Meade Flip Mirror System Series 4000 Model 647 w/ UHTC - JAPAN (2"/1.25" O.D) (Pre-owned)

An essential accessory for CCD imaging, this features the Ultra-High Transmission Coatings for a substantial decrease in the loss of light from within the mirror.  This larger #647 Flip Mirror allows imaging with bigger 'full frame' SLRs, CCD cameras, SBIG cameras, etc.

With this flip mirror, you can have an imaging device on one side of the optical path and an eyepiece on the other, allowing you to exchange between observing/photographing quickly and to refine an image with a reticle eyepiece before inserting a camera.

On a nightly basis, you must refine focus alignment between the observing and imaging paths.  To do this you turn the mirror down to focus the image while viewing (with an eyepiece) through the 90 path, then flip the mirror up to allow the light to pass to the image receiving area on the straight-through path.  Refined helicoid focusing threads allow precise matching of focus between eyepiece/imager, and a locking ring makes this a once-nightly chore.  Illuminated reticle eyepieces certainly help this process.