Omegon flip mirror - The flip mirror for precise focusing
In astrophotography, if you want to take successful astronomy photographs, accurate focusing is only one half of the story. The Omegon flip mirror makes it very simple to find both the exact focus point and also the correct positioning for your astronomy photographs.
This small black box has a moveable flip mirror which shunts the light path 90° upwards or, alternatively, lets it pass through unhindered. This permits both a camera and eyepiece to be attached to the telescope at the same time. Lengthy focusing with a CCD camera is hence avoided. Focusing is possible within seconds, once the eyepiece and camera have been adjusted to each other.
Always sharp
If you tilt the mirror to the 45° position, the object will then appear in the eyepiece and you will be able to precisely focus it as usual. The helical focuser on the flip mirror lets you make the eyepiece and camera exactly parfocal with each other. This means that both elements will be in focus at the same time.
But the Omegon flip mirror does even more than this: An object that is accurately centred in the eyepiece will be simultaneously centred in the camera's field of view. You no longer have to worry about whether the object is correctly positioned on the chip - you know it will be.
An advantage with all cameras
No finder is provided with popular webcams or astronomical CCD cameras for helping position the object on the chip. Only by taking test exposures is it possible to achieve both sharp focus and the correct object position. The flip mirror is a big help here as the object has already been centred and focused 'remotely' on the chip via the eyepiece.
Connectability
The Omegon flip mirror has a 1.25” connector which will fit onto any standard telescope. The helical focuser will accept any standard 1.25“ eyepiece. There is a T-2 thread provided on the camera side - the standard fitting for all cameras.
The advantages in a nutshell:
- simple changeover between eyepiece and camera via a pivot lever
- accurate focusing via the eyepiece
- the flip mirror makes astrophotography much easier
- object adjustment in the eyepiece is the same as in the camera
- 1.25“ connector on the telescope side
- T-2 connector for the camera adapter
Please note - Flip-mirrors are not suitable for use with Newtonian telescopes, as the focal point can no longer be reached. Their use on refractors or catadioptric systems - SCs, ACFs, Maksutovs - is no problem however.
Our expert comment:
The 1.25" nosepiece is screwed to the housing using a T2 thread. There is a T2 internal thread on the telescopic side of the housing.
