smr

hi, Just after some advice... is this all powered ok? Just wondering if everything will be ok when out imaging.. I've got the 600D, the Guidecam and the mount plugged into the USB Hub - the USB Hub is powered via mains. I've then got the one USB Cable from the USB Hub into the Laptop. I've just tested everything and it all seems to be working ok, but I just wondered this will all be ok when it comes to guiding and imaging, will the guidecam be fine for guiding when plugged into the hub, or is there anything that I should plug directly into the laptop instead out of the 600D, Guidecam and Mount?

Thanks for the reply. Just finished focusing on Vega. Actually a lot easier than I thought, 5 second exposures and it's so bright it makes focusing really easy. Had to take a few photos to get it right but worth doing to know it's in focus.

Thank you

Hi, I'm just wondering if anyone can advise on the best way to focus with an Optolong L-eNhance Filter and a 600D modified Camera. I've got a Bahitnov mask for my Z73, and without the filter it's as easy as choosing a bright star and being able to focus with the diffraction spikes. With the Optolong filter that option isn't available and I'm not sure how best to try and achieve focus. I've tried using the Bahitnov aid in APT but it's difficult to know whether it's actually in focus as it jumps around so much, probably due to atmospheric turbulence.

Thanks, yes I am happy with it. The Camera has just the standard IR filter removed. I should have bought an astromodified DSLR ages ago really. Although I have been happy with some of the results from my 80D and will continue to use that on some targets, for targets like this one though, the Ha just gets gathered so much faster with a modified DSLR. As for dedicated Cameras I'll probably make the leap before too long, I have procrastinated about buying one almost as long as I did a modified DSLR. I'd love a 2600MC Pro. There's a mono version of the QHY version coming out next month I think though, so I might go for Mono APS-C, if not then it'll be a 2600 or 268C.

Hey guys, Thought I'd share my first light with my first astromodified DSLR. I bought a second hand 600D a couple of months ago and took a couple of hours worth of data on the Heart Nebula at the beginning of August. We had two clear nights in the whole of August, where I was anyway, which was on Holiday for the first part. Last week we had a clear night and I managed to get a further 4 hours. So here's my first image, from stepping into astromodified Cameras. It's also my first image with a dual narrowband filter, the Optolong L-eNhance. The main thing I've noticed, after spending the first two/three years taking astronomy photos with my unmodified 80D, is that a modified DSLR really does make a big difference. I don't think I would have been able to gather as much Ha with my 80D. 6 hours of 5 minute subs. I've also just uploaded a video on plate solving in the field, featuring this image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoIy1D2pBZ0

Glad the videos helped

Thanks. I just left it at the default dither settings. Seems to work ok, I think it's just because the Canon 600D bands a lot more than the 80D and it was a bit of a surprise as to how much banding the 600D has.

PHD2 yeah.

Hi, I'm just wondering, are the default dithering values in APT fine, or should I modify them for better results? Here are the default values...

I mention that about 10m40s into the video when downloading the indexes.

You would guide through PHD2 with Pulse Guiding. I don't think that you'd have to use Planetarium software if plate solving, you could simply slew the mount anywhere, take a photo, plate solve, and use APT and Pointcraft to select your desired DSO. I prefer to use Stellarium though. Pretty much everything you've asked is covered in two of my videos... How to control your Mount with Stellarium and EQMOD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYTD7RuF3x8 How to use Plate Solving with APT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpYXoYEKFpA

Banding is a problem in Canons. In my Canon 80D I've seen it sometimes, but in exposures which are 5 minutes or longer, anything less and I don't really notice it, and even in some 5 minute exposures it's not apparent - probably an air temp thing. I noticed banding heavily in my newly acquired Canon 600D though, so I'm going to have to dither in APT more than the default dithering values provide. There's also a debanding script in Noel Carboni's action tool set which also does a really good job of removing banding, it's impressive and doesn't seem to lose any IQ fidelity when examined 1:1.

Yeah that's a good idea, combining L from Mono and Ha with OSC RGB would be a neat setup.

I don't know if my video will help but here it is ... how to control your mount with EQMOD and Stellarium... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYTD7RuF3x8

I've got my heart set on a 2600MC Pro, but my head is saying wait for the Mono version.

It's £500 cheaper than over here, priced at £1,500. There's the issue of potential warranty repair and shipping back etc. as well as import fees I guess.

Would you spend over £1k on Aliexpress?

Hi, Just wondering if anyone has bought astronomy gear from aliexpress ? Obviously prices are cheaper than UK retail stock but I'm a bit weary with regards import fees / taxes when shipped over to the UK... if buying expensive gear, warranty and returns / repairs if necessary..

Canon fan boy

Yep, data is everything really. In the 2017 Astronomy Photographer of the Year book I was given by my Dad for Christmas, there's one theme amongst all the images in the book, whether winner, runner up or commended... they all have a staggering amount of integration time, on average around 50 hours. Whether a Nebula was imaged with a Canon 600D, 6D or a £6k Mono Camera. Nice image Goran, lovely dust showing through. Amazing part of the sky.

https://www.modernastronomy.com/shop/cameras/cooled-ccd/qhy-cooled-ccd-cameras/qhy268c-photo/

Absolutely stunning image.

For now it depends upon what you wish to image I suppose, combined with your sky quality. For me personally, the only OSC Cameras I have seen which have that real next generation quality are the 2600 and the 268C, both sharing the same Sensor. I was underwhelmed and continue to be so by the majority of 294MC Pro images on astrobin, I think putting them next to a DSLR astrobin page you wouldn't know which was which, which imho defeats the object of a cooled OSC. The 268C and the 2600 however look fantastic, the data looks so clean, the zero amp glow is brilliant - many owners even forgoing darks with great effect - and that's not to mention the sensitivity of the sensors. I think it's important to mention that everyone is on their own journey with Astrophotography though, and we're all working at our own pace and enjoying different paths - if choosing to do narrowband imaging with the most sensitivity available then Mono is obviously still the best choice. For me, there are many many targets I am yet to image, and many of them can be imaged very nicely with a 2600 or 268C. By the time I have finished imaging those targets the next OSC Cameras and the next revolution in sensor technology will probably be able to pick up even fainter objects. Combine these new OSC sensors with the ultrafast light gathering buckets in the RASA / Epilson's guise et al and the results can be spectacular. For my other hobby which is Landscape Photography, I started out with an APS-C sensor and always had in mind to jump up to and spent years window shopping full frame cameras, and then a new technology came along, Mirrorless (which began to improve and improve), and now instead of going from APS-C to FF, I'll be skipping FF DSLRs altogether and buying Mirrorless instead. The point is technology is constantly evolving, so in 5-10 years time OSC Cameras could be absolutely mind blowing in their performance, and all the performance we may need?

This might help