alan potts

Yes we need to know the scope but as important, how much money we can blow. Alan

I don't understand what is happening here, as I use a 40D with a couple of scopes at the moment and APT and all Flats Darks (if used) and Dark Flats etc are the same size. Alan

Right I am considering trying some shots with my 2700m Mak from SW, it hasn't seen light for a long time. Now I believe to use this type of focal length an OAG is required. Now I am looking at the Zwo OAG purely for value but there is no real reason why I could not buy one of the others FLO offeres. I have a Zwo 290mini that I guide with at the moment. Basically am I on the right path and will any of the OAG's fit the 2 inch visual back that is fitted to the scope. I don't want to waste too much money if this proves next to impossible to image with, and selling unwanted gear out here is almost impossible too. Alan

Stunning shot there, where is this target and can it be taken with a normal modded camera. Alan

Thank you Anne, not seeing you post I did exactly that you describe, in stages and in the end got to 1 arc minute, checked 3 times. That's good enough, straight after I slewed to Antares and it was almost bang on the centre so I hope I have it now. In the day I took the mount apart and found the metal peg that is a stop for the AZ adjustment was moving freely, tighten every thing up, this can't have helped I am sure. Thanks, Alan

I am fairly sure that is the best M27 I have seen, It was about the 1st target I ever shot with my 12 inch SC, not as good as this I must add. Alan

I imagine judging by your equipment you like wide fields, I don't know if it is the best but next week I am going for a ASI 071, it is about the most expensive and will really help with the wide fields, you may well need a flattener though. Coming down in price somewhat is the 294 model which to me looks nice and its still a large chip. I have been put off the 183 model by one or two people on site. Alan

Stunning image you two, stunning. Alan

Always top quality from you Avani!! Alan

I think that is very nice indeed, and show me at least the differences in approach and the end result, I have just captured about 3 half hours on this over a few night because of trees. Mine done with a modded canon from years back and very red compared to yours, I will post it up in the next day or so. Alan

A beautiful natural image, I dare say for some people it is not in your face enough but it is really nice to this type of image, maybe I should take a leaf out of your book. Alan

I used a method of noise reduction that worked very well for Globs in particular, it was from an old video on YTube using the clone stamp, layers and gausian blur, you can use a very similar action for gradient, it just comes down to different blending modes. It was Budget Astro I think the guy went under. It worked very well indeed. Alan

Er, being a sort of new to this, can you translate, GIMP, I assume Startools is part of the program. Alan

Wow, incredible shot from both of you, Dave told me he was coming down to you, he has been very helpful towards me, as indeed you have yourself, can't be easy putting up with halfwits like me when you are both so good. Alan

What do you use to de-noise, I have been using select and mask them adjust it in Raw file viewer, I use to use a different technique which always worked on Globs but have mislayed my book of notes. Even I am beginning to like it after you have done this. Alan

As poor as this is I thought i would post it as it is probably impossible from the UK and far from ideally placed out here in central Bulgaria. This is only 40mins as I didn't want to waste too much time on it as it was never going to be wonderful through the haze. Normal gear Canon 40D and 805mm apo on an AZ EQ 6. Guiding was fairly awful this low down and fully understand why Olly from a similar latitude does not recomment to his guest shooting around the Antraes area which is in fact about 5-6 degrees higher in the sky. Be kind I know it's not great, Alan

Purely personal taste and in any case a superb image but I do prefer Datalords sharpened take on this. Great mount you have there, just considering a better one myself, as much as I could afford to spend much more money on a mount I may find the wife chops something off, like my head. Alan

I don't believe you can collimate the polar scope in the AZ EQ 6, it just screws into a threaded sleeve. I sat and had a very good go at it last night with the Polar Drift, even with this after 4 minutes settle and then adjust following the instructions to the letter is ended up further out than it was before I started, if the 2nd drift check is to be believed. Messed with it for over 40 minutes and got it down to a steady 1 arc min allowing 6 minutes without it moving. Oddly though I didn't get there by following the instruction, I just moved the start a little of the to the circle and just kept checking, can't say I'm impressed, unless I am doing something very wrong, which I don't feel I am. On the Drift align, I know exactly where to slew the scope to. Alan

I have no idea what mod mine has but it's a 40D from a member on here, bought it back in 2012 I think, it's modded by a company in the UK, the camera must be 10 years old I guess, I use to have a normal one and 50D but have gone to 7D's now they are not modded though, keep thinking to try out the Mk 1 as I don't use it so much now but I don't have one of the mains power plug in's. Personally I feel you should just carry on the way you are, your photo's are very good indeed and gives me something to aim for, colour means little as it is purely taste. You stuff it always sharp and interesting. Alan Alan

Post my shot, I only got 7 subs, I will do when I have added some more, it was very windy last night and I wasn't that happy with anything. Personally I like that better but it is interesting, both using Canon I am getting a white cluster with a whole lot more orange about. I have just bashed this out very quickly 2 minutes in PS just so you can see, don't think my focus was anything to write home about. Alan

I imaged that myself last night but it was rather windy and guiding was poor . As an image I like it but a tad over blue for my own personal tastes, strangely on my image the stars in the cluster can out very white compared to those around. Alan

Maybe we have been over it before, it was just frustration I guess but was only pointing out what I had done, seem to waste a great deal of time on this aspect. If reinstalling is not the issue, I didn't see that advised as to what was, it's an odd one as I see it, FLO have agreed to send another cable for the EQdir, which they don't actually feel is the problem. Alan.

Me for sure, found his Observers Book of Astronomy back in 1969, read it 5 times. Alan

Mine is 18 inch F 4.3 and has a F/L of 1980mm, I have to stand on a 12cm brick when directly overhead, not that often I have to say. So give you some idea, I'm 1cm taller. Alan

Absolutely superb, I spoke to him, did a bit of name dropping as my cousin John Anthony produced him when he was in Genesis, in fact he found the band, it is very difficult to believe that they and Queen were not wanted back then by anyone, onl;y John knew that had something. Interest to you in 1968 he was DJ at a London club, Speakeasy I think, when two from a band and two from another band on the bill asked if they could do a 20 minute set as a jam. So John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page with the other two got together for the very first concert of any kind by what later was called Led Zep, John MCéd their first UK tour as a thank-you to him. He found a lot of top bands and actually got sacked by Mercury for trying to sign a friend, David Bowie and King Crimson. Alan