Over the last ten years I've ground a number of mirrors starting with a 8" f/6 Newtonian, 10" f/5, 10" f/12 Cassegrain, and 3 10" flats (testing them against each other in various combinations). I've begun to think about a photographic scope. The Ritchey-Chretien combination looks good from a number of perspectives save for speed. Ditto for the Schmidt camera save for the length of the tube. For testing the R-C I'll need to build a caustic tester (unless there's a commercial version?). For grinding the Schmidt corrector plate I was thinking of using a vacuum cell to warp the plate.
What are people's experiences in building either of these systems? I don't believe either is beyond my means and I intend to take my time with the fabrication.
/pbp