darditti

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I have just seen this, and the link to the Catamount site is fascinating.

I had heard that Miller designed the Paramount, but I didn't realise he was also responsible for the prototypes of the AP mounts, which are quite different in design. That's really nice to know, because I always assumed they were American, whereas they actually come from good old Luton! Since I've got a 900 and a 1200 just down the road from there, it feels like they have come home!

I also recognised the tripod in the pictures of the custom C11 Schmidt camera. I've got that in my shed! (Or one identical. It has no telescope on it now.) I never knew where it came from, but when I got it, it had been adapted to an AE of Harpenden mounting.

The only thing is, the way he has programmed the pictures on to the site means you can't look at them for long enough, if you are interested in the engineering details, as they keep scrolling through annoyingly.

Clearly he has chosen the name for the new company to put people in mind of the Paramount without infringing what must be Bisque's copyright. It's curious that a man with such accomplishments has remained for so long "in the shadows".

David Arditti