Uranium235

lol... should have kept my mouth shut... jinxed it Oh well, maybe tomorrow night.

3 min into the first 10min sub.... just need it to stay clear for another 7min...lol I think I will need a better B-Mask, the one im using is fine in LRGB but it gets a bit difficult with Ha. In the end I just focused on red, should be close enough (hopefully).

Hmmm... looks like it might not be happening. Soon as I put the mount out.... clouds.

Looks like it might be on for tonight. But its going to be a short tun, by the time I get home I would have been working for 14 hours, no way have I got the legs for a late nighter..lol A couple of hours in Ha should be enough for a quick look to see if everything is as it should be. I'll just point it at Sadr and fire away with reckless abandon...lol... should get something interesting,

Next time I take it out, I'll give the dew shield a ding for ya It back under wraps for the next few days atm, its looking like at tleast Thur or Fri next week before it clears up. The actual lens cap is the only plastic part on it which probably accounts for its weight.

Oh btw, I'll probably do another video once I have actual data to work with. My son is quite interested in being the cameraman...lol. (and I promised I'd teach him video editing)

Unfortunately, I dont know anybody local with such a camera (35mm). And its going to be pretty much "grab and go" short notice sessions. If it satisfies the KAF8300 and APS-C to the point where you really cant tell the difference between the two (in terms of flatness) - theres a high chance it will be good with something larger... but thats just speculation at the moment. Lets just get it up and running, and see whats what. Edit: Dont forget, there have been many claims in the past where the manufacturer states that its good up to 35mm. (or beyond).. but thats rarely been the case. The KAF8300 has a 22mm diagonal, that is the minimum requirement for me. As mentioned in my video, if you cant get those corners youre just wasting data/pixels/time - not so bad if youre just doing one frame (and crop).... but I want to build mosaics.

Sky going downhill fast, meh.... I'll have to be patient.

How it might look when set up: The sky is (sort of) clear at the moment but its a bit murky - and might not last long. If im lucky I might get 30min later on. Not enough for a proper image, but might be just enough to evaluate the field flatness.

I'll be testing up to APS-C, I dont have anything bigger. But that should cover the vast majority of users. As for the price, im fairly certain it will be in region of 650-700. But the guys who sent me this will ensure its competitively priced in the uk

We wont know until these thunderstorms/cloud go away This sits nicely between a 135mm and a Redcat.... and if it works as it should, it could beat both of them in terms of field flatness. I still cant get over how heavy it is, very very solid in construction...lol.. quite like the way the dewshield goes "ding" when you flick it

The 80ED is about as simple as it gets. Buy the 0.85x FF/FR, screw it to the drawtube (rock solid). Its spacing should be 55mm to the sensor. Use the M48 to T-Ring adaptor, that is always 11mm (for Canon), then the other 44mm is made by the backfocus of your camera = 55mm automatically achieved. If at first you find the focuser a bit lacking in grip, you need to pinch up the tension - I find you have to do that to all stock skywatcher (crayford) focusers. As soon as its able to hold the camera against gravity, you should leave it there (dont do it up too tight).

No prob guys The forecast for me (and probably everyone else in the UK) is a bit dire for the next week or so... too many thunderstorms etc... Just gotta sit tight and take my chance when a clear spot turns up.

Yesss, its here Many thanks to the guys at Sharpstar/Askar and FLO for making this happen. A reassuringly heavy bit or kit!

Incoming.... watch this space...

Well, searching for a place to do this has uncovered some smashing imaging spots just over the border in Shropshire - just 15min drive from my house. The 130pds would have been completely unsuitable for this so I opted for the little 50mm Canon. But, being as the image run started before midnight, the Sun still had quite an influence on the images (baaad gradient), so I cropped that bit out and did my best to eliminate what was left. Seem to have gotten both tails now I did set up the guider, but didnt actually use it - I found it easier just for locating the comet (using the guide cam). 40x30s Canon 1000d / Canon 50mm @f3.2

Oh, I'll be looking to run it wide open all the time whats the point in imaging at a speed slower than its maximum? If youre paying for an f4 flatfield, you expect it to be flat at f4 - no messing about required (thats what people want to know). I remember getting the f2 Samyang because it was flat at f2, not because I wanted to slow it down Though it might be worth taking it up a couple of stops, cant see there being that much difference if its already flat over APS-C (at f4)... perhaps slightly tighter stars but thats about it.

Going for the squid with ANY telescope/lens/camera is a recipie for insantiy... youve done well to get some of it. Ive known people spending 40+ hours, just to get that little bit.

Looks like its on guys.... watch this space

There are a few tests I can do to see how it gets on. 1) Corners (first and foremost) 2) B-mask test (focus on green, then switch between red and blue to see how much movement there is in the diffraction pattern) 3) OSC (use a DSLR to take an image - then split the channels and inspect star size/focus) 4) Reaction to drops in ambient temperature - would be interesting as this lens weighs a whopping 1.8kg 5) Mosaic building capability (it has to be very flat for you to effectively build a mosaic without wasting valuable data)

Hang on a mo.... we've got some movement.... Been offered a tester for review..... need to run this past management - I'll be back in a bit

Yes indeed, you will need that 55mm especially if working with something like a QSI camera - which eats up a whopping 35.5mm at minimum (ws version).

But it's still 55mm (i believe) for those who dont want to use the bayonet system (ie: for ccd/cmos). There should be an option for people (like me) who detest bayonet fittings...lol There does seem to be a thread on the backend of it, but it's not mentioned whether its M48 or T2 (m48 would be more sensible)

Yep, that's why we've got to sit back and let someone else bite the bullet first 🙂 It's not released yet, so I suppose we wont start seeing any images from consumers until perhaps September.

Had a response, but no detail as to what its made of. I guess the proof of the pudding will be in the eating - just gotta sit tight and see what develops (pardon the pun).