Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/11/05

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica lens turned into a telescope - can it be done?
From: Martin Howard <howard.390@osu.edu>
Date: Sun, 05 Nov 2000 16:31:15 -0500

Vick Ko jotted down the following:

> I'd like to see the rings of saturn.  How "big" a telescope
> would I need?  Telescopes are more normally quoted
> as lens or mirror diameter, and sometimes f-stop.
> 
> Or - how long a Leitz lens, with this objective, would I need?

Leitz optics are so superior, that you'd be able to see the rings of Saturn
if you took a picture of it with a 35mm f/3.5 Elmar and then enlarged it
sufficiently.  While not exactly necessary, the coated version will provide
greater micro-contrast, allowing you to pick out the individual rocks that
make up the rings.  Later versions of the 35mm lens will allow you to see
greater detail, of course.  Longer focal lengths only require less
magnification in the enlarging stage, but don't actually provide greater
detail, except the 100mm f/2.8 APO-Macro-Elmarit-R which, with careful
focussing, mirror lock-up, and a tripod, will resolve the inner structure of
even the smallest particles.

Unfortunately, a tripod does becomes necessary, but for Saturn, the decisive
moment is pretty much any time it's over the horizon.

M.

- -- 
Martin Howard                     |
Visiting Scholar, CSEL, OSU       |             Vis tecum sit.
email: howard.390@osu.edu         |
www: http://mvhoward.i.am/        +---------------------------------------