Making a Guidescope from a Surplus Camera Lens

In the past year or so I have had individuals give me camera bags full of obsolete lenses, adapters, and even SLR film cameras. This was prompted by the introduction of DSLRs with their high-tech computerized controls, motorized lenses and overall ease of use. In most cases the manufacturers maintained the mechanical design of the lens to camera coupling, allowing older lenses to be mechanically attached to the newer DSLRs. However the new designs contain electrical contacts in the coupler for camera to lens control, which are not present in the older lenses, meaning they may be used in manual mode, only. Most users of DSLRs want point & shoot capability, and choose to replace older lenses with the latest technology. The offshoot is that there are old-style telephoto lenses available for free or small cost, with good, fast optics. I do astro-imaging, and implemented guiding using a Meade DSI camera attached to a 127mm Maksutov Cassegrain, controlled by PhD Guide. While this arrangement works very well, it adds considerably to the weight on my Atlas EQ mount. It also means that I cant conveniently use the Maksutov for visual use on other mounts, because my imaging setup is semi-permanently mounted at my observatory. I read somewhere that adequate guiding can be done by attaching a guide camera to an 8 or 9 x50 finder scope, it occurred to me that a 200mm (or greater) camera lens could be adapted, as well the main issue being how to attach a guide camera, which usually has provision for slipping the camera into a focuser via an 1 barrel, to a consumer camera lens. I use a Nikon camera for imaging, and the pile of lenses given to me were for Nikon cameras. So the problem became one of improvising an adapter which would sit with the camera lens on one side, and have provision for accepting an 1 Greg Comegys barrel on the other side. Thomas Edison was reported as saying that a successful inventor needs a good imagination, and a pile of junk. I wasnt sure about my imagination, but I had a pile of junk! One of the items in my junk pile was a 2x teleconverter (equivalent to a Barlow lens in the astronomy world), one end of which had a camera type female mount, and the other end having a lens type, male mount, as shown in Figure 1 .

Figure 1 Typical 2x Teleconverter

Removing 3 small screws on the lens mount side allows the removal of the glass elements, leaving a shell with the camera-type mount on the other end, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3.

Figure 2 Teleconverter with Optics Removed

Making a Guidescope from a Surplus Camera Lens

Figure 3 Female Side of Empty Teleconverter

As fortune would have it, the back side of this now empty teleconverter shell had a diameter of just less than 2, and it occurred to me that a 2 to 1 eyepiece adapter could be inserted into the shell by making a slight increase of the shell inside diameter. This can be done using a small lathe if you have one, or by paying a few bucks to have your local machine shop do it. Figure 4 shows the position of the teleconverter and the adapter.

Figure 5 Modified Teleconverter with Adapter Inserted

At this point attach whatever guide camera you plan to use, and make sure that it will come to focus at infinity using the telephoto lens you plan to use. I had to machine about 1/8 off the end of the 2 to 1 adapter, and machine about the same amount off the non-lens side of the teleconverter to get focus at infinity (see Figure 6). Using the Meade camera the distance from the lens mount plate on the teleconverter to the image chip in the camera is about 52mm. This results in slight over-focus with the lens set at infinity backing off slightly gives sharp focus.

Figure 4 Unmodified Teleconverter & Adapter

Figure 5 shows the machined teleconverter shell, after machining, with the adapter inserted.
Figure 6 Final Modification of Teleconverter

Greg Comegys

Making a Guidescope from a Surplus Camera Lens

With assurance of reaching focus the next step was to attach the adapter to the teleconverter shell. The two may be more or less permanently joined using JB Weld, or by using one or more set-screws if you feel comfortable drilling and tapping holes in the shell. It is not hard to do, but you may want to have someone else do it for you. A small drill press is helpful for accurately drilling the proper size hole for the setscrew size you plan to use. A simple hand-tap is all that required to tap the holes. I used #6-32 set screws (3) as shown in Figure 6. Using set screws allows some additional adjustment of the distance between the guide camera and the lens if needed. Figure 7 shows the camera attached to the adapter, ready for your lens of choice to be attached. Some forward-backward adjustment of the camera barrel in the adapter is also possible to aid in coarse focus. The lens is used for fine focus, and chances are you wont be able to just set the lens focus to infinity.
Figure 8 Guide Camera Attached to Lens

for both, as is Craigs list. Figure 8 shows the guide camera attached to the lens. I secured the lens to the mount using a pair of 3 rings. Of course select rings to match the lens you plan to use. The guide camera with adapter may be attached to any other compatible lens, as well. The lens I used is a 70mm to 210mm zoom telephoto, with a zoom lock feature. Im not sure how effective guiding would be at focal lengths less than 200mm.

For those interested in numbers this combination of camera and lens results in an image scale of about 8.8 arcsec/pix, and an FOV of 212 x 352 arcmin. Have fun!!

Figure 7 Camera Attached to Teleconverter

If you cant get your hands on a cheap teleconverter compatible with the lens you plan to use an extender tube may used instead. These come in varying lengths, but dont use one that is too short. A 1 extender tube should work with slight shortening. Your local camera shop is a good source Greg Comegys