nfotis

For APS sensor, you need at least 36mm filters. And I think that most light pollution filters for OSC are only available in 1.25" and 2" sizes 😞 That's the bad part of buying a large sensor. N.F.

Can't you feed the camera power separately? Maybe you need a bigger power supply for the raspberry pi? N.F.

Video heads offer much lower elevation than gimbal heads. N.F.

@vlaiv Thanks for the explanation, I was thinking about a phone attached to the eyepiece and being used as a large eyepiece which could record and stack images N.F.

I am wondering about this as well. Because I own some nice fast Canon lenses (85mm/1.8, 135m/2), I am thinking about a possible downside if I use NB filters with say an ASI294mm. N.F.

I suppose that an eyepiece holder for phones would help immensely. You could also capture up to 4k video for planetary imaging (subject to phone storage, if you don't have SD card capability) N.F.

My understanding is that a combination of monochrome sensor and narrowband filters is the easiest way under bortle 8 skies (and the more costly, unfortunately). These dual and tri-band filters are a different approach. Best of luck, anyway. N.F.

Note that scopes with a long focal length like the CC6 and the Bresser 152/1900 need a stable mount, if you really want to enjoy using them. A HEQ5 mount is considered the minimum for enjoyable astrophotography and visual observation at such long focal distance, from what I understand. N.F.

Bird and plane photography uses a different kind of tripod head. These gimbal heads are very useful: N.F.

An approximate rule of thumb would be 2/3rds of visual observation load limit for imaging, if you have a relatively short tube (Newtonians have more moment of inertia due to their length, so they are more sensitive to wind as well - for these, 1/2 of the load limit would be advisable) So, a mount rated at 15 kg load limit should work well for imaging at 10 kg (accounting all the camera stuff, filters, etc hanging out of the tube) N.F.

Regarding dispersion of planetary observation views, wouldn't an ADC help with this? (I suppose that we are speaking about atmospheric dispersion, right?) N.F.

My suggestion would be a HEQ5 class mount as a minimum, if you plan on astrophotography as well. A NEQ6 would provide even more room for loading. N.F.

A rough estimate gives me nearly a thousand EUR for a good enough desktop computer, with a low end graphics card. I am looking forward to the incoming AMD Ryzen 3 processors for getting an 8 core system and 32 GB ram in winter, if my laptop proves inadequate for the task. N.F.

I guess that this means that both the Skymax 150 and the classical Cassegrain 6" are out, then. I would suggest the Bresser 127/1900 Maksutov, then, since it offers long focal distance and light weight at f/15. https://www.bresser.de/en/Astronomy/Telescopes/BRESSER-Messier-MC-127-1900-OTA-Optical-Tube.html N.F.

Looks good to me. Maybe a high quality Barlow could help getting a larger picture (1.5x to 2x at most). I am waiting for my ASI462 myself, to try as well. N.F.

CPU and memory are obviously inadequate for the task. I have a laptop with a 4-core i5 processor and 16 GB RAM and an SSD, and even that may be not enough. N.F.

Yes, and the prices start to rise quite fast at this point (full 2" filters are quite painful for the wallet when we are speaking about narrowband stuff). I think that 1.25" are enough for a 4/3rds sensor? N.F. Forgot to mention that the monochrome sensor is the IMX492, a somewhat different beast than the colour IMX294

Just discovered that the colour 4/3 sensors use the IMX294 sensor, but the monochrome versions use the IMX492. The IMX492 does 2x2 binning in order to get the same amount of pixels as the 294 and 14-bit dynamic range instead of the 'normal'12-bit. QHY is offering access to the 4x subpixels as well, so you can get both resolutions/pixel sizes in a single sensor. You could select either fat or small pixels (and the resulting resolutions). I wonder why ZWO doesn't offer this option as well. N.F.

interesting setup - doesn't the EAF tilt the lens as it rotates the focusing belt? Since I have lots of good Canon lenses, I am interested in your experiences with EF lenses and astro cameras. N.F.

I suppose that you ordered also a filter wheel? I am quite curious about this sensor myself. But the additional cost of filters and wheel is... painful. N.F.

If you like the 4/3rds sensor size, the 1600 and 294 seem to be the obvious contenders. The monochrome 294 seems to be a bit unproven yet? QHY promotes a unbinning capability, which quadruples the pixels from 11.7 to 46.8 Mpixels (using 1/4 the size per picture element, of course). On APS-C, I suppose that you may need to upgrade your filters to 2" or so (it's my understanding that the 1.25" isn't enough to cover the full area of the sensor at APS and above sizes). N.F.

One thing that may explain different prices is the stuff included. For example, dew heater, accessories, multiple sensor reading modes (for example, QHY is promoting dual gain modes and unbinned resolution on their monochrome IMX294 model - instead of 11.7 Mpixels, you get 46.8 Mpixels). And there are possible differences like parts quality, memory used, firmware quality, third-party software and adapter support, etc. to consider. Quite a headache, if you ask me. N.F.

The consensus seems to be that a big Maksutov gives very good planetary observation (refractor like), and the Skymax 180 is termed "planet killer", as it offers extremely long focal distance and (usually, provided good atmospheric conditions) quite sharp views. You may want to add a dual speed focuser to it and an insulated jacket from Reflectix if you have problems with thermal equilibrium. The GSO Classic Cassegrain, especially the 8", is a good contender, if you don't want to wait for thermal equilibrium (open tube). It may need some careful collimation for best results, and includes a dual speed focuser. N.F.

The weight, though... (and the price takes a big jump) Too much for my HEQ5 mount (and the 8CC is practically the limit for one-man handling/mounting). I wonder, where's the difference between this series and the other GSO-built CCs? The badge and paint scheme? The accessories? I fail to see any difference in construction between them. N.F.

I am not under any pressure. Heck, I am still waiting for my first astrocamera (ASI462). At worst, if finances don't cooperate, I might go the second-hand route for a filter wheel, a filter set and a recent monochrome camera. N.F.