Bluemoonjim

Tempted to use all sorts of quotes about the concept of perfection but can't be arsed. Suffice to say, your image of the Wizard Nebula is one of the best I have seen. Well done. Let's see more of your work on here.

I have just started using a Samyang 135 hooked up to Altair Astro 269c osc . This is a particularly bad example (cropped) to demonstrate the problem I am having with horrible halos around bright stars. Seen other peoples images taken with this lens and halos seem to be a common occurrence. Is this just a characteristic of this lens that I have to learn to live with? Tried stopping down F/4 F/5.6 etc, shorter exposure times, decreased gain, but, so far, all seem to have little effect. Is there a magic halo filter? if so what would you recommend? Or is there an easy processing technique for removal? Advice would be much appreciated

I had some similar artefacts awhile back and found it was due to the position of my Optolong l-eXtreme filter in the image train. I had it screwed into the thread on the front of the flattener. Using a filter drawer behind the flattener seemed to solve it. From what you say above this wouldn't relate.... Sorry I don't have anything more useful to offer. Good luck with it.

What camera are you using? any filter or reducer?

That is very impressive for 15hrs worth. Has an almost 3d quality to it. Excellent. I got a lot less of the squid for double the time! This has inspired me to go again.

Unusual cloud formations

Lovely image. Great detail when zoomed in.👍

Lovely post! Thank you

Chasing unicorns is what amateur astrophotography is all about. How far you chase them (unicorns) through the woods depends on how much cash you're happy to spend. It's a perpetual dilemma 😂 That's good advice from ' rl ' Good luck with the ep's

Beautiful image Kinch. So much fine detail. That's the quality I aspire to

Yes the 26c looks like very nice camera at a reasonable price. I have the tec cooled version of the 269c and so far have found it to be very good, it is low noise and no amp glow and the pixel size (3.3) seems to work for me. Mind you I have no experience with other similar cameras so nothing to compare it with. I was advised by people who know more than I do to go the ZWO route so that I would have compatibility with their ASiair. (I never was good at listening to advice )

These may be of interest? Altair 462C Colour USB3 Camera (altairastro.com) Altair 662C Colour USB3 Astronomy Camera (altairastro.com) Taken with an older version (327c) using 4inch refractor

Yes I started out with an unmodified Canon 550. When I got my first dedicated astro camera (the AA 269c) it felt like a quantum leap. Everything became so much easier. The ability to capture red hydrogen wavelengths, massive reduction in noise and ease of focus took my imaging to the 'next level'. I suppose my question is, is it worth more expense to go the the next level? (Rhetorical only 😄)

It was listed as B4 but I think the recent addition of an illuminated lorry park a few miles away is challenging that

Latest effort between clouds and other commitments. Part of me keeps thinking I would like to get a mono camera, maybe a 'better 'scope' and it would be nice to upgrade to a 'serious' mount but my more reasonable self says that unless I can relocate to a more reliable climate (clear sky's), really, what is the point. Actually, I think I have reached a place where I'm happy to capture images with the kit I have and just enjoy the wonder of what's 'out there'. Astrophotography can be a mean task master, you can easily be dragged down an expensive rabbit hole of buying more and more kit to make incremental improvements. Probably, the only people that will notice the improvements are the other poor souls engaged in this madness! The general public (mainly the wife!) will say, 'Wow, that's amazing' when you present your latest effort. They will not be picking over the noisy pixels and criticising your bloated stars and dodgy colours. They're just happily amazed at stuff 'beyond our ken' Having said that, comments and crit's from fellow sufferers appreciated. Approx' 4 hr @ 120s Altair Astro 269c Altair Astro Starwave 102 ed-r ES Exos2 PMC8 Deep Sky Stacker Photoshop

Your'e absolutely right Emperor. Over to the OP

Seems like you've already researched this enough if you're thinking of a the StellaLyra 12" in the future. This may be controversial but I say go for the max 12" at the outset ... we only pass this way the once. What have you got to lose? 😊

Great image! I have been trying to capture the elusive squid with my OSC camera. I have just under 30 hours and can just about see something of it in a very overstretched star bloated kind of way. I know for this target mono and filters is the way to go, just wish my bank account would see it the same way!

I'm intrigued by all the USB ports. Like ELP, what's the spec'? Nice watch

Although a clear-ish night on the 26th June I was not too hopeful of any sort of result because the target was perilously close to the tree tops and guiding was looking very ragged due to low altitude. Also for half the session there was a large moon chasing not far behind. Before the inevitable cloud returned I managed just 62 x 120 seconds subs with l-eXtreme filter. Scope 102mm f/7 and AltairAstro 269 cooled osc. I have been hoping to return for more subs but weather and circumstances have conspired against that so far...but, for just 2 hrs data and a 4" 'scope, I was quite pleased.

I bought Samyang 135 for Canon dslr a few weeks ago and this was my first attempt with it. I think it is a superb lens at an amazing price. I'm looking forward to putting some mosaics together. Being able to image at this scale gives me a much better understanding of where these objects sit in relation to one another. In this case, the lens was coupled with an AltairAstro osc cooled camera using a Canon lens adaptor. Between the clouds I managed just over 2hrs worth of 100sec subs with an Optolong l-extreme filter, the lens was stepped down a little to 2.8. Because the adjustment is so fine, getting focus spot on is difficult without a Batinov mask so would recommend one. There's someone on Ebay (UK) who is 3d printing them especially for the Samyamg 135 (about £10) Haven't had a chance to have a go without a filter yet but being such a 'light bucket' I would expect exposure times to be much, much shorter.

Great work Lee! This is an image where it takes some time to absorb just exactly what it is you are looking at. All those galaxies, the distance, the time span... mind boggling! Thanks for sharing it

Extraordinary! Thank you for sharing your work

Samyang 135 is a great lens. Nice work!

Interesting. I couldn’t use it as a process and had to install the toolbox