nephilim

I'm starting again after an 8 year break due to been sick to death of so very few clear nights & inappropriate kit for what I was wanting to do. So this time i'm able to 'start again' with the sort of kit I should have been looking at the first time around for imaging. Heres my list : Mount (Just purchased): Explore Scientific EXOS-2 PMC-Eight GOTO Mount Scope: William Optics Zenithstar 73 II APO 2019 Camera: Canon EOS 700D (modified) Field flattener: WO flattener/ reducer Filter: optolong l‑extreme (for those moonlit nights that seem to always be clear) This (or similar) is how I should have done it the first time I tried my hand at AP. The above are the most important, the rest will follow & are the usual AP related things, laptop, portable power station, dew heaters etc etc.

Hi, Im in the very early stages of building up an AP set up (I have the mount...........😃) After a failed attempt at this several years ago trying to save money wherever I could, I realised a little too late that AP is not really a pastime that benefits from 'doing it on the cheap'. although I have seen that it can be done it will make it much much harder, as if it wasnt hard enough😬) Obviously I would still like to save money where its possible & as the title suggests, just how important is the spec of the laptop used as the capture/ control hardware. I'm looking at a new, upto date laptop , Windows 10, USB 3.1 etc but just at the lower end of the market price wise. The link ive posted is just a random one at around the price im looking at. All my image processing will be done on my desktop PC which is high end. If something higher end is needed (I may be missing something but I cant see why) then i'll spend the extra £££ but if I can save a couple of hundred ££ then that money 'saved' can go towards things which I know are important scope/ camera etc. https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/asus-e410ma-14-laptop-intel-celeron-128-gb-emmc-blue-10209188-pdt.html Thanks Steve

As mentioned above, I also highly recommend reading this. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html It starts with the very basics, (equipment) goes into all the steps in between (sequence, framing, focus, capture etc) & onto the final product (The finished image) AP has a VERY steep learning curve & this book (in my opinion) will give you really good understanding as to whats involved.

Your story sounds very similar to mine. 9yrs ago I bought a cheap scope for just observing (SW 130 EQ 2) Not great but fine to start with for a beginner. Then I joined SGL 🙄 & decided I needed better EPs, then decided I needed a bigger/better scope so I bought the SW200p & HQ5. That fed the bug for a while until I realised AP was the road I wanted to go down 🙄 At the time I didn't really have the funds for the ideal kit so I bought the aftermarket motors for the EQ5 & modified an old Xbox webcam for planetary imaging. I did get some ok ish images but nowhere near what I wanted (my expectations were far too high) so I bought a canon eos 350d. That also wasn't ideal so bought the eos 750D . To cut a long story short I ended up becoming completely disheartened realising there was no cheap way of doing it so I just gave up & sold everything. It'd still been in the back of my mind over the last 6yrs & due to a change in circumstances & hours of research, I've decided to give it another shot. I'll be buying a couple of things per month & should be up & running by February. This time I'm going to do things properly & also not jump in at the deep end. My mount arrived last week, I'll be pairing it with the WO Zenithstar 73 ll & a modified eos 2000D. The scope is nice, light & managable & the mount more than capable of taking its weight plus imaging kit. Guiding can wait until I've mastered the basics, PA, Platesolving, framing & focus, flats, darks & the capture software (NINA) Hopefully this time around I have a bit more success. Good luck to you & hopefully we'll both be producing some descent images soon. P.S Below is my new mount. It's the Explore Scientific EXOS-2 PMC Eight Goto. It's a seemingly very solid, good quality piece of gear & it will probably take me until next Feb to work out how to use it, learn ASCOM & get everything talking to each other 😒

I've just bought this mount & have to say it's a really good quality, solid piece of kit. I'll be hopefully using NINA through ASCOM. Lockie's videos have proved very helpful. Good luck running it on Linux 😬

Cheers @Philip R. I've been away for quite a while although I did briefly ask a couple of questions a few years ago, it was about starting up with AP again 🙄, but in the end just left it as it was all down to lack of funds. This time I spent around 6 months researching, making sure that if I did try again that I would do it with proper kit. I'm committed now that I've bought the mount though as that's the first big hurdle out of the way (and the most expensive). I won't be up & running until around January/ February, which is fine as the weather up here in the Lake District is usually clouds & more clouds until the new year when the cold, crisp, clear nights tend to start, so plenty of time for research so I get it right 🙂

Hi Peter, It's good to see some familiar faces are still on board 🙂

Thanks Steve, The new mount is definitely a step up from my old EQ5 with aftermarket motors 😁 I would however pay handsomely for a way of guaranteeing clear skies 😬

Thanks Starwatcher 2001, I've finally accepted there's really no cheap way when it comes to AP. It'll take a few months to save for the equipment but in the long run the investment will be more than worth it. Clear skies to you too 🙂

Hi, just thought I'd say a quick hello. I've been a member on here for over 8yrs mainly visual but became a bit disillusioned after a couple of failed attempts at AP, my failures were due to inappropriate equipment & also a lack of funds to try it with the right equipment. Circumstances have changed & I'm able to give it a proper go this time although kit will be bought on a monthly basis so I won't be up & running until Jan/Feb, which gives me plenty of time for research. The first & most important piece of kit arrived the other day. It's the Explore Scientific EXOS-2 PMC-Eight GOTO Mount which is similar to the HEQ5 Pro but can carry a little more weight & has a different GOTO system although I'll be using it with ASCOM & Stellarium, it seems a very good quality piece of kit. So here I go again ,😬

Hi Adam, Those are really impressive images, especially if you were just starting out. I'm only just starting out as well so i'd be more than happy getting anything like those at some point. Thanks for the info, After the reviews i'd previously read, feedback from this & now seeing the quality of the images its capable of I think i'm definitely going to go for this camera. Cheers Steve

Thanks for taking the time to answer mate. Thats a really nice image for an unmodded DSLR. Im in the process of getting all my kit together at the moment & it'll probably take around 3 months until i'm ready to actually image, but that gives me time to do plenty of research. I tried my hand at it a few years ago but I only had my visual set up (HQ5 with a Skywatcher 200p with after market motors fitted) & there was no way I could afford the another set up at the time. It was totally unsuitable & the frustration just meant I gave up completely. My circumstances have changed now & im able to buy the appropriate kit (albeit over a few months), Ive just bought the mount ( Explore Scientific EXOS-2 PMC-Eight GOTO ) so thats the big item out of the way. The guy who owns Astronomiser also sells modded cameras but thanks for letting me know about Juan, its good to know i'll have 2 suppliers to choose from when the time comes. Also i'll keep in mind your advice on the dummy battery, 🙂 ATB Steve

That's good to hear, cheers 🙂

Hi, One piece of advice I can give (I'm not that experienced myself but this is advice I've previously been given & also heard many times) is forget about guiding to start with. There's enough to learn to start & guiding can come later. With a good polar alignment you should be able to get 3 to 5 min subs with no problem. Concentrate on the basics first, polar alignment, framing & focusing etc & get used to been able to use the capture software efficiently . Trying to jump straight in at the deep end can lead to frustration (I know this from past experience). Once you've mastered these & your happy with your procedure then think about adding to it with guiding etc. That's just my opinion anyway. Good luck.

I have the EXOS-2, your right that it is controlled via WiFi with a tablet or laptop using ES's own app (Explorestars) but it can also be connected (cable) directly to a laptop & is fully ASCOM compliant.

Hi Ivor I've just bought this mount & the actual payload for imaging is up to 12.7kg (28lbs) & 18kg (30.6lb) for visual (According to specifications given on FLO's website). This is actually a heavier payload limit than the HEQ5 Pro which is 11kg (24.2lb) I haven't used the mount yet but set up it seems a very sturdy & good quality piece of kit. I was originally looking at buying the HEQ 5 Pro but for some reason they're sold out pretty much everywhere unless you want to pay way over the odds at one of those online (so called) astronomy outlets. I then saw the ES mount for £90 less than the HEQ 5 Pro & saw rhat a fellow SGL member had done a review of his ES mount on here. I watched the video , was pretty impressed, so I messaged him & after a short conversation decided to buy it. I'm very happy with it but obviously I'll have to see how it performs in the field. The reason I've sent this reply to you is in case anyone reads your comment regarding the payload weight & decides not to buy it based on that 🙂 All the best At Steve

Hi, Does anyone have any user experience of the above camera for astrophotography? I've recently made the decision to start out yet again after several years away from the hobby (SGL member for 8yrs), it seems to have a habit of always pulling me back in 😁 Im looking for a suitable reasonably priced DSLR to hone my skills (or lack of at the moment) before moving onto a dedicated astro camera & after quite a bit of research I think this is ideal for what I want. it seems pretty good for a more budget end DSLR but I've not been able to find any mention of how it handles noise etc. I appreciate I could probably get a better camera for a similar cost second hand but I've 'lucked out' buying second hand before & ideally would prefer brand new. I'll be getting the IR modification done straight away, pairing it with the WO Zenithstar 73 ll & looking at DSO imaging using N.I.N.A as my capture software. (I've added the info in the last paragraph in case there's any compatibility issues with the 2000D I'm unaware of, although I can't see that there would be) TIA Steve

Thanks for the info, I'll have a look at that

Thanks for the info mate ☺️

Hi, I've been away from the hobby for a few years but looking at getting back into the AP side of it. I know Astronomiser was really popular a while back with his camera modification service & was wondering if he's still operating (His website is still up, I tried ringing but had no answer) i'm looking at buying a modified EOS 2000D through him & always read very good reviews of his service. Thanks Steve

Thankyou Annie, That does help, I'll be ordering tomorrow.

Has anyone read the above book by Steve Richards? I'm 'yet again' going to take the 'dive' into AP after many disappointments over the years with inappropriate gear. Ive finally made the first correct purchase, Friday saw delivery of the Explore Scientific EXOS-2 PMC-Eight GOTO Mount which from first looks seems a really solid piece of well engineered kit. Ive now realised if i'm to have a real chance of successfully imaging DSO's I need to buy the right gear so the mount is the start. It'll take me until around January before i've everything I need to start actually taking an image but I believe it will be well worth the wait as it also gives me a great deal of time for proper research into what i'll need. Back to Steve's book, I had a copy of Making Every Photon Count & found it a great, well explained guide (I unfortunately sold it a few years ago when I last gave up so that will be bought again hope fully with this one) & as soon as I saw he'd written a processing guide I knew that it would be the perfect guide for me. My main concern is i've seen a review that mentions its directed more towards MaximDL but in the synopsis states it mainly covers Photoshop. I'm much more familiar with Photoshop than Maxim & think i've a steep enough learning curve ahead of me without having to learn new processing software so will be sticking with Photoshop. Does anyone know if it is mainly towards Maxim/ Photoshop or a bit of both (Which I dont mind) Heres a quick photo of the ES mount. When I was researching the mount I found very actual real user info but then luckily came across a great unboxing video on YouTube with the promise of more videos to come, I sent a message to the video poster & found out he's a member of SGL (Lockie). He's a fair bit ahead of my with owning it timewise & a lot more experienced in AP than me, so thats going to make a massive difference when it comes to any issues I may have as he will probably have already come across them & found a solution. I'll be letting the forum know my own personal thoughts on the mount etc a little further along. Regards Steve

Look at getting a 12nm Ha fliter (There are DSLR compatible ones available https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/astronomik-h-alpha-12nm-ccd-eos-clip-filter.html) You can image on a full moon or light polluted area. The subs can then be added to image data aleady taken normally or just on their own they look great.