smr

I dont know about anyone else but I was enjoying the fact that we actually had clear skies in the day time as its been so cloudy recently!

1 hour ago, Seelive said:

There is software out there that will accept different image sizes, scalings, orientations and distortions and attempt to stack them. As a start I would stack each set individually. If they have the same image scale then crop them to the same size and stack, but I suspect that with different cameras with different pixel sizes, the image scales will be slightly different so I guess DSS would still fail to stack them (I could be wrong!). The only free software that I know of that can do it is the really old IRIS but I must admit I'm not up to speed with the latest developments so their may be other better freebies available these days.

Thanks. Yes I'm pretty sure DSS won't stack them and it's going to be too much effort to crop every single 80D image to the same size as the 600Ds. Would be good if anyone can recommend a stacking program that'll do it.

Hi,

Just wondering if it's possible to stack data from different sensor sizes. I've got about 10 hours of data from a Canon 80D on the HH and 4 hours from the 600D, wondering if there's a way to combine them as, in DSS, it says incompatible due to their size difference, the 600D being 5202x3465 and the 80D being 6022x4020.

On 03/12/2020 at 07:50, Andy274 said:

So I never expected to generate this kind of debate when I posted my musing - I can say after a patchy night of imaging due to fabulous North West England weather & a full moon that the camera is a game changer.  

There are lots of images taken using flooding in & in now convinced that it is not worth spending the extra £400+ on the QHY or ZWO offerings given they need dessicant tablets & leak oil in the case of the ZWO.

In Steve's xbox tv analogy I kind of think it's established already that altair, qhy & zwo are the Samsung, LG & Sony equivalent so all are quality products.  Your lucky to have received your series x too - still waitng on mine 😒

 

tbf the Altair 26C comes with Dessicant as well. Thought it was worth mentioning that as otherwise people might be spending £2k thinking it's some kind of magical astro camera which will never need them.

The price difference between the 26C and 2600 at the moment is about £90. Though the 2600 does have an offer on. 

Very nice.

OSCs might have the Bayer Filter but they're getting better and better all the time. Kind of does depend on your skies though I think. If I was in Bortle 8 I don't think I would be thinking about OSC.

Superb images. That scope is a dream, blisteringly fast and a lovely focal length with Tak's excellent build quality. Very good that it was collimated out of the box too.

Have ZWO said anything about the 2600 design flaw though? 

It's all well and good buying from a retailer who will look after you, but forking out £2,000 of your hard earned money on an astro camera with the potential of something 'oily' leaking all over the sensor doesn't sit right with me at all.

I'd be interested to know what this lubricant even is and how on earth it manages to find it's way to seeping all over the sensor.

To be fair to the 6D though it was never even designed for astronomy imaging, it's a day time Landscape Photography Camera which has had to have it's innards taken out to even pick up enough Ha, and then there isn't one fan inside it to keep it cool when it's being pushed to it's extremes in terms of multiple long exposure shots over several hours a time.

I think it's obvious which is going to be the better Camera for astrophotography - the one that is an astrophotography camera.

That said, if your skies are dark enough, the results from a DSLR with fast optics can be all you'd ever need. Maurice Toet's images exemplify that.

2 hours ago, tooth_dr said:

A real quality image. Very nice and all the best with the new house. 

Thank you. 

40 minutes ago, tomato said:

Aren’t the results skewed a bit by the most popular category being landscapes?
A DSLR tends to be the camera of choice for a landscape shot.

Not sure about the 2020 awards but I have the 2019 awards book. Most of the Deep Sky Images are taken with 6Ds.

Hi,

This is my first time imaging the California Nebula, and the first image at my new House. I haven't moved far from my previous address, Bortle 5, though the skies are just a bit better here, I can definitely see more Stars, I'm right on the outer edge of my village and to the North is just Countryside for quite a few miles.

Canon 600D Modded
William Optics ZenithStar 73 Refractor
HEQ5 Pro Rowan Belt Modded
Optolong L-eNhance Filter
3 hour 30 minutes of 5 minute Subs
ISO 800
Dithered and Bias

Wow very nice. The composition, detail, colours and that 3D effect are all fantastic. 

Spectacular Astro Photography!

1 hour ago, tooth_dr said:

Can you post links to any info or images?  I'm in the market for a new camera and just debating on what to go for.  The oil is a bit of issue, easily resolved, but shouldnt happen given the stage that ZWO are at in their company evolution.  A repeat of the 1600 perhaps?

M42 first attempt with 36 min exposure time only. #hypercam26c 18x120 sec gain 100 offset 20 triplet Apo 80/542 mm

Here is the first result with the new #Hypercam26C a 2 panel mosaic with 20x5 min for each panel, I`ve used gain 100 and offset 20 at -10 degree. Processing in APP and PixInsight. Telescope: 80 mm triplet APO with integrated corrector. Mount: CEM120EC2 without guiding

#LDN1251 with #HyperCam26c 45x180sec Gain 100 offset 20 80/542 mm triplet APO CEM120EC2

I asked the author of these images how dark his skies are, Bortle 4.

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/739425-zwo-asi2600-mc-issues/#entry10668504

Read for yourself and feel free to make your own mind up. I wasn't looking for problems with the 2600 at all, on the contrary I was very much set on it, I've lost count the amount of reviews I've read of it and how many times I've clicked onto supplier's websites procrastinating over buying one... Rather, I read a post that popped up on my newsfeed on fb on the ZWO page, after reading the comments I discovered it wasn't a one off problem, that thread on CN shows that this is a design flaw with the Camera Build quality.

I think, given that common sense should prevail when parting with a very hard earned £2k, (let's be fair it's a significant amount of money), I'll pass.

If ZWO acknowledged this problem on their website and have fixed the fault in their forthcoming production supply then that's fair enough, but when they don't, well it doesn't exactly instil trust.

Some images are rolling in of what the Altair 26C can produce now. Impressive looking. Apparantly no dessicant needed, and it will not leak. The images look fine, and its £400 cheaper...

I have seen 4 confirmed leaks of this oily residue on the 2600 sensor now on CN. This imo is just not acceptable at all. There is no debating that there is a fundamental design flaw with the 2600. 

One should not expect to have to go elbows in and taking apart a Camera to clean oil or residue off the sensor in any Camera, especially one that costs £2,000 (!!)

Its a choice between the 268C and the 26C for me now. I'm thinking why the latter of which wouldn't be the one to buy.

Yes in the other thread I quoted two people who have this week had oily residue on their 2600 Sensors, apparantly at least several people have had this occur recently, someone chimed in with this on an fb page discussing possible causes, not sure if applicable though;

It’s the lubricant from the o-ring gasket. It gets warm and drips into the housing and across the edge of the sensor as the telescope travels around on the mount. I think in your case you store it on it’s side and when it’s warm enough it drips down. You can clean it off the sensor but be sure to get all of it off the pcb otherwise it will continue to migrate when it gets warm.

ZWO are looking at the problem. Meanwhile, another user has had the same problem;

Thanks for sharing your process. I had my ASI2600 since December last year and it had been a joy to use and I got an ASIWEEK image with it. It started to have this issue last week(less severe but looks exactly the same location and oily). I contacted ZWO and was sent a PDF instruction to open up the camera and clean it up. Mine is bought new from Agena Astro and still under warranty. I had many ZWO products and had thoroughly enjoyed all of them. However this ASI2600 incident and service experience is not one of them. I don’t mind cleaning the sensor, if it is out of warranty. It would also be more responsible for ZWO to investigate such incidents and address any design issue and defective products. It’s a $2,000 camera after all. I have other cameras to use at the meantime and still debating if I should send this back to ZWO or if I should try to clean it. I asked them what if something goes wrong when I try to clean the smudge up? Will that void the remaining warranty? What if the smudge returns? I had not received an answer yet. I like ZWO and their products. I hope they can handle such issue in a more satisfactory way.

I've had my heart set on the 2600 for a while now, but this is a bit disconcerting .... this should not be happening when spending £2k imo.

Just saw this shared on ZWO's fb page.

I have seen a few people with this identical issue and people tell the user it was moisture, frost, dew or ice. In my case, it wasn’t any of those reasons. Today, I swapped out my 1600mm-pro for the 2600mc-pro. I always keep my cameras in a Pelican case with desiccant packages and indoors. When I took the 2600 out, I immediately noticed a substance running down the sensor and that was under the glass cover. It wasn’t there when I put the 2600 away. I stored the 2600 on its side so I’m assuming that is why it looks to be running in one direction. I notified ZWO and decided to clean it up myself. It was a simple 5 minute cleanup. When I wiped it up, it smeared, and was oily. I used PEC PAD non-abrasive wipes and Eclipse Optic Cleaning Fluid. It cleaned up nicely and looks like new again. I also microwaved the four desiccant tablets at 50% power for two minutes to recharge them. I’m not looking to bash a product, but looking to give ideas off this experience if anyone runs into this issue. I’ve had my ASI2600 since January 2020 and this was the first issue I ran into. It’s still my favorite ZWO camera.

Yup, definite game changer for me too. And I thought it was ultra complicated, then tried it, took an hour or so to install everything, and then first time trying it found it was a breeze. One of those things where you wonder why you put it off for so long. 

The ability to precisely frame targets when you can't see them (with a DSLR for instance) is just fantastic. 

I have a couple of tutorials if anyone is interested in setting up and using platesolving:

How to install and setup PlateSolving https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpYXoYEKFpA

How it works in the field https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoIy1D2pBZ0

So which Camera would you guys go for between the ZWO and QHY ?

Hi,

I'm trying to decide which would give me the bigger improvement for my imaging, a new fast scope or a dedicated astro camera?

At the moment I have a 600D modified and 80D stock, I am thinking of buying the 2600MC Pro.

I'm also wondering whether I should buy a fast scope instead and sell my Z73. The RASA 8 is 400mm and a ridiculously fast f/2 but I don't think it's compatible with DSLRs?

Then there's the more expensive Taks like the 130 and 180. The 130 is within budget and offers a nice focal length at 430mm, the same as my Z73, but at a much faster light gathering f/3.3 (anything between 400mm and 500mm) is fine for me.

Which would make more sense to buy first?

Thanks Martin

Not sure how I didn't see it was overly red. Reuploaded the edit.

I've been looking forward to imaging this Nebula for the first time after imaging the Eastern Veil Nebula around this time last year. 

Taken with my astro modified 600D and HEQ5 Pro

6h41m Lights 
Bias
ISO 800
L-eNhance Filter
Bortle 5/6