Budget Reflector VS Premium Refractor! Part 3: Pelican Nebula & Final Thoughts
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
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Welcome to part 3 of my Budget Reflector VS Premium Refractor series - In this episode I compare the Pelican nebula taken through my Skywatcher 150pds & Esprit 120, and deliver my final thoughts on the series!
Equipment used :
Mount : Skywatcher eq6 pro
Scope : Esprit 120 & 150PDS - both by Skywatcher
Camera : ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Filter : Optolong L-Extreme
Find me over on Instagram at / lukomatico
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Hey Luke, hope your doing well.
I just wanted to pop in and say a quick word to you.
Congratulations again on 2000 subscribers, you really do deserve more. Thank you for bringing weekly videos to us all and keeping us looking up every clear night. I really do wish you well. Ever since i found your youtube channel, from the initial moment, you have quickly became one of my favourite youtubers. So i just wanted to say thank you for bringing us quality content. Wishing you clear skies!
Hey Aarij! - I'm doing great, thank you! - all the better for reading such kind words :-) I really hope you are doing well too!!
I have to say, that's one of the nicest things I've ever had said to me - genuinely, thank you.
Reading this has really made me take a moment to appreciate how wonderful this community is, and how lucky I am to be a part of it - being able to share what I'm doing and engage with people about it, and in doing so forge new friendships with people such as yourself has been transformative for me especially in what is usually such a solitary hobby!
I tried explaining this at the end of the video, but it's interactions like this that make it so easy to continue creating and sharing - no longer do I go outside and feel like I'm awkwardly talking to a camera, I feel like I'm talking to my friends and it's just brilliant :-)
Thank you Aarij, I appreciate you mate! :-)
Hey Luke very happy for you mate, great to see your channel doing so well. You have such an engaging way of explaining the information but also don't turn it into absolutes, which is great because it reflects how we all have different opinions and motivations. I'm sure the channel will continue to go from strength to strength mate. I liked the look at the psychology, one of the reasons I made that little trolley was just to remove as many barriers to getting out as possible. Hopefully we get a break in the weather soon, as I'm itching to test a few bits out.
Congrats again on the milestone👏
Hey Ollie mate! - That's a really insightful comment man, thank you very much for taking the time to write it out :-)
I'm glad to hear the psychology part didn't fall flat, I know what you mean about removing barriers to make things as easy as possible mate - it makes you that much more likely to just get the rig out on a whim and have a go! :-)
Can't wait to see what you get up-to with your new gear mate!
I captured this area last weekend. Funny enough also my 3rd night in a row. Yet to process it! You have compared these two scopes really well. As always enjoyed the video and the series. Wonderful images and a big congrats on the 2K. Thanks Luke!
Hey there mate! - Can't wait to see your result of those three nights man, good luck for a pain-free process! :-)
Thank you for all your support mate, I appreciate it and I also wish you even further success in your channel going forwards too! Keep up the great work mate!
Clear skies!
@@lukomatico Many thanks Luke!
I have just purchased an Esprit 100ED and EQ6 mount and I have seen nothing but glowing reviews! sooo looking forward to using it!
Oh wow!!! Huge congratulations on a superb purchase, I think you will be happy for many years to come :-)
Clear skies!
@@lukomatico thanks Luke. I bought a Nexstar Evolution 8 a couple of months back.
I was sitting on the fence about getting a second scope for deep space imaging and I caved in.
I figure that the Evo will be the workhorse for my visual astronomy and solar system imaging and the Esprit will be the jewel in the crown for deep space wide field photography.
I've spent a lot of money but I look at it as a worthwhile investment and I'll take care of both scopes.
I also have the ZWO 1600mm camera which seems to match up well with the Esprit!
Clear skies 😊
@@jimbob4484 Brilliant plan mate! I miss having a scope for visual sometimes even though light pollution limits what I can see, that said EAA fills that gap for me a bit!
If you don't have it already then you'll ideally need the matched field flattener for the Esprit 100 to get the best from the scope during astrophotography 👍👍 sorry if this is something you already know my friend!
@@lukomatico ye, I kind of wanted to make sure I dip my toes into both visual and photography.
I think people need to reign in their expectations of what they can see through an eyepeice but if you have a good scope/set of eye pieces you can still see some pretty impressive sights.
I particularly like seeing Saturn and Jupiter but I can also get some very nice lunar and solar views through the Evolution scope and some of the star clusters look superb when viewed from a dark sky site (Omega Centauri, the Jewel box, the Pearl cluster.... ).
I think the Esprit 100ED comes with a field flattener but I'll double check.
Nicely done, great end to the mini series,
Thank you so much Dave! :-) I hope the weather is going easy on you on the rig mate!
@@lukomatico 45'c in the shade yesterday at lunchtime! So, what do you think? 🥵🤣 Also got to extend another 2 weeks as well now. 🥺
Very good comparaison, keep going! Witch filters did you use for these shots? Thanks
Hey there Alexandre! - I'll be sure to do my best mate :-) the filter I used for both was the Optolong L-extreme filter! I hope that helps man :D
Thank you for watching!!
@@lukomatico Thanks for the fast response, i asked beacause this target is comon to be redish and yours is not to red, and its beatifull! Sorry i'm french, my english si not the best, clear skyes!
@@alexandreastronomy8022 Hey Alexandre! - You are most welcome my friend :-)
The colouration is because of my processing technique, this video I made may help show it for you! th-cam.com/video/QV6ObLVRvNk/w-d-xo.html - I hope that is useful to you!
Clear skies!
Thanks, will watch your video!
Lukomatico aka The Humble Astrophotographer - Congrats again on 2k subs! Great images from both scopes, no one can argue with that. It's a tough choice between the peace of mind and the psychology that goes along with that, and that knee rubbingly nice blue diff spikes :) I'm glad you included corner shots at the end, I think that will be useful for folks as well as your great critique of both scopes. Keep on doing what ya doing :)
Heya Chris mate! - "The Humble Astrophotographer" - love it! :D (in a humble way, of course!)
It goes without saying I guess but all the same, thank you! I do appreciate all the support you've shown right from the start - it's been tremendous :-)
I'm glad to hear you think the comparison and critique will be useful to people, that's really encouraging! - I'll do my best to keep it up mate!
Clear skies :-)
Hey Luke, you say that ‘nothing in this hobby is easy.’ You’re right of course, but your videos go a long way making it easier for us eager to learn. When do you sleep? LOL
Hey there Joe! - I'm glad the videos make things somewhat more digestible, that's great news! - as to sleep.. I get enough, it's just at weird times haha :D
Thanks for watching mate!
Fascinating comparison and great channel. In other fields it has also been observed the quality of optics across the board are improving so even moderately priced optics are performing much closer to premium these days. I built a microscope recently based on this principle and the performance is as good as scopes costing 5 times as much, I guess demonstrating the price/performance ratio that you you get 80% of the performance for a fifth the price. These days it seems closer to 95% of the performance for a fifth the price. I just recently bought a telescope and will likely mod it pretty heavily as time goes by, too, and see how far I can push its capabilities.
Hey mate! - Definitely agree that in general manufacturing quality has gone up for most things, optics included :-) The PDS newts really do offer incredible price/performance, if you end up modding yours then I think you'll have a lot of fun and a truly exceptional scope by the end of it :-) Good luck!
Premium scopes excel on small targets, at top notch guiding and seeing. Otherwise, no distinction maybe found.
Thanks for sharing this awesome series, that was actually EXACTLY what I was searching for.
I started my journey with an EQ5 and a Skywatcher 200P, for visual use, as time passed by I got into imaging, but had really awful results, due to the poor mount for the 200P, and mostly my faults due to lack of experience, I didn't use the correct backfocus, I didn't even use a coma corrector, and so I started getting some better gear, better mount, some other scopes, etc, etc.
I also purchased the Esprit 120 along the way and it's an extremely fantastic scope, but for the past few months I've been boggled by the idea that I never actually utilized the Skywatcher 200P.
I don't have the slightest doubt about the Esprit 120 being a far better scope, but so is the price.
I've been thinking for a while about getting a coma corrector, and actually try my 200P again, but since the focal length of the Esprit 120 is so close, and the Esprit 120 being much better, it kinda feels like a waste of money doing so, but the thought that I never used the scope properly annoys me so much.
After watching your videos, I'm surely going to give this one a try.
Do you have a coma corrector recommendation? According to what you said, the Aplanatic Coma Corrector seems to work well, but I'm not sure if the PDS and 200P versions are exactly the same? Any other coma corrector options perhaps?
Thanks for the videos, they were great :)
Hey there!! - I definitely agree with your thinking that it would be a shame to not give the 200p another try, it may well surprise you!! :-)
RE: coma corrector selection, the aplanatic is my best recommendation - if you have a newer model 200p (green dovetail, that kinda thing) then it should be totally fine to use :-) the newer ones are able to be used photographically like that, older models needed tube modifications! - (in terms of mirrors etc I believe the 200p and PDS are identical thankfully)
Congratulations on your Esprit 120 by the way, they really are a wonderful scope to own and use aren't they! :-)
Thanks so much for watching and I'm very happy you liked my videos!
Clear skies my friend,
Luke
Love you Channel Luke! 2k is greatly deserved!
Thank you very much indeed mate! - That's great to hear :D
Huge congratulations on 2k subscribers Luke 😀👍 Well deserved mate! I know nothing of the 150PDS, but it looks like a really capable performer! But my Esprit 120, I can tell you, you could use it as a barn door stopper😀 The quality makes you feel the cost is justified! Still both images were fantastic as always, can’t wait to see your 120 back on the mount though! Clear skies mate😀
Thank you Simon!! Hugely appreciate it mate :-)
'barn door stopper' - hahaha, I definitely know what you mean, build to last for sure!!
I'm glad you liked both images, gotta say though, glad to have the Esprit back on the mount :D
Clear skies!!
Wow… still impressed with the results from the PDS150 - but I like diffraction spikes. But you are spot-on… having confidence in your equipment is everything - especially when your time is limited, and opportunities are rare. Who wants to be bogged down fixing equipment in the middle of the night? And, if the Esprit 120 will drive a fence post... well hell, that’s a real bonus! 😊
Again, thanks for making the comparison. This supports what I have found in researching other forums - that the good old 6” Newtonian f/4 or f/5, in the right hands, can produce spectacular results. There is a gentleman in Sweden or Finland… that produces some jaw-dropping pics… using a 6” Newt. - on a homemade mount no less. Ah.. but he uses a very expensive camera! 😊
Congratulations on the Subscriber milestone… and thanks for sharing!!
Hey Mike!
I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed the comparison and for your understanding on the point of having confidence in your gear - you are right, it really is everything!! :-)
"Who wants to be bogged down fixing equipment in the middle of the night?" - I couldn't have put it better myself, and I've been in that situation more than once haha!
Absolutely agree with your conclusion, a 6" newt can really do the business given the chance :-)
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts mate! I appreciate it
Clear skies :)
Hey Luke,
Congrats On Reaching The Milestone Of 2K Sub Mark!!🎉 Enjoying This Series Of Videos Mate!! I like The Diffraction Spikes of The Blue Coloured Stars in The 150pds, And The Contrast On the Espirt is Terrific.
And Your Right! Even If A Night of Imaging Doesn't Go Well!! It doesnt Matter!! I enjoy Every moment In this Hobby, The Key Is Not To worry About Perfection and Just Enjoy the moment!🌌!! I haven had Any Clear Skies Since a While Just Waiting for The Sky To Clear Up!! Fantastic Video Mate, Keep It up Clear Skies!🔭
You are a promoter of community yourself. Funny how we run into one another. Luke is definitely one of the diamonds in the rough of what is the terrible TH-cam algorithm. One day I think I’ll make a video about all the channels that are truly here to help others. That would be cool. You’d be in it yourself. Clear skies.
@@GarnettLeary very Well Said Thats Very Kind of you to say That!! AndYour Right Its Amazing What People even With smaller Equipment Can Achieve Nowadays!! I hope We Can All Inspire Many others To work Within Their Capabilities of The Gear They have, Its Easy To Get Discouraged By Looking At Others With expensive equipment!! The Best Part Is Your enjoyment With The Gear You have! Not Perfection, But Your Enthusiasm...🔭
Im not an Expert in Astrophotography Myself!! Im Pushing My Capabilities To Get The Impossible Possible, the Idea Is Crazy But im Curious!😄
Hey there DSH! - Thank you very much indeed mate, your support has been fantastic over the months!! - I'm happy to hear you've enjoyed the series, I'm definitely looking to make more now going forwards :-)
I'm glad to see we both agree with eachother about just enjoying this hobby regardless of if everything went perfectly or not, the most amazing thing is to just be out under the sky and able to appreciate the beauty of it all! :-)
I hope your skies clear up soon man!
All the best,
Luke
Hey Garnett :-) You're totally spot-on about DSH, I see his posts on loads of channels and the support he's personally shown me has been wonderful, what a guy! :-)
(That'd be a cool video to watch by the way!)
Hi, I got the 150pds in July, first scope, and since then trawling through TH-cam. I looked up the aplanatic coma corrector and it's coming in about €325.
I definitely need a coma corrector.
Hey Phil! - The 150 is a wonderful scope, and a great match with the aplanatic CC I found, so sharp - even better than the actual matched 0.9x CC!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks again for another great video, Are you using the Heq5 Pro and have you had any issues with the weight limits for either scope ?
Hey there Spike! - I'm using the EQ6 my friend, so both scopes are well within the weight limit for the mount :-) I'd say the 150pds would still have been fine on an heq5, but the Esprit would be too heavy for it really.
Thanks for watching and for your question mate!
Clear skies :)
Hi Luke. I really enjoy your videos, they are beautiful and relaxing. I like these comparisons between different scopes. All the photos are wonderful. Hugs
Hey Jesus! - That's wonderful to hear my friend, I'm so happy that you enjoy the videos! :-) Thank you for watching, and big hugs right back at you mate! :D
It's interesting to note, that the largest telescopes in the world are all reflectors, including the HST. You've got a good voice for videos, you present a well balanced viewpoint and have a passion for astrophotography, "don't stop believing" (Journey)... and yes astrophotography is a journey.
Hey there mate! - That's a good point! - Thanks so much for your kind comment, I'm glad you are enjoying watching my journey! :D
Clear skies :-)
Hi Luke, congratulations on the video.
Could you indicate the number of captures, the exposure and the amount of the camera with each telescope?
Hey Francisco! - I'm so sorry, I can't believe I forgot to include this information!! - both scopes used the same filter + camera, an optolong l-extreme, and ZWO asi2600mc pro cam. - the exposures were 10 minutes long in both cases, the esprit totalled around 9hrs but very early in the season, and the 150pds was around 6hrs (but the 150pds is faster & was shooting from much better conditions up near zenith)
I hope that helps somewhat :-)
Thank you for watching!
Nice series, not a surprising result as from the images they are both great scopes, like you I’m happy to pay the extra for a quality refractor that you know you can just setup the rig and use, having had a smaller refractor then bought a c6 and c8 (for other reasons) and had no end of collimating issues I’ll stick to my newly acquired esprit 100, early days but it seems an excellent choice
Keep up the good work
Thanks so much Jason! - glad that you enjoyed the series mate! :-)
I hope you enjoy that Esprit 100, it's a beautiful scope!
I felt like the espirit refractor generally had more nebulosity and contrast than Newtonian. Also Newtonian require a perfect collimation than refractor. Your Newtonian might be perfectly collimated but if not collimated then stars can look horrible on Newtonian. Also from my experience Newtonian type can lose collimation even during transport. On the other hand refractor once factory collimated can retain it’s collimation for years. Then there is a question of spikes. Some people like them and some don’t. I personally don’t like them. It looks unnatural to me especially huge ones like you get on some RC scopes but who am to say. Even Hubble images have spikes on them. If you are a beginner in this hobby especially if you are on a budget I would get a small refractor. They are easy to manage and can put less stress on the mount. As it is this hobby is hard and frustrating you don’t want to get more frustrated. Something between 50-90 mm refractor is a good choice and there are plenty of objects in the sky for this focal length. As you get more experienced then you can graduate on to bigger focal length. I have been doing Astro photography for few years and I tell you small refractor are joy to use.
Hey there Avi! - Thank you very much indeed for your very comprehensive comment, I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!! :-)
So many valid points made! - I too think that a small refractor is the perfect entry into most forms of astrophotography, they pack a mean punch for a small package and definitely make learning this quite complex hobby that little bit easier! :-)
Again, thank you so much for sharing! I appreciate your time my friend,
I hope you have a brilliant week,
All the best,
Luke
Another great video and congratulations on 2k of subscribers. However I am not surprised as the quality and content of your videos is excellent. Already look forward to the next video. Best wishes and clear skies.
Hey there Dan! - That's really kind of you to say, thank you so much!! :-) I can't wait to get started on the next one, weather permitting!
Clear skies mate!
Hi Luke, congrats on 2,000 subscribers… This is a great channel… keep up with the good work and well done, cheers from Down Under 👍
Hey there Ergio! I appreciate you taking the time to leave such a pleasant comment my friend, It's so encouraging to hear you have been enjoying the channel :-)
I will definitely keep going forwards and making more videos mate!
Thank you again :-)
Congrats on 2K subscribers but now you are just below 7K! Well deserved too! Keep up the great work. Love the channel!
Thank you so much Pat! - I still can't believe how things are going haha! :-)
I really appreciate your kind words and support my friend!
Hi Luke and well done with the channel mate. Was an interesting comparison especially as a 130pds owner.
Keep your eyes open as I may have something soon to throw another slant to this idea...🙃🤓
Thank you so much Glenn! - what a set of scopes the PDS range are eh? :-)
Looking forwards to whatever you're cooking up! - I've got some plans for more comparisons/vs series also, it should be a good season for us both going forwards!!
All the best and Clear skies mate :-)
Like! How bad is the light pollution there ? Do you live in a city, small town or village?
It's bortle 7 mate :-) cheers!
I once came close to buying a Stellarvue which is definitely not cheap, but instead got an Astro-Tech and I'm sure it's 95% of what the Stellarvue, I doubt most nights the scope is the limiting factor of my imaging.
Hey there!! I know exactly where you are coming from :-) if your scope is well colour corrected, and sharp - then who cares what name is on the side if it's going to be beaten by the atmosphere anyway! :D
Clear skies mate
In the end .. the answer is both! That said I still like the image coherence of the mirror - there just seems to be more range in those subtle changes of tone in the 'cloud' structures. 👍
It was a close race for sure! bang-for-buck though that little newt is unbeatable, superb bit of kit once the gremlins inherent to a cheaper newt are fettled :-)
Clear skies mate!
Thanks for your great content. Keep it up! :) You have a new subscriber. :)
Hey there! - Thank you so much mate, I really appreciate your support!! - Clear skies :-)
Well done on a true milestone 2000 subscribers I think you are right ,the esprite just takes it apart of course from the all important diffraction spikes well done my friend
Hey Peter! - Thank you so much! I'm glad we agree on the winner mate, it was a hard-won battle though, even viewing them side by side it's hard to really separate them! :-)
Thank you for watching!! :-)
All the best,
Luke
Grats on 2k subs Luke. I completely agree on your assessment of the two scopes as well.
Hey Joe! - That means a lot mate, thank you :-) I'm glad we're on the same page regarding the scopes too!
Thanks for watching my friend!
Premium reflector vs premium refractor series? You can borrow my mn86 ;)
Haha :D That would be a cool comparison idea someday for sure! I'll bet your Intes Micro is a beautiful scope indeed!
Clear skies mate :-)
i think newt win on this. in term of value apo`s never much of a chance. but no1 buy refractor becuse of the money
Hey Yoda! :D the newt is definitely incredible value for money, such a great scope! :-) Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts mate, Clear skies!
Hope you get to 10k soon!!
Hi from Sydney, Austalia.
Hey there Vicky! - That's such a kind thing to say, thank you!! :-)
I hope the winter weather isn't treating you too unkindly there in Sydney!
Thank you for watching :-)
great video series, and fast on the way to 4k subscribers mate really enjoy learning from your channel. Clear skies
Thank you so much Andre! - can't believe I'm approaching 4k haha! :-)
Thank you for watching 👍👍
Luke, Again congrats on 2K and this mini series was awesome!! It just goes to show, never underestimate any scope.. I do love the diffraction spikes on the 150.. I'm partial to that. Any who, keep it up and Clear skies.
Jason! - Thanks so much man, I'm really glad you liked the series - I'm planning others soon! :-)
Really agree by the way, you can't underestimate just about any scope these days! Thank you for watching my friend, I'm looking forwards to your next vid by the way, I guess you guys just need it to cool down a little! :-)
Clear skies!
2k's well deserved but only the first of many milestones 👍
Hey Paul! - I'm chuffed with reaching 2k, I really hope for it to continue onward and upward! - though if not, then I'm still a happy chap as is! :-)
Thank you so much for your encouraging comment mate! :D
thanks for sharing with us and congrats on the 2k milestone, clear skies bro 🔭👊👍
Thank you so much bro, really appreciate it!! - Clear skies!!
Aw man what a wonderful follow up. You covered this project so well across all three parts. It’s quite possibly the best made series I’ve seen. Well done Luke. This three part series is a fantastic overview for anyone. I will use it as a tool I can share to my club members that may be caught up in a new scope debate. It would greatly help anyone considering what they need and help them make the best decision. It’s videos like yours that are a true gift to the community. In that respect I tip my hat to you sir. Bravo. I hope you continue to make valuable contributions. I personally enjoyed it and definitely see value in it. Clear skies.
Hey there Garnett! - What a wonderfully thoughtful comment, thank you SO much! - I'm humbled by the thought of being able to help others in this manner, it's a really special situation to find yourself in I think - I'm sure you know what I mean, being that you create and share such helpful, informative and entertaining content yourself! :-)
I'll certainly do my best to keep going and sharing! I love doing it and feel so lucky to be able to :D
Thank you again mate,
All the best,
Luke
Just stumbled upon this, as I’m thinking about going ‘back’ from a f6.4 refractor to a f5 or f4 reflector. Yes, collimating is a think but total integration time is a big thing too! I calculated that with 2h20m at f5 I could equal the f6.4 with 4 hours… that means more targets or channels in one night. That’s a big + for me. But still not convinced, bought the refractor 1 year ago so feels like throwing away money… can you give some insights on the integration time of the two images?
Hey there Helge! - Thank you for taking the time to comment on my video :-)
Regarding your question: it's a matter about which I have a lot to say haha! :-D I hope you will forgive me the length of my reply!
Here are a few points worth consideration about light throughput and optical speed - and further, why calculators/calculations for equivalent exposure can't be taken as gospel unless you are able to plug-in all aspects of throughput.
1: the amount of light hitting your sensor with a reflector would be lower than with a refractor given equal aperture & focal length of the scopes being compared - the reason being that while coated glass has a very high light transmission, often 99%+, mirrored surfaces tend to be much lower, around 96%-ish for great coatings in brand-new condition with no oxidization or dust layer dropping reflectivity as is expected with open tube designs. - times that loss by 2 before it reaches the sensor, as you have a primary and secondary mirror to consider of course.
2: obstructed aperture losses, to find the 'true' speed of a system with an obstruction you would have to figure out the corrected total aperture by subtracting the area of the secondary from the primary, further lowering the light transmission.
3: final exposure times rely very heavily on your pixel sampling ratio, e.g, how much of an angular portion of sky can each pixel in your camera see? coarser sampling ratios, found from shorter focal lengths and/or larger pixels have the pleasant side effect of increasing capture speed by quite a bit at the expense of spatial resolution.
Luckily, when comparing a refractor to a reflector, you very rarely have to compare the two scopes on an equal aperture basis as reflectors tend to be much larger aperture than equivalent price refractors of course, but it's important to try and figure out every aspect that you can!
In my own experience you'd find that most reflectors "feel" like they are around 1 photographic f/stop slower than their stated speed once used a little, whereas refractors are pretty much bang-on perfect :-)
It sounds like I'm really negative about reflectors I realise, i'm not! I own, use and frankly love my own reflector - a celestron RASA8 f2! I just want to try and give you as many considerations as I reasonably can in a youtube comment!
I hope some of that is helpful Helge! Good luck to you :-)
@@lukomatico really appreciate the added information, even if it adds complexity 🙂. The central obstruction from an newtonian always puzzled me. I read some calculations that -when looking at the square area- a central obstruction of 30% in a 150mm aperture, results in 10% light loss. Which means when we see an advertised F5 newtonian i's actually a F5.5...
#Question what are you using for counter weights?
Hey Michael! - I was using some small 2kg weight plates to act as a counterweight at this point :-)
How about a comparison of a subframe from each??
Hey there! - I'll perhaps do something like that next time, thanks for the suggestion! :-)
Clear skies
So sooo overlooked is the humble Newtonian.
Hey there Dave! - No argument here mate, If it was good enough for Isaac Newton, it's good enough for us eh? :D
Thank you so much for watching!!
I wonder how the comparison would be with a 250pds. Still a massively cheaper scope, but perhaps more significantly different to the Esprit to not feel the same "remorse" when using? Reflectors deffo have a bit of extra setup headache involved, but grand to see that even at a comparative aperture, people who can't stretch to a decent Apo don't get left too far behind.
Hey there mate! - That's an interesting question! - I did have the bigger brothers to the 150pds and they were lovely scopes with a very high resolution potential for sure if the skies allowed it :-)
You've wrote a really nice way of summarizing it I think, people who can't / don't want to buy a nice apo aren't missing out on too much image quality wise!
Thanks for watching and leaving your thoughts, I appreciate it :D
Fantastic series! Really enjoyed it. Thank you
Hey there mate! :-) I'm honestly so glad to hear you've enjoyed the series, I'm looking to create more!
Clear skies my friend!
You make it seem quite effortless lifting that rig out. I've lifted my NEQ6 without any scope and it's not a light thing. I can't imagine with the scope and everything on.
Hey Simon! - The NEQ6 is quite a beast I agree, it's pretty hefty when fully loaded with scope/cam/counterweights etc but I just seem to be used to it now haha :D The setup time savings are really noticeable!
Thank you for watching mate :-)
Your killing it!!!!.....Thumbs up!!!!
Hey! That's awesome, thank you!!! :D
Scope psychology? Love it!
Hey David! - I did wonder if people would think I'd gone mad right after I said that, haha! :D
Thank you for watching mate!
Inspiring again! And with good content to learn from and to work with.
Hey there HJ! - I hope you're having a great week so far mate :-)
It's brilliant to hear you've enjoyed the video, thank you so much for that!!
All the best, and clear skies!
Luke
@@lukomatico Hi Luke, I had a great photo session Friday night. I added some data to M31 and the pair M81&82. Guiding was such a flatliner that I wondered at times if everything was working. Sure enough, I could see the PHD 2 graph chugging along with no pulse to the mount for about every 45 seconds period.. Have you ever experienced something the same? Let me know. HJ
Huge congrats on 2k subscribers Luke! You really deserve it! I love watching your videos and keep doing what you love! I can't wait to see what your channel becomes and Im here to support you!! :)
Hey Noah! - That's incredibly nice to hear! - thank you so much for your kind words and support, you are too kind man! :-) Huge congrats on your new scope by the way, what a beast! I'm just about to watch your video on it now :D
Clear skies!
Great job...keep it up.
Thank you very much Chris, I will do my best! :-)
Clear skies!
As a previous Newtonian owner, I absolutely 100 % agree with you as far as the psychology goes; I always felt like I forgot to check something on the Newtonian, especially collimation. When I use my refractors, it's more of the lets get all the gear on it and GO! For that reason, I'm now a refractor guy! Congrats on 2k bro! Well deserved! **Come to AZ for a collab with Iceman Astro!!** :)
Hey Isaac! - Man I'm relieved to hear it's not just me haha!! - that's the exact feeling.
I'm the same as you with refractors mate, I feel like I don't even think about the scope really so there's absolutely zero anxiety about it, as you said - just get it out and go! :-)
Thank you so much for your support bro!!
(*I'd love to visit you in AZ some day man, I'll be sure to let you know should I ever be in the position to make it reality haha!!*)
Great job on the series. It's remarkable how similar the images are between the two scopes.. proving why Newts are so popular. That said.. I agree with your assessment. Refractors really are the easy button in astrophotography... their main limitation is scaling up. Did you notice any difference in tracking performance? Wind?
Hey there mate! - They really did end up super similar, pretty amazing performance out of both scopes imo :-) regarding any differences in tracking/wind, good question! - none at all really to note - both scopes seem really rather wind resistant and the mount can deal with 10m+ subs on either setup, even though there's about 10kg difference between them :-)
Thank you for watching mate!!
Dope as always mate!
Cheers mate! - Hugely appreciate it!! :D
Hi Luke.
Great to see your pragmatic approach. Along with the joy of this hobby come many frustrations (often from the technology...My scope refused to accept where is was pointing the other night and numerous RPi shutdowns (I run EKOS on a RPI)). But we keep going. Loving the videos mate and I have picked numerous valuable tips from your channel. Keep up the good work.
Hey there mate! - That's wonderful to hear, I'm glad you are enjoying the videos! :-) I'm definitely no stranger to things going wrong during a session so I really feel your pain mate!!
Thank you for watching and leaving a comment mate, I appreciate it!!
Clear skies
In agreement with Astro La Vista in that your approach in every aspect of this hobby is humble to say the least. Its likely why your videos are so entertaining. No BS, honest and straight forward. Been staring at my Sky Watcher 200P for the past two months due to weather conditions. Meanwhile for ease of use I'll break out the Redcat and 183mc pro for those quick and rare clear nights. Clear skies, congratulations on your 2000 plus subscribers now and truly hope that number continues to rise.
Hey Jennifer! - What a lovely thing to say, genuinely - thank you! :-)
I really hear you RE: the weather, after an astonishingly good April it's been really hit & miss (usually miss!) - I hope it clears for us both soon as I've got plenty of projects lined up that I want to get underway with haha!
Thank you again for the really kind comment, I appreciate it :-)
All the best,
Luke
Great series of videos. Agree that the the Esprit 120 has the edge as far as image quality is concerned but you have nicely demonstrated that for those wanting to get into the hobby with a more restricted budget, the considerably cheaper (cost-wise) Newtonian will still produce stunning images that anyone would be proud of.
Hey there Logan! - Very well put indeed mate, for someone unable/unwilling to stretch the budget out to a super premium scope, they really aren't missing out on much image quality wise if they get a 150pds! :-)
Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and leave your thoughts mate, I appreciate that!
Congratulations on 2k subscribers, Luke! I enjoyed this comparison series very much and I agree with your end conclusion as I own 1 Newtonian and 2 refractors myself. Wishing you lots of succes with your future videos! Clear Skies! 🙂🌠🌌🔭
Thank you so much Beatrice! - I can't believe I'm at 2k! :-)
I'm glad we agree on the conclusion, I guess when scopes are performing this well then everyone's a winner though! :D
I'm hoping to get some more series underway soon, I've got a few ideas for things anyway!
Thank you for your support and well wishes, It really does mean the world to me!
Clear skies,
Luke
I personally prefer the 150PDS image. I think it has slightly more contrast and subtle detail - I also love diffraction spikes, so will admit to having slight bias towards newts. I do own a WO GT81, but am always glad to get my reflector back on the mount. Both images could easily stand on their own. Great series by the way.
Hey there Rick! - Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, It's really interesting to hear about other people's experiences with similar things! :-)
I definitely agree with what you mentioned by the way, both images stand up well in their own right!
Thank you for watching mate!
@@lukomatico When first getting into AP, I had to decide between refractor and reflector. I just don't feel you can beat a light-bucket, especially if you don't mind the maintenance. I'm sooo pleased I went for a reflector as using a refractor for the first time when we finally got one... It just wasn't quite so enjoyable and I noticed the lower contrast almost immediately even though I've only ever used mono cameras. That's another choice I'm pleased I made. Mono over OSC any day of the week in my opinion. I found the title of your video intriguing as I've always felt comparing the two scopes is a bit like comparing apples to oranges, but I like the way you present your use cases for each scope. Someone looking to buy a scope will most certainly get valuable information from your videos, keep up the good work Luke.
@@rv3211 Hey there Rick! - Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment - I enjoyed reading it! :-)
on the note of mono/osc - luckily I have both again now! I picked up a 1600mm pro, 8 slot efw and a full set of Astronomik brand filters - works an absolute treat!
Really looking forwards to doing lots of comparisons and such going forwards to share! :-)
Thanks again mate, I appreciate your time!
Luke
@@lukomatico Oh nice one... Have a 1600MM-Pro, but have just upgraded to an Altair 26M. The 1600MM is a cracking camera, we were going to sell it, but we've decided to keep it as it's done us proud over the last 18 months or so. Once you get a mono camera and 4x the detail of an OSC on your light-bucket, you'll never look back I promise you. I assume you're using the ZWO 8x1.25'' EFW, another very good bit of kit, ours never let us down. Been trying to get hold of a full set of 36mm Astrodon filters for the 26M, but nowhere seems to be selling them, so we have a load of unused gear sitting in the living room collecting dust but no light.
I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing what you produce next (especially with your mono camera). Looking forward to the expressing on your face when you see that first crisp monochromatic goodness as it jumps out the screen and hits you in the face. It never gets old I assure you.
Hey there Rick! Awesome to hear you've got a 26m, that'll deliver some cracking results for certain!
Regarding seeing those first mono subs, I know the feeling! I've actually had a bunch of other mono cameras over the years but recently just stayed OSC with the 2600c for an extended period before finally folding again and deciding we need mono as an option once more haha!!
I do love the simplicity of OSC, but definitely the image quality ceiling is higher for mono, either way though It'll give me plenty of options for things to do and for that I'm really glad 👍👍
Great to hear you are keeping your 1600mm by the way, such a capable camera and reliable too by the sound of your usage :-)
Clear skies my friend!
WELL DONE! Congratulations on 2000 subscribers. Love your videos and always looking forward to the next ones.
That's lovely to hear Mike, thank you so much for that!! - I'm just awaiting clear skies now and I can get started again on making more! :-)
Thank you for watching and supporting, it's very much appreciated!
Congratulations on 2k subscribers Luke. When I decided to get into astrophotography a few years back I was seriously considering a Newtonian - I'd made a 6" Newt at school (a loooong time ago) and it seemed to be the obvious choice but reading and watching a lot of stuff and having a bit more disposable cash I went for a refractor and now have two. I do wish though, that you'd made this series a couple of years ago! All the very best with the channel and with future imaging. If you consider doing a couple more videos on processing (the steepest part of my learning curve) I'm sure they'll be very well received, you explain things very clearly. Thanks
Hey there Yambolic! - Huge thanks mate, I'm very happy knowing you've been enjoying my videos! :-)
Making a newt at school, that really is some achievement - blimey! - I definitely think you can't go wrong with a quality refractor though, so it sounds like you are in a good position with two to choose from! :D
I'll definitely be looking into making more processing tutorials and the like, it's just a matter of figuring out what will benefit most people, what to cover and for which program!
Thank you so much for your support mate :-)
All the best,
Luke
Congratulations Luke on the 2k subs, like I see it now it's almost 2;1k subs, going extremely well and fast, for sure deserved, no doubt
Interesting final overview Luke, very surprisingly, but that being said the Esprit120 images look better, more detail, crispier.
But if that's worth the enormous price difference is another question, I guess that depends on the person itself.
And also important is the thing you called "scope psychology", the feeling of working with a trusty piece of gear
Hey there Siegfried! - I'm so pleased with how things are going for sure :-) It's been a wild ride the past half-year!
I agree with you by the way, the esprit images do have the edge - it can be hard to tell on video due to compression but still!
The price was worth it to me for sure :-) I'm very satisfied with the scope and the experiment overall - it made me realize how much I appreciate the Esprit's quality and the "scope psychology" benefits! haha :D
Thank you so much for all your support over these months Siegfried, I really do appreciate it :-)
Totally agree with your conclusions - a fascinating series. Thank you. Well done on the 2k subs, well deserved - keep 'em coming please :) All the best from frustratingly cloudy (monsoon season) Shanghai.
Hey there Mart! - I'm extremely glad to hear you've enjoyed the series, I'm planning on making more so hopefully you'll enjoy those too! :-)
Thanks so much for the lovely encouragement mate, I appreciate it a great deal!
I hope the season passes quickly for you mate and you can get back to imaging soon, I imagine even with the clouds though that it's pretty beautiful there in Shanghai! :-)
Thank you!
Amazing what that 150pds is capable of.. Great video.. And congratulations on another milestone
Hey there Sajjad :-) Thank you so much man, and I couldn't agree more about the 150pds, what a phenomenal performer!
Clear skies mate!
Hey Luke congrats on your 2,000 subscribers milestone and totally deserved. I think I subscribe to 6 astro channels and right now this is the one I look out for. Great content and I think people appreciate the effort that's going in. Gear reviews is always a winner in astro.....enjoyed the comparisons with the two scopes. 👌
Heya Paul! - I'm so honored to hear I'm one of the select few channels you are subscribed to mate, thank you!! :-)
I hope to make more comparison/VS videos in the future too, I'm mulling some ideas over about it! - I'm glad you have enjoyed this little series anyhow mate, it was fun to make!
Thank you again, I appreciate your support!
Clear skies
Very nice video :D
Thank you so much!
Knowing that the 150pds has a wider fov and still remains sharp at the comparison i must say for the price i think the 150pds won this one, anyways that's my personal opinion but I'd love to hear what others think
Hey Savjol! - Thanks for leaving your thoughts! - It's really amazing how well that 150pds performs, in terms of price/performance I agree mate, 150pds wins that one for sure!! :-)
Thank you for watching and clear skies!
Great video series... my personal preference is the reflector, I love the diffraction spikes, and colimination is not so bad once you get good at it... kinda part of the hobby for me.
Hey there Mate! - I'm glad you've enjoyed the series :-) Definitely agree that collimation isn't too bad when you are used to it of course, but everyone's different I guess - that's what keeps it so interesting! :D
Thank you for watching :-)
I would expect more of a difference in the final images between the two scopes. Interesting and revealing comparison series of videos. Thanks for bringing us along with you on your journey.
Hey there Kieth! - They really turned out quite close in the end, I was impressed!
I'm very glad you enjoyed the comparison mate, I'm all too happy to have been able to share it with you :-)
Clear skies!
Oh, and how could I forget.....congrats on 2k!
Hey again Dave! - Thank you!! :D
awesome again, love it
Hey there Dave! - Chuffed to hear you've enjoyed the video mate, that's brilliant :-) I just wanted to say thank you so much for your support by the way, I notice you joined the channel today, Thank you!!
Clear skies and best wishes mate,
Luke
@@lukomatico hiya pal could you advise me if this is worth 800 quid ? SKY WATCHER EVO STAR 120mm F7.5 DOUBLET APO REFRACTOR TELESCOPE
Heya Dave! I'm really sorry mate but it looks like my reply to this got deleted, I'll double check what's gone on and get back to you!
@@lukomatico thanks pal :)
Heya Dave! - I've had no luck finding my comment again, no matter - i'll retype roughly what I mentioned anyway :-)
If it's one of the newer models with the green dovetail etc, then it's not too bad of a price - if it's one of the older ones then it's probably a little overpriced unless it's got extras on it or comes with the matched 0.85x focal reducer/field flattener, upgraded focuser etc :)
if you are using it for visual you'll have a brilliant time for sure, for astrophotography they are a very nice scope indeed but not quite the same colour correction as a good triplet - which are you looking at using it for?
I hope that helps a bit Dave!
Let me know if you have questions matey!
All the best,
Luke