Space Oddities

The adapter is back in stock Thanks FLO!

Well, I have an APS-C DSLR already as well as an ASI1600MM. What I'm looking for is a very portable solution, that's convenient to use when I'm travelling. I'm ready to give up some image quality by going to an OSC, if I don't have to drag along a filterwheel, filters, and an autofocuser... or having to refocus in the middle of the night. I was thinking an ASI183MC or ASI533MC, paired with an Optolong L-eNhance or L-eXtreme, would make a nice and tiny setup for chasing emission nebulae It would sit nicely between a more serious mono camera, and a non-modded, non-cooled APS-C DSLR. FOV seems similar on both, and though the smaller pixels and higher resolution of the 183 are attractive, the lack of amp glow, the full well and dynamic range of the newer 533 are nice to have as well. Also, for broadband targets, I'm considering the Baader semi APO filter (basically a 'Fringe Killer' and a 'Moon & Skyglow' combined into one filter). It's been designed to reduce colored halos on achromatic refactors, and someone over at Cloudy Nights said it does a good job with the Askar 180 Post-processing should be able to further remove any CA left, as you can see on this picture, posted on CN: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10FEAZ0oeofu78N3nq80zudUO51_L7V0q/view What do you think?

I've been using step down rings as well, keep in mind this will create some vignetting. I've been using an aperture of 49mm (f/2.8) for the Samyang, but I've seen some people recommending ~37mm (f/3.6). From what I've read, I think the sweet spot for this lens is around f/3.2. Less, and you give up some sharpness. More, and you give up some light. I guess it depends where you want to place the threshold, I personally thought it's a shame to waste the light gathering ability of this lens for rounder stars, which is why I went with 49mm (also because with another 49-48 ring, I can screw in filters). Anyway, you should get good results anywhere within this 37-49mm range And given how cheap step down rings are, why not try a couple and see what works best for you?

Joe, FYI TS in Germany has a C5 in stock https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p10945_Celestron-C5-XLT-Spektiv---125-1250-mm-SC-Teleskop.html They also appear to have the Mak 127, but bundled with a mount. Perhaps they would consider selling you the scope only, if you go for the Mak! https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/advanced_search_result.php?XTCsid=p0uvdgptlv5cqimjf6q1cr3no5&keywords=skymax+127&suchdas=OK Hope that helps!

I received my copy of this little scope. I haven't been able to use it so far, the weather has been horrible here in Bavaria. I noticed the mounting screws are made of metal, without a plastic washer at the end, which leaves marks on the scope. Not cool... So I found this cheap carbon fiber sticker they sell for cars, and covered the main tube with it to protect against marks. It's pretty nice! However, the sticker adds a fraction of a millimetre to the tube's diameter, so it doesn't slide as smoothly inside the rings. Later on I found some old plastic screws that happen to be the same size as the original metal ones. Paired with the carbon fiber sticker, they won't damage the aluminium elements, and still provide a secure attachment For mounting, I'm using this cheap Mengs Arca Swiss plate, to which I added a finder shoe for the guide scope. Now I'm wondering if it makes sense to mount a mono cam to this little scope. An OSC paird with an Optolong L-eNhance or similar, would perhaps be a better companion to this portable scope.

Oh we have the same problem in French, and I believe it's even worse... So many words sound the same, but are written differently. Like the "ces", "ses", "c'est", "sais" or "sait". More and more people use the wrong ones, especially young folks... I always pity foreigners learning French, it looks very difficult. I'm so happy I never had to learn it as a 2nd language...

Coincidence? I just received a mail telling me I won 1 million euros...

Ah, I noticed the Quark as well, but couldn't remember how it was called... Thanks John! I'll contact the website and report the ad, the more I think about it and the more obvious it is. Hopefully this is just a fraud, and it wasn't stolen from anyone. I contacted the original owner, maybe he can get in touch with the buyer?

Intriguing! I also found the sale post, it's definitely the same scope and accessories:

Hello Stargazers, I hope it is OK to post this here, otherwise I apologize I was browsing the french website Leboncoin, which is the #1 buy & sell website in France for virtually anything, when I stumbled upon this advertisement that caught my eye: https://www.leboncoin.fr/sports_hobbies/1846071753.htm Basically, the seller is proposing a Sky-Watcher Esprit 120 for 1200€, "like new with no sign of use" according to the description. It also includes eyepieces, a diagonal, a finder and Bahtinov mask. The text, in French, seems to be translated automatically from English. As a native speaker, I can say that the translation is very sloppy... For instance, it says "Je prendrai bientôt ma retraite, donc son temps de vente", which means "I'll be retired soon, so its time to sell". Not it's, but its. I suppose the original text contained this typical mistake, but if you translate it to french including this mistake, you get a sentence that makes no sense whatsoever. No french person would ever say that. A bit further in the description, he wrote: "I didn't use it with anger". Again, that's not something you would write in French! He also calls the "field flattener" an "applatisseur de champ". That's what Google Translate gives as a translation, but the correct word is actually "applanisseur", with an N. It could be a typo, but... Funny enough, the seller calls himself Julien... That's a french name, and I know a lot of people named Julien, but none of them is even close to 65 and ready to be retired! Last but not least... the pictures on the advertisement remind me more about UK than southern France... I mean, brick walls, white windows... Definitely not the type of house you find near Nice, where this is located! This, the fact that the diagonal is an Altair one (UK based), the poor translation from English... And I'm not even talking about the rainy weather... Everything points to UK! Anyway, I'm not sure if I should report it to Leboncoin, but I thought I could at least ask on SGL. What would you guys do? Maybe this was stolen in the UK and ended up in France? Or perhaps it's not even in France, the person simply copy pasted this from an English website, and is just waiting for someone to pay upfront? I made some screenshots just in case...

Thanks for your feedback! I read some additional reviews and it seems like a really nice little scope. I think I'll get one, to end the frustration I have of not imaging enough during winter time... I have a few lenses that I need to sell anyway, so this will finance that

Sounds very tempting! I am thinking of replacing my Samyang 135mm with this small APO. The main advantage I see is the low weight compared to the Samyang. It would allow me to mount it to my AZ-GTi without a counter weight, and put that on my narrow balcony. The motivation to go out during winter is quite low, so that could be a nice way to still image some winter targets, from the comfort of my bed. And also to take it with me while traveling. Adam, have you tried mounting an OAG? I did the maths, and ZWO's OAG + EFW + 11mm spacer + ASI1600 = 54mm, which theoretically should be fine for the back focus of 55mm? That would make it a super tiny imaging platform to take everywhere!

I did some research and apparently a T2 connection seems feasible. There's a similar version of the adapter made by a Polish astrophotographer, as shown here. I was worried that the rear element of the lens would be too big, but apparently not IMO T2 would be a more versatile option than M48, since you can always add a T2 to M48 ring if needed

I'd love a T2 version, however I wonder if it is feasible? Dear Flo, any idea when these little adapters will be back in stock? Thanks!

Minos, that's simply fantastic! Superb image, and great work! I spent a few minutes contemplating the details you captured, and like you I was surprised at these dark areas. Fascinating!

Superb! 👏 Minos, out of curiosity, how did you manage to attach the OAG with such a short flange distance?

Bonjour! I just spent a couple weeks in the region Dordogne, in southern France. A lovely Bortle-almost-3 zone, and for once, with a garden. I realize what a luxury it is to have a garden with 360° view of the night sky! As someone who's living in a small apartment and having just a bike to drag all my gear to a public park... I could now literally image from my bed! Anyway, here is one of the targets I've been imaging. I wanted to test the Optolong L-eNhance with my daytime camera, the mighty little Fujifilm X-T3. I am really surprised at how well this stock camera handled the Ha! Here is a single 5 min sub, at ISO 1600, that I quickly processed with Lightroom on my iPad. The Moon was full! My setup: Fujifilm X-T3 (APS-C 26mp IMX571) Sky Watcher AZ-GTi in EQ mode (with WO's awesome polar wedge) William Optics WhiteCat 51 Optolong L-eNhance 2" ZWO ASIAIR ZWO ASI120MM Mini, with 130mm f/4 guide scope I captured about 4 hours worth of subs, but some of them need to be thrown away. I had the dither mode activated on the ASIAIR from previous sessions with my ASI1600, and since the X-T3 doesn't communicate with the ASIAIR, I believe the dithering happened while the camera was imaging. Luckily though, I'd say at least 75% of the subs look fine. I'll stack everything later and see what I got! I also seem to have a slight spacing issue, I saw some elongated or weirdly shaped stars in the corners. I'm not sure I brought the right spacers and connectors. But well, as a beginner, that's really not a huge concern! Pardon the poor processing, having only an iPad with me, I couldn't balance colors precisely. The final image should be more appealing! Still, I'd love to have your feedbacks! Clear skies!

Interesting, thanks for the clarification!

Looks like it's the ASI294MM https://www.facebook.com/groups/zwoasiusers/permalink/1219912791701100/

Thanks!

Hi Agnes, I'm also considering a C6 for my AZ-GTi, I found one at a good price. I would use it only for observing as well as planetary imaging. Any feedback? 🙂

Well, there are lots of sensors out there... The last cameras ZWO released are either full frame, or color APS-C and 1" type (ASI533). What's missing in the mono department is indeed a replacement for the ASI1600, or perhaps the most wished for: a mono APS-C sensor. You can check Sony sensors on this page (click on "Products" to see the list of IMX sensors). Make sure you browse the different categories (automotive, industry...): https://www.sony-semicon.co.jp/e/products/IS/automotive/ You should also keep an eye on QHY's cameras, they're usually releasing the same cameras as ZWO, sometimes before.

Sadly I cannot edit the original post, but Hutech announced a new filter, the IDAS NBX. It seems to be optimized to work with fast f/2 optics. https://digiborg.wordpress.com/2020/06/29/new-idas-narrow-band-filter-nbx/ I can't edit the image, but the spreadsheet is updated!

Splendid, Laurin! You might want to take a look at the DSLR mount to M48 converters for the Samyang. @Uranium235 created one, sold by FLO: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/astro-essentials-samyang-lens-to-m48-adapter.html There is also this version made by a Polish astronomer, which looks similar: https://shop.astrojolo.com/product/samyang-135-f-2-bayonet-threaded-replacement/ However, I believe the Nikon and Canon versions are different (4 screws vs 3 screws), and the adapters are only compatible with the Canon lens. But I'm sure you can contact Astrojolo or Uranium to see if a Nikon version can be made. In the meantime, you could use another adapter for the lens. The one made by Geoptik has a good reputation compared to the ZWO, and there's a TS optics copy out there as well I think. https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p2837_Geoptik-CCD-Kamera-Adapter-mit-T2-Anschluss-fuer-Nikon-Objektive.html

I used the Novoflex one (Fuji X mount), and it's well made. It's surprising at first because the collar looks quite thin, but it holds the lens well. You can easily mount it to a dovetail bar or ballhead. The Arca Swiss base has 2 holes, 1/4" and 3/8". I'm actually considering selling mine, as I'm now using the Canon version of the lens, which isn't compatible with the collar. Perhaps you're interested? Here are a few pictures