Imaging with a Star Adventurer

[Stuf1978]

36 minutes ago, GlenM said:

One of the most beautiful images of the Moon that I have seen, thank you and well done.

 

Stay safe,

Glen.

 

Thabk you, very much appreciated 😁

[Alanjmolloy]

On 09/05/2020 at 23:27, Stuf1978 said:

@Alanjmolloy Yeah I roughly align through the SA reticle then use Sharcap to nail the PA down. I never frame my targets up before polar alignment, so I have to move the scope after alignment.  I find as long as I tighten everything down properly on the SA wedge and don't tighten down the SA clutch too much it doesn't cause too much of an issue. Once I'm aligned and my target is framed up in the scope and my guide scope is pointing in the same direction it's just a case of setting the guiding away in PHD2 (make sure you have deactivated declination). I was surprised at how effective guiding is on the star adventurer as it's massively increased my exposure time and the number of sub frames I can keep. 

The only time my camera fouls on the wedge or the tripod is when I'm shooting something that's more or less overhead which is not very often. Hope that helps 😀

Really helpful, thanks!

Once I get a break in the clouds I'll give it a stab here. Locked down in Ireland so it will be an Urban Bortle 8 shot with a lot of the sky blocked by trees/buildings but at least if I can get round stars and greater than a minute or two in my ED72 I'll claim success and post it here. Thanks for your help! Alan

[Stuf1978]

3 hours ago, Alanjmolloy said:

Really helpful, thanks!

Once I get a break in the clouds I'll give it a stab here. Locked down in Ireland so it will be an Urban Bortle 8 shot with a lot of the sky blocked by trees/buildings but at least if I can get round stars and greater than a minute or two in my ED72 I'll claim success and post it here. Thanks for your help! Alan

No problem at all, good luck. Yeah I'm locked down in bortle 8 too and it's not ideal. Lack of proper darkness until August is a killer too 🙁

[Alanjmolloy]

Really happy to get an image together finally. Star adventurer, guiding with phd2, 20*90s with darks, flats and biases, a skywatcher 72 and the OVL flattener and a modded 600d with an optolong pro. Looked like it was ok for longer exposures, with 10 min test shot looking pretty good too. First foto is the 20*90s with calibration frames. Second one is just the single 10 min one without calibration. Both processed in SIRIL. Both heavy crops to 1/4 original fov.

[Spaced Out]

My first ever attempt at the Milky Way using the star adventurer mini, just a bit of a test. 2 images blended, one for the sky (using SAM) and one for the foreground (with SAM turned off).

Canon 5d Mk4 & Samyang 24mm F1.4

80 secs, ISO800, F2

It's a bit messy with some quick processing and light pollution but it has potential. 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Spaced Out

[Stuf1978]

17 hours ago, Alanjmolloy said:

Really happy to get an image together finally. Star adventurer, guiding with phd2, 20*90s with darks, flats and biases, a skywatcher 72 and the OVL flattener and a modded 600d with an optolong pro. Looked like it was ok for longer exposures, with 10 min test shot looking pretty good too. First foto is the 20*90s with calibration frames. Second one is just the single 10 min one without calibration. Both processed in SIRIL. Both heavy crops to 1/4 original fov.

Nicely done. Guiding definitely takes the star adventurer up a level 😀

[Snooze]

20 hours ago, Alanjmolloy said:

Really happy to get an image together finally. Star adventurer, guiding with phd2, 20*90s with darks, flats and biases, a skywatcher 72 and the OVL flattener and a modded 600d with an optolong pro. Looked like it was ok for longer exposures, with 10 min test shot looking pretty good too. First foto is the 20*90s with calibration frames. Second one is just the single 10 min one without calibration. Both processed in SIRIL. Both heavy crops to 1/4 original fov.

Very nice indeed! By the way how do you find the 72ED? I have seen very mixed reviews and from the pictures I have seen there seems to still be a bit of CA on brighter stars? I'm currently looking for a small ED refractor and would have liked the new evolux ed refractor but it does not seem that it will be released any time soon.

 

Cheers

[Nerf_Caching]

31 minutes ago, Snooze said:

Very nice indeed! By the way how do you find the 72ED? I have seen very mixed reviews and from the pictures I have seen there seems to still be a bit of CA on brighter stars? I'm currently looking for a small ED refractor and would have liked the new evolux ed refractor but it does not seem that it will be released any time soon.

 

Cheers

Some photos I took using the Evostar 72ED and a stock canon dslr. The Eagle and Swan Nebula (1 hour integration for each target) were taken with the scope mounted to a motorized alt-az mount while the Leo Triplet (1 hour 17 minutes) was taken on a Star Adventurer unguided. I personally find it a blast to use especially considering the price of it; I love this small refractor and I don't really notice any CA that bothers me. I know there is field curvature but I'm also not really bothered by it although field flatteners are available.

Edited May 17, 2020 by Nerf_Caching

[Alanjmolloy]

6 hours ago, Snooze said:

Very nice indeed! By the way how do you find the 72ED? I have seen very mixed reviews and from the pictures I have seen there seems to still be a bit of CA on brighter stars? I'm currently looking for a small ED refractor and would have liked the new evolux ed refractor but it does not seem that it will be released any time soon.

 

Cheers

I really enjoy using it. I am really looking forward to the Evolux alright, but in the interim, for such a low price, the 72ED a great grab and go scope. At <2kg, it's about the lightest in that aperture with any sort of ED glass, unless you go mad money for something like a borg. I also put it on an altaz mount too for quick visual and it is great for quick looks at the moon or doubles. 

[Snooze]

21 hours ago, Nerf_Caching said:

Some photos I took using the Evostar 72ED and a stock canon dslr. The Eagle and Swan Nebula (1 hour integration for each target) were taken with the scope mounted to a motorized alt-az mount while the Leo Triplet (1 hour 17 minutes) was taken on a Star Adventurer unguided. I personally find it a blast to use especially considering the price of it; I love this small refractor and I don't really notice any CA that bothers me. I know there is field curvature but I'm also not really bothered by it although field flatteners are available.

Great set of pictures. I'll definitely keep an eye out for a nice deal on the 72ed. 

15 hours ago, Alanjmolloy said:

I really enjoy using it. I am really looking forward to the Evolux alright, but in the interim, for such a low price, the 72ED a great grab and go scope. At <2kg, it's about the lightest in that aperture with any sort of ED glass, unless you go mad money for something like a borg. I also put it on an altaz mount too for quick visual and it is great for quick looks at the moon or doubles. 

I've also found this one that seems to be almost identical to the 72ED. Does any of you know anything about it? https://www.astroshop.de/fr/telescopes/refracteur-apochromatique-ts-optics-ap-70-420-ed-ota/p,62741

[Bobby1970]

Looks very similar to one of these. (which I have)

 

https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/reviews/telescopes/altair-lightwave-72ed-r-refractor/

 

🙂

[Snooze]

6 minutes ago, Bobby1970 said:

Looks very similar to one of these. (which I have)

 

https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/reviews/telescopes/altair-lightwave-72ed-r-refractor/

 

🙂

How do you find it? I read that it's harder to balance with a dslr attached to it since the L shaped ring is not long enough?

[Bobby1970]

2 hours ago, Snooze said:

How do you find it? I read that it's harder to balance with a dslr attached to it since the L shaped ring is not long enough?

You are correct. I just put it as far forward on the foot as I can go. But it's still tail heavy. But I understand that this is not always a bad thing. I have seen solutions where a longer dovetail is attached to the existing foot also. I paid around £200 used for it. It's more than good enough for my limited abilities. Lol. 

Edited May 18, 2020 by Bobby1970

[Snooze]

If that's the case then I think i'll just get the one that comes at the cheapest price

[Alanjmolloy]

4 hours ago, Snooze said:

How do you find it? I read that it's harder to balance with a dslr attached to it since the L shaped ring is not long enough?

I read somewhere else that some people swap around that ring, albeit I've only seen it done on the william optics version, 60mm. Worth checking if the foot can be swapped around. Hope I'm making sense.

[Thorney]

I have just received my Star Adventurer 😆.. Having no experience with imaging I've got a lot to learn but I cannot wait to get started. 

Some of these images you guys have posted are stunning BTW

[Chefgage]

2 minutes ago, Thorney said:

I have just received my Star Adventurer 😆.. Having no experience with imaging I've got a lot to learn but I cannot wait to get started. 

Some of these images you guys have posted are stunning BTW

Ah, so I can blame you then for the cloud seeing as you have just bought some astro gear

Seriously though it's a great bit of kit. How are you planning on imaging with it? Camera lens or telescope or a bit of both?

 

[Thorney]

4 minutes ago, Chefgage said:

Ah, so I can blame you then for the cloud seeing as you have just bought some astro gear

Seriously though it's a great bit of kit. How are you planning on imaging with it? Camera lens or telescope or a bit of both?

 

I guess I should of gave a heads up really 😂

I have a Canon 650D which I'm going to use but only have the standard lens that came with it. I have been looking at the RedCat 51 though so that may be the next purchase.

My current telescope is a Dobsonian 200p which I've owned for years but never really used it till late last year. After watching a YouTube video on how to capture the Orion Nebula through it on camera, It's a shocking image but that's gave me the bug to learn and get better. 

[Chefgage]

12 hours ago, Thorney said:

I guess I should of gave a heads up really 😂

I have a Canon 650D which I'm going to use but only have the standard lens that came with it. I have been looking at the RedCat 51 though so that may be the next purchase.

My current telescope is a Dobsonian 200p which I've owned for years but never really used it till late last year. After watching a YouTube video on how to capture the Orion Nebula through it on camera, It's a shocking image but that's gave me the bug to learn and get better. 

Sounds like me. I have the 200p which I have also owned for quite some time. It has not been used much lately as I just don't seem to have the patience with visual astronomy any more. But after getting the star adventurer and a 72ed telescope, astrophotography is the way forward for me.

[Nerf_Caching]

5 hours ago, Chefgage said:

Sounds like me. I have the 200p which I have also owned for quite some time. It has not been used much lately as I just don't seem to have the patience with visual astronomy any more. But after getting the star adventurer and a 72ed telescope, astrophotography is the way forward for me.

The star adventurer and 72ED is a great combo for starting out in deep-sky astrophotography. I've only used mine for a few sessions but I'm loving it.

[freiform]

This is 65 Minutes of Barnard's Loop (5x300s Ha, 4x300s OIII & SII), shot with an ASI183MM through an Nikkor 35/f1.8 on a SA. I just threw everything together quickly, no noise reduction or sharpening or anything like that. Nothing special, but I like how the Ha regions come out at even modest exposure times.

 

 

CS

Sven

[Snooze]

I jumped on the 72ED train and ordered one. I hope it get's there soon ^^ For those who own one, is there a filter thread at the front of the lens? My DSLR is fully modded and I only have a 72mm UV IR for DSLR. 

[Nerf_Caching]

9 hours ago, Snooze said:

I jumped on the 72ED train and ordered one. I hope it get's there soon ^^ For those who own one, is there a filter thread at the front of the lens? My DSLR is fully modded and I only have a 72mm UV IR for DSLR. 

There is a thread on the front of the dew shield for the lens cap to screw onto. Not sure if a camera filter would fit but the diameter of the front of the dew shield is 90mm for reference. U fortunately I don't think your particular filter would fit as the thread is on the dew shield and not on the lens cell.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Nerf_Caching

[Snooze]

8 hours ago, Nerf_Caching said:

There is a thread on the front of the dew shield for the lens cap to screw onto. Not sure if a camera filter would fit but the diameter of the front of the dew shield is 90mm for reference. U fortunately I don't think your particular filter would fit as the thread is on the dew shield and not on the lens cell.

Well looks like i'll have to buy a 2in UV/IR filter then. More expenses coming my way 😅

[Nerf_Caching]

1 hour ago, Snooze said:

Well looks like i'll have to buy a 2in UV/IR filter then. More expenses coming my way 😅

I told you astrophotography was expensive!😂