Baader UFC Tilter

Baader UFC Tilter

The effects of image tilt can ruin an otherwise great astrophoto. Image tilt (or image plane tilt) happens in imaging when an area towards the edge of the field exhibits out-of-focus or imperfect star images and is caused by the image sensor not being pefectly perpendicular to the light path. Focuser skewness (or "droop"), flattener/corrector lenses, extension adaptors, camera angle adjusters as well as inherent camera sensor tilt in the camera body itself are all causes of image field tilt. Being able to correct for this image plane tilt is important and essential to get perfect focused sharp star images across the field of view.

For those that do astroimaging with the Universal Filter Changer (UFC), Baader is pleased to annnounce a new accessory to help compensate for image plane tilt - the Baader UFC-Tilter. This is a telescope-side UFC S70 accessory that is compatible with the entire UFC system and can be used with many refractor and Celestron 11" and 36 cm RASA imaging setups. The unit allows an adjustment tilt shift of the UFC Base (and an attached camera) of up to 1° to compensate for misalignments in the image field. The Tilter is only 9.75-10.50 mm in optical length depending on amount of tilt adjustment made.

Attaching the Tilt Adapter to a UFC set up is simple. If you already have a UFC with a telescope-side adapter in place, simply loosen the six retaining screws on the Baader UFC Base, remove the (scope-side) adapter and replace it with the UFC Tilter with its S70 dovetail side facing the UFC Base "S70 port" and then retighten the six hex screws. Next, add your telescope-side S70 adaptor into the Tilter´s S70 opening and secure with the unit´s six hex screws.

Baader UFC - Universal Filter Changer

The UFC system from Baader is more than "just" a filter drawer. With the UFC, Baader has created a very versatile possibility of filter adaption for astrophotography. The system consists of four parts:

BA2459110 ... UFC base - filter chamber

Sliders for the filter chamber for mounted and unmounted filters

Adapter system to the telescope

Adapter system to the camera

As you can freely combine all parts, the Baader UFC filter drawer can fulfil all requirements of filter adaption for astrophotography.

Baader-UFC (Universal Filter Changer) – the ever-growing filter chamber

The Baader UFC is the priceworthy answer to an ever growing problem. New camera-models come to market in ever increasing speed. Spacers between telescope and camera don´t support the correct distance or are subjected to torsion due to their flimsy design and heavy cameras. And the owner may want to change the telescope - or use several OTAs, but does not want to purchase new filters and filter sliders all the time. The Baader UFC is a (seemingly) simple answer to a complex problem. It is made in the typical Baader way, trying to connect each and everything in the most elegant and flexure-free manner.

The filter chamber (UFC-Base) is the core part, which up to now does accept three different kinds of filter sliders for 2"/ for 50 mm round and for 50x50 mm filter sizes. The filter sliders are kept in place by means of an adjustable magnet, to adjust the retaining force and to assure exact repositioning of the filter for repeatable usage of flats. A brass pin is mounted onto the far side of the filter-slider. This pin is sticking out at the opposite side of the filter chamber. The pin enables an easy eject of the filter slider without pulling on the filter slider, to not endanger the precise telescope position during exchange of filter sliders.

Versatile application – for almost any telescope / camera

The camera-side of the UFC Base (the filter-chamber) remains open towards the camera - until the matching camera adapter gets mounted directly onto the UFC Base. The purpose of this is to have the filters mounted with minimum distance to the image sensor, avoiding additional vignetting.

The telescope side of the UFC base carries a receptacle with 6 clamp screws in 60° spacings, to mount all the Baader proprietory S 70-dovetail-adapters and spacers. A number of rigid UFC-S 70 spacer tubes is available in 5/15/40 mm length , as well as an ultra-stable S 70 VARI-LOCK spacer, engraved with millimeter scale and being seamlessly adjustable from 15 to 20 mm. These four spacers will allow precise adaption with almost any backfocus situation, for both - back and prime focus - instrument configurations. Please accept the six tiny set screws, they are dearly necessary at times when correct spacing becomes difficult. Each joint must be able to rotate, while requiring only a minimum of optical length.

Another set of telescope adapters, with the male S70 dovetail facing the camera-side, completes the assortment, enabling the user to mount the UFC easy onto almost any telescope, firmly and flexure free. For the RASA adaptation, Baader even mills this RASA/S70 adapter plate from stainless steel, in order to provide the necessary stiffness while retaining the extremely thin flange tolerances required for the RASA design.

For any telescope, for any camera - just replace the corresponding adapters on either side of the filter chamber when you change telescope or camera and want to keep on using your trusted set of filters.

As added benefit any camera lens can be used with the UFC. In this case, the UFC Base will be fastened in front of the camera lens with adding both the S70/SP54 adapter #2459134 and the retaining flange #2459121, as well as one of the many step-rings of the Hyperion ring system (#2958028 - 2958082). Note that filters ought to be mounted in reverse order when using the UFC filter changer in front of camera lenses.

Safety informations: PDF Download