RE: ATM CCD Photography & Dobson/Poncet Tracking

[Alan Salmon <asalmon@mat.army.defence.gov.au>]

>The main thing is to grind a good mirror, get a good mount that has what
>it takes for your purposes in mind, and then get to good sites and use
>the beasty over and over and over again.

Having spent many years as a photographer of many things (especially fast moving motor 
vehicles) I was always on the lookout for faster film, faster lenses, etc.

Now it strikes me that an f1.2/50mm lens is a fairly standard "fast" lens that is in 
general use.

I don't however see any telescopes below f3.5. Why is this? Surely there is a CCD freak 
out there with a desperate need for a 48" f1 mirror?

Is this a practical proposition or is there something (else) I don't know? Can someone 
enlighten me?

I would have thought that Mel's 40 inch "star cruiser" would be great with an eyepiece at 
a level that doesn't need a crane.

Cheers