[AlexN]

Just wondering if anyone here has built from scratch or modified a commercially available newt for primary focus imaging. I wonder only from a balance and collimation perspective. Would it not be easier to collimate? Aim the camera at the center of the primary then the primary straight back at the camera? Also from a balance point of view I always find newts clunky with large portion of its weight hanging out the side of the tube.. Even if you aim it straight down when in the parked position it ends up on strange angles. Couple that with a small newt and a large imaging train and all of a sudden you have a really difficult system to balance. I find myself having to balance the scope for the declination I intend to image for the night.

With a qhy8L/pro or qhy9c qhy10 etc which would create minimal obsobstruction, a helical focuser and an mpcc I wonder if it wouldn't be better..

Anyone done it before or seen it done?