swag72

That's pretty much what I did before..... didn't like it ?

Thanks all for your comments - I have gone back and re-worked the flame a little. Now it's more contrasty and less 'lemon' @carastro - I'm not really convinced with this target in NB either - Hence why it's sat on my computer since January!! When I first processed it, I went for my usual colour palette - More orange and blue and no green. It looked as flat as a pancake!!! Perhaps Next year I can think of something else to do with it

Not sure I can do much on the composition! This was supposed to be a 2 pane mosaic carried on from last year, but the weather and equipment didn't play ball so I had to give up on this pane. I'll have another look at the flame (I won't thank you for getting me to go back and look at this again!! ) Thanks all for your comments and thoughts....... I'm still reserving over all judgement

I have had this on the PC since January and have refrained from posting it as I really can't decide how I feel. It started off as a more usual colour palette for me, but it always seemed very flat. I went back to process and decided to leave the green in and see what that bought to the party. It certainly seemed to give it a more 3D feel and more general depth..... but it has been tweaked here and there now for months. It hasn't been posted anywhere yet as I think it's too far from my comfort zone colours to be able to decide how I feel about. I've tried to look at it objectively and wonder what I'd say if someone else posted it, and I can't quite decide whether I'd give it a 'thumbs up' or a 'thumbs down' I've thrown it open to comments and criticism here - Please feel free to be as brutal as you like...... I need to hear it Details: Mount: Mesu 200 Scope: Takahashi FSQ85 0.73x Camera: QSI683 and Moravian G2-8300 This has been data from last year and this year. 27x1800s Ha 11x1800s OIII 20x1800s SII Totalling 29 hours of integration. I can't link to a high res version as there isn't one online!

I have both the IDAS and Chroma, but can't do a fair comparison as they are both in different systems.

As an aside to this - the Chroma LP filter blocking capabilities that I would say look slightly better to the IDAS.... as far as I can compare the IDAS graph earlier in this thread and this one below.......

These are a stunning set Dave..... I really like them ????

I'm with you..... The planning tools are probably nice to have (but I rather enjoy my own planning) - Until they bring in dual synchronicity and some form of automation for restarting a sequence after cloud has closed everything up I will stick with V2.

Sorry I'm being a bit thick here - Does this screw directly onto a C thread then or is there an adaptor needed?

I'm looking into an All Sky build myself and this lens was one I came up with...... I'll be interested to hear how it all goes While I continue to investigate

This is brilliant news - Many thanks for taking this on.... You have made many peoples lives much easier in their astro imaging world and they probably don't even know it yet!!

2017 was a fun year for me.... a selection is below. I like to do a montage each year to see what I've been up to in one place! This isn't all of the images, but a selection of what I felt was the best.

For me the question would be..... will the Tak 106 increase the quality of your images over the Esprit? Personally I would suggest not. The big thing going for the 106 of course is it's massive imaging circle. You'd never have to worry about not being able to get a bigger chipped camera..... but with that change invokes new BIG filters and that's a pretty expensive pill to swallow. If you want to waste money then a Tak 106 (the new kind!) ... if you want value for money then the Esprit range. If I didn't have the FSQ85's then I'd be buying the Esprit for sure. It makes so much sense.

Yes PayPal works fine...... as do bank transfers ? it's not quite 3rd world in the Mediterranean ??

As someone who lives abroad, it's really good when people are willing to send to foreign climes. In my experience 'International Signed for' is a good service and I've never had anything lost on its journey to Spain.

Well done to the winners...... a great set of NB images...... top drawer ????

I have a Salicru UPS and have everything connected into it....... mount, camera, lakeside, all sky, PC, 9" dewstrap at 100% ...... I had a power cut for 15 mins. Everything clicked in straight away and there was no lag that caused USB issues. I used about 25% of the battery for 15 mins.

Interesting!! I'll give this a go soon

I agree.... the Moravian is a good bit of kit ??

How about a couple of constellation challenges? These could be based on time of year and would be open to all regardless of kit.

The spacing requirement depends on the flattener used and so that should be easy to find on the retailers website...... something tells me for the ED80 it's 55mm, but DO check it. Then you need to find out where the necessary spacing starts from (probably the lens facing the camera) and then measure the correct distance from there to the sensor on the camera.... there's a marking on the camera case for where the sensor is...... Then you just make sure that the distance is correct between those two points.... as well as allowing a distance for the filters, but I can never remeber if you have to add or take that distance away, so you really do need to confirm that as I can't! Yes the internal wheel takes 1.25" filters, but I guess you'll need to specify what carousel you want in the wheel when you order. The Baader LRGB filters are fine Hope that helps

You're not wrong there - A perfectly working setup one night can turn into a total pig on the next night where things don't work etc yet NOTHING has been touched!!! It makes no sense

I put a moonlite on my 120ed....... Good luck with it!!

I have used a Moonlite, Feathertouch and Baader Stelltrack clone for imaging. I have to say that out of the bunch the Moonlite was the worse. It became very 'notchy' quick quickly and while it looked nice it was all mouth and no trousers in my experience. The Feathertouch is lovely - It was buttery smooth all the way through the focus and was a joy to use, inspiring total confidence. The Baader Steeltrack clone was very good....... It was perhaps not quite as smooth as the FT, but worked well and held my camera without issue.