L-Pro vs L-eNhance vs No Filter - Full Moon Test

[Chris]

I quick test/ side by side comparison to see how well these Optolong filters handle Moony Mc Moon face. 

You could go much more in depth with this with non Moony shots as a control, but for now I simply place each of the 3 minute RAW sub exposures next to each other so we can see the relative difference.  

I know the L-Pro is more broad band and the L-eNhance is triband so we know which filter is likely to win, but the relative strength of each filter is interesting I thought. 

   

 

  

[Elp]

Useful comparison. What I would say is with the l-enhance you do have to expose for longer or slightly higher iso to get a similar star field as to one without a filter.

[iantaylor2uk]

3 mins is ok for the L-enhance, but you need to divide the exposure time by 3 to get the right exposure time for no filter or a simple UV/IR filter, so I think a better comparison would have been comparing against a stack of three one minute exposures.

[Astro Noodles]

Thanks Chris. That was very interesting. I am in the market for a filter to help me with imaging in moonlight. It seems from @iantaylor2uk is saying that the l-extreme requires a longer exposure time. I am limited at the moment to sub 2 minute exposures so would an l-enhance be a better option for me?

[iantaylor2uk]

Sorry I was saying both the L-extreme and L-enhance filters need longer subs than with no filter or UV/IR. I usually use 2 minute subs for the L-enhance and 30-60 secs with a UV/IR filter, although I use fairly high gain on my camera.

[Chris]

2 hours ago, Astro Noodles said:

Thanks Chris. That was very interesting. I am in the market for a filter to help me with imaging in moonlight. It seems from @iantaylor2uk is saying that the l-extreme requires a longer exposure time. I am limited at the moment to sub 2 minute exposures so would an l-enhance be a better option for me?

Glad you liked it  I'm confident either the eNhance or eXtreme will give much better results with the Moon about, compared to the cameras UV/IR cut filter alone (Even with 2 minute exposures)

As an owner of the L-eNhance (tri band) I can very much vouch for it, however I've only heard peoples positive accounts of the L-eXtreme (dual band) rather than used one myself.

The main difference seems to be that the L-eNhance lets in the H-Beta line which the L-eXtreme filter blocks. Now the HB emission line tends to be a lot weaker than Ha because HB takes a lot more energy to emit, so it's debatable how useful allowing HB in actually is?

When deciding between the two filters I could have gone either way. I just thought, well it wouldn't hurt having the HB pass there, and you never know it might show more detail in energetic regions? 

All this talk and I'm now keen to add the L-eXtreme to the collection to actually see if it shows a difference 😆

[Chris]

6 hours ago, Elp said:

Useful comparison. What I would say is with the l-enhance you do have to expose for longer or slightly higher iso to get a similar star field as to one without a filter.

 

4 hours ago, iantaylor2uk said:

3 mins is ok for the L-enhance, but you need to divide the exposure time by 3 to get the right exposure time for no filter or a simple UV/IR filter, so I think a better comparison would have been comparing against a stack of three one minute exposures.

Ok guys point taken  The no filter element was only included to show that 'no filter = bad' I suspect this would have still been the case on with a 1 minute exposure in terms of signal to light pollution noise. 

If I do a follow up video I can always do a 3x1 minute stack as well as my preferred single 3 minute sub to match the other sub lengths. My thought process was "what do  w, x, and y look like with z exposure length"        

[bottletopburly]

One thing to be aware before purchasing a L-Extreme filter you get large halos on bright stars such as Altinak so pick targets wisely as I understand it is caused by the o3 channel  or wait until manufacturers have solved the problem.

[Skyline]

I believe the L-eXtreme is 7nm Ha. So it does need longer exposures. I am toying in using one of these on my modded 600d with the 62ed.

Edited June 14, 2022 by Skyline