Baader Hyperion 24mm vs. StellaLyra UFF/Altair Ultraflat/APM UFF etc. 24mm?

[Oscar23]

Yes! Finally, a clear night! Got to look at the Ring Nebula (with a 2x Barlow) and Messier 4. Didn't have much to compare against, just the very basic 10mm and 25mm "SUPER" (probably Kellner) eyepieces that came with my scope, and only on the Ring - but the UFF 24 definitely seemed to do better. My first time viewing either; I've often seen nebulas and globulars called "faint fuzzies", and they aren't wrong, they are very hard to see and even harder to see any detail in! Yet fascinating to view in equal measure, a bit like seeing a ghost. I tried to find the Iris Nebula and Cave Nebula as well but was unsuccessful; I mostly blame user error, but also my very dodgy finder scope. Of course as luck would have it I developed a headache so had to end the night early. Still, a promising first light in my Dob. It should fare better still in Pa's Mak, as I'm reasonably sure my collimation is not dead-on.

I found it reasonably comfortable to look through, though perhaps not exceptional? I don't have much of a reference point for this, I don't find any of my EPs particularly hard to look through. But the big eye lens is certainly cool. I'd like to try full-disk viewing of the Sun and Moon with this as the true field will be just about perfect with a 2x Barlow.

[Louis D]

2 hours ago, Oscar23 said:

I've often seen nebulas and globulars called "faint fuzzies", and they aren't wrong, they are very hard to see and even harder to see any detail in!

Try a UHC or OIII filter on some of the nebula to see if you can get better contrast relative to the background.

Boost your power up to around 200x to resolve large globulars like M13.  It isn't fuzzy in the least at that power.

[Oscar23]

I suppose my next eyepiece (maybe after getting a 2" wide-field for myself) should be a high-power one, in that case. I only got to look at M4 in the 24mm sans Barlow, so 50x (my Dob is a 200mm f/6, fairly standard). Though, I found it very difficult to actually locate in the scope, personally; the wide true field of the UFF 24 gave me a lot of margin for error.

I've given some thought to filters, but I'm hesitant... I wasn't very impressed trying planetary colour filters on Jupiter and Saturn, and didn't like the tinting. I understand that's probably quite different from using DSO filters, but DSO filters are also rather expensive, especially for something I may or may not even like. Between the UHC and the OIII what do you think should work better?

[IB20]

37 minutes ago, Oscar23 said:

I suppose my next eyepiece (maybe after getting a 2" wide-field for myself) should be a high-power one, in that case. I only got to look at M4 in the 24mm sans Barlow, so 50x (my Dob is a 200mm f/6, fairly standard). Though, I found it very difficult to actually locate in the scope, personally; the wide true field of the UFF 24 gave me a lot of margin for error.

I've given some thought to filters, but I'm hesitant... I wasn't very impressed trying planetary colour filters on Jupiter and Saturn, and didn't like the tinting. I understand that's probably quite different from using DSO filters, but DSO filters are also rather expensive, especially for something I may or may not even like. Between the UHC and the OIII what do you think should work better?

A great resource here https://www.prairieastronomyclub.org/filter-performance-comparisons-for-some-common-nebulae/ 

I purchased a UHC filter as it seems to improve a wider number of targets compared to other filters. OIII and H-B will work better on some nebulae however. I ended up getting an OIII eventually too!

[Louis D]

If budget is tight, I recommend the Svbony UHC.  It's wider in passband than the premium brands, but it really helps to cut light pollution and improve contrast.  In the US, at least, the 1.25" version is under $20+tax on Svbony's website.  Despite already having a very good Lumicon UHC, I bought one at that price a year or two back just to see if they're any good, and they are.

[Oscar23]

I wouldn't expect a filter that cheap to be any good, judging by the usual going price, even if it is more in line with my expectations for a small piece of glass, but reading around a bit it seems that one actually does have its uses even among more expensive filters - if I understand correctly it's sort of a half-way between broad-band and narrow-band UHC filters. Interesting. If nothing else that is a good "try and see" price.

[Don Pensack]

I do NOT recommend the Svbony filter.

If you are on a tight budget, the nebula filter to get is the Orion Ultrablock.

It often goes on sale and it is 10x as effective at contrast enhancement as the Svbony filter.

You buy a nebula filter to look at emission nebulae with improved contrast, and the cheap, wide bandwidth, ones simply don't perform.

Why enhance the nebula only a little bit when, for only a little more, you can get high-end enhancement?

Right now, the Ultrablock is only $79.99 in the 1.25" size, but it performs right there with the filters that cost $130-$150.

[Louis D]

I've literally compared the Svbony to the Lumicon UHC and both Lumicon OIII filters I have (1990s and mid-2010s), and the Svbony is only a slight step behind the Lumicon, and both are a big step behind the OIII filters.  Under Bortle 6-7 skies, the increase in contrast from the Svbony or Lumicon is dramatic.  I blink-swapped the two UHCs looking for improved contrast and nebula extent, and I could only detect a 5% to 10% change in either.  I was rather surprised.

I could not see a 10x improvement in either contrast or extent between the two UHC nebula filters.  Perhaps if I observed from Bortle 1-2 skies I would notice such a remarkable difference.

Here's the spectra for the line filters group:

Notice relative to the Lumicon UHC that the Svbony is tighter in the H-alpha region, passes only a bit more green where light pollution is most noticeable, and mostly passes more violet-blue which I don't find all that much affected by light pollution.

[Oscar23]

The Orion Ultrablock is already relatively expensive to me, if I can justify buying one then I can also justify stepping up to the only slightly more expensive Astronomik UHC, personally. That would be the more upmarket option for me due to availability. The DGM NPB would also be on the menu at almost the same price as the Ultrablock for a cosmetic second if I wasn't strongly opposed to using PayPal.

I'll let you guys hash out whether the Svbony is a dud or not in the meantime... don't get too worked up, it's just a funny-coloured piece of glass