walk barefoot two miles to school everyday

"You were lucky to have a lake.. We lived for three months in a brown paper bag in a septic tank---"

[deSitter]

Would have to be pretty severe, it's not the same as image shift in an SCT and to loose a planet (like you might at higher power in an SCT with mirror shift) the focuser would have to shift laterally about 4 inches because the image circle from the object is large.  You can see this for yourself if you just hold up an eyepiece with your fingers and move it about at the focus point.

The focuser tube would have to be flopping around like a beached carp to get serious displacement. Sometimes I think Chas sees ghosts I mean I know the focuser is not a Moonlite masterpiece, but it's also not a plastic POS. It was and is a serious telescope with serious components.

 

-drl

[Paul Sweeney]

I finally got my photos resized. This is a focal reducer. I find it interesting that it replaces the visual back, and has its own diagonal. I tried it out tonight, and it worked well for visual. It was sharp almost to the edge.

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[Paul Sweeney]

This photo shows the rest of the "goodies" that came with the C8. In the middle is the t-ring. There is no indication what camera it fits to. On the right is the 1.25 to 1.25 adapter, and at the bottom are the 2 filters. On the left is the long tube. I have no idea what is for. It has threads on both ends, but doesn't seem to fit anywhere. Any ideas what it might be?

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[Kasmos]

This photo shows the rest of the "goodies" that came with the C8. In the middle is the t-ring. There is no indication what camera it fits to. On the right is the 1.25 to 1.25 adapter, and at the bottom are the 2 filters. On the left is the long tube. I have no idea what is for. It has threads on both ends, but doesn't seem to fit anywhere. Any ideas what it might be?

The same tube came with my C8 and a smaller one came with the C90 Astro.

 

It's a Tele-Extender used for Eyepiece Projection.

The Eyepiece is held inside the visual Back and the tube threads over it.

[Russell Smith]

Don't the modern Nikon cameras use the F mount still?

[ccwemyss]

They switched to a new mount with the mirrorless models. The F also went through different versions to support auto focus. 

 

Chip

[Russell Smith]

Thanks Chip. I wasn't aware.

[ericb760]

It came with these 5 eyepieces.

40mm Kellner (KD)

25mm (Circle T)

20mm Erfle (Circle T)

9mm (Circle Dash)

5mm (KD)

How is the view through the Kellner 40mm? I see one for sale elsewhere and I am interested in picking it up to complement my growing Celestron smooth sided Japanese collection.

[flyboyu777]

There appears to be a focal reducer. It works well for visual. The exception is the 40mm, where it causes massive vigneting.  

 

There is also a t-ring, but for what camera I cannot tell.

 

There is an adapter that looks like a 0.965 to 1.25", but is 1.25 to 1.25. It is threaded, and I assume it is to allow you to put in a filter, and then change eyepieces without having to unscrew the filter. There were 2 ND filters included. 

 

Finally, there was a long threaded tube included, which doesn't fit to anything. No idea what it is.

 

I tried to upload pictures, but even after resizing to 20% they are too large.

 

First light was Friday night. It was 95% overcast, but I got a few glimpses of Jupiter and the moon. The scope was slightly out of collimation but still delivered nice images. There is no mirror shifting.

 

Looks like it is a pretty good scope.

T Ring for an Exacta?? I remember those being popular for film photography due to the pop-up vertical viewfinder . . . .

 

After looking at the picture of the T-Adapter, it does look to be a Nikon F mount.

Edited by flyboyu777, 14 January 2025 - 06:10 PM.

[flyboyu777]

Don't the modern Nikon cameras use the F mount still?

 

 

They switched to a new mount with the mirrorless models. The F also went through different versions to support auto focus. 

 

Chip

Having both varieties, plus lots of older non-AI and AF lenses, I can vouch for this.

[ccwemyss]

Besides the F and Z mounts there was also the failed 1 mount. 

 

Back on topic, I just picked up a 4mm UO Zebra Ortho. The zebra orthos were not offered for long, so they aren't easy to find, and I've never seen an ad for the 4mm. I was only aware of its existence because I was researching the UO Zebra Konigs for another thread and came across an old S&T ad that listed it.

 

Still looking for the 6mm to complete the set. 

 

Chip W.