Can I use a filter wheel on my asi553 mc pro and why do we need them?

[Quetzalcoatl72]

Trying to figure out what else I need so I can give my bank a break for a couple of years. I don't have the constant funds for upgrading new gear so quite likely my current setup up will be for life. Just wondering if I may need to use a filter wheel on my new 533mc pro and I thought people only used them on mono cameras. Just curious, I will likely not bother as I don't see myself imaging one object on a night 1 hour per colour, seems too much of a 'faff' What if you image 2 colours then the clouds start rolling in, then you've wasted a night. This seems like more of a permanent setup kind of thing.

Another question I want to address is how many filters can you use at once? assuming you are using an LP filter + the wheel + something else to bring out detail on certain objects etc and can you use a 2" filter combines with a 1.25" filter wheel

[The Lazy Astronomer]

No real need for a filter wheel with your camera. If you wanted to do narrowband, you'd probably be better off going for one of those dual narrowband filters, in which case you'd just screw it straight into the imaging train somewhere. No need for a light pollution filter when using a narrowband filter either. 

I suppose if you were lazy (like me), you could get a filter wheel to swap between a light pollution filter (for broadband imaging), and a dual narrowband filter (for narrowband imaging), without having to break the imaging train. With the sensor size of the 533, you'd be fine with 1.25" filters. 

P.s. no imaging time is wasted when using mono and filters - if clouds roll in before all colour channels have been collected, you just get the rest in the next session(s). 

[Budgie1]

I've thought about getting a Filter Draw for my ASi294MC but I already have 1.25" IR/UV & L-eXtreme filters and would have to change to 2" for the Filter Draw, so decided not to bother.

[Quetzalcoatl72]

On 01/05/2021 at 02:17, The Lazy Astronomer said:

No real need for a filter wheel with your camera. If you wanted to do narrowband, you'd probably be better off going for one of those dual narrowband filters, in which case you'd just screw it straight into the imaging train somewhere. No need for a light pollution filter when using a narrowband filter either. 

I suppose if you were lazy (like me), you could get a filter wheel to swap between a light pollution filter (for broadband imaging), and a dual narrowband filter (for narrowband imaging), without having to break the imaging train. With the sensor size of the 533, you'd be fine with 1.25" filters. 

P.s. no imaging time is wasted when using mono and filters - if clouds roll in before all colour channels have been collected, you just get the rest in the next session(s). 

I'm using a Optolong CLS-CCD Filter, not sure I'll need another one hmmm

[The Lazy Astronomer]

8 hours ago, Quetzalcoatl72 said:

I'm using a Optolong CLS-CCD Filter, not sure I'll need another one hmmm

Possibly not, but if you wanted to go more narrowband, then you could look at the Optolong l-extreme, which would give you a 7nm passband on Oiii and Ha