Would it be possible

[DaveL59]

I wonder how these folks are managing to do this...
https://www.all-startelescope.com/sales/product_info.php?cPath=21&currency=USD&products_id=2076

Perhaps they've bulk purchased the LT70 and stripped off the bracket and resell it with code and adaptors.

edit - yep seems that's exactly what they are offering, a removed bracket and codes. No adaptors.

Edited September 14, 2020 by DaveL59

[markse68]

16 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

I wonder how these folks are managing to do this...
https://www.all-startelescope.com/sales/product_info.php?cPath=21&currency=USD&products_id=2076

Perhaps they've bulk purchased the LT70 and stripped off the bracket and resell it with code and adaptors.

edit - yep seems that's exactly what they are offering, a removed bracket and codes. No adaptors.

Maybe that’s why Celestron dropped the cheapest model...

[Steve Clay]

Workout at about £180 plus shipping. Really can't understand why Celestron are not marketing the starsense in this configuration. I'm waiting for the lt70 or 80 to come back in stock to rob the unit off. Grandson can then have scope and mount.

[DaveL59]

Could be useful if they did. Thinking for my daughter it might be handy when I pass a scope on to her for the little ones, tho SE London I'm not so sure it'll be able to platesolve much with all the light pollution.

[johninderby]

Thread comming up. 🙂

[DaveL59]

playing a bit with prisms, one from an old tasco 7-15x35mm bino which I removed earlier from the objective side of the bino. Blacked the edges and made a folded card shield to improve reflection and reduce stray light.

hand held against the centre camera on the note-10 set to 1x, some vignetting and an odd effect in the top 1/3. Tho I've seen that in an older Prinz prism diagonal also when viewed without an eyepiece.

Camera set to x1.2 to x1.5 gave a better result in terms of the corners

In this test the phone is still fitted to its case which means a 1-1.5mm gap between camera flat glass cover and the prism surface. So far it looks like a mirror may be a better option but will try a bigger prism from a 10x50 at some stage. Pity I can't test against the night sky with no unlock code but a prism may be a workable solution, after all they are used in some diagonals, albeit with a narrower light path going through it 🙂 

 

[markse68]

10 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

playing a bit with prisms, one from an old tasco 7-15x35mm bino which I removed earlier from the objective side of the bino. Blacked the edges and made a folded card shield to improve reflection and reduce stray light.

hand held against the centre camera on the note-10 set to 1x, some vignetting and an odd effect in the top 1/3. Tho I've seen that in an older Prinz prism diagonal also when viewed without an eyepiece.

Camera set to x1.2 to x1.5 gave a better result in terms of the corners

In this test the phone is still fitted to its case which means a 1-1.5mm gap between camera flat glass cover and the prism surface. So far it looks like a mirror may be a better option but will try a bigger prism from a 10x50 at some stage. Pity I can't test against the night sky with no unlock code but a prism may be a workable solution, after all they are used in some diagonals, albeit with a narrower light path going through it 🙂 

 

Didn’t i read that the unlock code is good for 5 devices? 😉 Anyone up for a group buy? 

[markse68]

14 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

playing a bit with prisms, one from an old tasco 7-15x35mm bino which I removed earlier from the objective side of the bino

Does it matter that you’re using the prism the wrong way round? The side you’re using for reflection has a nice anti-reflection coating- might that cause it to not internally reflect like you want it to Dave? 🤷‍♂️

[DaveL59]

2 minutes ago, markse68 said:

Didn’t i read that the unlock code is good for 5 devices? 😉 Anyone up for a group buy? 

I was tempted to order the lt70 at the £135 price, but then the job ended so I figured I best conserve funds for a while. John may be able to confirm but it may just be a single unlock code you get that you can register 5 times, in which case you risk someone going off and registering several and the others would then lose out. It is tied to an email address but not sure if the 5 registrations can be to different emails or have to be to the same one.

[DaveL59]

31 minutes ago, markse68 said:

Does it matter that you’re using the prism the wrong way round? The side you’re using for reflection has a nice anti-reflection coating- might that cause it to not internally reflect like you want it to Dave? 🤷‍♂️

Shouldn't matter as it's an air-surface interface on all edges so reflection isn't affected. Not sure this prism is coated either but I did notice that angling the prism slightly can reduce/eliminate that banding effect so could be if not quite at 90 degrees to the edge then CA/fringing is induced in the camera/eye. It was a pretty crude attempt with some blacked card after all 😉 

edit - looking at the bino it claims fully coated which may mean the prisms are also but I think that banding was down to angle or camera positioning. It was pretty bright out and the flat edge of the prism was pretty exposed so all kinds of internal reflection could be affecting things too. I think if I were to go this route I'd have to make up a better holder with a flared lens shroud type arrangement as well as a means to secure it to a spare case to make it easy to swap over. (not to mention buying a spare case lol)

Edited September 14, 2020 by DaveL59

[Steve Clay]

2 hours ago, johninderby said:

Thread comming up. 🙂

Waiting with bated breath...