DaveL59

Nope, made in Japan, the JB 133 indicates it was made by Kamakura, there's various info elsewhere (the cloudy place, bird forum etc). Looks like a very worn JTTI sticker (the oval sticker)

Bushnell and many others imported own branded stuff to sell on, as did the likes of Charles Frank here.

Are there any J-B or J-E numbers stamped on the arms at the objective end (usually), which would tell a little about who made them?

35 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Very impressive, Paul.

After 5 months, have you found out where your eyepiece goes? I’m sure @mikeDnight will tell you 🤔

well, if you heat the metal collar so its glowing cherry red, then press it firmly at location... 😉 

Of course if you wanted to do that, you'd probably want a diagonal to save the crick in yer neck too 🙂 

According to autie Beeb, we may get another show in a couple weeks when that sun spot rotates back toward us. Hoping we do get another show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c163j8551ygo

3 minutes ago, Dr Strange said:

It is actually pretty fun to do! I would highly recommend it. It is small enough that it pops comfortably in the boot and you can take it on outings with you.  Not sure what a polarizing filter would do though. and weather can add a nice bit of detail to any images. Even clouds are a good get with it...

Yeah each time I've carried it when over to family's it's clouded over or rained, typical british weather 😄 

A C-PL filter would give the sky more blue colour and cut some glare, much the same as with general photographic use, tho if it'd affect anything on the S50 I can't say (focus etc). If I ever get the opportunity I'll give it a go sometime out of curiosity, tho I'd more usually expect to be lugging the DSLR rather than the S50 for scenes if I get the time.

Not tried any landscape shots with mine yet, tho I do wonder how a circular polariser filter would do on such shots. Then again, weather here plus the distance to a scene like that one from where I'm based... 🙂 

3 minutes ago, PeterCPC said:

Could I ask which filter adapter holds the K & F filter?

It's one that @powerlord (Stu) on here was selling a while ago, takes a 48mm thread so I fitted a 48-49mm step-up ring then the filter onto that to enable a 49mm lens hood etc.

All fits neatly, tho of course you can't park the S50 with that all fitted, not that I would anyway as I swap a lens cap onto it before parking and shutting it down.

42 minutes ago, Steep said:

If you own a 3d printer there's a Seestar S50 specific file on Makerworld so you can print your own sun finder. It even holds the sun filter as well.

All well and good but I don't, I'll make one properly one day when I get some time, perhaps 🙂 

18 minutes ago, Elp said:

You can find the sun quite easily using the tripod leg shadow to work out the azimuth, then slew up to the sun whilst watching your live camera output. It becomes much more difficult at longer focal lengths when you need to refine focus first, the solar finder then helps though it still needs to be adjusted to align with the scope optics.

yeah, other than the lag between lifting off the joypad and the scope stopping as well as some lag here and there on the video displaying. All too easy to overshoot and if using the phone/tablet outside not as easy to see with the bright light all around. Once you get the target in frame tho, it'll centre and track OK, just seems to position above/below and/or left/right even after a couple goes from my couple goes so far.

Funnily enough, I pretty much got spot on with alignment with the DIY fag packet finder 😄 

Can see now having had a play yesterday evening and just now why some would fit a solar finder, since the S50 got itself close-ish but then the faff trying to direct it with the on-screen joypad, pah! So I rigged something temporary which worked pretty well, perhaps it is handy being a smoker after all! 😄

Crude but effective, just get the little dot to where I'd punched a hole and bingo!

Of course by the time I'd got on target, the darn oak tree decided it'd get in the way.

Did manage to get a few shots soon after tho once it'd passed the taller branches of the oak

I tried getting it to take some raw and also elapse and video, not hooked the S50 to the PC yet to see how they came out or if worthwhile.

Pretty pleased with the ND filter, even with the slight tinge of colour, easy enough to adjust saturation etc later if you really really want a pure white image 😉 

According to the Beeb:

Must admit I did pop out later around 00:30 and 01:30 but nada for me, too much cloud about sadly. They do also say:
 

So perhaps another chance tonight... weather permitting that is.

Yeah thin high cloud here over a lot other than directly above and towards the east. Such is life...

10 minutes ago, JOC said:

Which direction is best to look please, we are assuming North?

Well north is a good place to start, tho last night it was overhead and also southerly from here as well. Looking outside a short time ago, sadly there's some high cloud over a lot of the sky so who knows if we''l get a second look tonight. Will see how it looks when darker by the sky cam isn't showing any colour in the sky so far 😞

So early-afternoon the postie dropped off the K&F ND10000 filter then had to pop out to the shops. Once back I had a little play tho the sun was a bit low and light cloud in that area, but did manage a couple pics 🙂

That's one heck of a big case the 49mm filter came in LOL

Fits nicely to the filter adaptor powerlord shipped using a 48-49mm adaptor ring

and here we go, a shot of the sun at last 🙂

Looking at one of mine at the min and...

Even naked eye I could make out the red tinge to the thin high cloud and the greenish blue in the sky, WOW 🙂 

7 hours ago, trailer said:

Here's a comparison of images of the sun this morning. The first is taken using the supplied ZWO Solar filter and the second using an ND1000000 filter. Both images are straight from  the Seestar via the app with the only editing being a crop.

The ND100000 filter is a Neewer NANO 55mm threaded camera filter attached with an adapter from OakAstro which I found on Etsy.

 

 

 

That's a great option, just ordered a K&F one in 49mm as that'll go straight onto the filter adaptor I already have and probably more durable, plus I could pop it onto one of my camera lenses if I ever feel the need to have a play with that instead 🙂 

28 minutes ago, AstroKeith said:

I'm the 'friend'. It incorporates a sun funder for those occasions when the Seestar doesnt lock on straight away. Its thin enough so the Seestar can switch off with it in place.

 

 

neat, I assume it can click open to replace the film when needed?

Right now I've yet to try the solar filter it came with, typical it's been odd sunny periods when I'm working and rarely when I'm free. One day I'll give it a go tho, after all 'summer' is coming and if there's a few non-english summer days at a weekend... 😉 

On 03/05/2024 at 17:44, LaurenceT said:

A friend has kindly made me a 3d printed solar filter for the Seestar with a Baader film. I've applied a little AI sharpening and denoise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

interesting, any chance of a pic of the filter?

I was thinking if it were possible to use a 49mm/2-inch filter and replace the glass with solar film tho it wouldn't have much of a retaining contact area at the edges. Reason being I have a 2-inch filter adaptor and use a 49mm step-down to fit a lens hood so it could serve a second purpose if I rigged something to suit. Probably a bad idea tho maybe a step-ring to a much larger diameter would work if I get one of this type:

I guess using a cokin filter carrier might work and make my own using baader film and thick card, seem to be plenty available low cost in the bay, hmmm.

On mine I typically have to do a reset before it'll take the firmware update and likewise have to re-pair it to my home WiFi after switching it to the 2.4G band. Worth stating which app and firmware version you currently have.

Not ready to throw this sort of money in for a filter, not yet at least, but IIRC powerlord has experimented using a L-Extreme on the S50 for some excellent results. So some here may be interested in this option

Currently just under USD160 on the long river place at the moment.

yeah I have my old childhood clock from Germany in a box somewhere in need of some repairs, one day...

That truly is a thing of beauty John, what a gem to have in your collection!

Just waiting for Jeremy to recommend a suitable handle now 😉 

Not having a pair to hand to cross-check, IIRC these may have prism tilt screws hidden under the textured paint/plastic. Unfortunately to chip the paint away does leave the finish a bit unsightly, but if you can see a trace where the screws are located then it may be possible to remove the surface finish just where the screw is for access. You could confirm if tilt screws are present and where by removing the eyepiece carriers and the top plates before attacking the paint.

Do bear in mind that over-adjusting can stress the prisms and spall them. Otherwise the prisms may be shimmed to set the tilt and that's a lot more 'fun' to resolve. I made shims from tin foil folded and trimmed and it can get disheartening having to dismantle/adjust and reassemble then check and go again, and again... I did succeed tho on the one pair I've had to do that with 🙂 

Best you'll get is an alignment that suits you and likely be a little (lot) out for others, but at least they'd be usable again. They do look in nice condition from the one shot posted so perhaps worth a fiddle so they get a second lease of life.

Thanks Ryan. It's all too easy to forget the journey both visual and astrophotography and other forms have been on over a long period of time. We take for granted what our modern era tech gives us. I'm sure few would regret having bought one of those 50-60s era 40-60mm scopes and eyepiece kits in younger years and got their first views of the planets, for example. Many of those now have very much more expensive gear I'm sure and far better views as a result, but would they have gotten the bug and that expensive gear had they not at some point early on bit the bullet?

Likewise the argument of learning the sky, star-hopping etc. Sure if you've the time and patience but when decent goto gear is available you can short that loop and have a chance to enjoy that time instead spent looking at stuff. I fall into that category, goto and starsense explorer means the little time I do get to spend gets me to target rather then frustratingly failing to find it. My eyes tend to be tired at the end of a day working at a computer screen which doesn't help and lately I note that my right which I tend to observe with is perhaps not quite as bright and sharp as my left (hence the S50 for EEVA). Perhaps time to go for another 10+ yearly eye test 😉 

Same with the smartscope vs build-yer-own. I probably could do the latter but would it be worthwhile for the time I can spend when there's no possibility of a permanent setup? For me, no, but the S50 does what I want/need so that was an easy decision. Would I upgrade, maybe if something that's a major step up comes along, or maybe not, time will tell.

Now if anyone wants to take the above as 'someone with little experience yet thinks they're an expert', feel free. I'm not and don't claim to be, know my limitations but enjoy what I do get to do/try when time and weather permits. isn't that a major part of the point of why we spend all those £/$ on all this gear we 'collect'? 🙂 

It's also a matter of perspective, when you look back at early images I'd bet folk thought those were 'astounding' too

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrophotography#:~:text=The first photograph of a,s 15 inch Great refractor.

Of course modern gear has advanced what is achievable compared to the film era and with lots of time and effort we've seen some great images from others here. The fact that something like the S50 is now available to make it easier for those of us who don't have that time or budget (or inclination) has opened up new areas for those who've bought one to explore that was perhaps beyond their abilities/facilities.

In part I got mine as a cheap/easy EEVA which could also capture images to share with family. Does exactly what I'd wanted and adds the bonus of solar if I ever get the time and clear days to try that out. I'd never have done so otherwise given my potential for migraines looking at bright objects.