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LP Filters - your experiences

ashenlight

By ashenlight
in Observing - Discussion

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ashenlight

ashenlight

Posted
Posted

After viewing some DSOs recently, I am beginning to get interested in purchasing a LP filter. Just been on FLO and have seen these two

I am more inclined to go for the cheaper Skywatcher filter, but the Baader seems to fare better on DSOs, from what I can gather from the details.

Have any of you used these filters, under what conditions, and how did they perform? By how much did they increase your views of DSOs? Could you see more detail in galaxies, for instance? Or did it just enhance the overall contrast?

Thanks :icon_salut:

Amanda

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axolotl

axolotl

Posted
Posted

I have the Baader Neodymium filter - its a couple of years old now but it might not be the newer version with "enhanced coating and IR cut ". To be honest it makes next to no difference so I'd be interested to know if the skywatcher filter is any better.

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brendant

brendant

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Amanda, I use both of these filters and see very little difference between them, The Baader I have is a 1.25" filter and causes significant Vingetting during imaging, I purchased a 2" Skywatcher one as they are so cheap as a trial and have to say it works just as good for me and being the larger size I get less problems whilst imaging.

What works with filters is very dependant upon the type of light pollution you are experiencing, mine is mostly Low Pressure Sodium (Orange skyglow) and I don't think there is much between them, if anything the Skywatcher appears to be better from my location.

How well they work visually I cannot comment as my LP is so bad I can rarely see any DSO's, from memory from the couple of times I tried the Baader was better visually (lets more light through), others may be able to offer more advice.

Brendan

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Sidney

Sidney

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Hi Amanda.

The April edition of Sky at night mag had a mini group test of LP filters.

The Orion Ultrablock Narrowband won. Its £58 so not the cheapest but it beat the Baader UHC-S.

Hope this helps

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ashenlight

ashenlight

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Brendan, thankyou for your information - I have a lot of orange sky glow too :icon_salut:. Looking at ant's review (that was really helpful ant, thanks again), I think I'd go with the SW filter - it is cheaper and seems to do the job just fine, going on ant's images. Keen to know any more experiences people have had.

Thanks again all

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Bigwings

Bigwings

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I have tried my new SW LP filter only twice and I guess my light polution isnt to bad. I think the light loss for dim DSO just about compensated for the improved contrast . In short it didnt help much.

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drummerp

drummerp

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Hi Amanda,

What scope are you using to view DSO's ?

I see you have a 130PM pon your profile, I also have this same scope but haven't yet really seen any galaxies with it. I'm not too sure if it has a long enough focal length. The only DSO I've seen is the Orion Nebula M42.

I would be interested to know what galaxies you've seen so I can have ago at viewing them.

cheers

Neil

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James

James

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Amanda, we'll happily send you both for you to test - just keep the one that works best for you.

Light pollution filters seem to work differently in different areas depending on the type of streetlights used so it'll just be easier to try them both :icon_salut:

James

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axolotl

axolotl

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Sam, I have an O111 filter and an 8 inch Dob. It doesn't make a huge difference - I haven't came across any nebulae that I can see with the O111 filter but not without. However, it is good for searching because it cuts out light from other objects. I found the "blinking" nebulae in cygnus for the first time last week using the filter, and, whilst once found its easy to see wthout the filter I doubt I would have detected it in the first place if I hadn't had the O111 filter in place.

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James

James

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Where my OIII filter works most spectacularly for me is on the Veil Nebula. With my 10" Newt I can see the Veil without the OIII but it's faint and 'bland'. Put in the OIII and the Veil seems to just jump out at me and I can see knots and strands in the Veil.

I get a similar but more muted effect with a UHC filter.

James

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John

John

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I've used a number of LP filters and found that they made little or no difference on galaxies to be honest. It's nebulae and in particular planetary nebulae and supernova remnants that benefit the most from these filters - the difference can sometimes be between seeing the object and not, ie: the Veil Nebula with an 80mm scope.

I think you have to be a little careful before choosing a filter for visual use on the basis of photos as the eye's sensitivity is different to that of a ccd. Many filter ranges include some specifically for imaging use because of this.

The most effective visual filters that I have used are:

- Baader UHC-S - especially in smaller scopes

- Orion Ultrablock

- Telescope Services UHC (which I think is a clone of the Skywatcher UHC)

- Astronomik OIII - I've just got this and it's excellent - even in my 4" refractor !.

Less effective ones I've tried include the Orion Skyglow and the Celestron LPR which, to me, seemed to have little effect.

The general advice seems to be, if you can afford just one filter get a UHC or equivilent (eg: Ultrablock), if you can afford a 2nd make it an OIII.

John

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albedo0.39

albedo0.39

Posted
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Great thread. I'm also (James) in the market for a UHC filter and whilst I live in the countryside to a large extent, like Amanda am just reading up on the subject. Comparing OIII / UHC, I can easily follow the theory and from all the reviews, most people plump for a UHC over OIII Claiming that the latter is only needed for a couple of DSO's but UHC has general applicability

Is this the general understanding ?

Amanda - I'd be very interested in what you discover when you have given them a roadtest in your 'scope.

Thks

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Dr Dixon

Dr Dixon

Posted
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I too am looking for a filiter for LP and Sky glow, based in Surrey and lets face it it isnt the darkest place in the country.

I am looking for something general purpose and was considering the astronomik CLS Filter - the review http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-reviews/40455-astronomik-cls-filter-review.html shows are marked difference were the LP is quite high, though how this translates from imaging to visual is a different matter. They do two versions with and without IR cut

Or the other was the Hutech IDAS Light Pollution Suppression (LPS) Filter.

I did think about UHCs but as i have 80mm refractor I wonder if Narrowbands such as the lumicon UHC would take out too much?

I guess its a suck it an see situation to find out what works best in given location with a given scope.:icon_salut:

Ian

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kniclander

kniclander

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not sure if I'm allowed to post this here but I have an Orion Ultrablock (1.25") which was for sale here for £40 delivered but no-one bought it so I would sell it for £35 delivered. It's not a "subtle" effect (ie it makes everything green) but it does make nebulae (but NOT galaxies) jump right out at you. For sale cos I don't tend to observe nebulae and I don't like faffing about with filters and I didn't like the green tinge (that's the end of the hard sell :icon_salut:) but if anyone was going to buy one anyway.......pm me if interested

ps I also have Baader neodynium (which I'm not selling) but my observation is that it was noticeably helpful in bringing out detail on Jupiter but not for much else

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Macavity

Macavity

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I think, if your inclined to nerd-dome, you can learn quite a lot from the transmission curves. But I sense you can quickly see the effects on e.g. light pollution by just peering through them outside, after dark. Colour TV makes for quite interesting viewing via an UHC. Better still, if you exclaim: "Maaan the pretty colours" from time to time. :cool:

But joking aside, sometimes such apparent silliness is instructive. You can often see how certain colours are attenuated, contrast is improved etc. Even go some way towards predicting your own requirements... :icon_salut:

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ashenlight

ashenlight

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Postman delivered the SW and Baader LPRF the other day, FLO has kindly let me try before I buy to find out which one (if any) suits my LP conditions best. First chance I get I'll try them out on as many objects as I can and post up a report for you guys :icon_salut:

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