39 replies to this topic

[Bomber Bob]

Have you downloaded a copy of the Registry?  It has a COMPANIES tab with info like Maker / Importer, and some history info.  Would be a good starting point...

 

It's an Excel spreadsheet here:  https://www.cloudyni...9#entry13498420

 

I post updates periodically, as new old stuff gets added.

Edited by Bomber Bob, 12 October 2024 - 05:25 PM.

[NinePlanets]

Hmm, Parasite - I recall these guys actually produced a number of innovative and unique products. They also resold some products from other sources of course.

But parasites?? Anyhooo.

 

 

Mike

A "Parasite" company is one that builds on the foundation of another's product. It is NOT a new, nor is it a deragoatory term, but one used for many decades to describe exactly what that type of business is. They are a GOOD thing, providing products that INCREASE the utility and attractiveness of the host products.

 

Without Celestron, there would have been no Tri-Mar.

Without Wobbly refractors, there would have been no JMI.

Without Celestron and others there would have been no Tuthill, nor Bob's Knobs.

The list goes on and on.

[ccwemyss]

Lumicon was mainly an astrophotography equipment manufacturer. They made dielectric filters widely available to the community, created gas hyper-sensitizing kits, off-axis guiders, many kinds of adapters, guide scopes, etc. -- all the stuff needed to support serious astrophotographers, which was too small a market for a company like Celestron to bother with. Some of it, like their dual-axis drive corrector, was rebranded. Some was made to their specifications. Some they made themselves.

 

When I worked in the scope shop, the owner would talk about how good they were to deal with. Straight shooters who delivered what they promised. 

 

Chip W. 

[deSitter]

Lumicon was mainly an astrophotography equipment manufacturer. They made dielectric filters widely available to the community, created gas hyper-sensitizing kits, off-axis guiders, many kinds of adapters, guide scopes, etc. -- all the stuff needed to support serious astrophotographers, which was too small a market for a company like Celestron to bother with. Some of it, like their dual-axis drive corrector, was rebranded. Some was made to their specifications. Some they made themselves.

 

When I worked in the scope shop, the owner would talk about how good they were to deal with. Straight shooters who delivered what they promised. 

 

Chip W. 

I have a very nice Lumicon 1.25" visual back with T2 female threads. Not sure how I came by it but it is very nice matte black anodizing. Stamped "LUMICON USA" on the side. So at one time they sold accessories.

 

-drl

[ccwemyss]

A T2 to 1.25” was probably for a photographer to be able to check the field visually before putting on the T-ring for the camera. But they also went on to make non-photo accessories. 

 

Chip W.

[Bomber Bob]

Lumicon was mainly an astrophotography equipment manufacturer. They made dielectric filters widely available to the community, created gas hyper-sensitizing kits, off-axis guiders, many kinds of adapters, guide scopes, etc. -- all the stuff needed to support serious astrophotographers, which was too small a market for a company like Celestron to bother with. Some of it, like their dual-axis drive corrector, was rebranded. Some was made to their specifications. Some they made themselves.

 

When I worked in the scope shop, the owner would talk about how good they were to deal with. Straight shooters who delivered what they promised. 

 

Chip W. 

The dual / two part 1.25" Lumicon focuser that I put on my Meade 826 is as good as Baader.  Top-notch build quality:

 

[telescope200]

Re: Quantum (OTI?)

 

For a list the manufacturers would be "Optical Techniques Incorporated". Their telescope line would be the "Quantum".

 

You could also add "David Optical Systems". They never made consumer scopes but their test range and surveillance scopes pop up for sale from time to time. Same Cumberland optics in 4, 7, 8, 10, and 12 inch sizes.

Edited by telescope200, 16 October 2024 - 05:53 AM.

[Joe Cepleur]

"It is probably best to just aggregate all the companies that sold have sold telescopes from the late 70s to present."

 

One would have to start somewhere, but why start with the late 1970s and continue to the present? "Present" scopes are not yet classics, although the best of them will be, someday. Many of the scopes of the 1970s have roots in earlier models going back to the repurposing of the Japanese military optical industry for peacetime use after World War II. Classics from the1960s, 1950s, and earlier show in this forum often. 

[ittryn]

"It is probably best to just aggregate all the companies that sold have sold telescopes from the late 70s to present."

 

One would have to start somewhere, but why start with the late 1970s and continue to the present? "Present" scopes are not yet classics, although the best of them will be, someday. Many of the scopes of the 1970s have roots in earlier models going back to the repurposing of the Japanese military optical industry for peacetime use after World War II. Classics from the1960s, 1950s, and earlier show in this forum often. 

70s are just a good starting point. We only want to catalog desirable scopes, and to your point, there is a good amount of information on this forum regarding classic scopes prior to '70 and many of these scopes are very high-quality and highly sought-after. We do plan to incorporate these.

However, there are a lot of junk scopes out there and a lot of companies which produced scopes which are generally regarded as junk for one reason or another. 1970 (50 years ago) seemed like a good cut off point to get the largest amount of user input on as many brands and telescopes as possible, the logic being that a lot of these scopes are still remembered and were owned and used by CN users who are still alive and still care enough to post about it. I feel that is reasonable in order to help us separate the wheat from the chaff.

 

It is not a hard and fast rule and is somewhat arbitrary. So if there is a really great line of classic scopes from earlier, I will not omit it simply because it was not made after 1970. 

Edited by ittryn, 19 October 2024 - 08:57 AM.

[ittryn]

Have you downloaded a copy of the Registry?  It has a COMPANIES tab with info like Maker / Importer, and some history info.  Would be a good starting point...

 

It's an Excel spreadsheet here:  https://www.cloudyni...9#entry13498420

 

I post updates periodically, as new old stuff gets added.

Thanks Bob, looks like you have provided a really great resource here. I'll save this and start looking through it to see how best to integrate the data later this week.

[Bomber Bob]

Great!  I started it to try & get a handle on all the Classic Japanese exports.  It relies a lot on Maker's Marks & Serial Numbers.  I'd love to flesh-out the COMPANIES tab.  As a historian, I'm really interested in the stories of who made what, and when.

[Kasmos]

I personally think it should begin with the mid-50s since that's pretty much when the modern era of commercially made amateur telescopes began plus most of the notable companies from then were still around for the 60s and 70s.

[Bomber Bob]

Yeah, I'd say 1950 - 1990...  maybe to 2000... with 6 years to 2030...

Edited by Bomber Bob, 19 October 2024 - 01:36 PM.

[bjkaras]

A T2 to 1.25” was probably for a photographer to be able to check the field visually before putting on the T-ring for the camera. But they also went on to make non-photo accessories. 

 

Chip W.

They were very good to deal with. When the layers of my OIII filter started to delaminate I took it there and showed it to them. They immediately gave me a new one. They were also a registered Meade dealer. When I mentioned to Jack that I had ordered a 10” Parks and there would be a wait time of several months, he told me that he had a 10” RG in stock that I could have picked up and taken home.

[bjkaras]

Optical Craftsman, Star Liner, Criterion

Cave, Parks, D&G

Edited by bjkaras, 08 February 2025 - 07:22 PM.