...such stuff as dreams are made on..

[andrew s]

The BAA have a post https://britastro.org/forums/topic/8-celestron-schmidt-film-camera that the British Antarctic Survey are giving away an 8" Schmidt Camera.

Oh how I dreamed of having one in my youth. The precursors to the RASA line they are now obsolete but what engineering with invar cage to keep focus and magnetic curved plate holder.

You can keep your Takahashi toys 😊 this was the real deal.

Regards Andrew 

[Sunshine]

Those cameras, were they those hulking tubes I used to see mostly on Meade scopes in the early 90’s? I recall watching people mounting such tubes which weren’t much smaller than the OTA itself. 

[Peter Drew]

I made 8" Schmidt cameras with invar cages in the late 1970's.  Where were you Andrew?     🙂

[JeremyS]

29 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

I made 8" Schmidt cameras with invar cages in the late 1970's.  Where were you Andrew?     🙂

Poring over the Takahashi catalogue, probably 

[andrew s]

1 hour ago, Peter Drew said:

I made 8" Schmidt cameras with invar cages in the late 1970's.  Where were you Andrew?     🙂

Penniless.  Regards Andrew 

[andrew s]

38 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Poring over the Takahashi catalogue, probably 

Wash your mouth out. Regards Andrew 

[Oldfort]

Rather nice that the contact person for the scope is Jon Shanklin, co-discoverer of the hole in the ozone layer, and keeper of the BAS comet page.

And one of the two Shanklin Glaciers was named after him.

Edited March 14, 2023 by Oldfort

[Rusted]

I so wanted it to be for collection only, from Antarctica. 😏