TareqPhoto

Thank you very much You saw that second one of the Crescent? I did a second test of that scope again on the Pelican and it was amazing really nice with SHO, but i needed at least 2 nights, took my time to process and by my mistake i didn't save the master stacked one so i didn't try again, then i stopped as i knew that the setup worked and i continued with planetary and recently since last year with solar imaging so i didn't get back to DSO, i got an offer nice price for a new scope so now i continue to go with more setup for DSO while i am still using or testing them, i resolved the issues slowly one by one until today so that i didn't stop buying while i am still resolving them and testing, once i have all or most setup ready then i am back out to put them at best, i don't want to mention another issues in my life that also affected my astrophotography and other hobbies in general, the point is while i am waiting to get ready for imaging i just came across to nice prices and offers for gear, i won't miss those only to first test what i have, the policy is "Buy now with offers, use/test later, you are the winner".

in 2017 until 2020 i was struggling with my achro scope and DSLR lens and no APO or ED doublet scope, and that time no BXT or NXT or SXT, and i wasn't good with deconv of PixInsight really, and bad gradient wasn't easy to remove for me to learn it, the data itself wasn't that great to bother with anyway, so i decided i have to stop and make complete setup first then i can worry about how good data is before processing.

Now after spending those years i am not willing to reset with one setup again, i mean i should spend time in the past with one mastering it and managing it with zero issues, but it sounds i had issues in all of my setup and not only one part, so by the time i enhance one part to another i realized i bought more, so then i can't just stand using one setup for like 1 year or even half year while watching my other 10 scopes waiting to be used, so 1 year one setup and second year 2 setup? Then when i will use say those 11 scopes, say 8 if we neglect the two achro and one Mak.

This is 2.5 hours with just 1 filter Ha https://scontent.ffjr1-4.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/243098154_3168453770131935_8206294627475278513_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=3635dc&_nc_ohc=OCK7lc4ucbUAX-PfQXU&_nc_ht=scontent.ffjr1-4.fna&oh=00_AfD8f1gGhqs2-ixkpPWqnTz98MIsIk6XLf0M_labHu_ZAA&oe=65BFD4F7 And this is about 3.5 hours [3 hours and 35 minutes] two filters Ha and OIII together https://scontent.ffjr1-3.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/191574542_3066752660302047_8750649519069809470_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=7f8c78&_nc_ohc=FApiiv_SLR0AX-gzxr9&_nc_ht=scontent.ffjr1-3.fna&oh=00_AfBz6xgppuCzmf1Lr3gc7kXpfwiDB3CgFJv9KdEz1fgVkw&oe=65E231C4 And this is 5.5 hours of 3 filters of SHO. https://scontent.ffjr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/266731458_3225618204415491_963046389691935402_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=3635dc&_nc_ohc=wFbyYd8v2x0AX9BAVKJ&_nc_ht=scontent.ffjr1-6.fna&oh=00_AfDmx7d5c4aVvEhEEt2c44JKylZsUMwWEFBXaRHz3jXVwg&oe=65C022A8 First one with Askar FRA400 without a reducer, the second one is my new scope which i bought it again of 90mm triplet as my first ever triplet APO to have, and third is my doublet 60mm ED which also i bought it again also new addition.

With changing filter it is always headache without an AF installed, and don't forget to take dark frames for each exposure even once for all three filters if same temp and settings, but i have to take flat frame for each filter, in the past i wait until morning to do that using daylight sky, so in the past i had issues and only recently years i started to solve most of them, but with that time passed until now i managed to add more gear, then my plan changed, i got my new scope like several weeks ago and i will add it to my other two same scope i bought back in 2021-2022, only need to add third same camera i use for both same scopes [IMX571 mono and OSC], and also my 300mm f2.8 lens which i can add 1.4x teleconverter then it will be in almost similar FOV of my two scopes and the new scope i can buy a reducer to also make it same, then all what i need is just two more same IMX571 cameras, just i ask which two to add now, either two mono or two OSC or one mono and one OSC, one OSC i will only use it for RGB data alone with no filters changing, only RGB, but i also have a dual Nband filter [L-Ultimate], means either another OSC or using this one i have with broadband data which means more time also, a third OSC i was thinking about something like a dual band filter with OIII and SII or SII and Hb for example, L-Ultimate as you know is Ha/OIII.

RGB wasn't the problem although i spent like full night only for them because i was using the mono and trying to have multiple exposure for each due to HDR of Orion, and the weather didn't help that time as it was partial moving clouds so i ended up like having about 2.5 hours only as best clear, and because the focus keep changing and also i was using a fast lens and no AF motor so you can imagine how headache i was facing to make focusing perfect for each filter, and i spent another full night with f2 collecting Ha only which was nice actually, but then lum was a bit headache also as it was trial and error for best settings, it was brighter but i managed to get it right which also ate some of the night for it. In general, on target made me to spend that much, and the lens is cheaper, but i won't capture all targets at 135mm anyway, now i have better scopes as in 2017-2020 i was using my only refractor of ST80 and not much of my lenses including 300mm f2.8, and in 2020 until today i was lucky to get astro cooled cameras at nice deals brand new, so between this and some people i saw using multiple setup successfully i was thinking why not, it is not about those people who failed using multiple setup with headache, but about those who did it successfully even with nightmare/headache, and your statement is true because i want to have nice data to process with, i downloaded some high quality data even short time and processing was amazing better than my longer time data but meh all ugly to play with, most nice data under bad LP are hours long, it is very simple, either many setup as many can for less nights or so fast systems or just slow average setup one and spend nights over nights over nights much more to collect data, no solution that those, i chose to go with multiple average speed systems.

I was thinking about this by going with say more mounts, so if i can have like 3 mounts where only one can carry 2 scopes then the other 2 mounts will have own one setup, so i manage those two first quickly and be ready then i spend little time before imaging to manage one setup for dithering and syncing until i can add one more extra mount, most likely for small setup with my two AZ-GTi i can use each just fine, i said i will add one more mount this year so then i will have total of 4 mounts, if i am lucky enough then i could buy another one later to have 5 where i use the best 3 first, and then i choose one of this AZ-GTi as 4th extra, i am planning to use my Canon EF 300mm lens to be with my other three scopes, so the lens can be used with AZ-GTi then, which scopes better using EQ mounts niece one.

Thank you very much for answering me and also you revealed the issue in your post where i highlighted. I once tried my Canon 135mm lens at F2 for Orion using Ha LRGB filters, imagine that i needed like 3 nights and it still wasn't good, so i am very sorry if the fast optics or system wasn't enough yet, i won't stop astro because of that but i won't spend more for less, maybe spending less for more, i mean Celestron F2 system are all so expensive really, so for one setup i can have like 2-3 cheaper setup, and i was lucky to buy my refractors and cameras at discounted nice prices, so i kept that way, then i saw few people who used those slow systems in this array method and managed to finish 1 target in like 1 night or mostly 2 nicely, in fact i did and it worked, so i wanted to add to make it even more effective, so instead one setup for like 10-20 hours which means several nights, why not say for example 4 individual setup each for like 3-4 hours which means i can manage to get 12-16 hours per night, so in 2 nights if serious i can have like 20-32 hours at best, i think that will be plenty for most targets if i need, later i could go less like using only 1 or two setup only to add little extra data, this is better than i spend like 4-6 nights every time per target and still not perfect maybe if i have issues in some of those nights.

I think i mentioned already that i tried for few years with one combo and regardless how good it is it didn't help much anyway, because i always need more and more time for better processing and results, so one setup will never be enough, and i don't have that kind of long patience to use one setup for several night to complete one target not easy or not done in 1 night, it means for many targets i will spend months and years, i already wasted years before in tests with one setup and never have nice result unless it is many nights which is not the case, i hate to spend like 3-10 nights for 1 target no matter what.

Hi i forgot your name, Nice to have someone in the region, not many around who are into astro, they are busy and hidden, anyway, thanks for posting here to me. Ok, i will try to go with 3 mono and 1 OSC then, i will make sure all in use or at least 3 of them. What is the problem with those lots? I mean i struggled with one setup in the past and it never fixed the time, but when i make one setup working it gives nice results but short data, so once i manage one setup it will be not a problem setup 3 as well, i will add more mounts and computers and remoting devices, since 2017 until last year i had only 1 mount of AZ-EQ6, only last year when I've got a budget i added two more mounts as portable, AZ-GTi, i can use my small setup with it, and it is easy to manage anyway just need time to make it excellent working then i leave it there, later this year i hope i might add another mount of EQ with higher capacity load but portable enough than my AZ-EQ6, with this i will be able to mount like 4-6 scopes setup, or something like 3 scopes and 2 lenses, wiring and aligning is not a big deal with my 4-5 years experience in issues, i bought guiding scopes too and i have plenty planetary cameras, and i have a person in my house who i can always use as a helper hands so i can make things faster.

Hi all, It has been really long time since i posted here or even reading, got busy and carried out in life and astro became like forgotten passion for a while now. Anyway, i am trying to get gear as possible to finish my setup i need, and the long i wait then the more options or opinions are happening which keep changing my plans, and i really don't mind waiting so long no buying or using until i get the right tools rather than using many gear and keep changing or replacing them if i can replace which means i didn't choose right from beginning, last 3-4 years were enough for me to show what should be done, i just need to choose correct wisely and plan it precisely. I have many scopes now, and i am trying to have something like 3-5 scopes to be very similar if not same give same or close FL/FOV, not like others using so all big difference FL/FOV scopes to match, i already covered most but i try to stick to a specific FOV/FL and having multiple imaging setup for it, so in this case wit those 3-5 scopes say i will choose 4 of them to use same exact camera sensor, then which version i should get as the 3 following options: 3 Mono cameras and 1 OSC camera 2 Mono cameras and 2 OSC cameras 1 Mono camera and 3 OSC cameras I can give more details for above if you need to give better answer or opinion, i just give the idea of what i want, living under Bortle 8/9 i know i always or mostly need longer integration time for most targets, and i don't have patience to finish one target in like 3-7 nights or even months to make it perfect, and most nights here are short time and targets don't stay in ideal/optimal zone in the sky for imaging, so it is almost like 2-4 hours only, this is not enough to cover all filters needed say LRGB/SHO or even half of that to make it nice, and i don't use or busy fast optics, so i depends on having multiple scopes and cameras of same/similar FL/FOV i mentioned before to capture different filter then i stack later.

I bought the expensive UV filter and i never look back, but there are cheaper alternatives, still expensive but cheaper than Astrodon UV filter anyway.

Start from the last line and going up. A. I was using one scope for few years say 2-3 years, wasn't happy really, didn't make anything better, i did the journey with one so time to try with two or three or 10 together. B. I tried with two scopes setup and it was ok, i saw someone before on a site where he was using three scopes, and another one using two, so if those people were able to use two or three why can't others, sure it will be headache, we got enough headache with one setup already so it doesn't matter with more now. C. I mentioned that i will think about getting another scope, if it is a good scope then most likely i can have like 2 scopes on each mount, so total 4, going with more scopes only a matter of time and setup quality, but not necessary, i will try to stay within 2-4, i mean what is the purpose of having two nice mounts that can handle two or three scopes but ending up using only one setup, no sense. D. Aligning two scopes isn't easy, but not impossible, i have that alignment saddle i can use for scopes, i have three different models but one is so expensive really [ADM], but i can work on that slowly until i finish it. E. I have one color now already, so the third camera will be a batter between a mono and OSC, for one OSC i have two options, either RGB so one mono left for Lum, but i don't want to use a filter wheel/drawer to change filters, and i was thinking about buying a dual band filters that can give Ha and OIII from one filter with OSC, and i have SII i can get with the mono, so two cameras can give me Ha/OIII/SII, then i have to decide if third camera should be just OSC or a mono with RGB filters, headache for autofocusing each if the scope isn't a true APO corrected quality, and it means i need to add an item which is the autofocuser, a lot to think about here. I bought a mini PC which is better performance than my so old laptop i used for astro, that fixed a lot of issues, and for storage, i think this is least worry thing, i bought 5TB for planetary and 4TB HDD for DSO, that planetary drive is full already in 2 years while that 4TB is still at half or less from DSO files since 2018 including 100-200 bias every time and 50 flats, so it can be managed, i can easily buy more drives, they became cheaper nowadays.

Last year i was thinking about that Svbony SV405CC, but because i have two IMX571 cameras i feel like i can't go back to smaller sensors, the price is amazing, i could use it for my RC or even FRA400, but i can wait and see what i will choose.

Hi again, So last month i just ordered a ZWO camera but not for planetary, it is for solar, i chose ZWO because it has very slightly better discount [$10 less than Player One same model] and they included a tilt adapter for free, so it will allow me to use it with another ZWO cameras instead of built in individual tilt with P1 cameras, but now i don't mind to go with P1 for planetary. I will try this year to buy a larger scope so i can use it for planetary, but i don't if i should use it at F8-F10 or F14-F16 or F20-F24, this will change the choice of a camera according to sampling, and i missed the discounts for this, but the discount was bigger for that solar camera i ordered.

Hi all and happy new year, For this year i will try to minimize my buying of gear but finalize or finish what is missing from last 2 years of purchased items, trying to have consistent gear for really long term and never looking back. I have two TS-Optics 90mm CF triplets, i only used one the first one as i keep the second for later when i get a better mount or second mount anyway, and the one i am using/testing is showing really nice quality and i am happy, i didn't post examples around because i have some issues with my computers, but that didn't show the real quality of the scope really, so now i think i want to go far and add a third one to match those two in FOV mainly, if for quality too then a bonus, but i think it all depends on what i want to do, actually the third one can be used for certain data, so if i have say three telescopes and for example two OSC cameras and one mono then i can use one OSC for RGB and the mono for Lum and maybe Ha but i decided to use it for SII instead, so the third camera if i buy as OSC will be for dual band [Ha/OIII], now what do you recommend for that third telescope if it was you to decide? 102mm f/7 achromatic or FPL-53 ED doublet (or FCD-1 triplet) + 0.6x reducer [stars will be removed] + IMX571C + dual band filter Third 90mm, so it will be exactly same setup as two 90s i have, both are used with 0.8x reducers and ToupTek IMX571 [M & C], here i will go with IMX571C can be used for RGB stars only 110mm f/6 such as StellaMira doublet + Starizona APEX 0.65x + IMX571M + SII 3nm 70mm f/5 Petzval + 294C, for stars only 80mm f/4.4 6-elements + 294C, also for stars only RedCat 51 or equivalent + 183 color, stars only My Askar FRA400 + IMX571C stars only, or IMX571M with dual band for Ha/OIII I can make that 90mm + 0.8x = 432mm as main FOV, or go with something little wider, i don't want to go longer, even 435mm-440mm i don't want, so it is almost the above options are what i could find, and they are almost affordable, less then $1500 or less than $1000, the soon budget will allow me to get one but without a camera, i even can use any above as individual alone such as 102mm or 110mm if necessary, but most likely i will do my best to put many many telescopes all at once for use per night rather than using only 1 or 2 per night, it never was good ending using 1 setup for me anyway, and i was testing two scopes together and i had few/minor issues i will fix later hopefully, so with another mount later i will try to use like 3-5 scopes at once if possible, i prefer to use mostly refractors of 80-120mm range, longer than that then i have my Newt/RC, smaller than that i already have two 60mm done or even Canon lenses, so i want to be at average 100mm aperture scopes more or less, i don't mind if achro or not good quality ED doublet so i can remove stars and use the ones from the CA corrected ones, that is why i want three scopes [or more] so i don't waste nights collecting data for each filter or band, i doubt i can spend many nights collecting data of each filter for one target only mostly if it is narrowbanding target or galaxies. Thank you

Sounds i will end up with the two cameras then, and i really like Player One designs here.

Actually i want to buy Player One model, but i use ZWO to give examples because mostly ZWO is using the sensor number as model from what i see ]IMX462 = ASI462MC, IMX294 = ASI294MC,...etc]. Again, it sounds the two choices i am more leaning towards are IMX462 and IMX662, 462 is already proven with examples and to be great, 662 is a new model with few results, but because it is a new model it could be a tad improvement to 462 who knows, if yes then 662 is the choice, and by December both cameras are cheaper from ZWO due to Christmas or maybe Player One if it is cheaper always, and if you said i don't have to buy ZWO then which/what brand?

I will wait until December only, otherwise it will be too late, because ZWO has that offers discounts by Christmas time, i bought 4 planetary cameras because of that, only one i bought during Mars Opposition offers, otherwise next year i have to see what else can be there or when/why to buy something. Seeing here is not an issue, set up is also not an issue, length of capture also no issues 😂 I just have to pick a new model camera and ready to GOTO.

Ok, that is nice to fix Gain and Offset and just play with exposure value, that will make the job easier, i have to find out which exposure values under my Bortle 8/9, for narrowbanding i can easily do 5-10 minutes if i have to, but i can just live with 3-5 minute if that is sufficient, but it will put me in the issue of storage space with this camera files, i need to prepare more drives then.

I made the comparison between those three cameras from ZWO website, i really can't see that 585 is replacing ay of those two, maybe more replacing 178MC than 385MC, it is just having larger sensor, less fps than both, 12bit same as 385Mc while 178MC if 14bit, has AR window not same as 178MC, and it is 2.9um so almost in the middle, i can buy this separately for its own without sacrificing the other two, not expensive, but for now i want a color better model/version to that ASI290MM and i will be happy, later i can think about replace either 178MC or 385MC or both.

I won't buy something and then i change my mind later, i want to buy and never look back. There is two things, fps and other features or performances, so for example if that 462 has more FPS but it is an older model, maybe it is nice but less QE or HDR performance of that 662, so maybe i get less FPS with 662 but it is cleaner maybe, something like you lose something but gain something else that can put them almost equal, i just assume i don't know, mostly they shouldn't make a newer version if it isn't any improvement there even tiny, so i want to know what is the improvements or bonus in 662 model over 462 model, that can help a bit in final decision maybe.

So that setting of Gain 100 and offset 768, do you use it for narrowbanding or broadbanding targets? What if you mix both of a target?

I am not planning to use IR or Methane or UV with a color camera really, i have the mono for that.

This is another one i also placed in my Wishlist and i narrowed it down to this and the predecessor ASI462MC, so it will be one of those two before those brands miss with us and bring another new model very soon or suddenly, i am more leaning towards 662 actually.