[Leica] Seeing stars

[Jeff S <4season@boulderNOSPAM4ME.net>]

I finally decided that it'd be nice to be able to make some simple
astrophotographs with my newly-acquired Leica R4sP. Finding the means to
connect a Leica R camera to a telescope took some doing, but here's what
I found:

http://www.astronomy-mall.com/telescope-warehouse/ T-ring for Leica
R/Leicaflex ($10 + postage) It's an NOS Celestron part made in Japan.

http://www.astro-physics.com under Products:Accessories:Photographic,
they're item PFCT Camera adaptor without T-ring ($43) and CEP000
Eyepiece Projection Tele Extender ($40) Prices include UPS shipping. I
just took delivery of the PFCT (fits 2" focuser only) and it's a
beautiful piece of machining and looks extra-secure, so no worries about
Leicas crashing to the ground. Despite modest accessory prices,
Astro-Physics quality looks really good. Until recently, they also had
some of the lowest prices around on apochromatic refractor telescopes,
but there's quite a waiting list for all of them-well over a year.
Fortunately, the little things are in stock and take only a few days to
arrive.

http://www.edmundscientific.com/Products/Search.cfm?query=leica They
have Leica *M* t-rings too! Expensive though.

The combo of Celestron T-ring and Astro-Physics camera adaptor let me
use my telescope as a 500/5 telephoto lens, fitting directly into the
standard 2" focuser in place of the diagonal and eyepiece. I want more
magnification for photographing planets (the views of Jupiter and Saturn
are magnificent right now), so I'll be opting for the A-P eyepiece
projection device too. As the R4sP lacks any kind of mirror pre-release,
it's probably not the best SLR for the job, but I'll look over the
prints before passing judgement. The viewfinder lights turn on even on
the mechanical "B" setting, so it's best to remove the batteries before
doing long time exposures.

Jeff Segawa
Seeing stars in Boulder, CO