In the market for a H-Alpha scope or filter, recommendations?

[wouterdhoye]

Hi,

With my refound love for solar imaging (who knew the solar eclipse would get me hooked again) I'm in the market for a H-alpha setup.

I currently use my FLT132 f/7 with a Herschel wedge and QHY163m for full disc and an ASI174MM and Baader FFC for detailed shots.

I know that H-alpha can get pretty expensive and accept that. But what would be my best shot? I was thinking in the lines of a Coronado solarmax III 90 double stack (which is stretching my budget a bit) as such a setup would allow for full disc as well as fairly detailed shots. Lunt 100 seems a bit too expensive... (not to mention the 130, which would be a dream)

I looked a a quark too... But that would only allow close up images as it requires long focal ratio to operate properly.

Anyway.. What are the recommendations of the specialists?

Thanks,

clear skies,

Wouter.

Edited June 22, 2021 by wouterdhoye

[kirkster501]

I was in your position too about two weeks ago and bought a used Lunt 60Tha B1200 from a forum member.  I also use mine with ASI174MM.  I am learning solar imaging but love it so far!

[Highburymark]

It’s a difficult decision. Quality of Coronados is variable, and there’s not much of a support network here in Europe if something goes wrong, so it’s important to buy from a trusted supplier. If I were buying a Coronado now, I’d want to test the etalons first, which normally means buying used.
Lunt’s quality is higher, though still far from certain that you’d get a top performing scope, particularly single stacked. Also the new modular Lunts are very expensive. The basic LS80 with 1200 blocking filter and crayford focuser is £9,000 double stacked!! All reasons why I opted for Solarscope filters when I upgraded - double stacked SF70 filters are cheaper here in the UK than the DS Lunt 80, though they are considerably pricier in export markets. A Quark would be fantastic for your large refractor, but only the best examples show the detail and uniformity needed for imaging. 

Having said all this, and apologies for making your decision even more difficult, but I know someone in the States who recently bought one of the last Coronado SMII 90 DS scopes, and loves it. They are hefty beasts, but get a good one and you’ll have a scope for life. 
 

[Astroscot2]

Hello following with interest, I've been looking at the Quark and concidered it a good option for my esprit 120, are daystar still having quality issues with the Quark? I had thought the issues were in the past? 

[vlaiv]

7 hours ago, wouterdhoye said:

I looked a a quark too... But that would only allow close up images as it requires long focal ratio to operate properly.

That really depends on how you use it.

Say you go with Quark combo and not regular quark that has integrated telecentric lens.

Now you have bunch of options depending on scope used. Say you use 4" F/7 scope. That is 700mm of FL - you can get full disk with that sort of focal length and sensible sized sensor.

Question is - how do you get ~F/20 for optimal etalon operation? Well, there is telecentric lens as option - but also aperture mask. How about using 35mm aperture mask? That gives you F/20 system and is equivalent to PST in resolution so you'll get decent full disk images.

Want to get more close up - throw in x2 telecentric from ES and also use 70mm aperture mask. Now you have 70mm F/20 solar scope. Want to utilize full 4" of aperture? Throw in x3 telecentric and you are at F/21 with full aperture.

This is why Quark combo is a good option - you can pair it with existing scope and utilize combination of telecentric lenses and aperture masks to get different systems - from full disk to high resolution close up.

I won't comment on quality issues - just that I'm aware that there are issues and they seem not to be thing of past.

[Kitsunegari]

stay away from the solarmax3  , its junk.

[wouterdhoye]

Thanks everybody for the replies. Guess I’ll have some more homework to do. 
 

Clear skies.

Wouter.