Switching back to DSLR

[astro mick]

Hi Guys.

Over the years i have had several ccd cameras,and just recently invested in a very expensive ZWO cmos which i did not like at all,and the vendor kindly allowed me to return it.

I started to peruse the web sites for my next camera,and also dicussed the matter with my wife,when she came out with(why are you spending all that money on something you may only be able to use maybe twice a month if your lucky).

I tried to explain thats what we imagers do,but she had brought up a valid point.I got the cmos at the end of November 2020,and from then until early Feb i had one really clear night,but was hammpered by the moon,and maybe two partial,where i was soon clouded out,so abandoned.

Here i was again looking to spend thousands of pounds on something i may use maybe if your very lucky  three nights a month (that is being excetionally lucky here in Northern England.)

It just becomes a dust gather.

As i type this, the weather is its usual Grey/damp and misarable self,with no clear nights in sight.

So i,m going to keep my Thousand or so pounds and get out my old DSLR.(It can take quite nice pictures).

I like imaging,but i,m never going to win an APOD as my processing skills are nil or next to nil.

So thats my current plan,and i will see how it goes.Now back to the weather forecast.

Mick.

[Adreneline]

1 hour ago, astro mick said:

Here i was again looking to spend thousands of pounds on something i may use maybe if your very lucky  three nights a month

I think there are a lot of people who can relate to this dilemma. I think you can easily make the case that the right gear for the job ought to bring the certainty of success but at what price? I think the more important thing is knowing when to stop spending.

I love my ZWO based setup coupled with the RedCat and CEM25-EC - quick to get out and set up and quicker to fetch back in again!

Good luck and clear skies - to us all.

Adrian

[paul mc c]

2 hours ago, astro mick said:

Hi Guys.

Over the years i have had several ccd cameras,and just recently invested in a very expensive ZWO cmos which i did not like at all,and the vendor kindly allowed me to return it.

I started to peruse the web sites for my next camera,and also dicussed the matter with my wife,when she came out with(why are you spending all that money on something you may only be able to use maybe twice a month if your lucky).

I tried to explain thats what we imagers do,but she had brought up a valid point.I got the cmos at the end of November 2020,and from then until early Feb i had one really clear night,but was hammpered by the moon,and maybe two partial,where i was soon clouded out,so abandoned.

Here i was again looking to spend thousands of pounds on something i may use maybe if your very lucky  three nights a month (that is being excetionally lucky here in Northern England.)

It just becomes a dust gather.

As i type this, the weather is its usual Grey/damp and misarable self,with no clear nights in sight.

So i,m going to keep my Thousand or so pounds and get out my old DSLR.(It can take quite nice pictures).

I like imaging,but i,m never going to win an APOD as my processing skills are nil or next to nil.

So thats my current plan,and i will see how it goes.Now back to the weather forecast.

Mick.

If i didn't know better, i would have thought i wrote that my self.I'm in the exact frame of mind,i have a few quid burning a hole in my paypal with the idea of buying  OSC camera,though it would be a used one and very near did only on a few occasions was beat to it.I am now thinking of keeping my dslr and upgrading something else,maybe a bigger frac ,as you say i have not been out in the obsy in weeks.

[tooth_dr]

I fill the time between clouds and rain with browsing the forums, reading up on new equipment, footering with my own gear, etc.  I dont feel it to be too big a burden only getting a few nights nights a month.   But I also have a very busy life outside of astronomy, I have young children, I run a business and have other professional commitments to complete.  There is the right balance of skies for me at the minute.  I do get frustrated, but this makes the enjoyment better when it is clear.  I also like knowing that I have the equipment there, and feel that I have accomplished something that not many people have.  I dont think I've ever really thought about not buying stuff based on the lack of use.

[astro mick]

42 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

I fill the time between clouds and rain with browsing the forums, reading up on new equipment, footering with my own gear, etc.  I dont feel it to be too big a burden only getting a few nights nights a month.   But I also have a very busy life outside of astronomy, I have young children, I run a business and have other professional commitments to complete.  There is the right balance of skies for me at the minute.  I do get frustrated, but this makes the enjoyment better when it is clear.  I also like knowing that I have the equipment there, and feel that I have accomplished something that not many people have.  I dont think I've ever really thought about not buying stuff based on the lack of use.

If it works for you tooth,then great.It did work for me for a long time,and i may well go back on what i have written here.

But i must admit if i was, say lucky enough to buy a new car i would definately want to use it  more than twice a month.(LOL)

[tooth_dr]

4 minutes ago, astro mick said:

But i must admit if i was, say lucky enough to buy a new car i would definately want to use it  more than twice a month.(LOL)

I know the feeling!  I suppose an example is a convertible as a second car, you would pay for the car, plus ownership costs of road tax and insurance but only use it when the weather is good. Would that be acceptable?  To me it would!  But I dont think I could go back to a DSLR though.

Edited February 4, 2021 by tooth_dr

[paul mc c]

I think in this current situation a lot of us are in,and i speak for my self,finances are a big thing.I am lucky enough at the minute to have a few quid to spend on astro stuff,but i had to sell other stuff,as we all do to have this so for me i would want to get it right and not have the guilt of spending what i have and have it not used ,but then again if i was competent enough to get the best out of the likes of an expensive camera i would probably think different and look forward to using it on our rare clear nights.

[callisto]

15 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

I know the feeling!  I suppose an example is a convertible as a second car, you would pay for the car, plus ownership costs of road tax and insurance but only use it when the weather is good. Would that be acceptable?  To me it would! 

Good....I now feel better of my purchase of a Merc 450SL Convertible (Bobby Ewing's car on Dallas) 😁

[paul mc c]

3 minutes ago, callisto said:

Good....I now feel better of my purchase of a Merc 450SL Convertible (Bobby Ewing's car on Dallas) 😁

Nice....

[astro mick]

34 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

I know the feeling!  I suppose an example is a convertible as a second car, you would pay for the car, plus ownership costs of road tax and insurance but only use it when the weather is good. Would that be acceptable?  To me it would!  But I dont think I could go back to a DSLR though.

Whats more tooth,i,m going to try use an old 102mm achro for narrowband subs.(Then i can run 2 DSLR,s simultaneously)

I think the corona jab yesterday has a strange effect on me.

[geoflewis]

5 hours ago, astro mick said:

Hi Guys.

Over the years i have had several ccd cameras,and just recently invested in a very expensive ZWO cmos which i did not like at all,and the vendor kindly allowed me to return it.

I started to peruse the web sites for my next camera,and also dicussed the matter with my wife,when she came out with(why are you spending all that money on something you may only be able to use maybe twice a month if your lucky).

I tried to explain thats what we imagers do,but she had brought up a valid point.I got the cmos at the end of November 2020,and from then until early Feb i had one really clear night,but was hammpered by the moon,and maybe two partial,where i was soon clouded out,so abandoned.

Here i was again looking to spend thousands of pounds on something i may use maybe if your very lucky  three nights a month (that is being excetionally lucky here in Northern England.)

It just becomes a dust gather.

As i type this, the weather is its usual Grey/damp and misarable self,with no clear nights in sight.

So i,m going to keep my Thousand or so pounds and get out my old DSLR.(It can take quite nice pictures).

I like imaging,but i,m never going to win an APOD as my processing skills are nil or next to nil.

So thats my current plan,and i will see how it goes.Now back to the weather forecast.

Mick.

I fully empathise with your thoughts. I have multi £10ks invested in my obsrvatory and gear, but am struggling to use it the past few months due to the dreadful weather. I will continue to use it as and when I can, but I've just bought a 2nd hand wide FOV (35mm) lens to pair with my old astro modified Canon 600D and a Star Adventurer Mount that I also bought last summer. Here's a review of my outing with the new lens last night....

I only had a couple of hours in total and had to swap around the sky to shoot where there were clear patches, but I can tell you it was great fun, without all the frustration of aborted cloud ruined long exposures with my observatory rig.....

[Earl]

If I ever get into Aatrophotography again (tiem permiting as i dont have much spare these days) it will be via a subscribed service, far less faff and cheaper on the pocket.

Im Tempted to get a 5D MkIII and 24-70 again as i enjoyed those.