Jan,
I have two of these Russian Maksutov 1000 mm fl F/10 lenses (one for slides and one for prints) . One of them I have been using for 10 years now. I have taken all my solar and lunar eclipse pictures since then with it.
I use Pentax PKcameras and have fitted M42 to PK adapters on both of them. They were called Rubina, when I got the first one I also have the 500 mmF/5.6 lens, but the obstruction is big on that.
The only problem is inadequate anti reflection coatings on the corrector. I get just a little flare if the moon in eclipse is not centred well.
<p>I did not know about the locking screw to increase focal distance. But beware about altering the focal plane position, this can introduce some slight aberrations.
I would have put the pictures and details of all this and my portable mount that can take both of them, and more, on my Web site if only I had a Web site !! Still not figured out how to do that.
<p>I may try for the Mercury transit too. But I am away then and may have a problem with taking much equipment on the train, and having no East horizon then.
<p>Other news.
At last I now have a Philips ToUcam pro (unmodified), a Webcam to 1 1/4 ins adapter, and a Baader interference film IR blocking filter. Last weekend I installed the drivers and K3CCD tools and a few others on the lounge PC. I tried Registax too, but there is insufficient memory to run it.... I will have to leave that for processing on the my study based Pentium II PC.
I tried it on Jupiter between the now leafy branches of a tree. First light, could not achieve prime focus quite by a few mm, however hard I tried, on my Intes Maksutov MN6. But of course with my x2 Barlow it was fine, except the Barlow lens is not that wonderful. I got a focus run on a star and then Jupiter's disc and 3 moons OK. Alas Jupiter had gone before behind a house roof before I could figure out how to save an image.
Well it is a start of sorts.
My ambitions for a x5 Powermate will have to wait a bit, but my planet visibility season is now over till the autumn anyway.
Chris
