Pentax UA-1 Camera Adapter-anyone tried this? (1 Viewer)

Has anyone tried the Pentax UA-1 Camera Adapter with a Pentax scope? I have the 80-EDA and the illustration at the pentax website:

http://www.pentaxwebstore.com/detail/PTX+88041

is for a straight scope. Is this any improvement over the other universal adaptors available? I know a number of folks use the Baader universal adaptor and like the swing-out version.

Ed
Evergreen, CO

i have not used this adapter but from what i have read on this site and others is the ua-1 is not real stable and pictures can become difficult to keep in focus. perhaps with a good tripod and some practice the results could improve. for a point and shoot camera i have read that the zeiss quick camera adapter (5x the cost) is a solid platform and can be used with the pentax angled models and it mounts to the scope body unlike others and the ua-1 which attaches to the eyepiece so no matter strait or angled it follows the position of the eyepiece.

hope this helps, kirklyn

Yeah, I have the Pentax UA-1 Camera Adapter and have tried using it with mixed results. Some comments:
1) the instructions are AWFUL, you are on your own in figuring out all the knobs.
2 the adapter fits around the locking collar on the body of the scope, which places it quite far away from the back of the eyepiece, particularly if your camera has a zoom lens that telescopes out. This distance puts too much torque on the too narrow grip on the collar.
3) the adapter is not sturdy enough to support a small DSLR or DSLR-like camera (e.g. Panasonic G1); it really would only work with a light P&S camera.
4) for a light P&S camera, it's better than nothing, but have a remote shutter release for your camera to minimize camera movement.
5) the tiny bolt at the bottom of the vertical pole, will work its way loose all the time. I just strap an Allen wrench to the adapter with a rubber band so I'll always have it handy when I need it.