nfotis

This Skywatcher 150i mount looks quite interesting...

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?

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).

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.

On 18/08/2023 at 02:19, Mike Q said:

You can tell its Saturn.  You can see the rings, you wont see details, they are binoculars not a telescope.  A lot of it has to do with the sky itself, just like a scope the clearer out the better.    Just a note about the Orion 20x80s.... they lasted about a year and something broke inside them.  They have been replaced by a set of 20x80 Oberwerks.  The images thru the new binos are much better.  

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)

On 27/03/2022 at 19:54, Mike Q said:

I have a set of Orion 20x80s.  The included a tripod that was better then expected and not junk.  They run about 300 USD.  The planets are chip shots for it, I chased the Leonard comet with it last year and the brighter deep sky stuff is visible.  I have been using them for six months now and have had no issues with them.  I am certain they are available under different names where you live.

 

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?

10 hours ago, JonHigh said:

Been considering a PrimaLuce dovetail Clamp to replace the stock one as the Losmandy bracket looks a bit thin on one side as it’s curved. Seems okay and holds the scope fine but it’s holding ££££‘s of equipment. I do realize that it is rated to hold a lot more weight so am I worrying unduly?

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).

Maybe you should order directly from the SVBONY official site instead?

https://www.svbony.com/svbony-sv605mc-mono-cooled-camera/#F9198E

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.

4 hours ago, Adam J said:

IMX472 would be the current closest candidate but I would think it's only a matter of time really. 

Adam

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...)

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/

Logically, your Evostar was produced around this period or so (early 2020)...

5 hours ago, adyj1 said:

Is this shipped from within the UK? Do you know what extra costs there would be (VAT/Duty)?

Thanks

Ady

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.

4 hours ago, JonHigh said:

That makes sense. Filters aren’t cheap either. What mount do you use? I found the EQ6r too heavy but the HEQ5 was much more manageable so ran with it. The jump from a ASI585 to a Cooled APS size sensor has completely destroyed it. And totally surpassed the limits of what the Evolux can do which is why I’m looking for a new scope. Just want to get the right one that still gives me the guiding and tracking performance I’m used to without undue stress on it. Also I would like to get the most out of the camera as it’s so capable. 

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)

I suspect that this system may be problematic for monochrome imaging and NB filters?

7 minutes ago, JonHigh said:

Thanks for the link. Will have a read in a bit! Although my head is telling me the 102 my heart is saying 115. 🙄

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)

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/

Forgot to mention, there's also a deal on a monochrome IMX533 from SVBONY:

https://www.svbony.com/svbony-sv605mc-mono-cooled-camera/

15 hours ago, mareman48 said:

This might be helpful  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQIlvYFBdak

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.

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)

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

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.

8 hours ago, powerlord said:

Just got an email from ZWO saying delays -shipping now end August. 😩

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.

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.

9 hours ago, Elp said:

250mm focal length is too long for that with the Seestar. It'd make a useful platform for many nebulae and the largest galaxies and open clusters. Dwarfs wide angle lens would be just about suitable for meteors, something closer to a 14-20mm lens would be even better.

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.