nephilim

I'm wanting the same so that I can move my gear about without stripping down. No surprise but its not cheap 😂 Some places such as this also make custom cases to suit your required specs https://www.trifibre.co.uk/product-category/type/waterproof-cases/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAk4aOBhCTARIsAFWFP9HqDWmU-dAwCprQDwATmMyUMVmQmNqPEFRD3tJLdzrA9hLNESHYQHYaAvuaEALw_wcB If foam isn't included in any case you decide on you can buy it here. https://www.gwp.co.uk/protective/foam-inserts/flight-case/

I thought everyone involved with this thread may find this a bit interesting. I regularly watch 'Cuiv the lazy geek' on YouTube. He's an astrophotography who not only is a very good source of information (and very entertaining as well) he also reviews equipment & has recently reviewed these Baader 3/4nm filters & I'm very surprised to see that even now (The video was posted today & iirc these filters went on sale back in April) these filters are been sent out in the same damaged way that they were back when this thread started. I haven't kept up to date with the thread for a while after quickly deciding I was staying well clear of these filters, so I'm not sure if the bandpass quality has been mentioned. Cuiv sent these filters off to a friend who has a lab in Japan (He also sent them out to various independent outlets for testing) to be tested & the results were quite alarming, Its easier to watch the short video than have me attempt to explain the findings but its along the lines of for example the Olll filter picking up no OIII as the bandpass had shifted, I might have not explained that properly but again watch the clip to fully understand. I for one wont be buying any more Baader filters if this is the quality standard that they are still sending out & not even trying to rectify months down the line. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkSvpOLlD2Y Steve

The 462 is also a planetary camera & would be no good for imaging DSO's. The gear needed for Planetary imaging & DSO's are totally different, the Redcat is a widefield scope & not suited for planetary. There's no real point in spending money on equipment that will be unsuitable for your goals. If DSO imaging is what your keen on then I'd either stick with the DSLR you have or save for a dedicated cooled camera that's more suitable for DSO imaging. If Planetary is more what your wanting to do then I'd have a look at gear that's set up for that. One thing you haven't mentioned is your mount. Do you already have one & if so what sort is it? The mount is by far the most important piece of of any AP kit. If you try & do that part cheaply it doesn't matter how much you spend on the rest of your equipment, you wont be able to produce good images. Lastly, i'll recommend reading this, you'll see this book recommended time & time again on here as it will tell you all you need to know about AP when your first starting out. I'd say the book alone will save you a lot of money as it'll point you in the right direction. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html Steve

I'm not sure about the 224 when it comes to spacers. I dont need them with my guide setup to achieve focus (ASI 120MM-s & SW EvoGuide 50ED) but I need them with my main imaging camera the ASI 533MC-Pro where back focus is 55mm with a scope & 44mm with my Samyang 135mm lens, but these figures need adjusting when used with filters where one third the thickness of the filter glass has to be added. Steve

The 224 isnt really ideal to use for deep space AP so i'd stick to the Nikon for that. As for filters, there's a whole array of them & all depends on your budget. I use the Optolong L-eXtreme dual NB filter for emission Nebulas & it works very well, its also good for dealing with light pollution & nights when the Moon is up. Other than that I'd recommend buying a UV/IR cut filter (not needed when your using a Dual NB (Narrow Band) filter though). It will tame star bloat that can occur with bright stars.

Excellent images Lee, you've done a great job on each of them 🙂

@ddm4313 I use these with mine although I insert a thin velcro strip to make it snug. This is my full mounting kit, the rings are obviously bottom left. Primalucelab are very good quality & everything is solid. When it comes to mounting your gear dont be tempted to 'go cheap', remember that the mounting equipment is keeping your very expensive AP gear from dropping to the floor. Primalucelab equipment is expensive but very much worth the cost for its stability & piece of mind.

ZWO Asiair Pro, made life so much easier.

Some people are unfortunately as dim as their security lights are bright. I'm just thankful I live in the middle of nowhere.

Excellent work @Adreneline & @geeklee When you mentioned to me a while back that you were both doing a big collaboration together I was very much looking forward to seeing the end result. It certainly hasn't disappointed. Its an absolutely superb image & well worth the many hours of hard work you have both put into it, it couldn't have been the easiest of things to achieve & I wouldnt even know where to start with something like this so very well done to you both. If I were to have a preferred process then it would be the first one as I like images that are subtle rather than really popping with colour & you've hit the nail on the head with that. Theres nothing wrong with the second version but everyone has their own preference. On a quick side note, I need to get my monitors calibrated I think so my next purchase will be one of those X-Rite screen calibrators so at least I'm getting true colours or as close too. Regards Steve

Thanks. I'm still getting my head around PI so its an image i'll definitely go back to.

Due to the incessant rain & cloud swamping Cumbria forever I decided to process this & post it. The framing is awful as i'd only just got the Asiair Pro & wasnt sure how to use it properly. Next time i'll get both the Heart & Soul in there. It was a while back so i'm unsure of the integration time but it was around 5hrs, taken with the gear in my signature. Thanks for looking Steve

Welcome to AP, a whole world full of jargon, frustration & faff.........But its very much worth it.

Its well worth the money mate.

Thanks Adrian, a day well spent 🙂

Thanks, I used the Optolong L-eXtreme, all the gear used is as per my signature but I cant remember the exact imaging time although it was around 4hrs.

Its been grim up here for the last few days weather wise so I spent today reprocessing an old (and not great) image. I've been using PI for a few months now & really enjoying it, although it was very intimidating to start with. I processed this by splitting the channels & (using masks) adjusting certain areas of the image with curves. I quite like how its come out. The png isnt great so i've also posted as a tif. as not everyone uses PI. Thanks for looking Steve IC1396_OIII.tif

Very lucky to only have rolling fields nearby & no light whatsoever

@tooth_dr Thank you. I'm going to have another crack at it over the weekend, still a lot to learn 🙂

@alacant Wow thats amazing, I didn't realise there was so much in there. As I've mentioned I'm still very new to this & you've definitely inspired me to continue to learn much more. Thanks very much for that. Steve

@alacant Not sure how well this will work as i got a load of warnings in PI & the file is now 104mb rather than 310mb. HTH masterLight_BIN-1_EXPOSURE-180.00s_FILTER-NoFilter_RGB.fit

I'll see if I can save it & post as a .tif when I get home, it was calibrated etc in PI though, not sure if that makes a difference, I'm a bit new to this.

@alacant This is the Master light. I'm sure someone can do a much better job of it. masterLight_BIN-1_EXPOSURE-180.00s_FILTER-NoFilter_RGB.xisf

@davew Thanks. I didnt realise that. This now means i'm going to have to put more time into it 😃

@AstroMuni Here's the Tiff file if thats any good or I can post the PI .exsif NGC6888_complete.tif