Ande

I had one of these turn up this morning. Managed to get a rough, daytime focus. Have to say though, the quality isn’t very good for the price. There is way too much slop in the focus tube, that when you get to the correct focus and try to lock it in place, there is a huge amount of movement, resulting in being out of focus again. I had to resort to locking it, then slackening off, moving it a tiny bit, locking it off again. Rinse and repeat several times before a satisfactory point is achieved. Very tempted to return it and throw the extra money at a Williams Optics one.

59 minutes ago, KP82 said:

Most refractors will only reach focus with a star diagonal or some extension tubes if you want straight-thru views. The only refractor I've ever used that would allow straight-thru view without a diagonal or extension is my old school Tasco 60 f/15.

Ah, thanks for that. It’s my first refractor, so everything is a learning experience atm.  Much appreciated

Another delivery  

My PSU has just turned up for the ASIair Pro. My list of excuses is now growing thin, so I had best try and get to grips with some of this stuff 😳

Great book. Eyepiece looks nice too. I wouldn’t mind bagging a decent zoom.

Just received the ZS61 from FLO. I bought it for imaging, but thought I would just pop it onto the tripod to see how clear the optics were. I pointed it across the rooftops to some distant trees and popped in a couple of different eyepieces, but couldn’t get anywhere near enough back-focus to get a clear image. Are these geared up for using a RACI only?

4 minutes ago, Ian McCallum said:

Telescopic (excuse the pun) Telrad Riser! 🤣

I think there would be copyright issues, though. 🙄

 Nah! Just play around with the name, and no one will be any the wiser. How about the TelRise Raider 🙂

Substitute postie for DHL man, who was an hour early, but I’m not complaining, and my Xmas has come late, or mega early, depending on the contents of your glass. 

Courtesy of FLO, the (soggy) box contained these puppies 😀r

The scope is a ZS61, with the appropriate (I think, and hope) flattener/reducer.  Got a PSU arriving later for the ASIair Pro, so hopefully in a position to get cracking. All I need now is a giant leaf-blower capable of rearranging the clouds 😀

15 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Ah ha........I see an openning for an adjustable height base. 😁😁😁

Ooh....  I like it. Put me down as first in line when production begins 😃

18 minutes ago, Ian McCallum said:

If in doubt, buy both! 🤣

I bought the bigger of the two. I don’t think I was quite prepared for just how big it was. It worked great on the 250 dob though

Love the concept. The price tag, not so much...... 😂

Cheers Richard. I actually ended up ordering a different one, as the one I originally linked was 2.5mm, not 2.1mm. Said something about “it would also fit a 2.1mm”, but I thought that sounded a bit flakey.  How are you enjoying your Lithium Power Tank? I’ve got my eye on one of those

36 minutes ago, nephilim said:

@Ande I found this guy really helpful, he goes through it all really well, theres a few ASIaair tutorials on his channel so i'd advise subscribing. 

 

Nice one. I’ll have a peep. Power pack is coming tomorrow, so I should be able to fire it up at least.  It’s a little bit annoying that you cannot access the app before hand to gain a little familiarity. But, without the unit in attendance, you are locked out.

4 minutes ago, nephilim said:

I hope to learn from your mistakes 🤣

Tried to watch a few YouTube tutorials, but ended up just as confused. Most of them seem to use screen grabs which, on the one hand is great because you get a clear view of the iPad. But what it doesn’t show is the person’s finger, and what they’re selecting. So when they say, “simply press this, then select that”, I’m like 😳. 

4 minutes ago, nephilim said:

I'm still sat at the PC staring at the screen waiting for my ASIair order from FLO to go from progressing to processed................I may be here a while 😒

It’ll take me until yours turns up to figure out how to use mine 🤣.

Got my ZS61, flattener, and a few bits’n’bobs on the way. So, hopefully, I should be in a position to start making a pig’s ear of it all soon

The postie was kind enough to knock the door this afternoon and hand me a package containing an ASIair Pro. He didn’t quite stretch to a means of mounting it, or powering it. But, hey! It’s a start

Thanks Richard. At least I’m on the right track

Can somebody more knowledgeable than me please have a scan over this PSU and tell me if it’s suitable please? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adaptor-100-240V-Adapter-Monitors-Amplifier/dp/B07LDKZPWP/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=12+volt+power+supply+5+amp&qid=1610459966&sr=8-3
 

The specs seem to match up regarding adapter size, and power output, but not confident enough to be certain. The manual suggests 12v @5amps which this seems to do.

I will be purchasing a Celestron power bank when I can afford to.  This is just to get me up and running.

Many thanks

Edit: If the one linked is inappropriate in any way, I’m all ears for an alternative.

36 minutes ago, shropshire lad said:

I bring my camera and lens in and put in the coldest room, usually the utility room as it only has a small rad in there ... then move into the spare room after about an hour.

I do the opposite when taking it outside.

 

 

The softly, softly approach. Like it

Just wondered what routines you folk go through when bringing in your gear from the freezing cold. Do you try to wipe things down as the inevitable condensation begins, or do you let the warmth of the house gently dry everything off?
 

I was particularly concerned about how wet my DSLR became the other night after a brief session of being outside in the below freezing temperatures. I deliberately delayed separating the lens from the camera just in case condensation set in on the insides of each. Instead, I plonked it on the window ledge, above a radiator, but not overhanging, so that it could be in reasonably warm, and moving, air. Is this a good idea, or is there a more generally accepted way of doing things?

Thanks Mike. I’ll have a bit of a play this evening, and see what I can make sense of.

8 hours ago, Davey-T said:

If you use a bright star and nudge the focus back and forth it will flicker between red and blue, try to stop on the blue just before it turns red, the shorter the focal length the trickier it is but also less critical.

Dave

I’ve just ordered a ZS61, so am hoping that the dual focus will make it a tad easier to find. Currently, I’m working with a Samyang 135mm prime lens and, getting dodgier by the day, 58-year old eyes 😳

3 hours ago, wxsatuser said:

What version of PS do you have?

If it's not up to date Camera Raw will most likely not open the file.
To open 80D files you will need version 9.5 of Camera Raw as a minimum.

CS2. Is Camera Raw a plug-in?  I am completely new to any form of PS, and am currently swimming in a sea of total bewilderment 😂

Just had a quick go of your zooming in on liveview method. I used my housemate as a guineau pig, despite her protestations 😂. You are right, I was able to get pin-sharp focus on her eyes. Much better than I have managed before. I’ll definitely use that method next time I get the opportunity.

Yes, I think I have that. I shall look into it.  Focussing wise I’ve actually been taking pictures, and then zooming in on the result to check focus.  Your method sounds better.

Hi Dave. Thanks for having a peep. I did take calibration frames, but DSS only allowed 1 light frame to enter the equation.  Not sure what to do about the focussing issue, as I did use a Bhatinov mask, and it looked good.  Mind you, I did have a bit of a game with the ball head after focussing. I’m now thinking that I could well have kicked it out of kilter during the struggle. Next time out I shall make sure that I re-check focus just before starting sequencing.