Alien 13

Me too but I did play the whole of the original War of the Worlds album (on vinyl) to make up for it.... Alan

Thats a good enough excuse for me, I used to have a sticker over my laptop camera but thought what the hell......good job I invested in some hair clippers Alan

Was thinking visual, no matter how big or small a scope is you can only get 6mm worth of light in.. Alan

Totally agree, there are views that you can see with a 60mm refractor that are impossible with a reflector no matter how big it is and vice versa.. Alan

Have joined a few of these and they are brilliant but not seen many faces Alan

Has anyone mentioned a Tak Epsilon.... Alan

My 90mm Mak is very lickable, my Labrador took a swipe at it with her tongue during unboxing... Alan

For ultimate cuteness you can go for a 90 mm Questar Alan

I think the debate is far less contentious than it used to be, quality reflectors are so affordable these days that price has to be a major factor. I like both especially when mirrors and lenses are mixed like the Cat designs.. Alan

I cant say for sure but the single axis drive certainly does work with a USB power bank, remember that 4 rechargeable D cells will only give 4,8V anyway and most power banks output 5.2V. I use a 10AH one and will run the mount for weeks.. Alan

+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

Enjoyed that talk, was nice to see a mention about display calibration which in my view is the number 1 most important part of an AP setup. 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