Shimrod

16 minutes ago, tezz said:

My Bluetti EB3A and the Celestron focus motor has turned up   

I have a small heater and a fan ready for summer and winter.

I have got to get items to lock the sliding roof in place and a very good door lock.

I am going to use a wireless extender(in my bungalow) with a Lan port to go in to the clubhouse    

So I think I am good to go once my shed(club house)arrives.

I do dislike like all these space rings to get back focus. The evolution  it has a 5.475 inch focus distance.

Would buying this or something like this be a better option?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Telescope-Extension-Compatible-Projection-Astrophotography/dp/B0B9BWLJGZ/ref=asc_df_B0B9BWLJGZ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=606572198636&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13992995265074432390&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006524&hvtargid=pla-1869702456691&psc=1

I would use extension tubes that screw together - once you have the right combination for your spacing you won't ever change it unless you replace camera or telescope. Anything that is adjustable has the potential to be knocked out of alignment. If you decide to get a focal reducer at some point for a wider field of view the extension tube you have linked to would be too long and have to be replaced.

14 hours ago, Mandy D said:

There are a couple of ways to get wider without going to Fisheye lenses, but being a Canon owner, you may not like the idea. Switch to Nikon where the crop sensor is 24 x 16 instead of 22.5 x 15 and you will get results with a 10 mm lens that you would need to use a 9.4 mm lens on the Canon for. The other option (which may be possible with Canon, but I don't know) is to go full frame and use a 14 mm lens, which will be wider still and equivalent to an 8.7 mm lens on your Canon. If you are uber-uber rich, you could always go for a 13 mm Nikon ultra-ultra-wide angle lens for about £50k second-hand!!! But, you will be getting equivalent to 8.1 mm focal length and no fisheye distortion.

It's an upgrade that has suddenly gone from a few hundred pounds to a few thousand for a slightly wider field of view (around £1200 for  the cheapest Canon full frame body new and £2000 for the lens)!  To get wider, Canon also offer an 11mm f4 lens for full frame at £3000. Of course you probably wouldn't buy any of these new, as Canon is phasing out the EF range so you'd be looking for the equivalents in the 'R' range. For those who stick with EF into the future, I expect some second hard bargains will start appearing as the EF mount becomes less attractive.

44 minutes ago, aidanbarclay136 said:

Hello, I have inherited this telescope, can I sell it on this site? Is there a for sale/selling section? 
 

regards Aidan 

 

Ebay when they have one of their special offers on fees, or astrobuysell would be good alternative platforms for a sale. Your buyers are probably limited to a relatively local area for collection. Even if you have the boxes you will find it difficult to get insurance for a courier delivery.

Depending on where you live you could also try a company like ENS Optical who specialise in buying and reselling used gear. You may not get as much for it but would have a hassle free sale.

17 minutes ago, Kryff said:

I actually have the canon 10-18 but was wondering if there was anything a bit faster and wider angle. Thanks for the pic it puts some scale to the various lenses!👍

You won't go any wider than 10mm unless you get a fisheye lens. I've always found 10mm to be a bit too wide for landscape however it can be good for the sky! My avatar is an aurora shot taken at 10mm with the 10-22mm. I will see if I have some comparison shots with different lenses taken on the same night. A faster lens is helpful when the aurora is faint or moving fast - allowing you to capture some structure will a shorter exposure.

1 hour ago, saac said:

I must admit I wince when I see adverts for trips to the Arctic/Antarctica or the Himalayas or similar. Closer to home it was with some annoyance that I heard on the radio that the Cairngorm funicular railway is shortly to be back in operation. Perhaps there should be some places that are just excluded from mass tourism, even if only to let them recover for a while. What was that line in the Eagle's "The Last Resort"  

They call it paradise, I don't know why.

You call someplace paradise, Kiss it goodbye.

Jim 

Oh dear, I've been to all three. Tourism travel in Antarctica has some of the strictest, self-imposed regulations on tourists which were certainly enforced on the trip I was on. Breaching them would be not being allowed off ship for the remainer of the travel. As well as expected, respectful behaviour for the environment, there was also a strict decontamination routine to avoid any accidental transfer of spores or infections into the environment.

https://iaato.org/visiting-antarctica/

2 hours ago, Kryff said:

I’ll have a look at all those lenses. Thanks!

Here's a quick side by side comparison of the three lenses I mentioned to give you an idea of size - left to right the Canon 10-18mm, Canon 10-22mm and the Sigma 18-35mm. The Sigma is significantly heavier, and probably weighs as much as the other two together. One other possible niggle for the Sigma - the zoom ring goes the opposite way to Canon for zooming in. Both the 10-22mm and Sigma are internal zooms, the 10-18mm does extend when zooming but only by about 0.5cm.

edit: as always with these things, when taking photos of of camera equipment is it customary to share a slightly out of focus photograph taken with a phone!

7 hours ago, 12jewlz4u said:

Just got my first telescope the Orion Starblast II 4.5 reflector. It's on a manual equatorial tripod mount. Is there anyway I can add a motorized drive to keep objects from drifting out of view and a goto that automatically finds objects for you on the mount I have without having to buy a computerized mount that does both? 

This motor drive is shipped as part of a package with the Starblast on the Orion website. It would let you keep an object in the eyepiece once you have found it  Before buying, you might want to confirm you have the standard mount package to ensure it fits. If you want a go-to it looks like you would have to buy a new mount.

https://www.telescope.com/mobileProduct/Orion-TD-1-Electronic-DC-Tracking-Drive-for-StarBlast-45-EQ/137398.uts?keyword=Td-1

5 hours ago, bomberbaz said:

So I obtained them from this outlet:  

https://www.photospecialist.co.uk/bresser-16x42-stabiliser-ois- and I have to say they were very good with the service, had them in about a week.

Just tried them now in daylight on tree branches at a variety of positions and distance, remember these are F2.6 ish and they gave no blue fringing except on the ones closest to me which appeared to have a slight blue/purple fringing along the lower edges. 

It won't bother me that much as I will be using them terrestrial too, we go to a local wetland wildlife centre regular away. 

 

Thanks for the info - do they ship from the Netherlands and does the £850 include any import fees?

3 hours ago, bosun21 said:

He doesn’t need north with his alt/az Celestron Evolution 9.25” to carry out alignment.

I've just had a read through of the Evolution manual and with Skyalign you don't even need to point the telescope north at the start. The comment on orientation remains valid though as placement of the observatory will block out one quarter of the sky. Might still want to consider keeping one of those visible directions north in case of a mount upgrade in the future.

11 hours ago, bomberbaz said:

I decided to upgrade from my current 10x30 image stabilised binocular to a larger size.  I had been looking at various brands then stumbled upon the bressers more by accident than anything else.

So I will keep this to the point. The Bresser's give as stated a 16 times magnification (I had been looking at 14 or 15 times) and a 42mm objective. Good point is this configuration gives me a 2.6mm exit pupil which makes viewing without glasses very acceptable despite my astigmatism. There is a tiny bit of astigmatism showing through in the view but it isn't enough to bother me. The extra 12mm of aperture just about doubles the light gathering over the old canon 10x30's.

They are light too, roughly the same weight as the Canon 10x30 at 644gm.  Another plus point for them in the image stabilising button locks in place so no need to keep it constantly pressed in, on the downside it times out after a few minutes, 

They are super steady in use and give a useful 3.8 degree FOV.

Had a very quick play outside tonight, they have arrived very well collimated and got some good (but washed out by moonlight) views of Pleiades, Hyades also managed to find andromeda, orions belt looked tidy in one FOV and could make out some nebulosity in M42. Managed to glimpse M103, the owl cluster and the double cluster too and then dropped onto the moon in all her fullness. A satisfying little session to break them in.

All in I am very pleased with them and the £850 price tag is far less than competitors offering similar spec.

Interesting review - I've been considering some image stabilised binoculars as we've somehow managed to damage one of our 10x42 binoculars. I had been looking at the Canon 12x36 as they seemed to be closest equivalent at a sensible price. I'd seen the Bresser binoculars but didn't see them anywhere remotely close to £850 - where did you buy them? 

We use our binoculars for bird watching and general terrestrial use (their main purpose) with sky-watching a secondary activity. There's a lot of good reviews for the Canon - the only thing that has put me off buying so far has been lack of waterproofing, which the Bresser's offer (along with higher magnification). I'd be interested to hear how they perform in daylight and how well CA is controlled.

16 minutes ago, tezz said:

Just an update to the things I have added.

Sheds sheds is building me a 6FT X 10Ft one of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282153730577

I have bought 2 solar 100w panels and a BLUETTI EB3A.

This will power a small heater if needed plus red lights.

I have bought a 1.25 moon and sun filter.

Just trying to find someone to level some ground for me for cash.

I admire your no-holds barred commitment to a new hobby! 

It's worth noting that the observatory you have linked to only offers 270 degree view of the sky so you might want to think carefully about orientation of the observatory in your garden  - you will want at least one of those directions to be pointing north to make alignment as easy as possible.

6 hours ago, Kryff said:

Hi, I am going on holiday later this year to Northern Norway and hope to image Aurora. I have a Canon 70D and am looking to purchase a new wide angle lens for the trip. 
Any suggestions as to the best one for the job would be welcome. I would also like to use it for wide field Astro images in general (Milky Way etc.)

Not quite as wide as the Samyang, but I use a Sigma 18-35mm F1.8. Both the Canon 10-18mm and 10-22mm (the 10-18mm is lighter, cheaper but a bit slower than the 10-22mm) lenses are good alternatives if you want to go wider. I own all three but the Sigma is my go to for aurora and night sky.

9 hours ago, Geoffw said:

>……… and it works a treat!

Great to hear it's all set up and working.

Another place worth looking for accessories is picstop.co.uk. the focuser is out of stock there but is listed at £208. I've bought a celestron powertank pro (£50 cheaper) and a few other bits from them.

Back in the early days of digital cameras they used to offer the best prices on memory cards (back when 256mb would cost £100)

1 hour ago, Sunshine said:

An 80mm reflector? I can't say I've seen such a small one, I would not look twice at such a small reflector once one considers the central obstruction, which ones are they?

They tend to be small, tabletop dobsonians. FLO have a Stellalyra one at 80mm, and there are few (such as the Celestron Firstscope) at 76mm. The latter is certainly targeted at children, and you have to think of the context in which they are offered. Simple to set up, simple to use and no need for the added expense of a wobbly tripod and mount at that price point. 

22 hours ago, StevieDvd said:

Did you get the model with the Celestron Starsense option, that will align/set the date & location of the mount automatically on each startup. It does need an initial setup alignment so it is facing the same sky portion as the scope.

I think you are getting mixed up with the GPS module - Starsense does not set date, time or location - it simply performs an automatic alignment routine.

44 minutes ago, Elp said:

If you're interested look at the azgti owners thread (it's quite a number of pages), a lot of us use it in EQ mode.

I think the only challenge is getting a good wedge for the AZ-GTi. I'm using the Skywatcher wedge which can be a bit fiddly to get  the altitude locked in - I wish I had spent the extra for the WO wedge which by all accounts is much nicer to use.

2 minutes ago, Beardy30 said:

Hi does anyone have any experience of using this for imaging and how it might compare to the sharpstar 61 

There is a thread reviewing and discussing the Evolux 62 in the member equipment reviews section - along with some images:  

13 hours ago, MG01 said:

Yes, I think the higher spec has a 4-way spliter that runs the length of the cable to separate the twisted pairs and this makes them super stiff.  

I've bought nice cable from Canford before and made my own, but I only need the one 2-3m length this time. 

You could have a look at braided cat5 cables. I have some braided (USB) cables that I use on my mount and they remain flexible in the cold.

On 27/01/2023 at 07:59, StarDuke82 said:

I recently bought a Starsense Autoalign Camera for my Celestron Astrofi telescope last week I successfully ran my first alignment and calibration but when I took it out tonight it continuously failed and I kept getting a message Error Failure to read plate despite it claiming to find over 100 stars.  The mount was level, the lens cap was off and I had the scope plugged into a fully charged power tank and the sky conditions were the same as last week. It’s as if the camera has just malfunctioned, because it’s an astro-fi using the hand controller isn’t an option because when I plug it into the second aux port it fails to function, I’m at a loss at what to do. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

This can happen when the scope is pointing quite a distance from where Starsense seems to think it is pointing. Have you checked date, time are entered correctly and the location has not accidently been changed. Also that the scope was pointing north at the start of alignment?

52 minutes ago, Geoffw said:

Just placed the order.

It's so much easier spending someone else's money instead of my own! It's straight forward to fit and after that it does a short calibration to work out the start and end points of the focuser travel.

Just now, Geoffw said:

Dispatches from
Amazon US
Sold by
Amazon US

Just place the order! Looks like 3 months wait time on the FLO website

3 hours ago, Geoffw said:

Credit where it's due!  Pardon the pun.......

Wex have just got back to me with apologies.  They will change their website details to remove "5-7 days" to "Special Order" and have refunded me the full part exchange credit on my account!

So is it

1: Wait for UK supply 
2: Astroshop (Germany) £281 +p&p
3: Amazon International (US) £224.65 inc. Import fees & p&p

 

As noted above, I would go Amazon - if they say they have stock you know it's really there, no surprise import charges and nearly always delivery on time. Most of the US stuff I have ordered has turned up earlier. Just make sure the supplier is Amazon US and not a third party.

11 hours ago, newbie alert said:

So your using a  8 inch tube on a wobbly mount then

You can find theses issues if you look/ research on u tube/ Google... If you don't then you won't find them

I'm using it on an AVX - it doesn't take too much to cause a bit of vibration which can be a hassle when trying to fine focus. 

As for problems, you implied that there were some common issues with the focuser - I can see that people occasionally have issues with them, but no more or less than you can find for any other. 

39 minutes ago, newbie alert said:

You can buy different bracket to fit different focusers

I just want one for visual....

What do you need a autofocuser for visual, just use a bahtinov mask 

I use the Celestron focuser on my Edge 8" - it means I don't have to touch the OTA while focussing and reduces any wobble I would otherwise introduce. 

I haven't read of any particular issues with them though, so I would be interested to know what you have seen. There were reports on here of the ZWO focuser not going full range with some Celestron equipment(software?) but I that has been fixed.

9 hours ago, Dave Ross said:

Similar problem - trying to update firmware. Heard back?

Don't you just follow this diagram (bundled as part of the Celestron CFM update software) - my understanding is the connection to the mount is to power the devices rather than a communication path.  You will obviously just have the interface box as an extra connection rather than direct into the mount. Also what are you trying to update? I'm not aware there have been any firmware update to the camera for years, the updates are applied to the software in the handset.