Nikon Astrophotography System

This is an excellent setup for easy photography of stars and planets!  The heart of the system  is a Nikon EM knife-edge focuser which employs a 150 line/inch ronchi grating and parfocal eyepiece which is matched to the film plane of other Nikon cameras.  It is extremely easy to use, and focus can be obtained within less than two minutes - fumbling in the dark included!  The focuser is used in conjunction with your own main Nikon camera.  Together, they will make a perfect pair for  astrophotography.

The EM focusing unit consists of:    - a Nikon EM body
                                                                    - Star Diagonal with Transfer Lens
                                                                    - 15mm Plossl Eyepiece with eyeguard
                                                                    - Integrated Ronchi Grating at the film  plane

The simple focusing procedure is as follows:

1 - Attach the EM focuser to your T-ring.

2 - With the parfocal eyepiece removed from the built-in diagonal,
      focus as sharply as possible on the object centered in your telescope.

3 - Insert the parfocal eyepiece and adjust the telescope focus until
      the scattered star image is free of vertical bars.

4 - Remove the EM focuser from the T-ring and replace with your own main Nikon camera.

5 - Center your object and start clicking away!

If you have attempted focusing using a Brightscreen or Astrofocuser through the regular viewfinder of your SLR, you will be in for a big surprise with the improvement and simplicity this system offers. There is not enough space on this page to provide all of the details or answer all of your questions, so please feel free to e-mail me: .

Now, the bad news (:

1 - You need to order one now or you will wind up on a waiting list.

2 - It’s going to cost you $169 plus $5 for  shipping and insurance to get it.

3 - You’re going to have to go down to the  convenience store to get a money order,
      or you can get yourself more into debt by paying with a credit card through PayPal.

4 - You will have to wait 3 days after I receive your payment for the post    office to get it all to you by priority mail from Texas.

5 - You are going to feel guilty blowing your  tax refund  money on equipment again.

Better news J :

1 - I’ll provide lifetime support if you have any questions , but remember that I’m already 53!

2 - You can sell all of your other astro focusing accessories that don't work and likely come out enough ahead to buy a Nagler.

3 - If you do not own a Nikon,  I do have focusers for the Olympus OM and  Yashica cameras  right now.  Let me know if you have a different brand, and I will try to accomodate you.
 

Note:    No foreign orders please since dealing   with customs and freight
              are a hassle ( except from Canadians who are good guys).
 

Techy Stuff

Micro Adjustment:    You may be one of those strange people who use films which are slightly thicker than the 400asa and800asa variety I buy at K-Mart..  In these instances, four adjustable set screws may be raised to alter the distance between bayonet mount and the ronchi screen up to 2mm, if necessary.  If you need a film thicker than that, please let me know what daguerreotype you will be using it in.

Lens Assembly:  The lens assembly is composed of a nice, new 15mm plossl eyepiece and magnifying transfer lens.  These are attached to a mirror diagonal  to avoid having to breakyour back or laying flat on the ground to focus on the zenith.  You can use this excellent eyepiece in your scope also without embarassment.  Magnification of the ronchi screen image itself makes adjusting easy.