Cygnus Images - First Light for SW quattro 150p

[Roy Foreman]

I was originally enticed by the Sharpstar 150 f/2.8, looks great but I was put off by reports of floppy mirrors and collimation issues.  Then I looked at Takahashi Epsilon 160.  Guaranteed quality but silly money.  So I opted for Skywatcher's new Quattro 150p.  I already have the 10" version which performs well, especially with the dedicated F/4 coma corrector.  Couldn't find any reviews of the Q 150p, so it was a bit of a leap of faith.

The Q150p is typical SW build quality and, like all my other SW scopes, is well put together and has no mechanical or optical issues. It arrived almost perfectly collimated - just a tweak to the secondary required.

These are first light results for the benefit of those who are also considering this imaging scope.  A bit rough and ready as I only had a one hour window between darkness and clouds rolling in.

First off - the Cygnus Wall, using the coma corrector that comes with the scope.  This is just 2 x 60 sec at F/3.4 with an ASI 294MC at gain 300.  No flats or darks, and no guiding so star images are not brilliant.

Second is the Sadr region, using SW's F/4 coma corrector and a full frame D810a DSLR.  5 x 15 sec at ISO 6400 unguided.

I'm sure the scope could do better given more subs and autoguiding, but I was pushed for time.

Hope these are useful for anyone interested in this scope.

 

 

[skyhog]

Stunning... 

[Skyline]

The fov is very close to a 130pds, nice images BTW.

[Roy Foreman]

8 hours ago, Skyline said:

The fov is very close to a 130pds, nice images BTW.

Thank you.  I'm hoping for a clearer night where I can take the time to really do it justice.  Forgot to mention in the details that I used an IDAS NB1 nebular filter which must cut out some of the light, but at F/3.4 there are still lots of photons coming through !

[Whistlin Bob]

@Roy Foreman Nice pictures! I wondered how you're getting along with this scope as I'm debating getting one 😀

Edited December 19, 2022 by Whistlin Bob
Typo

[Roy Foreman]

2 hours ago, Whistlin Bob said:

@Roy Foreman Nice pictures! I wondered how you're getting along with this scope as I'm debating getting one 😀

Not had a chance to use this scope since the images above but it seems a nice little scope and well put together. And very light.  As a fast scope you will need to ensure that it is well collimated. The procedure is no more difficult than any other newt. One must have accessory is an upgraded eyepiece holder as the standard one is a bit wobbly ! 

It only covers APS-C and the focal reducer works with other newts as well which is a bonus. I am very pleased with the scope and hope to get lots more use out of it when the clouds finally go away.

Hope this helps.

[Whistlin Bob]

Yeah- that's really helpful, thanks Roy. 👍😀

[Skyline]

On 19/12/2022 at 15:14, Roy Foreman said:

Not had a chance to use this scope since the images above but it seems a nice little scope and well put together. And very light.  As a fast scope you will need to ensure that it is well collimated. The procedure is no more difficult than any other newt. One must have accessory is an upgraded eyepiece holder as the standard one is a bit wobbly ! 

It only covers APS-C and the focal reducer works with other newts as well which is a bonus. I am very pleased with the scope and hope to get lots more use out of it when the clouds finally go away.

Hope this helps.

What backspacing did you use on the reducer, I am trying to still tease out the slight coma in the corners using a ASi1600MM?

ThaNKS.

[Roy Foreman]

Using the F/3.4 reducer and ASI 294 the back spacing was 56mm. I think the 294 has a slightly smaller sensor than your 1600 but not by much. With the F/4 CC I used a full frame DSLR and the standard 55mm spacing. Hope this helps, back spacing can be a real pain !

[Skyline]

Well on this reducer it is.

I found the backspacing of 55mm when using a DSLR is not correct. As you zoom into the image the coma is apparent. As you see in your Sadr image.

Try 56mm with a DSLR.

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Skyline