Baader Neutral Density Moon filters?

[Mak the Night]

I'm curious about how the Baader Neutral Density Moon filter performs in comparison to Baader's Neodymium Filter. Does anyone have any experience using both? I have a relatively inexpensive Celestron ND 0.9 Moon filter (total light transmission 13%). Would it be much different to the Baader Neutral Density Moon filter?

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/moon-neutral-density-filters/baader-neutral-density-moon-filters.html

[ronin]

Sure I have read that the Celestron Filters are produced by Baader, if not all then at least some. Equally an ND filter is not technically difficult to produce unlike say an OIII filter, and for whatever reason it is the OIII filter that I think I read was produced by Baader.

So in terms of the filter bit they may be somewhat similar, however there is also the protective coating and the filter holder to take into account.

[Mak the Night]

Sure I have read that the Celestron Filters are produced by Baader, if not all then at least some. Equally an ND filter is not technically difficult to produce unlike say an OIII filter, and for whatever reason it is the OIII filter that I think I read was produced by Baader.

So in terms of the filter bit they may be somewhat similar, however there is also the protective coating and the filter holder to take into account.

Thanks for the reply. I'm guessing most of the Baader and Celestron filters are made in the same Chinese factory. The Baader NDM is £29, about three times the usual cost of the Celestron Moon filter. So it might just be better made I suppose, like you say. 

[jetstream]

I have the Baader Neo and a Lumicon 50% ND filter, they both work well- I only use them on Jupiter really though. Depending on conditions the Neo will bring out features with more contrast than without. The ND is not used as much playing second fiddle to the Neo, but at times I stack them....

The best "filter" is a nice light high haze under steady conditions IMHO. I don't use filters on the moon. Baaders ND should be of the same quality as the Lumicon.

Wait a minute... I do use a filter on the moon sometimes, before the sun is down- the Baader single polarizer, it works good for this and on Jupiter under the same light sky.

[Mak the Night]

I have the Baader Neo and a Lumicon 50% ND filter, they both work well- I only use them on Jupiter really though. Depending on conditions the Neo will bring out features with more contrast than without. The ND is not used as much playing second fiddle to the Neo, but at times I stack them....

The best "filter" is a nice light high haze under steady conditions IMHO. I don't use filters on the moon. Baaders ND should be of the same quality as the Lumicon.

Wait a minute... I do use a filter on the moon sometimes, before the sun is down- the Baader single polarizer, it works good for this and on Jupiter under the same light sky.

OK, thanks. I may have a look at the Baader single polariser. I must say that I was quite impressed by the contrast of the Baader Neodymium. 

[rwilkey]

The Baader ND filter will not work better than any other filter in my opinion, I also think they are over-priced.  The Neodymium filter is OK for light polluted areas but darkens the sky quite a bit, but also works well on the Moon with a similar transmittance of approx. 13%.  Don't duplicate your purchases, you will not notice any real difference.

[Mak the Night]

The Baader ND filter will not work better than any other filter in my opinion, I also think they are over-priced.  The Neodymium filter is OK for light polluted areas but darkens the sky quite a bit, but also works well on the Moon with a similar transmittance of approx. 13%.  Don't duplicate your purchases, you will not notice any real difference.

I had a feeling it would be the same as all the other ND filters, possibly better constructed, hence the price, but the actual performance is probably the same. I bought the Baader Neodymium out of curiosity more than anything else as light pollution isn't a huge problem for me. I want to try it out on planets where it is supposed to excel. There seems to be some controversy whether the Neo can be used on the Moon or whether it is supposed to be used when observing other targets with a bright Moon in the sky, probably both! lol

I've only had chance to test the Neo on M42 and I thought that although it darkened it slightly, as would be expected, the contrast effect was quite subtle yet interesting. I should imagine the Baader Neodymium is good when observing the full or near full Moon.