Which Oiii filter ????

[astronymonkey]

Im considering buying an Oiii filter for use in my 16inch lightbridge after borrowing a lumicon oiii for 30mins at a starcamp in the summer to look at the veil.

It was a dark sky, with a good filter and decent aperture but the view was absolutely stunning. More recently ive used an unbranded oiii in the same scope on the veil but under more light polluted conditions and although it was good, it wasnt as jaw dropping as with the lumicon...... but that may be due to the conditions.

So, to put it simply, what do i go for ....... lumicon ?........or save afew quid and get a skywatcher or baader version ......and would I notice the difference compared with the lumicon.

( I'll be using it with nagler or delos eyepieces.)

Cheers

[AndyExton]

Personally not used the lumicon one Ian but having used both the Baader and Skywatcher ones I must say the Baader one edged it for me in the society 16" Lightbridge on objects like the veil.  Used it also in my 12" from the middle of town and gives good results.

[jabeoo1]

I see no reason why the Explore Scientific one would not meet your expectations. Its a quality product at a reasonable price.  They have good tight quality control, which includes a specific report based on the filter you receive.

I also use it with both Naglar & Delos EP's.

[faulksy]

Im considering buying an Oiii filter for use in my 16inch lightbridge after borrowing a lumicon oiii for 30mins at a starcamp in the summer to look at the veil.

It was a dark sky, with a good filter and decent aperture but the view was absolutely stunning. More recently ive used an unbranded oiii in the same scope on the veil but under more light polluted conditions and although it was good, it wasnt as jaw dropping as with the lumicon...... but that may be due to the conditions.

So, to put it simply, what do i go for ....... lumicon ?........or save afew quid and get a skywatcher or baader version ......and would I notice the difference compared with the lumicon.

( I'll be using it with nagler or delos eyepieces.)

Cheers

dead easy, come to dobfest with us lot and you can try my baader and swampthings lumicon all on the same night

[jetstream]

dead easy, come to dobfest with us lot and you can try my baader and swampthings lumicon all on the same night

Is there a difference between the two faulksy?

[John]

The Baader O-III has the narrowest band pass width of any O-III that I've used. With smaller apertures that results in many of the background stars dimming very noticably or dissapearing altogether. With large apertures though this narrow band pass might lead to greater contrast enhancement. Personally, after trying the Baader in my 4" - 12" aperture scopes, I opted for the Astronomik O-III which is a little more generous and, to my eyes, preferrable in smaller apertures as well as delivering the goods in my largest scope as well. I also found star images tighter with the Astronomik.

For me Lumicon and Astronomik are the premium filter brands and the benchmark that others have to reach.

ES are a relatively "new boy on the block" as far as filters go but there is no reason to suppose that they will do anything other than a pretty competant job, given the other products they have delivered.

[scarp15]

I use a 2" lumicon and yep the Veil through it at a dark sky location is stunning. It gets used for much more besides and so continues to be a very worth while investment.

[faulksy]

Is there a difference between the two faulksy?

hi gerry, find the badder very good but as john says back ground stars or very faint ones disapear, which i dont mind to be honest as you can concentrate on the chosen subject more. but theres a big difference in price if they cost the same i would go for the lumicon or astronomic like johns

[swamp thing]

Ian

I'd go with either the Astronomik or Lumicon O-III filters mate. Both are top class and give great views, I couldn't pick a winner when I compared them last.

[estwing]

I was pleased how well the astronomik UHC work on the veil... But the OIII was a step up again in detail and area

[rwilkey]

Hi Astromonkey, the Lumicon is the better quality of view, very satisfying as you have found, well worth the extra £'s.  I got mine from AgenaAstro, whom I thoroughly recommend.

[denis0007dl]

For me, Astronomik is best!

[Paul73]

Never tried the Astronomik, but my Lumicon does the business.

Paul

[astronymonkey]

Hi folks,

Thanks for all of the comments. Im really tempted by the lumicon but its not cheap. I have a baader uhc but i wasnt that impressed mainly due to the green hue but I suppose thats due to the wider range of wavelengths it allows to pass.

Its a lot of money to part with so im considering the cheaper alternatives but then dont want to be left wondering if I am missing out.....decisions decisions.

Cheers

[RikM]

I have now the Astronomik but used to have the Skywatcher and the Astronomik gives a better view to my eyes. The Skywatcher is not bad. It has a narrower bandpass, so gives maximum contrast but looses some of the detail along with it. The Astronomik gives a very noticeable contrast boost without loss of fine detail in either the object or star shapes and gives a more pleasing view all round.

I have had a peek through Swampthing's Lumicon and I couldn't see much difference between that and the Astronomik although there was a bit of difference in the size of the scope!

[jabeoo1]

I have a baader uhc but i wasnt that impressed mainly due to the green hue but I suppose thats due to the wider range of wavelengths it allows to pass.

Does the intensity of the green hue noticeably vary between the Oiii filters ?  The ES one I have does have a strong green hue. My ears have pricked up now to know how this feature varies across the manufacturers. 

[jetstream]

The Astronomik OIII is very flexible - it shows a lot of objects well

[RikM]

Does the intensity of the green hue noticeably vary between the Oiii filters ?  The ES one I have does have a strong green hue. My ears have pricked up now to know how this feature varies across the manufacturers.

Looking through each in daylight, the Astronomik and Skywatcher are noticeably different colours. The Astronomic being slightly greener shade and the SW slightly bluer shade. In nighttime use I don't really notice the colour cast difference.

[swamp thing]

The Astronomik OIII is very flexible - it shows a lot of objects well

So I've heard Gerry, only had a chance to use one on the veil so far in my scopes. I'd certainly like to try one on some other targets to compare it against my lumicon. Happen to think the lumicon is a very versatile filter too, it will be interesting to see which is best on a wider range of objects, or if I can actually separate them. 

[John]

I believe the Lumicon has a slightly "tighter" band pass width than the Astronomik from the data I've seen. Both are really well made. Some useful data here on filter band pass widths for those who are interested:

http://www.astrosurf.com/buil/filters/curves.htm

[jetstream]

The Lumicon is used here primarily for 2 objects now, the North American neb complex and the Veil complex. Using an appropriate eyepiece The NA, Pelican nebs are brighter or more contrasted with the Lumicon IMO. The filters are more closely matched on the Veil, but under truly dark, transparent skies and with the right eyepiece the Lumicon edges out the Astronomik at lower mags-BUT- when higher mags are used the Astro always wins, to my eyes.

The Astronomik also shows very faint nebs better in my scope than the Lumicon-some will actually disappear with the US filter.

The ability to use higher mags and also see fainter nebulae are the reasons I call the Astronomik more flexible. There is definitely a difference between them eventhough they are both top quality. Of course these observations are with my eyes, scope and conditions and it all boils down to personal choice.

[swamp thing]

The Lumicon is used here primarily for 2 objects now, the North American neb complex and the Veil complex. Using an appropriate eyepiece The NA, Pelican nebs are brighter or more contrasted with the Lumicon IMO. The filters are more closely matched on the Veil, but under truly dark, transparent skies and with the right eyepiece the Lumicon edges out the Astronomik at lower mags-BUT- when higher mags are used the Astro always wins, to my eyes.

The Astronomik also shows very faint nebs better in my scope than the Lumicon-some will actually disappear with the US filter.

The ability to use higher mags and also see fainter nebulae are the reasons I call the Astronomik more flexible. There is definitely a difference between them eventhough they are both top quality. Of course these observations are with my eyes, scope and conditions and it all boils down to personal choice.

interesting stuff Gerry i will let you know how I get on when I compare them. although it would seem your eyes are better than mine if you can separate these two O-III on the veil because i couldn't. Do you use a filter slide? swapping two identical eyepiece was the only option for me. Not very precise for comparisons.

[jetstream]

No filter slide Steve, but the difference is enough to show without and over many obs. The Veils thin "thread" is better in the Lumicon, traced using the 25mm TV Plossl to the end of the Broom, with the other filter it is hard to see. Do you see the other Veil nebs around the 2 main ones? I see most but not all of this map

[swamp thing]

I have seen most on that map Gerry. As said I only got to use the Astronomik one night.........to date. I was observing the 6992/5 section with both the lumicon and the Astronomik using two 20mm Naglers. i couldn't split them. Maybe i'll observe the other side next time. Trouble is I don't have access to two identical eyepieces now, and my eyes are obviously not as good as yours if you can swap a filter in and out and remember what you see that well. Although this could be down to my forgetful brain I'm not known for having an abundance of the old grey matter 

  

[John]

I can see the 4 main secments of nebulosity in that pic with my 4" refractor and the Astronomik O-III under a really dark sky but not the "thin thread"

With the 12" dob I can trace the strands, whorls and braids of the nebulosity over what seems like a wide patch of sky. You can explore it for ages. It must be totally awesome with a 20" under a dark sky