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nfotis

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Everything posted by nfotis

  1. Just received my Rpi5 (8 GB), I hope to play with it by next week. I was hoping to see astrophotography software being ported to it already, but it seems we will have to wait for programmers to receive their systems for porting?
  2. If you want also a mount, things are getting tight. A possible solution would be a HEQ5 mount (bought used) and a Skymax 180 (I bough mine 550 and 1200 EUR, respectively).
  3. Personally, I love my Skymax 180. It was a large jump from my Skymax 127, and it seems to offer quite contrasty views. My HEQ5 mount can (barely) handle it, the Skymax 150 should be more enjoyable (manual focus is a bit of a pain, too much jumping and vibration - an autofocuser is very helpful at such long focal distances). I haven't tried the GSO CC. After the initial hype, it seems that these aren't offering a big improvement, and I suspect the lack of a front glass corrector makes balancing on the mount a bit harder. I don't notice any thermal problems, but since I need almost one hour of setting up my mount etc on the rooftop this might be expected.
  4. Yeah, I am looking at an 25x100 Oberwerk myself as a large binocular solution. I have a carbon fibre tripod with a 12 kg load limit and a heavy duty video head with 12 kg load limit, which should be (almost) workable (?). Beyond this size, we are speaking about 4-digit prices, where a regular telescope has a big advantage in magnification and mass (and you can use different eyepieces etc)
  5. Regarding planets, how large do Jupiter and Saturn appear in such a binocular? Or even a 25x100 might not be enough to discern the rings of Saturn?
  6. I don't know, my HEQ5 mount is an old one, which didn't even offer a Losmandy dovetail clamp, only a Vixen-compatible one - and it was causing aesthetic damage to dovetails with its screws, which were half-broken. So, my new clamp was a major (and rather costly) upgrade, since it now permits me to mount a C9.25 with its fat dovetail etc. I was handling it with my original clamp and an alternate Vixen dovetail, but it didn't feel very secure (it was quite steady, though, if you let the screws dig into the dovetail - the current friction version should be quite improved).
  7. Maybe you should order directly from the SVBONY official site instead? https://www.svbony.com/svbony-sv605mc-mono-cooled-camera/#F9198E
  8. It seems like a folded telescope which provides a mounting place for a current smartphone to record images on the optical exit? Looks like a minimalist product, where you have the camera and software in your phone, and you just attach an optical tube in front of it.
  9. Will see. There's still a large gap between the IMX533 and the IMX571, both in area and in price. At worst, I am hoping that the more and more competition between providers of the IMX571 will bring the prices down (I know, fat chance of this...)
  10. Hello everybody, SVBONY has expanded their SV550 triplets range, adding a 122mm f/7 model. It looks like a "poor man's Esprit 120" to my eyes, and there's a pre-sale offer which includes their reducer in the price. If I didn't own already their 102ED, I would be quite tempted... https://www.svbony.com/sv550-apo-refractor-122mm/
  11. Logically, your Evostar was produced around this period or so (early 2020)...
  12. Better ask them directly. Besides some shipping, I didn't pay VAT etc (they shipped from Germany, if I remember correctly), as I am located in Greece. I don't know what happens with UK customers.
  13. Forgot to mention, I own a HEQ5 (bought used years ago, so not even a regular USB connection). Added a larger PrimaLuce Lab dovetail clamp, and I am slowly gearing up for adding a guide scope etc as soon as I get a cooled camera (for now I am doing some occasional planetary imaging - I have loaded it up to a C9.25, ADC, 2x Barlow and an ASI462 camera - when I'm not just using it for visual observation with my Skymax 180 etc)
  14. I suspect that this system may be problematic for monochrome imaging and NB filters?
  15. If I didn't already own the 102ED from SVBONY, I would be tempted by their incoming 122 triplet, but that's another story... 🙂 (I intend on using the money savings toward a monochrome sensor and NB filters instead)
  16. Adding a reducer may add weight but at the same time reduces focal distance, so it should balance eventually. A HEQ5 easily handles a 102ED or triplet, a 120 triplet may be starting to push it for long exposures (depends on good balancing). If you are suffering from winds, I would avoid larger than 100mm triplet APO, or go to an EQ6-R class mount for better stability (it's quite heavier, though) If you are using a pier and have protection from winds, this little mount can do amazing work https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/618910-will-the-heq5-be-enough/
  17. Forgot to mention, there's also a deal on a monochrome IMX533 from SVBONY: https://www.svbony.com/svbony-sv605mc-mono-cooled-camera/
  18. Different model/sensor, hard to draw conclusions about the IMX533 version from this At any rate, it may be better buying from the official site direct? I think that they are going to get a special sale next Friday https://www.svbony.com/sv605cc/ N.F.
  19. It would be wonderful if you could extend your budget for an IMX571, but I can understand that these are too pricey cameras. You can check with the field of view calculator in Astronomy Tools: https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/ Select "Imaging mode", put your camera and telescope combination, then test the various targets which interest you. That said, the newer IMX533 and IMX571 sensors are very nice and easy to work with. No amp glow etc makes for easier processing. (wish there was an IMX294-size sensor with the IMX571 technology)
  20. Nice collection. To add some perspective, I feel that a coke soft drink (a 330ml) or a one liter bottle would be quite helpful in giving a feel of scale? Cheers, NF
  21. If you want portability, the new harmonic mounts like the ZWO AM5 are quite desirable. But you will pay for that. What's the largest scope you expect to mount and use? For example, you can use a Celestron C9.25 on an EQ6-R mount for astrophotography, or on a HEQ5 for visual and planetary imaging. A typical refractor up to a 100-120mm triplet can be handled by a HEQ5 class mount (which can be carried on two hands, sans counterweights, while an EQ6-R needs two trips). If you want to use a C11, you want an EQ8 / CEM120 class mount (these examples are empirical - in general, a bigger mount will be a more pleasant user experience, if you leave the transport/assembly part out). A C14 wants an even more substantial mount. Hope this helps, N.F.
  22. Not surprising. These systems have a need for some good debugging before these can be ready for shipping, because they are targeting beginner users. If these aren't extremely reliable, it will be a monumental fiasco for ZWO - because beginners don't have the patience of veteran users. N.F.
  23. A not very scientific experiment: when watching at Moon with either my C9.25 or the Skymax 180, these floaters are much more apparent in the SCT, with the same eyepiece (and the moon is painfully bright for my eye). N.F.
  24. If I understand correctly, the focal length has been calculated in order to fill the Sun/Moon on the IMX462 framing. Not bad, in my opinion. Obviously, not suitable for planetary imaging where you would need at least ten times this focal length for a meaningful image. N.F.
  25. Um, 36mm filters are smaller (and cheaper) than the 2" filters (which are overkill for the IMX533) N.F.
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