In 1992 this Russian company introduced their first Maksutov design to the U.S. Since that time their telescopes have been available through numerous distributors. They are now well known for quality Maksutov and Maksutov-Newtonian telescopes.
| The first telescope from this company was a 6" f/10 unit that could be purchased as an optical tube only, or as a complete telescope. Their was no model designation for the telescope initially, but with the announcement of the availability of other sizes in 1993 it was given the name MK63. The first version of the MK63 included a 10x30 finder, 1 ¼" helical focuser and star diagonal, camera adapter and a reasonably good quality fork mount with DC worm gear drive and hand held single axis drive corrector. It also included an interesting 60mm f/25.4 Maksutov photo-guide scope, but did not include a tripod. Later the MK63 was marketed without the guide scope, but with wood tripod and storage cabinet. | ||
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| Intes Mak 150 | Intes MK 65 | |
| MK65 was the first of the optical tube only models and had 6" f/10 optical system with a coated corrector, 10x30 finder and 1 ¼" helical focuser. The mirror was fixed, unlike most other commercially available Maksutovs. This resulted in maintaining the optimal spacing between the primary and secondary, but resulted in a limited focusing range. Therefore this telescope was somewhat limited as a spotting scope, but did well as an astronomical telescope. The MK67 was the replacement for the MK65. It was a 6" f/10 optical tube with coatings, a 7x35 finder, a 2" crayford focuser, and carrying bag. The MK66 was the replacement for the MK67. This was basically the same optical system, but was now integrated into a tube with moving primary focusing. This allowed a wider range of focusing. It was supplied with an integral dew shield and 10x50 finder. MK69 was a wide field 6" f/6 optical tube. It was supplied with a 7x35 finder and 2" eyepiece holder. Focusing was accomplished with a moving primary mirror. Finally, the MK91 was a 9" f/13.5 optical tube with a coated corrector, 12x50 finder, 2" helical focuser and mirror diagonal and 60mm f/25.4 photo guide scope. | ||
| In 1994 the above telescopes were slightly redesigned both mechanically and optically. The MAK 150 was the new 6" f/10 optical tube, now with a movable mirror for focus. It was accompanied by a 6x30 finder, adapters for 2" or 1 ¼" accessories, a dew cap and foam lined case. | ||
| The higher qualtiy Alter series was introduced in 1996 and proved to be superb. The Alter 603 was a 6" f/10 fully baffled and multi-coated Mak with 12x55 finder, baffled dew cap and 2" eyepiece holder. Unlike the MK series of the time, it had a moving primary which allowed a wide range of focusing. The Alter 703 was added to the line in 1998. This was a 7" f/10 assembly with the same accessories as the 603. It was also available with an electric cooling fan to speed up the aclimatization process. The Alter 809 was the upsized 8" f/10 version of the Alter 603. After the introduction of the 703 above, it too was available with the fan cooling system. | ||
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MK61 was the initial designation of a 6" f/6 Maksutov-Newtonian telescope. It was supplied with a 7x35 finder and 2" helical focuser. Later these telescopes received an MN designation. MN61 was the new name for the old MK61. This time it was supplied with a larger 10x50 finder. The MN56 was a 5" f/6 Maksutov Newtonian. It was supplied with a 2" helical focuser and 10x50 finder. | |
| Intes MK61 | ||