When I received the PST on December 24, 2004, I was excited to use it and get my first view of the Sun.  The clouds were starting to roll in so I quickly mounted the PST on my very light camera tripod.  My “First Light” impression was WOW!   I wanted the experience to last all day but it was not to be.  

The PST has been amazing and delighting me ever since.  I started sketching a record of what I was viewing so I could share with my Grandson.  Whenever he came to visit, he’d look at the sketches and want to go look for himself.  I tried taking images with my old Pentax Spotmatic we bought in 1968.  I had used it on the Celestron C-8, taking White Light images using Baader Film to record Sun Spots.    The image wouldn’t focus and I gave up.  It wasn’t until I logged onto SOLAR CHAT in March, 2005, on the Coronado Web Site, and met Mike Taormina, a prior “Amateur in the Spotlight”, to get some insight into imaging the Sun.  His images, the first I had seen processed, got me asking ALL kinds of questions.  He got me started imaging by convincing me to get a Digital Camera and shoot through the eyepiece.

I needed a better mount and "found" a NEXSTAR 80 mount with handbox.  I mounted the PST in the Clamshell and to my surprise, I could still turn the Tuning Ring.  The handbox will "Quick Align" and track the sun. Anti-Vibration Pads dampen the vibrations for a stable platform for imaging.

I use the Canon A-85, 4MP camera on an Orion “SteadyPix” eyepiece mount, clamped to a 15mm Meade 4000 series Eyepiece.  Some of my first images were a “BIG RED BALL” with very little detail.   Realizing there was something missing, I went back to Solar Chat and started reading and reading and reading.  Eventually, I posted some “Plain & Simple” images.  I started using the “Manual” mode then adding color back into the image using Photoshop. The images started to improve.

Adding the PSM40 to the PST gave me an increase in detail and contrast.  The images are slightly darker but they are really spectacular.  The <0.6A approaches that of the “Big Guns” <0.5A and I’m quite pleased with the results! Well worth the investment, regardless if you just view or view and image.  I’m thinking of investing in an OCA to use the Binoviewers.

Would I recommend the PST?  A resounding YES! It's lightweight, a great "grab-n-go" instrument and it delivers amazing H-A images in the eyepiece.  I would also suggest buying whatever you can afford.  The bigger Maxscope brothers allow greater flexibility when it comes to imaging and Binoviewing, though both can be done with the PST.