Afocal 37mm digital camera adapter for Radian eyepieces and some others

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$55.00

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This TeleVue digital camera adapter allows you to attach a digital camera with 37mm filter threads on its lens to certain TeleVue eyepieces for "afocal" imaging through the eyepiece. Digital cameras with 37mm threads include, but are not limited to, the Sony DSC-S50 and S30; Sony camcorders DCR-TRV series, DCR-P100, and TR290PK; and Sharp camcorders VL-PD7 and VL-MR1. It may be possible to use oth . . .
Our Product #: 13R37
TeleVue Product #: DRA-0037
 

Product Description

This TeleVue digital camera adapter allows you to attach a digital camera with 37mm filter threads on its lens to certain TeleVue eyepieces for "afocal" imaging through the eyepiece. Digital cameras with 37mm threads include, but are not limited to, the Sony DSC-S50 and S30; Sony camcorders DCR-TRV series, DCR-P100, and TR290PK; and Sharp camcorders VL-PD7 and VL-MR1. It may be possible to use other cameras with slightly different filter threads, such as the 43mm thread Olympus Camedia C-3030 or the 36mm Minolta Dimage S404, by adding an appropriate step up or step down ring available from most camera stores. However, the performance of such a combination is not guaranteed. Any experimentation along these lines is at the sole responsibility of the camera owner.

The adapter is designed for use with the following TeleVue eyepieces: 40mm and 32mm Plossls; 35mm and 27mm Panoptics; 22mm, 17mm, and 12mm Nagler type 4; 31mm Nagler type 5; and all TeleVue Radians. The long eye relief of these eyepieces most closely matches the internal pupil of the camera lens and the camera's lens/imaging chip spacing. This minimizes vignetting. Shorter focal length or shorter eye relief TeleVue eyepieces, or other eyepiece brands, may not reach focus. Because the internal camera pupil will move as you zoom the camera lens in and out to adjust the magnification, you may find that the minimum vignetting occurs at the extremes of the zoom range. Your results will vary depending on the camera used.

The adapter comes in two pieces. The ring-like piece can be used alone with all of the eyepieces mentioned above, except the Radians. Radians require both parts of the adapter be used. To use the adapter with all eyepieces except the Radians, the rubber eyecup is removed from the eyepiece body and the adapter installed in its place. Non-marring setscrews in the body of the adapter are tightened until they lock into the groove on the top of the eyepiece to hold the adapter securely in place. The male thread portion of the adapter is threaded into the female filter threads at the front of the digital camera lens and the eyepiece is slipped into the telescope focuser. The telescope is focused normally, observing the image sharpness on the LCD display screen of the camera. After imaging, the adapter and camera are removed from the eyepiece and the rubber eyeguard slipped back onto the eyepiece for visual use. A ridge on the inside of the rubber eyeguard fits into the groove on the top of the eyepiece to again hold the eyeguard in place.

To use the adapter with a Radian eyepiece, the ring portion of the adapter is attached to the Radian eyepiece as described above. Because the Radian's "Instadjust" variable eye relief feature might shift suddenly and change the focus (or worse) during an exposure, however, the eyepiece with its attached ring adapter must be inserted fully into the second, tube-like, portion of the adapter and the nylon thumbscrews on the tube tightened down on the Radian's movable outer barrel to keep the "Instadjust" feature from extending inadvertently. The tube, eyepiece, and ring adapter are then inserted into the telescope and imaging done as described above. Because of the added diameter of the tube adapter, a digitally-adapted 1.25" Radian can only be used in a 2" focuser drawtube or diagonal. P49 This TeleVue digital camera adapter allows you to attach a digital camera with 49mm filter threads on its lens to certain TeleVue eyepieces for "afocal" imaging through the eyepiece. Digital cameras with 49mm threads include, but are not limited to, the Minolta Dimage 7 and Dimage 7i. It may be possible to use other cameras with slightly different filter threads, such as the 52mm thread Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-S85, by adding an appropriate step up or step down ring available from most camera stores. However, the performance of such a combination is not guaranteed. Any experimentation along these lines is at the sole responsibility of the camera owner.

The adapter is designed for use with the following TeleVue eyepieces: 40mm and 32mm Plossls; 35mm and 27mm Panoptics; 22mm, 17mm, and 12mm Nagler type 4; and 31mm Nagler type 5. The long eye relief of these eyepieces most closely matches the internal pupil of the camera lens and the camera's lens/imaging chip spacing. This minimizes vignetting. Shorter focal length or shorter eye relief TeleVue eyepieces, or other eyepiece brands, may not reach focus. Because the internal camera pupil will move as you zoom the camera lens in and out to adjust the magnification, you may find that the minimum vignetting occurs at the extremes of the zoom range. Your results will vary depending on the camera used. Overall, TeleVue's tests show that the 35mm Panoptic achieves the least vignetting in afocal imaging applications.

To use the adapter, the rubber eyecup is removed from the eyepiece body and the adapter installed in its place. Non-marring setscrews in the body of the adapter are tightened until they lock into the groove on the top of the eyepiece to hold the adapter securely in place. The male thread portion of the adapter is threaded into the female filter threads at the front of the digital camera lens and the eyepiece slipped into the telescope focuser. The telescope is focused normally, observing the image sharpness on the LCD display screen of the camera. After imaging, the adapter and camera are removed from the eyepiece and the rubber eyeguard slipped back onto the eyepiece for visual use. A ridge on the inside of the rubber eyeguard fits into the groove on the top of the eyepiece to once again hold the eyeguard in place.

Tech Details

Weight 9 oz
Warranty 5 years

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