On Wed, 31 Aug 2005, Rodney Owens wrote:

I have been considering purchasing this unit for some time. However, the
pricetag seems a little high and I have some questions maybe someone can
help address:

Is the size of the FFC 2" or 1.25"?

The outer barrel fits into a 2" drawtube. It also has a female T2 thread
(M42x0.75mm) at the telescope end. The camera side is T2 male.
It might be necessary to screw it onto a 2" pushfit - T2 adapter for some
magnification ranges, and directly insert it into the 2" focuser for
others; where exactly it needs to be placed relative to the telescope's
focal plane depends on the desired magnification ratio. See Baader's FFC
usage diagrams he

http://www.baader-planetarium.de/dow...ik.htm#english


Do separate tubes have to be purchased to get each range of magnification,
or are they included?

You need to get additional tubes, but T2 extension tubes are "5$ a dozen",
regular Ebay offers. Larger photographic shops used to stock these as well
but all that trade has now gone to the net ...
You can also use a T2-1.25" eyepiece adapter and then just use 1.25"
extension tubes. No problem with that, except mechanical stability.
Also, talk the vendor into making you a "good offer"


Where is an on-line review available?

I don't know. I'd also like to see a side-by-side comparison of the FFC,
the TV PowerMate 5x and high-quality eyepiece projection. I'm not aware
anyone has yet tried to do this.


What firms in the US have it at a good price?

Baader Accessories sell in the US via Company7, Astrophysics or
buytelescopes.com. Their prices are usually quite close to the exchange
rate, Baader sells at 598 EUR (includes 16% tax) so the US price will
be between 600-700 USD. You might want to call Baader directly for a
quote; They also sometimes offer "grade 2" (blemished, with slight coating
irregularities, barrel scratches or a tiny bubble in the outer quarters)
FFCs at somewhat discounted prices; if you happen to be in Germany in May
next year visit the ATT astronomy trade fair in Essen, and be picky; it'd
save you around 20%. No, it's not yet enough to pay for the flights

Bye,
FrankH.


Thanks in advance,
Rod