Questars.... & politeness. Not far off topic.

[David Young <youngs@IslandNet.com>]

At 09:19 AM 11/01/97 -0400, you wrote:
>The thread that produced so many references to Questar has prompted me
>to comment on my experience with this catadioptic telescope.
    <SNIP>
>Next day I called and raised hell.... expecting to hear that they must
>have shipped a broken unit, or something like that. Instead, the Questar
>rep in PA said that the solar filter (which cost a couple hundred
>dollars) was an amateur product, never intended for professional use,
>and was not perfectly parallel!!
>
>I sent the entire rig back for a full refund and have never seen nor
>touched another Questar. If they are not in bankruptcy, they should be. 
>
>Fred Ward

Fred:

I'm a little late responding on this, as I have been away from my computer
for numerous days.  I have a couple of thoughts....

[1] I am saddened by your expericence with Questar - I know others who swear
by the firm and their products.

[2] I am more saddened by your comments in later posts, about the impolite
nature of some people on the net.  Such people should not be in polite
society - on or off the net.

[3] I have used a CELESTRON C-90 (1000mm f11) and a THOUSAND OAKS glass
Solar Filter for the Solar Eclipses of Feb 79, July 91  (both using Leica
R3) and May 94 (using Leica R5) - with excellent results, despite the fact
that neither has mirror pre-fire!  The next time you're called upon to shoot
and eclipse, remember that Thousand Oaks filters are available for almost
any 'scope or lens, are quite reasonably priced AND have parallel surcfaces!

[4] My own next challenge is to select a film for use in the Feb 98 eclipse.
Gotta be 400 ASA as I will be aboard a cruise ship anchored on the
center-line. (Ususally I shoot Kodachrome 25 for such things!)  

[5] Lastly, did you have the "double images" on your shots of the corona (as
your post indicated)?  If so, surely that would have been a fault of the
Questar, not the filter, for the filters are removed (as I'm sure you know)
during totality for shots of the corona. Can't imagine what might have
caused it tho'.

Cheers! 
- -----------
David Young             |  Smile! It's the 2nd
Victoria, B.C. CANADA   |  best thing you can
youngs@IslandNet.com    |  do with your lips.