Posts Made By: David Liddell

If you think that you are having a bad day, take a look at what can happen when you uncover a big mirror on a sunny day.

Cheers!

I've heard good comments about both eyepieces. Has anyone done a side by side comparison? It seems that the Widescan - now offered by Astrosystems and Kendrick - is made in Japan and is more than double the price of the BW. The BW - now offered by ATWB and APM - is apparently made in China. Both eyepieces are different from the Widescans formerly offered by Apogee. Is this correct? Thanks!

I saw an earlier post about using the Astrosystem's (KK Magellan) 20mm Widescans III for binoviewing. Anyone else tried them? How do they compare to the 19mm Pans in med focal length (f6) scopes? Thanks!

Not sure if this is the correct forum for this, but here goes. My job and my hobbies allow me to spend a lot of time outdoors and glasses and contacts are often a pain (figuratively and literally). I have had several friends undergo Lasik and they are very satisfied with the results. However, I wonder if Lasik is such a good idea for someone who is a very critical observer (astronomer, photographer, birder)? Any personal experiences? Would you do it again?
Thanks, and have a great holiday season!
Dave

Hi,

I've just picked up the new Canon Rebel XT and plan on using it for bird photos (will be retiring my old Nikon 4500). Any opinions on the best way to add the new camera to the scope? I plan on experimenting with a Zeiss 80 Diascope, Takhahashi FS102, and 6" Mak. I also have a 70-300 mm telephoto (Sigma II) that I will try playing with.

Thanks!
Dave

Greetings,

I posted a while back about digiscoping with the new Canon XT, also about trying out the Sigma APO II 70-300mm lens. I picked up the Scopetronix 2.5" digiadapt and mounted the camera on my Zeiss 85 Diascope with Zeiss 30x wide lens. It is a great combination. The Scopetronix unit is very nicely done and holds the camera very securely to the scope. The new Canon is also light enough that the whole package (scope, camera, tripod) is pretty easy to pick up and move around with while stalking birds.

I am also quite happy with the Sigma lens. Some of you have expressed an interest in its performance. I think that it is awesome for a price of under $200 from Simga4less. I will attach some images. They have been reduced in size and resolution, but no other mods were done.
Sigma1 - Goldfinch at feeder, 300mm, ISO 1600, f16, 1/800, autofocus, approx 10', hand held while standing.
Sigma2 - Brick wall, 300mm, ISO 1600, f16, 1/800, autofocus, 30', from tripod.
Sigma3 - Brick wall, 300mm, ISO 1600, f16, 1/800, autofocus, 18', from tripod.

Best wishes,
Dave

Leslie,

How are you going to attach the weather stripping - contact cement? I've found that the adhesive that comes on the weather stripping foam does not hold very well.

Dave

Dave,

I purchased the Celestron CG-5 single axis drive and it works great on my Vixen GP.

Best wishes,
Dave

Second photo.

Third photo