Alien 13

+2 for Affinity Photo. Alan

Not to mention the night time suntan Alan

I use DSS for deep sky and a combination of PIPP and Registax for Lunar finished off with Affinity photo.. Alan

I can spot those posts that dont have calibrated displays easily, it works both ways with what you both post and view especially with the black point setting. Alan

I am in two minds regarding Betelgeuse, would be great to see it go bang but it would ruin a majestic constellation.. Alan

No problem Billy, make a note of the profiles you have at the moment as they can easily be got back via the "add" drop down listing if things go weird.. Alan

If you look in control panel-colour management it should show the associated profile for each monitor, if you then click "add" you can change the profile in use. If your PC lets you change these profiles individually then the Spyder should work, you can check this by running through the normal manual calibration for one monitor and giving the profile an odd name to see if it appears for just one or both display profiles. Alan

I have the Spyder 5 and it does a great job even on my laptop monitor, it does not however "calibrate" the display itself but instead creates an ICC profile for it that is used by your graphics card. The Spyder can create multiple profiles for different displays but not sure how this would work with two displays from one graphics card unless you can see two distinct profiles listed. The downside of all this is that these created profiles are local to the PC which is fine to a point but means that you cant for example use it to calibrate your TV as a stand alone item. Alan P.S. I cant comment on the newer Spyder versions but will have a look.

Reflectors will always be hybrid refactors unless someone invents an eyepiece using mirrors, lots of people especially in Japan use refactors "straight through" so no contamination there Alan

I agree but a worrying thing I did notice was that the backed up win old file which was around 38 Gb vanished after 8 days on my laptop without any intervention from me which would suggest anyone should check your system quickly after a big update.. Alan

It depends on the type of modification in that a filter replacement that allows a little more Ha through will probably still work OK for general daytime use although you will have some issues with colour balance and some lenses will show excessive CA. A full mod that removes both filters will render the camera useless for normal daytime photography as well as loosing any auto sensor clean and the ability to auto focus with lenses.... Alan

The 60D is a better camera than the 600D in all respects but heavier if thats a concern although it is weather proofed and has some serious extra features. Alan

I usually go for the short dovetail and ball head option myself but do agree that its a lot of mass hanging on a single screw even though my large ball head itself would probably hold a small car I do think there is a market for some sort of "cage system" to hold a DSLR and lens firmly with at least two mounting screws although have seen some DIY versions of this type of thing using videography kit. I do always include a safety "lanyard" attached between camera and mount just in case as well as safety screws on the dovetail to prevent it from slipping off. Alan

The 600D is a good camera with a decent blend of performance and features, a good upgrade but probably outside your budget would be the 60D. Have a look at MPB photographic or WEX for good used cameras. Alan

I would think the Canon lens would be far better, probably up to high end APO standards and maybe a bit more as not many 400mm scopes will cover a full frame imaging circle. Alan