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Celestron MFFT 55 Of Little Use?

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#1 Tom Duncan

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Posted 23 July 2024 - 05:54 PM

Recently got this Celestron MFFT 55 and the instructions, I haven't played with it but from the description it would seem to be a good tool, yet they seem to fetch only about $50 on the used market, implying it isn't of much use. 

 

What am I missing?

 

Thanks in advance for your input

 

Tom Duncan 

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#2 Jim Waters

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Posted 23 July 2024 - 06:22 PM

Its of little use these days with astrophotography SW and auto-focusers.  I had one ~25 years ago in the 35mm film days.



#3 jacobfw

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Posted 19 April 2025 - 11:36 PM

Hi Tom.  I recently grabbed one of these on the cheap, but without the instructions and can't find them anywhere online.  Would you consider taking pictures of the instructions and uploading them here? 



#4 jan.vantomme

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Posted 20 April 2025 - 01:22 PM

Is a focussing aid, from the 35mm film days, produced by Lichtenknecker.

 

in German  ( use google translate )

https://www.astronom...knecker/mfft-55



#5 Tom Duncan

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Posted 22 April 2025 - 11:24 AM

Sorry, I don't seem to be able to create a document that ends up being clear enough to read here and still fit the size requirements. 

 

Please PM me for a set of PDF scans.

 

Tom Duncan 



#6 triplemon

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Posted 22 April 2025 - 11:51 AM

Well, with such a replace-the-camera then visually-focus-on-that-contraption instead device it all depends on you being able to replace your camera sensor and put this device into the exact same place. And that is where the problem lies.

 

So this is a part for an astro-imagers DIY for an SLR equivalent, uses the very same approach and visual aids otherwise built into the focusing screen. 

 

With film, you had no other choice, unless you're OK with waiting hours to weeks for the actual image to be available between focusing iterations. And spatial resolution was quite limited, so absolute focus plane errrors mattered a lot less.

 

But modern camera sensors have over 10x that spatial resolution, so need that much more precision. Plus, with any electro-optical sensor you can get an instant view taken at the truely same location as your imaging sensor. Easily magnified and with a sensitivity many times higher than a human eye. When that kind of focusing became available, it was a truely disruptive technology. Which means: made the old ways completely obsolete in an instant with no reason to ever go back.


Edited by triplemon, 22 April 2025 - 12:18 PM.


#7 luxo II

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Posted 25 April 2025 - 09:27 PM

It is now utterly useless - sell it to another sucker. Plus postage.


Edited by luxo II, 25 April 2025 - 09:27 PM.


#8 Tom Duncan

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Posted 26 April 2025 - 09:34 AM

It is now utterly useless - sell it to another sucker. Plus postage.

Nice!!!



#9 luxo II

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Posted 28 April 2025 - 07:01 AM

Well, that has been in circulation since the 1980s, which makes me wonder how many have bought it, realised it’s no more use than a paperweight, and moved it on. 


Edited by luxo II, 28 April 2025 - 07:01 AM.


#10 duck

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Posted 28 April 2025 - 11:38 AM

I had one.  I got stolen out of the back of my car.  The car was used in the commission of an armed felony robbery.

 

To point, I never used it for much of anything.  




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