My "rediscovery" of the Lichtenknecker FFC-150

[jarbi]

Hi mates,

Just to explain the title: two weeks ago I could buy this extraordinary scope I never saw before !

I am looking already since a long time for an affordable setup to give a fully illuminated flatfield for my Atik-11000 camera, but all the options I found were far out of my budget. But then someone sold his FFC-150 scope for under 800€:

http://www.google.be/url?url=http://www.astronomie.de/uploads/media/flatfieldkamera_ffc.pdf&rct=j&frm=1&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ei=IhWXU7GJDMry7AbY2YCYCA&ved=0CCIQFjAB&sig2=Ms8WCrpFFxGxnnwWa3nE9w&usg=AFQjCNG60ZXlCHcaweFt1uUaQ1Qb6gpSeA

As you see it is a nearly 30 years old instrument, but in very good shape: I've found no mechanical or optical flaws. It has a mindblowing 150mm F/3,5 optical system !

After some collimation I could manage to test it with the North america and Pelican nebula ( just one 10:10:10 min frames in Hubble palette ), and it is really a good flatfield camera. Just to demostrate I have attached small cutouts of the image corners 200% magnified.

I'm very excited to run a full fotosession with it as soon weather allows,

Clear skies,

Janos

[Daniel-K]

wow they are good star shapes in the corners!  looks like you've got a super scope for imaging hope to see some results!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have seen this scope on offer on a Dutch site, and was tempted, but decided I had neither the mount nor the skills to get the most out of it. I am glad to see it has found a good home.

[jarbi]

I have seen this scope on offer on a Dutch site, and was tempted, but decided I had neither the mount nor the skills to get the most out of it. I am glad to see it has found a good home.

Exactly, I have found it there ! And I was lucky enought to be the first one ;-)

[jarbi]

wow they are good star shapes in the corners!  looks like you've got a super scope for imaging hope to see some results!

Thanks Daniel, I hope there will be a chance still this week to do a full imaging session. But the nights are not very long now anyway,

Cheers,

Janos

[Peter Drew]

I made a 200mm aperture version of this photographic instrument, it operates at F4 and is designed to have a 80mm imaging circle. I believe the correct original design is a Slevogt.