New Baader T-2, M48 and M54 Tilters have been added to the Baader Planetarium M68, UFC and FCCT I/II Tilter family lineup which helps compensate for image plane tilt. These three new models use the popular and widely used T-2, M48 and M54 thread adaptations.
If the edges of your images appear blurry or out of focus, image tilt could be affecting your optical setup. Image tilt occurs when the camera sensor is not perfectly perpendicular to the light path. Several factors can contribute to this issue, including flexure in the focuser drawtube (due to the camera’s weight), misalignment when using flattener/corrector lenses, extension adapters, and manual rotatable angle adjusters or even inherent sensor tilt within the camera body itself. Correcting image plane tilt is crucial to achieving sharp, well-focused stars across the entire field of view.
As with the existing tilters, Baader T-2, M48 and M54 Tilters also share the same outside edge-located and easily accessible adjuster grub screws allowing up to 1° of tilt adjustment. They also have the same short optical path length of 9.50mm to 10.25mm. The new tilters can also carry up to the same 5kg of imaging accessory payload. The tilter models are of all-metal construction and are made to very high precision in Germany.
Each of the models in the Baader tilter lineup help correct for tilt but their application and usage are different. What they do share in common, and is an important practical feature, is that the fine tilt adjustment screws are located 120° apart on the outside edge, meaning that they are easily accessible even with a camera attached. Other tilt adjusters can have these on the camera-facing side meaning that they are often obstructed and require repeated threading and unthreading of cameras and adapters. With the Baader family of tilters, the whole “tilt adjustment operation” can be achieved without imaging train removal.
With the addition of the Baader T-2, M48 and M54 Tilters the Baader tilter family now comprises the following models (in size order):
Baader T-2 Tilter
Despite imaging sensors becoming increasingly larger, the small sized T-2 adaptation is still very much in use and can be found on cameras such as the QHY 183 and some small filter wheels. The T-2 tilter is the most compact and lightest of the current Baader tilter range having an outside diameter of 66mm and a weight of only 56g. It is compatible with the Baader T-2 system of accessories such as T-rings and 1.25″/2″ nosepieces for telescope attachment.
Baader M48 Tilter
The larger M48 is a common thread on telescopes and accessories such as reducers, coma correctors and field flatteners. It is slightly larger in diameter than the T-2 version at 72mm but is still light in weight at only 63g. The M48 tilter can be used with the entire Baader M48 accessory system.
Baader M54 Tilter
An increasing number of cameras (such as the highly popular QHY 268 and full-frame QHY 600 models) and filter wheels (such as the QHYCFW3M/L) use the M54 thread adaptation for sturdy connection. The M54 model is 78mm in diameter and weighs 68g. Its ultra-slim profile minimizes additional backfocus while providing precise control through micro-adjustments. The tilter is compatible with the entire Baader M54 system of adapters.
Baader M68 Tilter
This tilter is a part of the M68 (Zeiss) thread system of accessories which are used for robust solid connection of optical accessories and will result in no flexure under heavy equipment load. It is the largest of the threaded tilter models with an outer diameter of 92mm but still only weighs 83g so does not add a significant amount of weight to the imaging train.
The inclusion of the M68 Tilter allows you to precisely adjust for any tilt in a simple and manner. The M68 system allows you to mount heavy accessories in a rigid and stable fashion without vignetting due to the large internal diameter. The tilt mechanism, which is similar to that of the Baader UFC Tilter and FCCT Tilter, is designed in such a way that if the M68 tilter is removed together with the camera and is replaced with another, the adjustment is retained. The M68 Tilter is for use with Baader’s M68 system but it can be adapted to work with the popular smaller M42/M48 systems.
Baader UFC Tilter
This tilter features an S70 dovetail that fits on the telescope side of the UFC and it is compatible with the entire Baader UFC system. The unit allows an adjustable tilt shift of the UFC Base (and an attached camera) of up to 1° to compensate for misalignments in the image field. The tilter has a 92mm outside diameter, a weight of 83g and is only 9.75-10.50 mm in optical length depending on amount of tilt adjustment made. The wide range of telescope- and camera-side adapters allow the UFC-Tilter combination to be used on a huge range of telescopes which have sufficient back focus from small refractors to the Celestron RASA 36 and even larger instruments including PlaneWave telescopes. It is also compatible with a large number of cameras from different manufacturers.
Baader Filter Changer and Camera Tilter (FCCT)
The FCCT is a specially designed dedicated accessory for purpose built for use specifically with the Celestron RASA 8 imaging telescope and a range of QHY cameras.
Unlike the UFC and M68 Tilters, which are in themselves a tilt-adjuster only, the FCCT combines the functionality of a tilter with an integrated filter changer. The FCCT was designed to address the fact that due to the small amount of back focus of the RASA8, a wide range of the popular QHY cooled CMOS cameras could not, until the release of the FCCT, be used with a filter drawer to swap filters and allow you to easily correct for image plane tilt. The FCCT allows you to easily swap filters and to correct for image tilt without the need to remove the camera when adjustments are needed. There are two versions of the FCCT are for different sized QHY camera bodies.
To accompany the FCCT for using filters there are three different versions of high-quality 3D-printed filter holders, available separately individually or in packs of 4, that accommodate unmounted filters with standard sizes of 31 mm, 36 mm and a 47.4mm diameter size (Baader 2″ mounted filter but without a cell). For the high-speed RASA8 telescope you can use the Baader LRGB CMOS Optimized filters and the Narrowband and Ultra Narrowband Highspeed H-Alpha, S-II and O-III filters which are all available singularly in the aforementioned 31/36/47.4mm sizes.
You can learn more about the new Baader T-2, M48 and M54 Tilters as well as the whole Baader tilter lineup here.
And to make it easier for you to get the most extensive news, articles and reviews that are only available in the magazine pages of Astronomy Technology Today, we are offering a 1-year magazine subscription for only $6! Or, for an even better deal, we are offering 2 years for only $9. Click here to get these deals which only will be available for a very limited time. You can also check out a free sample issue here.
