nephilim

I'm looking for some advice on planetary imaging. I'm slowly building up my AP set up (just saving for the last few pieces) but in the meantime i'm looking at trying some lunar/ planetary imaging.

I've just bought the Evoguide 50ED & ZWO ASI 120MM-S camera as my guiding setup but would like to try it out with the Moon/ Planets (and get used to using everything before I start with DSO imaging) I'm looking at getting the above Barlow/ Extender but unsure which version would work best, either the 3x or 5x. Firstly, would this work well in the first place for planets (Saturn/ Jupiter) & secondly would the 5x be too much for UK skies.

Tia

Steve 

29 minutes ago, Quatermass said:

Lovely place to get back into astrophotography and your kit looks spot on, seems we are following the same path way I moved house last month and for the first time in 4 years have a really lovely dark sky area which was my main reason for taking it up again. We both learned a great deal from the first time round and Im sure that will really help as we move on. One of the biggest learning curves for me was processing the data I collected and making sure I had good data to work with. As well as that the need to have a more perminent set up which made life a lot simpler. I look forward to seeing your progress Steve and hope its just as enjoyable as it was when you first began, such a great pastime imaging the night sky. The canon 350d is still a great camera dispite its lack of support now from cannon I will continue to use it as well as the 1200d when i get it. I have often thought of upgrading to a cooled camera with a filter set but too be honest I think I would be happy with my dslr and an Ha filter. here are a few shots from the last week or so taken with the old 350d.

 

IMG_0005.CR2 6.94 MB · 1 download

Wow, I see you haven't lost your touch & it shows that the 350D is still a very good camera. those are some cracking landscape shots. I love diffraction spikes on stars & was torn between buying a reflector or refractor, in the end ive decided on a refractor mainly due to the size/ weight. As for my camera choice, im not going for filters as I dont have the time to be collecting data from several channels plus theres the added expense & yet more to learn. I'm looking at the ZWO ASI 533MC-Pro OSC, it has zero amp glow & I like the idea of a cooled camera to keep noise down, plus its a perfect match to the frac i'm looking at getting pixel wise. It's going to be a month or so until I have the money & I might change my mind back to a DSLR by then, I seem to be constantly chopping & changing my mind. I wasnt going to start guiding for a while to keep costs down but after reading about how much longer your exposures can be I just thought 'in for a penny in for £1000'😂
I'm glad you also have nice dark skies as it'll make a massive difference, especially when it comes to processing. I know very little on that side of things so i've bought Steve Richards latest book 'Dark Art or Magic Bullet' & at first glance it looks a very good guide.

I'm very much looking forward to it all this time around having learned a lot from last time (although i've probably also forgotten a lot), it'll be good seeing how we both progress. For once im actually looking forward to the Moon making an appearance so I can finally get my first shot .

Btw, I ended up getting rid of my salt water aquarium due to time constraints & a relationship breakup, there wern't many places for rent that would accommodate a 7ft fish tank 😂 (the break up was very amicable & we're still good friends plus been single affords me far more time to dedicate to AP😃) I ended up giving my fish away to a public aquarium that I know very well, I let them take them for nothing as I preferred knowing they were going somewhere that knew how to look after them rather than sell them to a random buyer not knowing their setup/ knowledge etc.

6 hours ago, Quatermass said:

Hi Steve yes the poor old 350d has been well and truly forgotten by cannon I have had several replies from them about updating the drivers but they just give a standard reply saying there not going to in so many words. I've got my eye on a 1200d which I intend to modify along with the synscan upgrade kit for my Eq5 mount so NINA should fit nicely into that set up along with a guide camera later on. It's interesting getting back into it all again though and seeing how much new software has been developed. Be interested to see how you get on with your set up as I'm doing the same having learned a great deal from doing it all the first time 😊

The 1200D should be a lot easier to work with, its a shame about the 350D as you had some cracking images from it last time around.
I've just bought my guiding setup (I've never guided before so thats another thing to learn) i'll be using the Skywatcher Evoguide 50ED & ZWO ASI 120mm-S which was fairly expensive but the quality is amazing.
I've finally got a proper GOTO mount as well this time around, the Explore Scientific EXOS-2 PMC-Eight GOTO Mount plus a dedicated laptop for AP, theLIFePO4 power tank for portable power & a few other bits & pieces. The main imaging scope & camera are next on the list so I should hopefully be up & running by around January. While I wait for those i'll be able to do some widefield, lunar & planetary (with a 3x Barlow) imaging using the guiding kit which will also help with learning how everything works (theres a hell of a lot to learn).

My problem last time was I was to quick to rush at everything which is why I made mistakes. This time around i'm taking my time, even if it takes another 6 months before I get a half decent image I think it will be worth it. I hope it all goes well for you 🙂 I think the guidescope is a little bit dwarfed by the mount in the photo but at least it'll be nice & stable for lunar imaging 😂 Ive also moved house in the last couple of weeks to a place that has absolutely no light pollution & wide open, unobstructed views N/ NW at the back with a good patio to set up on, we had a clear night 2 nights ago (typical 🙄) & i've never seen the Milky Way so clearly🙂

5 hours ago, Jm1973 said:

This is the only duo narrowband clip in filter I've been able to find for my Nikon APS-C:

https://www.cliftoncameras.co.uk/stc-clip-astro-duo-nb-filter/brand-fitting/nikon-aps-c

I'm trying to find some technical details for it, as there is nothing on the website...

Hi mate,
I didn't realise you were using a Nikon (That shouldnt be a problem though). This is where i'll be getting mine from https://www.firstlightoptics.com/optolong-filters/optolong-dual-band-l-extreme-filter.html   If you haven't used them already I highly recommend them, i've been using them for years & they've never let me down. I'd email them & explain your using an unmodified Nikon & ask which filter you'll need (i'm sure its the 2" clip in) Ive been buying quite a few bits over the last couple of months & asking a fair few questions & they've always answered by the next day.
Have you thought about getting your camera modded? I know that a lot of places that mod cameras dont do Nikon as they cant shoot a true RAW image ( something to do with them still running dust & scratches filters when the camera is 'supposed' to be in RAW mode)

Ive started 'following you' on here (not like a stalker though 😂) so its easier to keep in touch. Its good to be in contact with someone at a similar stage to me although you've actually started taking photos 😃 Ive still got to save for the main scope & camera but now i've got the guiding gear ( Skywatcher Evoguide 50ED & ZWO ASI 120MM-S) I can do a bit of lunar imagining with Sharpcap & if I get a 3x Powermate i'll be able to do a bit of planetary, that way I can start getting used to using all the apps. 

I'll be using NINA as my main capture software (Framing, focus, platesolving & image sequencing etc) which ive never used before. I'm also using ASCOM for the first time (to control my mount, camera etc) so ive no doubt i'll be spending a fair bit of time banging my head against a wall as its guaranteed nothing will work first time around 😬😂 Let me know how you get on regarding the filter, you could always ask on here as well.

1 hour ago, Quatermass said:

Nice to know astrophotography is still as frustrating as it was when I first started ten years ago but I was looking at software possiblitys astroberry stellarmate and then came across NINA and down loaded it to have gander. Very nice indeed but.. has any been able to connect a cannon 350d to it? Im getting another cannon to mod later on but it would be nice to be able to use the old 350d on this software but so far everthing hates it. Any one had any joy please inlighten me cheers...

QM

As you know, I'm also coming back to AP after a long break & cant believe how many new pieces of software are now available. After using BYEOS last time around, I'm also going to be using N.I.N.A as it just seems to have everything all in one place. I've decided to finally buy a dedicated camera (ZWO ASI 533Mc Pro) as although its going to be hard at the start trying to learn how to use it on top of everything else I've to learn and also to re-learn, I've realised the benefits will be massive in the long run.
As for the 350D, I've noticed that its not supported with quite a few things now. There's no list in NINA stating which are/ are not compatible as they say this changes all the time due to the program constantly developing, but I cant see them adding the 350D due to the age of it (I could be wrong) I'd seriously think about getting a newer model as they can be picked up very cheaply nowadays & it'll make your life so much easier than trying to muddle through with the 350D.

Steve
 

Lynx 4 port Dew Controllor, I see FLO have changed their 'weather warning' sticker 😂

2 hours ago, Jm1973 said:

Yeah, I'm all about the DSOs too. I'm a bit annoyed because I spent about 150 quid a month ago on some EPs as I liked planets at the time, but shortly after I got bitten by the DSO bug.  Waste of money as I haven't even used an EP since. I just stick my DSLR on the telescope and away I go. The only reason I mentioned using this camera for planetary is my other half has mentioned getting some photos of the conjunction in December, and if I say this will do the job, I'm going to get less grief for buying it, lol.

I'm going to need to get some kind of filter too soon I imagine, as my photos are practically clipping the white end of the histogram after even 2 minutes due to LP.  So my photos are pretty noisy. But using filters will require longer exposures, so I thought I get the guide camera first and get used to that. I am ok getting the brighter DSOs with my current setup, but less bright ones I've had trouble getting enough data to pull much out of it. Still I've managed to get a few images that I like, over the last month or so. It's just a shame the weather is so rubbish. 

 

 

 

 

Nice one, i'd be pleased with those images.

I'm pretty lucky that I live in the middle of nowhere & have no light pollution whatsoever. I will be getting the Optolong L-eXtreme Dual Band Narrowband Filter though. Its one of the best LP filters on the market & cuts out 100% of all unnatural light plus moonlight (It always seems to be totally clear when the moons out which is typical) It only lets in Ha & Olll & has a very narrow bandpass of 7nm. Its bloody expensive though at £239 for the 2"dedicated camera version (its the same price for the clip in DSLR one as well) but I think its more than worth it for the extra nights imaging you'll get from using it.

Good idea saying the camera will be good for the conjunction 😂😂 My ex used to give me loads of grief for buying gear, she'd have a meltdown if we were still together now, getting the right gear for AP has cost me just over £1900 in the last 2 months & i've nearly another 3K that needs spending before i'm up & running so its a pretty good job i'm single now 😃 This hobby is far from cheap. I'm also into mountain biking so i'm pretty much skint all the time 😂

37 minutes ago, Lockie said:

It's a beast Steve! 😜 Seriously though, I'll be interested to hear how you get on with a spot of imaging with it....and dare I say observing 

I think it's worth a shot while I wait for the proper imaging frac, chuck a 3x Barlow in there & & with theb ZWO 120MM it'll be a good little lunar/ planetary imager setup 😁

@Lockie put me into his thread so I felt it only right to add my little frac. Evoguide 50ED arrived today as part of my guide system. I think it's a little overmounted just on its own 😂

32 minutes ago, Jm1973 said:

Yeah. I bought this setup for visual initially but now I want to image. So far I am able to image ok.. at least I haven;t butted up against anything insurmountable yet. I imagine at some point I will need to change scope, but so far it's working for me.

I was the same mate. I'd been interested in astronomy since I was a kid but back then scopes were way out of my price range. I kept the interest but only bought my first scope around 9yrs ago (Skywatcher 130m) when I saw how much prices had dropped. I then joined SGL (thats when I started headlong down that slippery slope 😂) & ended up buying the HQ5/ 200p & THEN decided I wanted to get into AP, at the time I couldn't afford kit that would be ideal for it so made do with what I had (You can do AP with it but its just so much harder to get anything half decent as your always fighting with the size of the scope & the limited tracking ability with the mount & added motors) I had some success with Jupiter, Saturn & the Moon (I modified an Xbox camera I bought off ebay for £4, removed the lens filter & bodged together an adapter to fit the scope 😂) but even that was harder than it should be) But its DSO's & star clusters that i'm really interested in imaging.

In the end a mixture of not enough time, too much faffing about & crappy uk weather put me off entirely & I gave it all up. Now, 4yrs later i'm able to buy the sort of kit I should have bought last time around. I've been buying a couple of things every month (I hate using credit cards so ive just saved up) & all thats left to get is the main scope which will be next month (WO GT81 IV Triplet) & the main camera (ZWO ASI 533MC-Pro) in January. After that I know ive a massive learning curve ahead of me but at least i'll have the proper kit which'll make it not quite as difficult as last time, but not far off 😬

Steve

5 minutes ago, Jm1973 said:

Oh hey. You've got the same setup as me: EQ5 and Skywatcher 200p.

Are you imaging with the xbox cam?

Whoops, that was from a few years ago (I thought i'd deleted that). I'm using a Explore Scientific EXOS-2 PMC-Eight GOTO Mount now & about to buy a WO GT81 IV APO Triplet. I tried AP with my last set up (200p/ EQ5) but it was near on impossible, so this time around i'm buying the kit I should have bought last time. I was using an Xbox cam for planetary at the time & that worked ok as a cheap option. 

I've just bought the ZWO ASI 120MM to use as a guide camera, a mono camera is much more sensitive than a colour camera so it's easier to pick up a guide star.

More additions to my up coming AP set up

Skywatcher Evoguide 50ED.

ZWO ASI 120MM (The USB 3.0 version) planetary camera to be used as my guide camera.

Steve Richards Astro processing guidebook

Celestron LiFePO4 (13.2Ah) Powertank to run everything.

The Evoguide & camera seem very good quality. Super fast and efficient service from FLO as usual, very happy.

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

I find visual observing directly connects me to what I’m seeing whereas AP isn’t as involving.  Just prefer that direct connection but maybe that’s just me. 🤔

I feel there's a big connection when it comes to AP. 

I find it amazing that these photons of light set off travelling from their source X amount of years ago, have spent all those years travelling quite literally at the speed of light from so far away, to end up hitting the sensor in my camera to produce the image on the screen. I find it quite humbling tbh.

Sreve

11 minutes ago, Nate67 said:

Thanks again for your comments. The only negatives I have received so far is that it has no tracking capabilities like goto. Is this something that can be added at a later date if I wanted. At present I would like to try learn the sky for myself without guidence but you never know if you will change your mind at a later date. 

 

Upgrading a Dobsonian style scope to one that tracks will be difficult with a dob base. Have a look at this thread. You really need a GEM mount for that. https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/562874-dobsonian-tracking-systems/

Really nice set up Chris, I bet your really pleased with it.
Looking forward to how it all finally works once electrics etc are installed.

1 hour ago, vlaiv said:

I have TS 80mm photoline F/6 APO that might be sourced from the same factory as WO GT 81.

With SW, I would check following:

- what sort of flattener / reducer can be used with it

- how good is focuser and does it have threaded connection.

F/6 scope can be reduced F/4.8 without too much trouble with good FF/FR. However, in order to give best performance - there should be no tilt and threaded connection is the way to go about that one.

Thank you for replying Vlaiv, these are 2 considerations & obviously both make sense.

I've a couple of months for research before buying so still a lot to look into.

I'll also have a look at the TS 🙂

As part of my upcoming AP setup I'm looking at buying a Triplet  & so far I've narrowed it down to either the Sky-Watcher Esprit 80 ED Pro or WO GT 81 lV. 

Both these scopes are a similar price. The Skywatcher is slightly faster @F5 (WO F5.9) & a slightly shorter FL @400 (WO 478). The Skywatcher comes with a finder & star diagnol which are of no interest to me, 'extras don't figure into my decision as I'm only interested in the scope itself.

I don't know why but I'm thinking the WO will be better quality although there's nothing wrong with Skywatcher as a make. Both will be checked & tuned by Es Reid.

Does anyone have any experience with either or both of these?

Obviously I'd be interested in other makes with similar specifications.

Although I had originally decided on a DSLR, I'm becoming more drawn towards a dedicated camera (at the moment, as I keep changing my mind as I read up on all these things......Too many choices 😂).  The 2 cameras I'm looking at are the ZWO ASI 533MC Pro & the ZWO ASI 294MC Pro.

Tia

Steve 

4 hours ago, edarter said:

That laptop should do it nicely

Thanks mate, I was surprised at how cheap refurbished laptops are, 

1 hour ago, Synchronicity said:

I bought a Canon 7d (mark 1) when I started about 3 years ago.  I had just bought an Esprit 80 and an EQ5 mount so a dedicated camera was out of the question.  With that setup I could learn everything I needed to know about setting up, guiding, capture and processing and I could also figure out exactly what I wanted to do and what I'd need to do it.
Among the things I learned is that where I live and with the time I can spend large multi filter projects with a mono camera would be really difficult to achieve.  I love what can be done with mono imaging but It's not for me at the moment.

I've been fortunate enough to be able to upgrade my mount so now have a NEQ6 and I made a stupid impulse purchase of a QHY10 OSC camera a few months ago.  I say stupid because the camera is not a good match to my scope (details here).

A decent used DSLR can be picked up cheaply and, of course, can be used for normal photography too.  That lets you take everything forward for a while and gives you time to decide what dedicated astro camera suits you best.
Now that I have my new setup working well I am making a saddle for the DSLR to sit on top of the scope and I plan to have that taking wide-field data for whatever part of the sky I'm imaging.

Smashings comment about the gear not holding him back right now is very pertinent.  Once you have a setup that works consistently then you are practising everything else from framing to processing.

So, no real advice, just some rambling thoughts and experience 😉

Michael

Thanks for the reply.

I agree, the more I look into it the more I'm thinking a DSLR will be the best option for now . Ive seen a fair amount of images & videos about having it modified (appreciate this means it can't be used for daytime photography) so I think that's the way I'll go.

I'm very familiar with DSLR's & have used one for AP before but my lack of decent equipment let me down 

Plus I also like the idea of using a DSLR /lens for wide field.

Cheers

Steve

58 minutes ago, smashing said:

Ok so this is my two pence on the matter. About ten years ago I went the full hog and got a dedicated camera with filters etc and really really struggled to get it to work with the limited time and knowledge.

Fast forward to this year and I managed to get everything out to play again but this time I used my DSLR with a shutter release cable that I had and my old dedicated camera as guide cam and instantly got some data I could play with.

Fast forward a few months and I bought a modified 600d to learn the ropes a bit more with APT and plate solving, eqmod, focusing etc etc...I thought about going the full hog but I'd want a mono cooled camera which was pushing quite a lot of $$$ compared to the modded camera .

I'm using it as a stepping stone to get my rig working and my image processing skills up (the gear isn't holding me back right now).

I like the DSLR...was nice and easy to focus, get instant results to play with and kept me tweaking things to get right and I can sell it later when I'm ready and not lose an awful lot of cash.

 

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I understand what your saying there & agree it is a lot to take on, especially with our weather here in the uk, I don't want to be wasting hours faffing around too much.  I'll be using N.I.N.A for framing, focus, plate solving & capture etc (this is another thing to learn), I used Back yard Eos last time around but N.I.N.A seems to have the lot in one place.

I'm drawn to the CCD for a few reasons, better quality images, the low temp meaning far less noise to deal with, so potentially longer subs. But the added things that can go wrong plus much more to learn are putting me off (I would be looking at OSC rather than mono with filters as I just don't think I'll have enough clear sky time to be getting data for all channels)

I won't be buying until around end December beginning of January so I've a fair bit of time for more research 🙂

As the title suggests, I'm after a bit of advice regarding a suitable camera.

I'm in the process of buying my first proper AP set up. I tried this several years ago but my budget was small & the gear/ my knowledge at the time was not up to the job. This time I have a bit more cash & deciding whether to buy a decent DSLR or a dedicated camera. 

I fully appreciate how steep the learning curve is regarding AP so I'm half thinking to go with a DSLR as I'm familiar with these, or do I just go straight to a CCD (which I'll buy in the end anyway)

My budget isn't massive (by any means) when it comes to a CCD & with around £1200 to spend does anyone have any recommendations? The scope I'll be using with this will be the WO GT81 IV Apo Triplet.

Thanks

Steve

20 minutes ago, messier 111 said:

I wish you a pleasant sky every evening.

Thank you and the same to you 🙂

9 minutes ago, Oldfort said:

This is a great part of the world for dark skies (when not cloudy).  From a site a few miles west of Penrith, I got a fabulous view of Comet Hyakutake in March 1996.  It was spread across the sky like a faint gossamer cloud, absolutely gorgeous.

I've been living in Penrith for the last 8 yrs & the new place is only about 20mins away. It's seems it the middle of nowhere but is very convenient for town etc & the back garden faces away from any skyglow from Penrith. Your right about clouds over here, that's the downside to living near mountains but when it is clear, the skies are amazing.

2 minutes ago, Grumpy Martian said:

Wonderful. What part of the world?

The North Pennines, on the border with the Lake District NP & Yorkshire Dales NP, it's perfect.