Imaging with the 130pds

[Uranium235]

Looks pretty good, Ive pixel peeped it and towards the top of the frame is where its still not quite right - might just need a bit more spacing on the CC (depending on which you have). But remember, you are on the very edge of what is possible with this telesope now... the last 5% is always the hardest.

 

Ive been experimenting with my 130 last night, and looking into the effect of masking the primary mirror down by one stop (to 110mm) to increase the size of the (initial) coma free field.... but slightly altering the spacing on the SWCC to increase the reduction factor so no actual photographic speed is lost.  Logic being, if the field has less coma in the first place - then the corrector "should" be more forgiving on the spacing as youre not asking it to correct the usual amout of coma.

This is only to see if it affects the very far corners (usually just one corner) of my images, where it starts to fall off. If a small gain can be found, it might be worth it. If it refuses to work well enough with the SWCC, I'll go back to the Baader and see what happens.

Could go horribly wrong, but if you dont ask - you dont get!

[Welrod50]

Just a thought regards earlier post about the camera/usb possibly playing up...

I used to use a 550d modded with a 130PDS on an EQ3 Pro a few years ago before I sold the lot to help with costs of our wedding but before doing so and after some frustration with the camera conking out randonly both when just connected and also whilst usong BYE, I discovered that when using a 10 metre USB extension cable for some reason the distance to camera seemed to lower the signal/output and after I replaced it with a usb cord with 'signal booster' attachment (still really cheap on fleabay) the problem immediately went away.

Worth a try??!

Scott

[Jamgood]

Here's my latest attempts with my set up. Iris and M33 were 60sec subs at ISO 1600. Crescent Nebula and Pleiades were 40sec at 1600.

130PDS - EQ3Pro - Canon EOS200D - CLS Filter and Baader MPCC.

Slowly getting better. These were my first attampts while dithering with APT. Just need more clear nights and more practice with post processing. I'm amazed that I'm getting images like this already. It's great fun.

Just purchased a used Canon 60Da with a better filter and hopefully that will help me to improve things. 👍

[Erling G-P]

Took this last night.  Tend to use my 200PDS, if the intended target fits within its smaller field of view, but the more I use the 130PDS, the more I fall in love with it

Details found here: https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/362564-ic-1848-soul-nebula/

 

[Jamgood]

Received my Canon EOS60Da yesterday and had clear skies on the same night. (I bet that doesn't often happen)

Had a quick test just to see that everything is working OK. I only got 70 x 1min subs before the clouds started rolling in and I had to sleep.  Along with 15 Darks, 30, Flats and 30 Bias.  

A very quick stack and stretch to see what I could see and I was totally amazed at how much more detail and colour came through. Compared to my EOS200D that I have been using the difference in noise and clarity is like night and day.

Looking forward to adding data to this image and other targets in the future. 👍

Edited September 18, 2020 by Jamgood
Updated images

[si717]

On 17/09/2020 at 17:07, Jamgood said:

Here's my latest attempts with my set up. Iris and M33 were 60sec subs at ISO 1600. Crescent Nebula and Pleiades were 40sec at 1600.

130PDS - EQ3Pro - Canon EOS200D - CLS Filter and Baader MPCC.

Slowly getting better. These were my first attampts while dithering with APT. Just need more clear nights and more practice with post processing. I'm amazed that I'm getting images like this already. It's great fun.

Just purchased a used Canon 60Da with a better filter and hopefully that will help me to improve things. 👍

Great images i myself am just getting going with the whole imaging and trying to learn processing yours dont look as noisey as my attempts well done

[si717]

my third attempt at imaging with the 130pds ,canon 650d modified astronomik cls ccd fiter an baddar mpcc

im batteling noisey images really and learning processing its all learning if anyone can point me in the right direction,that would be great im using gimp and i find that ok just not wanting to pay monthly for photoshop will it make my images any better i dont know ?

one thing great weather this week

[Jamgood]

10 minutes ago, si717 said:

Great images i myself am just getting going with the whole imaging and trying to learn processing yours dont look as noisey as my attempts well done

It took a lot of editing to get them like that. I was using a Canon EOS200D and the noise was horrific, even with lots of darks, flats, etc.

The Canon EOS60Da I recently aquired is an absolute dream in comparison. It took me 2 minutes stretching the data to get the new images to look like that. With the 200D it would of took a lot of trial, error and frustration. 

Great hobby to be learning though. Your inages look really good so far. They'll get better as you go. Have you searched YouTube for tutorials using Gimp?

I use photoshop so can't help there. I'm sure the majority of the process is the same, just differently name actions/tools.

[si717]

1 minute ago, Jamgood said:

It took a lot of editing to get them like that. I was using a Canon EOS200D and the noise was horrific, even with lots of darks, flats, etc.

The Canon EOS60Da I recently aquired is an absolute dream in comparison. It took me 2 minutes stretching the data to get the new images to look like that. With the 200D it would of took a lot of trial, error and frustration. 

Great hobby to be learning though. Your inages look really good so far. They'll get better as you go. Have you searched YouTube for tutorials using Gimp?

I use photoshop so can't help there. I'm sure the majority of the process is the same, just differently name actions/tools.

thanks yes your images look great ,and i do like your new one with the new camera yes you can see the difference ,im not in the position to throw money into a dedicated camera as of yet allready put a fair chunk into the hobby allready ,and yes i think i will start learning more toward the processing side now and try make the best of the equipment i have ,ive left the processing to the last but uam sure i will learn and something to do on cloudy nights

Thanks for the reply and good luck in your future imaging 👍

[Erling G-P]

M31 from last night.  Not truly happy with it; processing difficult and have struggled with the colour balance.  Disappointed also that I can't get any Ha areas to show, despite a modded camera.

In contrast to my windy IC 1848 imaging session, there wasn't any wind last night, so had to fight dew with a hairdryer repeatedly during the night.  Never thought I would find myself wishing for wind while imaging, but with the 130 on my HEQ5, it's ok.

Other details: HEQ5 Pro w/Rowan belt mod & ADM saddle, Canon 700Da cooled & SW 0.9 CC, Staraid Revolution autoguider.  Stacked with DSS, processed with Astroart & Topaz DeNoise AI.  Darks, flats & bias used.

Total integration time just under 5½ hours.

Edited September 18, 2020 by Erling G-P

[Spaced Out]

A short time lapse from last night, here's the 130PDS doing its thing......

 

[Jamgood]

2 hours ago, si717 said:

thanks yes your images look great ,and i do like your new one with the new camera yes you can see the difference ,im not in the position to throw money into a dedicated camera as of yet allready put a fair chunk into the hobby allready ,and yes i think i will start learning more toward the processing side now and try make the best of the equipment i have ,ive left the processing to the last but uam sure i will learn and something to do on cloudy nights

Thanks for the reply and good luck in your future imaging 👍

I know what you mean about sinking money it to it, this game is a never ending spending spree! I'm very new to this myself. The 130PDS is my first scope and I've only had it a couple of months. I jumped in a little near the deep end though and went for computer connected mount/camera. I'm not a fan of standing out in the cold.

One thing I would definitely suggest is get as sharply focused as you can. Makes everything all the easier. Have you got a Bahtinov Mask? They're quite cheap to buy or you can make one. Makes focusing a doddle. 2 second job, lock it up and start imaging. My wife made me one out of cardboard and it works really well.

Also, you never said whether you took Darks, Flats, Bias? I found that good Flats make the world of difference. 

Like yourself, I was a bit blaise when it came to processing, thinking it would be easy and then learning very quickly that it most certainly isn't. But, every day is a school day, as they say. It's great to learn new things.

Edited September 18, 2020 by Jamgood

[Uranium235]

Hmmm... imaging at sub arc-second has shown up a guiding issue with the 130 tonight. Might be time to find a different place to mount the finderguider (perhaps in the middle of the dual saddle, between the scopes).

[Erling G-P]

4 hours ago, Spaced Out said:

A short time lapse from last night, here's the 130PDS doing its thing......

 

 

That is really cool!  It must hold some dark powers, with those red lightning bolts shooting from it...

[TareqPhoto]

Why i don't see images by using a mono cooled camera and filter wheel? I want to know how strong can this scope handle a cooled mono camera with filter wheel.

[Spaced Out]

4 hours ago, TareqPhoto said:

Why i don't see images by using a mono cooled camera and filter wheel? I want to know how strong can this scope handle a cooled mono camera with filter wheel.

My own experience is that the 130PDS copes OK with DSLRs but the heavier weight of a mono camera and EFW is just a little too much for the stock SW focuser and you end up with some degree of gravitational tilt in images. Other people may have different experiences tho ?

I have just changed to a stronger focuser to try and solve this, it's still not absolutely perfect but it is much improved. I will be using the Mono camera and EFW over the winter so we'll see how it goes.......

Edited September 19, 2020 by Spaced Out

[si717]

12 hours ago, Jamgood said:

I know what you mean about sinking money it to it, this game is a never ending spending spree! I'm very new to this myself. The 130PDS is my first scope and I've only had it a couple of months. I jumped in a little near the deep end though and went for computer connected mount/camera. I'm not a fan of standing out in the cold.

One thing I would definitely suggest is get as sharply focused as you can. Makes everything all the easier. Have you got a Bahtinov Mask? They're quite cheap to buy or you can make one. Makes focusing a doddle. 2 second job, lock it up and start imaging. My wife made me one out of cardboard and it works really well.

Also, you never said whether you took Darks, Flats, Bias? I found that good Flats make the world of difference. 

Like yourself, I was a bit blaise when it came to processing, thinking it would be easy and then learning very quickly that it most certainly isn't. But, every day is a school day, as they say. It's great to learn new things.

yes ive gone the laptop to mount route and run from indoors once setup over chrome remote desktop ,i have a bahtinov Mask and use it not quite sure as to why my stars maybe a little out of focus ,i do have a wire running up one of the veins to a homemade dew heater ive put behind the secondary mirror not used it yet but sure it will be of use when the wether gets colder ,i may take that of as dont know if affecting focus .

And ive been using Bias and Flat frames and dithering every shot so not been doing darks maybe those would help with the noise i get in the images ,ive read on the thread alot of people dont use darks when dithering so may give those ago in future

And maybe i need to focus more imaging time on given target ,and yes its all learning curve seems alot to all take it at first ,but things are coming together slowly and dropping into place just little things i need to tweak now i think 👍

[TareqPhoto]

5 hours ago, Spaced Out said:

My own experience is that the 130PDS copes OK with DSLRs but the heavier weight of a mono camera and EFW is just a little too much for the stock SW focuser and you end up with some degree of gravitational tilt in images. Other people may have different experiences tho ?

I have just changed to a stronger focuser to try and solve this, it's still not absolutely perfect but it is much improved. I will be using the Mono camera and EFW over the winter so we'll see how it goes.......

I can change and upgrade the focuser, but as you mentioned i am just worried that even with that it is still not perfect, i feel like the mono camera and EFW for example is as heavy if not more as the scope itself, so i am not sure going with 130PDS to use a mono and filter wheel will be a good idea, i will wait more reviews or impression from some if they did it, but for now i am not gonna think about 130PDS as an option for my two mono cameras and two filter wheels.

[Spaced Out]

5 minutes ago, TareqPhoto said:

I can change and upgrade the focuser, but as you mentioned i am just worried that even with that it is still not perfect, i feel like the mono camera and EFW for example is as heavy if not more as the scope itself, so i am not sure going with 130PDS to use a mono and filter wheel will be a good idea, i will wait more reviews or impression from some if they did it, but for now i am not gonna think about 130PDS as an option for my two mono cameras and two filter wheels.

This is what CCD inspector looks like for me (and a test image)..... although not sure how reliable CCD inspector is tbh ?

For the money the 130PDS really is amazing ! I thought about upgrading and going down the TS optics carbon tube route but that would mean much more £££ and getting F4 for a similar FOV. As I don't have an obs and have to set up and break down each night the F4 thing worried me.

Please remember, this is just my own personal experience. I'm sure there must be others on here who have had an easier time with the 130PDS + mono cam and EFW ?

 

[Whistlin Bob]

That moment when your 130pds has been rattling round in a frequently moved box for four months, you get it out, stick it on the mount and find the collimation is still perfect 😁

[TareqPhoto]

5 hours ago, Spaced Out said:

This is what CCD inspector looks like for me (and a test image)..... although not sure how reliable CCD inspector is tbh ?

For the money the 130PDS really is amazing ! I thought about upgrading and going down the TS optics carbon tube route but that would mean much more £££ and getting F4 for a similar FOV. As I don't have an obs and have to set up and break down each night the F4 thing worried me.

Please remember, this is just my own personal experience. I'm sure there must be others on here who have had an easier time with the 130PDS + mono cam and EFW ?

 

So your comment is not a final confirmation then about it, i still can go with it for that reason, money isn't a big issue, my 6" F4 wasn't expensive anyway, and between buying another 6" F/4 or even 8" F/5 then any will be cheaper for me than two 130PDS, right?

 

Thank you very much

[Spaced Out]

1 hour ago, TareqPhoto said:

So your comment is not a final confirmation then about it, i still can go with it for that reason, money isn't a big issue, my 6" F4 wasn't expensive anyway, and between buying another 6" F/4 or even 8" F/5 then any will be cheaper for me than two 130PDS, right?

 

Thank you very much

I can only talk about my own limited experience with a mono camera + EFW, I'd certainly wait for others with more experience to chip in here, I've not had the mono camera for very long tbh !

If you trawl back through this long thread tho I'm sure there are some images from the ZWO ASI 1600 Pro somewhere, there is also some discussion about tilt.

[TareqPhoto]

1 hour ago, Spaced Out said:

I can only talk about my own limited experience with a mono camera + EFW, I'd certainly wait for others with more experience to chip in here, I've not had the mono camera for very long tbh !

If you trawl back through this long thread tho I'm sure there are some images from the ZWO ASI 1600 Pro somewhere, there is also some discussion about tilt.

What a coincidence, 130 pages for 130PDS [or should we say 130PGS], it will take long time for me scrolling back in pages to see images with cooled mono and filter wheel.

I think i will keep searching, and i will read some pages here and hopefully to see more images with camera and filter wheel, but i think it will force me that if i buy two 130PDS then i have to replace both focusers too, that will add additional costs to it when i can have something ready or buy one scope only of what i have.

[Pid]

 First time I have shot with my ha filter and tried to add it to my rgb image so not going to jump up and down about this one as i feel it needs a lot more data but this is around 3 hours  of Ha/rgb on ngc7635  (the bubble nebula)
24x 5 min rgb subs
10x 5  min ha subs
10x dark  flats and bias
was all taken in my backgarden astroback yard style 

Gear used 

Heq5 pro with belt upgrade 

Skywatcher 130pds 

90x50 guide scope with zwo 120mc 

Canon 450d modded 

Stacked in deep sky stacker and edited in photoshop let me no what you guys think .

[Stub Mandrel]

On 17/09/2020 at 10:15, Welrod50 said:

Just a thought regards earlier post about the camera/usb possibly playing up...

I used to use a 550d modded with a 130PDS on an EQ3 Pro a few years ago before I sold the lot to help with costs of our wedding but before doing so and after some frustration with the camera conking out randonly both when just connected and also whilst usong BYE, I discovered that when using a 10 metre USB extension cable for some reason the distance to camera seemed to lower the signal/output and after I replaced it with a usb cord with 'signal booster' attachment (still really cheap on fleabay) the problem immediately went away.

Worth a try??!

Scott

10m is pretty much the limit for USB.