Since the 12" telescope building project was successful, I built a smaller "brother" based on similar solutions, for wide field imaging. The carbon fibre tube is a new generation model, that means it has very good looking, it is lighter, while mechanically (rigidity, temperatue stabilization) it does not changed. Mirror holders are machined with CNC, therefore those are more aesthetical and more precise than the previous ones. Both the primary and secondary (3.5") mirrors are from Orion Optics England, enhanced with 97% Hilux coating. This telescope has been equipped with a new 3" Crayford focuser (my own design), specially made for accepting the 3" Wynne coma corrector. This corrector perfectly corrects coma within a large 50mm image circle, making possible to image with large full frame (24x36mm) sensors. It has a reduction factor of 0.95, so the effective FL is shorten to 710mm, giving a focal ratio of F/3.55.

This telescope can be used with both EQ6 and Fornax mounts (as seen on the pic.). Fornax holds it rock solid, so imaging on windy nights are possible.

8" F/3.75 Newton - astrograph on EQ6 mount in Namibia

This is the most recent portable setup, what I carried to Namibia in 2010 (except the tripod and counterweights). The modified EQ6 mount holds the tube very well, high quality imaging is possible even during light wind conditions. A modified 9x50mm SkyWatcher finder scope can be use with the fantastic Lacerta-MGen stand alone autoguider, what is a compact autoguider/camera controller unit, developed by a Hungarian friend of mine. This little "guide scope" helps to reduce the weight and increase the stability of the system at the same time.

The mount EQ6 has been modified in 2007, a belt drive system has been built into the mount. It is controlled by the compact and reliable Dynostar X3 GOTO controller from Boxdörfer, Germany. The system gives very smooth tracking despite the relatively big overall periodic error, which is around +/-15". Autoguiding is easy with both Lacerta-MGen stand alone autoguider or the old ST-4, tracking performance can be sub arc sec on steady nights.

TMB 130 refractor

It is a custom made tube with the gorgeous TMB 130/780 triplet apo objective inside. I use the original TMB giant field flattener, which gives pinpoint stars to the very edge of the full format (36mm) sensor of the 5DmkII. It is not surprise, because this FF developed to cover medium format film, have been used succesfully a few years ago. This time (2010) this telescope is rarely used for imaging, because of the slower F/ratio compared to the fast astrographs.