Re: OPTICS FOR TASS: REFLECTOR OR REFRACTOR?

[Chris Albertson <chrisa@wavenet.com>]

Tom and all,

Two sources for optics that I have not yet been seen on this list:

1) Projection Lenses.  Our company sold a few large scale television
type projectors to the US Army.  These monsters cost about $100K
each.  The intesting thing about them is the lens.  It looked like
a 12" long section of 5" black plastic sewer pipe filled with glass.
As I remember the lens was about what is needed.

This exact lens may or may not be what we need but it got me thinking
about the idea of industrial processes that use optics such as movie
projection, curcuit board manufacture, and over-sized video
projectors.

2) Replacement Elements for camera lenses.  I heard a story about a 
photographer who scathed the front element of his very expensive, big
lens.  He was very supprized that Nikon sold him a replacement part
for only about $100.  I think they sell at cost as a customer service.
It would be very hard to get a list of optical properties of all
Nikon's
spare lens elments without support from upper managment I am sure.

This would be a cheap way to build a semi-custom lens.  Find mass
produced
optical elements and assemble them into a custom desiged tube.

3) Not a new idea.  If you could get Meade to sell a "10 inch Partial
optical
tube"  That is rear casting, focus knob, Primary but sans corrector,
secondary
and baffels.  You then hang the CCD head on a spider with a dupelet
focal
reducer/corrector between the CCD and primary.  #2 above may still be
cheaper.  


om Droege wrote:

> 
> OK, there are some tasks for volunteers.
> 
> Does anyone out there want to open a camera store and buy for tass in
> quantity?
> Does anyone know what the mark up is on camera optics?   Does anyone want to
> test the Pro Optic Maksutov for our CCD size?
> 
> I have been thinking and learning about the problems now for a few years.  I
> don't know that my thinking is correct, and would welcome a better solution.
> For now as big a refractor as I can afford designed to just do what we need
> seems right.  What do you all think?
> 

-- 
   --Chris Albertson             home: chrisa@wavenet.com           
     Redondo Beach, California   work: chris@topdog.logicon.com