Please treat this as an object lesson in why you should think long and hard before making a purchase. Adapters, reducers, cameras, batteries, remotes and other bits and pieces have been acquired since the purchase of the C8.

I always intended to use the scope for Lunar and Planetary imaging and also for getting images of planes passing the Moon, so I embarked on 'kitting it out'

My terrestrial photographic needs are taken care of with my trusty full frame 5D Mk1. A tank of a camera with a superb viewfinder but no live-view. This made it less than ideal for imaging as the benefits of live-view are well known. The obvious way forward at this point would have been to have a long think as to what would suit both my photographic and astro-imaging needs but whilst browsing the web one evening I came across the Sony Nex-5. Light, compact, huge 3" screen, no mirror, full HD movies (AVCHD @ 60FPS) throw in an APS-C sensor and I was hooked. To mount it I would need a T-mount and a SCT to T-mount adapter which were obtained on a trip to Opticstar in Sale.

First problem; on the C8 even an APS-C sensor will not give a full Moon disc, merely 2/3rds. Forgot to do my maths !

A distraction occurred next in the way of a second-hand 500mm Mirror Lens in my local camera shop. Now normally I would not buy something under the name of 'Centon' (Jessops own brand from years ago) but this had a T mount so would go on the Nex-5. And indeed it did, strange bed fellows but it works fine. Seeing as it was a reasonable lens optically it would make sense to be able to use it on the 5D. And if I got a T mount for this camera I could use it on the C8 with the already purchased T mount to SCT adapter knowing that full frame would give me a full Lunar Disc image. At this point I put a shout out in the classifieds for an SCT Focal reducer in the vain hope somebody had one that they did not need. A week passes and no takers so off to Opticstar again for my EOS T mount (to enable use of the 500mm lens and so I can mount the 5D on the C8) Whilst browsing in Opticstar I notice a neat little 0.5 focal reducer. Even though I am told emphatically that it either won't work, or will cause severe vignetting I still buy it, reasoning that it may 'come in handy' and along with it I need a 1.25" to T nose piece. In the meanwhile 2 spare batteries and a remote have arrived from Amazon for the Nex-5. On checking my SGL messages I find I have been offered a 'proper' 0.63x focal reducer for quite a bit less than the new price of £120.00 so arrange to buy it. The 0.5x reducer I have just bought is indeed useless on the C8 unless all you want to image is the baffle tube !

So taking stock, Nex-5 with 30mm lens £230, batteries and remote £25, 2x T mount adapters £30, T mount SCT adapter £30, 0.5 reducer & T nose piece £40.00, 0.63x reducer £75 = £430 and I almost forgot the 500mm mirror lens at £40 so £470.

Now this would have bought me (with change) an OpticStar PX-137C dedicated Planetary / Solar / Lunar imaging camera or I could of sold the 5D and put the money towards a 7D with live-view and HD video......

I am now having a long and hard think as to what to do with this hotchpotch of stuff so don't be surprised if most of it ends up in the classifieds !

And to make matters worse its still cloudy up here.

Paul