PREVIOUSLY OWNED EQUIPMENT





Towa Newtonian reflector
D = 114 mm (4.5") F = 900 mm (f/7.9)
acquired: somewhere in 1997

My very first real telescope. I bought it on instalment from a large mail order company. I delivered newspapers to fund the expenses. After having nightmares about the equatorial mount, this telescope showed me the belts of Jupiter and the rings around Saturn for the first time. Too bad I sold it eventually.


Lichtenknecker Optics 500/5.3 flat-field camera
D = 143 mm (5.6") F = 500 mm (f/3.5)
acquired: July 2001 (second hand)

Schmidt-Cassegrain flat-field astrograph made in Belgium. This fast optics astrograph yields pinpoint stars. However at the cost of severe vignetting. Do not mistake it for a Schmidt-camera. There is a small hatch in the tube assemble to reach the focus knob that is positioned on the rear of the secondary mirror.

I sold this 35 mm format astrograph because I got interested in medium format astrophotography.



Mamiya M645 medium format camera
Sekor-C 80 mm f/2.8 lens
Sekor-C 210 mm f/4 lens
acquired: November 2001

This is the camera I used for medium format astrophotography. Both 80 en 210 mm lenses perform exceptionally well when stopped down to f/4 and f/5.6 respectively.

Many film images on this site were made with this camera behind a BORG 101ED photo-visual refractor.


BORG 101ED photo-visual refractor
D = 101 mm (4") F = 640 mm (f/6.4) / 400 mm (f/4)
acquired: March 2005

The BORG 101ED (115 mm series) was specially designed for medium format astrophotography. It can be used at its native focal length of 640 mm or at a focal length of 400 mm by using a super reducer. Even at prime focus of 400 mm the image circle is large enough to fully cover the frame of a 6x7 medium format camera. I used it in conjunction with the Mamiya M645 camera mentioned above. A Takahashi FSQ-106ED replaced this telescope in 2008.

For more information abbout this telescope, visit my page devoted to the BORG 101ED.


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