Baader Mark-III MPCC Coma Corrector Details

[gboulton]

We don't see a lot of Orion kit here in the UK but I have done some Googling and found the Orion Zero-profile adapter. You won't need it because the Baader MPCC body has the dimensions of a 2-inch nosepiece so will fit directly into a 2-inch focuser. And you should be okay with a regular T-ring if using a DSLR. I don't know the Orion focuser so cannot be 100% sure but if it is the same as the Skywatcher model sold here in the UK then you should be able to reach focus.

HTH

Yes, i guess i didn't think that post through...should have remembered to identify the make/model equivalencies. My apologies, and I appreciate you muddling through it.

Yes, everything I've read/seen says Orion = Skywatcher for this equipment. I've seen several suggest, in fact, that they're identical with simply different badging. In either event, the info about not needing the adapter is very helpful, and I'd wager the focuser, if not identical, is darn similar, so probably good there was well.

JUST the info I was after! I thank you!

[Fred_76]

Hi FLO

I read on your paper that the MkIII is designed for 3.5-4.5 focal ratio. But here in an official release of the Baader Planetarium documentation, they say :

The original MPCC had been designed for an f/ratio of f4.5 to f6. The new Mark III however works exceptionally well even

down to f3.5. stars remain pinpoints across the field and the visual use likewise is made much easier - with the help of the

2" (M48) male filter thread at the eyepiece facing side.

As they have stopped the production of the former MPCC, it would be a bad marketing decision to fit their new design on such only in the 3.5-4.5 range. The MPCC is quite inexpensive and is more orientated to mass amateur astronomers who usually own a common "cheap" newtonian that into the 4.5-5 focal ratio. The 4 - 3.5 focal ratio range is more specialised and much more expensive : astronomers owning such scopes would probably have enough money to get better and prooven high end coma correctors such as TV Paracorr or ASA.

However, the Baader Planetarium sites say the MkIII is designed at a focal ratio of 4. Would it be possible to have a test of this coma corrector with a "normal and common" focal ratio of 5 ?

[FLO]

Hi FLO

I read on your paper that the MkIII is designed for 3.5-4.5 focal ratio. But here in an official release of the Baader Planetarium documentation, they say ....

We are not like other astro retailers

We tend to take sales spiel with a pinch of salt until we have determined it to be true so when it comes to new products we usually err on the side of caution. That is why we initially quoted f3.5-4.5 (at launch) then later updated it to 3.5-6 as reports came in confirming good results were obtainable at f5. And it is why we are still the only astro retailer correctly specifying the Skywatcher coma corrector at 0.9x

The unspoken truth is there is a lot of smoke and mirrors surrounding astronomy optics (especially apo refractors)! Often it is not the design that determines performance, that is relatively easy. It is manufacturing technique and diligence that determines whether a design achieves it's full potential.

Credit to Baader, the Baader MPCC Mk III is proving very successful.

HTH,

Steve