Mr Green

Hubble palette is definitely out of reach for me at the moment unfortunately. Spent a couple of hours in siril with no luck getting anything but the golden colour. I might try it with an easier target like the California nebula in the future 👍

This looks amazing, you've done a great job with this mosaic. That many hours of integration would take me months to achieve.

I'll definitely look into a UHC filter, that's cheap for this hobby, let's be honest. I'm a southerner now living in St Helens (near Liverpool). That siril video was very interesting, will be trying that out later today for sure.

Thanks for the video link, I'll check it out along with StarTools. I don't have a UHC filter but was planning on adding more data with the Optolong L-Pro at some point to see what that would do.

Hi Anne, I wanted to try hubble image processing but could only find a video for splitting colour channels via Pixinsight. If there's a way of doing it via PS or Siril, please feel free to share a link to a video guide. I will have a lot of time on my hands to practice before the sky is clear again.

Thanks for the kind words. Equipment used was Sky Watcher Evostar 72ED scope, Star Adventurer GTI mount & ZWO 2600mc pro.

Hi Wolfie, I did indeed go for the ASI 2600mc Pro and managed to pocket the last one that FLO had instock when black Friday prices started. I'll consider not using the black point dropper next time.

Hi Elp, Firstly, thank you for all the help and advice you've given me on my starting out thread. It's helpful people like yourself that has made this possible for me. The L-Extreme has blown my mind and a huge step up from my DSLR. Your point on the histogram is valid, I used the black point dropper on the background as my very last part of processing and felt as though it made the nebula pop more. I did sacrifice a very small amount of outer gasses but might crop the image slightly to get rid of the egg shaped stars.

Hi All, I got into imaging only last month and quickly realised that an unmodified DSLR wasn't going to cut it for emission nebula. This was my main goal therefore rationally purchased a OSC camera and finally had the chance to use it last night for the first time. I was so blown away that I wanted to share my image with anyone that's interested. Please bear in mind this is my first processed image other than a couple of basic pictures of a couple of galaxies. 45x Lights @ 5 mins with Optolong L-extreme 2" filter 20x Darks & 20 Flats Stacked in DSS & processed in PS. I've noticed egg shaped stars therefore need to get more spacing in image train and the color is a little on the pink side to make the Mrs happy. Any advice on possible improvements are very welcome. Thanks, Jon

Sorry I completely overlooked that you wanted to take planetary images. Planets are definitely tiny in this scope!

Your images are much better than what I've managed so far although I've only had a few hours in total with clear skies since getting started over the past few weeks which is frustrating. It's definitely possible to get started with that budget although there will be other bits you'll need in the future. You could always build your rig over time if money is tight. I've worked out that you could get the scope, field flattener, m48 camera adapter & dew heater strap for under £450. To be able to take longer exposures, you'll want a guide scope and camera which will set you back another £200ish but you could see how you get on for a while. Others might disagree with my advice but it looks like you've made a good start with what you already have. Maybe crack on with what you've got, save a bit more and then buy the above along with upgrading the mount. If you don't plan on getting anything bigger than the 72ED, the Star Adventurer GTI is a great little mount and works well with this scope.

Sorry I meant, dovetail for the scope, not mount....

My setup is pretty basic as I returned to the hobby only a few weeks ago. I have the mentioned 72ed scope, star adventurer GTi mount, ASIair plus, guide camera and a few other accessories and with the limited clear skies, have managed a few images. (Andromeda, Triangulum galaxy & Orion). With short exposure time (between 20 mins & an hour) on each target with a stock DSLR, I've been pleased with the results. Do you have any idea what you want to image? That's a big factor in potential cost to get setup properly. You'll also need a field flattener and probably a longer dovetail than the one that comes with the mount to achieve declination balance. I can send you links if you need the info to get an idea on costs.

Hi, You'll probably get a few responses but thought I'd say hello. I have the SW 72ED and a Canon 500D therefore the camera model is different but setup potentially very similar. Are you just starting out?

Thanks for the kind words Tomato, I've been finding my way around Siril and Photoshop for post processing and still have a lot to learn but happy with the progress made so far. Camera needs to be ZWO as I am using ASIair. Think my minds made up on the 2600MC so will be ordering that at some point soon 👍

Good to know, I'll likely buy either the 533 or 2600 within the next few weeks in that case. Just weighing up whether I can justify the latter.

I've looked at the 585MC and the fov would require mosaics for most targets. The rarity of clear skies would cause too much frustration for me personally. Appreciate being given options though. I think I'll either go with the 533mc or 2600mc but will wait and see if any deals at the end of the month.

I've imaged all of the above to some degree other than star clusters. I definitely want to improve on what I've done with the camera I have. Just talking out loud that I am considering a dedicated camera and wanted some opinions.

Very good point with regards to original budget. I didn't want to commit to spending too much as I was worried that I might struggle with the complexity of the hobby and give up. The 2600mc is pretty much the same cost as my setup but figured that going for a decent camera wasn't a bad idea (especially as I want to focus on emission nebula). I've become absolutely hooked and have found it extremely rewarding processing images, but feel a little limited with the DSLR. I shot about 3 hours of data on the heart nebula and got no data at all which was frustrating

I've had an eye on the classifieds and will continue looking. I need to factor in the cost of a decent narrowband filter after all. I'm guessing these cameras struggle to pick up emissions in a bortle 7 zone without filters.... at least that's what I think it is where I am.

That's a great image, also very helpful with getting an idea on image size as the dumbell nebula is very small in comparison to something like the heart nebula. I'll spend a bit more time playing around with Telescopius to see if I really need the larger sensor. Spending £850ish is much more appealing than nearly £1.9k.

I've definitely not discredited the 533mc, it's more a case of wanting the best possible camera for my setup to achieve great results. I've very quickly learnt that clear skies are a blessing when they come and time is of the essence to get pictures taken. This is why mono is out of the question.... and possibly having to do mosaics. Maybe the 533 can work for me..... I just don't want to be disappointed with the limited fov compared to what I am used too via DSLR. The DSLR is definitely holding me back so a decision will be made soon. If anyone can share some images taken with the 533 & 2600 around my focal length (420mm), that'd be helpful seeing the difference in quality.

I've watched more videos online than I can count to try and get an idea as to what camera would be best for me, it's certainly a mine field. Unfortunately I have the ASIair plus and this is only compatible with ZWO cameras. This therefore limits me and speaking to the guys at Flo, they've swayed me towards a camera with zero amp glow. This leaves me with 2 choices really, the 533 or 2600. The latter having a much larger IR cut protective sensor is oh so tempting.... but!! An extra £1k!! I add it to a shopping basket 4 or 5 times a day but get cold feet as it's a crazy sum of money. I've been using Telescopius with my setup to get an idea on field of view. The 533 definitely has its limits whereas the 2600 seems perfect. Hopefully there will be some Black Friday deals this month....

Hi Lee, Thanks for the advice and kind words. I never thought about stacking with different exposure times but makes sense as the cores definitely blown out. The main reason why I am fixed on an astro cam is that I want to target emission nebula. I did contemplate the 533mc pro but the small square sensor potentially needing to do mosaics to fit targets is off putting. I think that I am just impatient haha.

Hi All, I've had some great advice and help on the forum getting up and running with imaging. Clear skies have been few and far between since getting started but managed to get setup for a while early hours of this morning. M42 was insight therefore couldn't resist. I took 5 min exposures and the clouds ruined the party after only 4 shots. I thought it would be a waste of time processing the images, especially as I am using a stock DSLR..... but I don't think this is bad, especially as it's my first attempt at nebula. I'm now looking at getting a ZWO color cooled camera as I am well and truly hooked. Please somebody tell me that I am insane to be looking at the ZWO 2600MC pro!!