Attaching a ZWO camera to 8" SCT via Clicklock?

[cplee42]

This is a dumb question - OK I know it but...

I have an 8" SCT with 2" Clicklock directly attached to the back by the 6 grub screws. I use this to give strength to the binoviewer setup I normally use vs the standard visual back. Its rock solid. I don't use a reducer. However I am thinking about EEA and purchasing a ZWO camera for live viewing/stacking but still keen to be able to use my rig for binoviewing and not keen to keep detaching the click lock/grub screw combo ahead of an EEA session. Ideally I just want to insert a ZWO camera and sets of extn rings into/through the Clicklock, do my EEA and then perhaps remove the camera train and reattach my diagonal for visual binoviewing. Would this be possible when I read so much about careful judging of the ZWO back focusing measurements etc?

Of course in my set up I also assume its not possible to insert a focal reducer into the picture?

As I said - dumb question but...

[Shimrod]

14 hours ago, cplee42 said:

This is a dumb question - OK I know it but...

I have an 8" SCT with 2" Clicklock directly attached to the back by the 6 grub screws. I use this to give strength to the binoviewer setup I normally use vs the standard visual back. Its rock solid. I don't use a reducer. However I am thinking about EEA and purchasing a ZWO camera for live viewing/stacking but still keen to be able to use my rig for binoviewing and not keen to keep detaching the click lock/grub screw combo ahead of an EEA session. Ideally I just want to insert a ZWO camera and sets of extn rings into/through the Clicklock, do my EEA and then perhaps remove the camera train and reattach my diagonal for visual binoviewing. Would this be possible when I read so much about careful judging of the ZWO back focusing measurements etc?

Of course in my set up I also assume its not possible to insert a focal reducer into the picture?

As I said - dumb question but...

I have an EdgeHD 8" and a ZWO533 camera - I've also added the Baader clicklock to the SCT. If I want to use the camera with the focal reducer, I have to remove the clicklock (which is fine, as the reducer screws into the SCT), but the camera will achieve focus using the extension tubes that come with the camera.

 

If I want to use the camera without the reducer, I bought a couple of extra extension tubes and use an 2" adapter to attach to the SCT using the clicklock.

[cplee42]

Thanks Shimrod. Do you screw your Clicklock onto the Edge or, like me, bolt down the grub screws? On the Nexstar 8SE there is hardly any thread on the back to screw on to..

[Shimrod]

3 hours ago, cplee42 said:

Thanks Shimrod. Do you screw your Clicklock onto the Edge or, like me, bolt down the grub screws? On the Nexstar 8SE there is hardly any thread on the back to screw on to..

I screw mine on - there's about 6mm of thread so a good fastening. It's much better than the Edge visual back as well which just doesn't seem to grip my 1.25" diagonal no matter how tight I do the screws. I have a 2" diagonal that I can now use instead.

[noah4x4]

If you use a x6.3 Focal Reducer you typically require 105mm back focus (distance between FR and camera sensor).  I read earlier today that one of the Click Lock diagonals has a 112mm light path, hence too long.  Most 2" diagonals are far too long. You need to check your light path. 

I achieve 105mm as follows and am resigned to having to embrace a different optical train if I want to pursue visual. 

OTA > FR > T-Adapter > Baader Varilock (or other spacers)  > camera.

EDIT

Think I might have misunderstood. If you are referring to a click lock replacing the visual back, then you would attach FR to that and the 105mm trails that. Whether you can achieve focus is another matter (I don't know). But most of us screw FR directly to OTA as shown. 

Edited March 8, 2021 by noah4x4

[cplee42]

On 08/03/2021 at 20:23, noah4x4 said:

If you use a x6.3 Focal Reducer you typically require 105mm back focus (distance between FR and camera sensor).  I read earlier today that one of the Click Lock diagonals has a 112mm light path, hence too long.  Most 2" diagonals are far too long. You need to check your light path. 

I achieve 105mm as follows and am resigned to having to embrace a different optical train if I want to pursue visual. 

OTA > FR > T-Adapter > Baader Varilock (or other spacers)  > camera.

EDIT

Think I might have misunderstood. If you are referring to a click lock replacing the visual back, then you would attach FR to that and the 105mm trails that. Whether you can achieve focus is another matter (I don't know). But most of us screw FR directly to OTA as shown. 

Thx. Indeed I now have a similar set up as a direct chain as your image suggests. On the one hand I can attach the Clicklock plus my 2" star diagonal to the Focal reducer and either use an eyepiece or an imaging camera although this sends the back focus way past 105mm. I was able to do EAA quite well. However I found the vignetting of the imaging chain in my live stacks to be very obvious and off-putting although I could manage some of this with flats. I found it just as easy to stick to swapping out a visual chain (click lock plus star diagonal and eyepiece) with an imaging chain as in your image. Just required careful unscrewing so as not to upset the tracking! This is a bit fiddly so increasingly I make a decision which observing chain I will use at the start and stick to that.