James Ellis C5 System 

James Ellis, of Sydney, Australia, originally bought a C5 tube as a portable scope to take to the February 1998 solar eclipse, that passed over Central and South America. He upgraded the 8x20 finder to a big Celestron 7x50 (the finder bracket was curved for a C8, but the holes lined up with the C5 tube) and still has room for a Telrad. James reports that the mighty Vixen GP-DX is "an excellent, stable mount for this scope."

The photo below-right shows the C5, with a borrowed Megrez refractor riding on the piggyback bracket. The Megrez is an 80-mm, f/6, Semi-APO with a 2" Crayford focuser. James comments that it is, "About half the price of a TV-85 and similar optics." Mating the Megrez on the C5 was a "Pretty bodged up effort but it worked" to image the July 2000 lunar eclipse over Australia.

C5 with 7x50 finder mounted on GPDX. The system carrying the Megrez.

Total Solar Eclipse of December 4th 2002  The first total solar eclipse in Australia since 1976 is the subject of a fascinating seven-page travel journal by James Ellis. It includes many eclipse images he took through the Celestron C5+. Besides learning how the images were made, this detailed report yields great insights on equipment setup, observing, and camping and in the Outback. It ends with a scary page on the Sidney wild-fires that almost engulfed James' house!