Hundreds of hours spent on TH-cam , watched all these channels trying to understand at least 1% of what’s going on in astrophotography even before I took my first shot. Got to say this, no one explained it better than you what all these accessories and gears do. Thank you!
I have the Redcat 51 and I LOVE it. Sharp well defined images with no chromatic aberration and it comes with a bahtinov mask. It's mounted on a Canon M50 and guided by Skywatcher AZ-GTI. I've been controlling the mount by wifi and the camera by bluetooth on my cellphone and the experience has been just amazing. My first photo was the lagoon nebula, just a 20 second exposure at ISO 3200 and it was just incredible there it was on the camera screen!
Just an FYI for those looking for power solutions. If you don't want to shell out the $400+ for a power pack, Talentcell makes mini power bricks that put out 12v power, and has enough amperage to power your camera. It wont have enough to power a full rig with just one, but even if you buy 1 for the mount and and guider and 1 for the camera you are still coming in at about 1/4 the cost of the big battery.
Very nice video! Some comments: 1) Fujifilm cameras pass Ha red without modification. 2) I saw someone else’s video on dual narrow band filters, and they said that reflectivity of the filter causes halos around bright objects/stars if the filter is close to sensor. So clip-in filter might not be so good. I just bought the new SVbony 2” filter and a step-down filter adapter to attach it in front of my camera lens. It works well. The adapter ring was on Amazon, but took long to ship from Germany. 3) New cameras often have USB charging port, which you could connect to a basic battery bank. That would be cheaper/better than buying a dummy battery. 4) ASIAIR has power distribution built in. But I do like that humidity sensor with that little box you have.
I just bought an redcat 51 and a heq5 and waiting for clear skys.I really like your channel and videos because you explain everything very simple.thanks a lot
This is really good info. I've been struggling for 4 years (on and off) to get my EQM35 and Nikon D500 running from a laptop, but just can't seem to get it to happen. So I bought the ASI Air Plus. I'm not sure I like it much. It does not have any means to control the aperture of my lens, and the shutter speeds available go only as fast as 1/1000, whereas my camera can go to 1/8000. This is helpful when doing solar imaging, but the complete lack of aperture control forced me to unplug the camera from the device, set the aperture, plug it back in, and then tell the device that it was plugged in and what it was! Hardly a very smart device, if you ask me. It looks like I may be in line to buy an APO 'scope and a dedicated ZWO camera, but I'm trying not to do that if I can avoid it.
Hey there, this is actually for your C11 video. I have pretty much the same setup but only just getting into AP and your video was really really really helpful. Thank you, Marcus in Florida
I have been watching Astro explainer videos for years and this is the most easy to understand and follows a logical step-by-step process for beginners . Thank you very much!
Mount: Paramount MyT (used) Scope: 8” Edge with reducer. Focuser: Moonlite motorized focuser Camera: Qhy533m Filter wheel: QHy Filters: Astronomik Guider: OAG or 50mm scope and Asi174mm Minicomputer. Overall: 12K. No headache with operating and hundreds of targets to photograph.
I am new to this hobby and just starting. Thank you so much for this great overview and summary. I took me nearly four week to collect all the information you just put together into this great video. Thank you!
20:04 I hear ya brother. Here in NC, during the summer, there are days where the humidity is so bad that you can barely go outside. The moisture in the air is so oppressive and makes it hard to breathe sometimes.
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! THANK YOU FROM NEWCASTLE IN AUSTRALIA. WOW . . . I AM NOW A SUBSCRIBER, WELDONE MATE. YOU ARTICULATE YOUR MESSAGE EXCEPTIONALLY WELL AND YOUR VIDEOS ARE HIGHLY ENGAGING. GR8 STUFF! SENDING YOU BLESSINGS AND ETERNAL LIGHT, A. SORAYA
I found your channel and have enjoyed your videos. You make astrophotography accessible and understandable. One small request--a lot of your links in this video (one of the most useful!) point to OPT, which has since gone out of business. An updated list would be amazing! Thank you!
This is so useful! Your videos are so informative and straight-forward (funny, too). Thank you for spending your time so we can benefit from your experience, it's truly appreciated Walt!
As always Awesome! I watch out for every video. I have the SWSA mount, a Samyang 135mm lens and a Skywatcher 72ED. My Canon 600D is Astro-modified and I use the same L-Pro filter. I’ve taken some great images but strive for better. I have for some time had the desire to upgrade to a Go-to mount and step into autoguiding. This summer I ordered the ZWO mini guide scope, camera and the AA+. My priorities were to be able to more more easily find targets and take longer exposures. I was enthralled with your video using the AA. I think I now need to familiarise myself with what I’ve just bought which in the northern UK is never easy during the summer with very little astronomical darkness. I’ve also added a declination scale to my mount and created an ‘Hour Angle’ chart courtesy of a fellow TH-camr (BobCo Astro). I should now get very close to what I want to find and use the AA+ to plate solve. As autumn approaches I’m eager to get out and use it all ……… clouds allowing. Maybe then a GOTO mount? But the rabbit hole is deep and I need to be able to balance what I already have with regards to the UK weather and the opportunities to use what I have. Thank you so much for what you do 🤝
Autumn can't get here soon enough! I visited the UK in 2019 during the spring/summer and was blown away by how long the sunset was and how late it got dark! It's time for some dark winter skies!
Great video. My wife asked what I had and the answer was…. all except the ASIAir (it is on indefinite back order). I think that the AT60ED is also a worthy small wide field scope. It’s price point is great and I am very happy with the quality of the images I get. The Pegasus box seems interesting but is listed as the ‘micro’, not the ‘mini’. My Bahtinov mask doesn’t get used much since I focus using Backyard EOS, which I feel is wonderful software.
I love Backyard EOS! I wish Astrophotography Tool was as easy to use! I had to move on from it because I wanted more control over my gear, but I still use it for Lunar photography.
thank you thank you thank you thank you! you’ve answered so many of my questions! thank you for the detailed explanations and for leaving all the links finding this information in one place is surprisingly not easy. i respect all of your hard work you put into these videos.
Huge fan of your channel and youre the one that got me into the hobby! im currently using the kit lenses for milky way shots. I also have a sigma 150-600mm which is similar to the tamron you have. i might start using that to shoot! thanks for all the tips! i think that next i will pick up a dedicated refractor telescope like you suggested.
@@deltaastrophotography Wow you actually responded! Thank you! I just purchased a skywatcher pro. I cant wait to start trying out some deep sky objects! the witch head nebula is the one i love the most but i will get there one day! Thanks again for responding man thats super cool you made my day!
@@spencerbray2054 The Witch is one of my favorites too! Go ahead and invest in a guide scope and camera as soon as you are able to. That way you can get the most out of that 150-600 lens. Feel free to hit me up on Instagram if you ever want to chat!
Thank you ,subbed, and looking at beginning with the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI and Tripod soon, Canon 5dIV no mods, and eventually Redcat scope with dedicated astro camera and maybe guide scope, I have taken images of the Green Comet with 70-200 mm/Canon and stacked with Deep Sky Stacker, 0.5 seconds exposure and 200+ images, and I was impressed! Can only imagine the better quality with tracking and longer exposures. For me I like to tinker with manipulating the photos!
Love the content. I grew up in Greenville just a shot down the road from you. Just getting into the hobby and your videos are a tremendous help. Thank you!
@@deltaastrophotography Love too but I am in Germany for the next few years. Home is Texas now. next time I am local to you (visiting family graves mainly) I'll PM you.
Hello Delta Astrophotography. I watched your video which I found very informative and well presented. I'm new to astrophotographer. I've been scratching my head and very confused on which mount to purchase? The iOptron SkyGuider Pro with or without the iPolar or the Sky Watcher GTi. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
@@5219spark It depends on what you want to do. If you are into traveling and taking nightscapes with a foreground, you are better off the the Skyguider Pro. If you are trying to get into deep sky astrophotography, the GTi is going to be a better option.
I have the SWSA, unmodified Nikon D750, 70-300 lens ASI Air plus guide cameras. From a chat on Facebook l found the Air can control the SWSA to give goto in RA which makes finding targets much easier.
I'm getting an FF camera and want something I can do at home with it, so I'll probably just start out with moon shots and see if I like it before anything else.
Pretty good top ten list. I think I might have included Pixinsight and SharpCap. Excellent to point out that an APOchromat is almost a must for imaging. Hopefully viewers won't make the mistake of seeing an achromat for such a low price and thinking it's the same thing! Happens in the club all the time :)
Sorry to hear about your Troubles Walt...That sucks!...Great Video....Sigma made APO lenses...I stumbled upon them...I own 2 now...and They really have been Great....They aren't quite as good as a Redcat but they're very close..Good enough for my Widefield Imaging...Clear Skies Walt...
I'm resisting every urge I have to upgrade my tracker. I had the Star Adventurer Mini. Didn't use it much. Upgraded to the Star Adventurer 2i. Have used it more, but still not much. Just as I'm getting comfortable with it, they release the GTI. If I see an incredible deal for it during the holidays, I may get it. I wish I had kept that SAM, though, for doing panos, because I think it's probably easier for that particular purpose than its two bigger brothers. I let it go before I started getting into panos, so I didn't even think about what I was giving up.
Thank you! Marvelous content. You did mention something about astronomy specific type computers. Will that be another video or did I zone out and miss it in this video. I need a replacement for my old worn-out HP. Thanks again.
I was referring to the ASIAIR which I talked about, but also the PrimaLuceLab Eagle which I didn't talk about in the video! It's far more advanced and runs Windows if I remember correctly. It's also pretty expensive!
Hello, great content, recently I have just started astrophotography, I am in no way a professional, I just love taking photos, I recently bought a Canon T5 with a 55-250mm, 75-300mm, EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens (haven't receive it as yet) and an Orion Starblast 4.5 EQ and I am ready to go to the next level, I love the Skywatcher adventurer GTI and the Svbony sv503 80ED but in the meantime, I would like to know what is the best settings I can use for the milky way and deep sky viewing with the Canon T5.
Great video as usual. On the filter side of things im really happy with my UHC baader. Ive also had doubts on clip in filter vs 2 inch and i went with the 2 inch (currently on my refractors field rotator) thinking it could still help me if i ever got a dedicated cam. Im not sure if itll work as im still stuck with dslr and i guess dedicated cams work best with more restrictive filters but gettin my hopes up it wasnt a mistake.
Already acquired all the items on your list and more! I have a star tracker but I am stumped at the goto mount. Can't decide on such an expensive investment. The ioptron starhunter seems to have many issues, star adventurer gti, not available for another year here in Canada. Ioptron cem26 is over $2K.... heavy sigh. Asiair was a game changer but still struggling to set up my auto guiding with my dslr. What dew strap do you set on your auto guiding camera? Great video. Can't wait to see the next planned video. Congrats on the 10K subscribers and sorry about the equipment theft. What a bummer.
This is the dew heater I use for my guide scope. Probably out of stock like everything else these days! optcorp.com/products/orion-1-25-eyepiece-and-30mm-finder-scope-heating-band
Hey Walt. I am one step closer. Got my 2i Pro yesterday. Now I am worried about my current tripod. The wedge fit on the tripod, once I removed the ball head. I have it put together entirely, minus the camera. Is there a way to beef up the tripod, or a tripod you recommend?
12:26 Hey, so guess what I learned? I got a clip in filter for my Canon T3i. BUUUUUUUT, only certain lenses will connect with the filter installed. As best as I can tell, so far, if your lens has a red dot to line up, you are good to go. But if it has the white square to line up, it will not fit. Any thoughts as to why?
Hey Walt. Quick question. So, if I do not have auto guiding, do I still need the ASIAIR? Or can I just use the Pegasus fto consolidate my power wires? So, my goal for now, is to get the SA 2i Pro Pack, a dummy battery for my canon T3i, a few heater, and either a yeti400 or a jackery 400, and a wireless intervalometer. I was thinking I could get the Pegasus, hook all the power cables to it and plug it into the power supply like you show in the video. If I ever move to the GTi mount or the HEQ5 mount, then I would get the auto guiding and then spring for the ASIAIR so I could use a tablet from the warmth of my car to operate everything.
No you don't need an ASIAIR or laptop if you decide not to auto guide! If you are shooting with a focal length of less than 200mm you shouldn't even have to worry about Auto-guiding. The gear you listed is perfect for a basic star tracker setup. If you are shooting at a high focal length you might have to do shorter exposures with a higher ISO.
@@deltaastrophotography So, as for my lenses, I have the 75-300, Nifty Fifty, 18-55, 55-250, and one other that I can't remember off the top of my head. The longest one I have is the 75-300. I am thinking of getting the telescope you showed, the one that is the same as the Radian 61 but half the cost. I figure that + my lenses + plus getting my camera astromodified, those should keep me going for awhile. Mostly I plan to use the winter and early spring to work on getting set up down, and understanding how everything works, and then maybe by the summer I might get either the GTi or the HEQ5. Right now, I am leaning toward the HEQ5 at that time. With my disability, that would be the heaviest I would ever go. I live in Raleigh and so light pollution is a pain. I don't know if you can answer this, but when I go to light pollution map dot org, they have world atlas 2014 (I think that's the right year) and they have VIIRS 2020. What is the difference between those? Why is there such a disparity between the World Atlas and the VIIRS? And in VIRRS I don't get the data I'm looking for, like the bortle, or the SQM, or the artificial brightness. It just pulls up a graph. And the VIIRS shows a ton less light pollution. Is the World Atlas to aggressive or is it more realistic? Or is the VIIRS more realistic or is it severely downplaying/underrepresenting the light pollution? Also, what telescope would be the best at letting you see the planets in good detail, and even allowing you to be able to image the planets, where you can see banding on Jupiter/being able to see the moons pretty good, or seeing the Cassini division of Saturn's rings, and maybe even being able to see Uranus (not yours though, lol....yeah it's a dad joke, I have two kids) or Neptune?
I've been casing planetary imaging with my 8" newt. Then I discovered the world of Maksutov tubes. I picked up an open box 102mm Mak for next to nothing. Turned out my best planetary image yet. The right tool for the job I guess. Thanks for the video as always.
you will need high magnification and a very long capture time to get 10000 frames of a planet to get it more detailed,i recommend to use your 8 inch newtonian (and get tracking mount:eq or eq platform,goto) if you start high resolution planetary imaging.
i have a sony 200-600 telephoto lens, i plan to attach it to a meade LX85 go mount that has a 33lb payload. you think this will work for long exposures if i get the tracking right?
Certainly, I am using the same lens a lot. But you must make sure checking on focus creep every now and then, as the focus of the lens changes slightly along major temperature changes in the field. The mount shouldn´t be a problem anyway.
Hey Walt. Quick question. I sent my T3i off to have an Ha mod done, and i hope to get it back next week. My question is this: can i still use it to photograph galaxies? Or will the mod screw with it to where i can only image Ha heavy targets?
No you should be just fine with galaxies. I highly recommend getting a photography grey card and taking a picture of it outside during the day and then using that to create a custom white balance. Otherwise everything is going to be very red until you balance your color channels in processing.
@@deltaastrophotography oh, ok. I have no idea how to do a custom white balance, but I'll give it a shot. I just wanted to make sure that I could still image other objects in space
Hey Walt. Just wondering, the Pegasus has the meter that allows to to turn on and off your dew strap depending on the humidity. Does it control all dew straps, or just certain ones?
Could you do a video on using light pollution filters when there is a full moon, to see how much of the moonlight is blocked? I can get to a bortle 4 rather easily, and I know of a bortle 2 that's about a 3 1/2 hour drive. But, my biggest enemy, is the moon. Getting clear nights is a challenge, and it seems I get crystal clear nights, whenever there is a full moon. It would be great to know which filters do a better job filtering out the moon light, and if it is worth trying to use a filter with the moon in the sky. So maybe set up two rigs to run at the same time - one using a LP filter and one that doesn't use a LP filter. Maybe do it on a full moon, 3/4 moon, and 1/2 moon. Just a thought.
You can mount a guide scope to the "hot shoe" slot on your DSLR with a special adapter thing and it works decently well. Also my best Andromeda picture was with a Sigma 300mm F2.8 lens. That's a $3,500 lens with a $3,000 DSLR compared to a $600 scope and $800 ASI camera. (Same Skywatcher EQ6 pro mount & guide scope) I still use my telescope more though since it's 1250mm and has 4x the reach, but @ f10 which makes me need the 5+ minute exposures, however, just got the reducer so it'll be F6.3, but not sure what focal length will be now... 800mm?
I have one of those adapters for the guide scope. It's pretty loose so I cram a small piece of toothpick in there to keep it from wiggling around! What scope do you have?
@@deltaastrophotography Toothpick trick is a good idea! I have a Celestron c5 and plan to upgrade to the 9.25 soon. Don't really recommend the SCTs starting out since they're less forgiving, but if I managed anyone can. (Long focal length & slow scope needs better tracking & longer exposure)
The only thing I could find is the qDslrDashboard app. ControlMyCamera for IOS. You need a USB cable to connect your camera to your phone. I have no idea how well this works. I'm sorry you are having this problem! Why would Nikon make a camera without a remote connection? It's like modern phones not having a headphones jack!
Have you ever tried using a ZWO camera with a Skyguider Pro mount? I’ve had difficulties finding objects even at 150mm on my Tamron lens and DSLR, but I know the ASIair can plate solve and I would like to get an actual telescope to replace the lens. I’m just worried it would be too difficult without a go-to mount.
If you have a color ZWO camera, a star tracker, and an ASIAIR, you should be just fine. Finding targets with the ASIAIR is pretty easy. If you get a monochrome camera, you pretty much need a goto mount. You'll be imaging the same target over multiple nights and a star tracker just isn't enough for that!
How are you able to hold your composure with all those little mosquitos trying to bite you.. that would drive me nuts! I also have the same ZWO camera but with an SVBONY lens and you can get coldshoe mounts for the camera that allows you to attach the guide scope directly ontop. Fairly cheap, like 5-10 bucks
Omg! It's insane! But nowhere near the insanity of trying to shoot outside at night in July-September. It's hell. The air is literally a cloud of mosquitos!
"Beginners": ASIAir..... super expensive raspberry pie EQ6R Pro.... probably the 2nd most expensive "bigger", better mount Bahtinov mask is not the cheapest, its FOR FREE (just make it DIY) Your "beginner" recommendation easily shoots up to 3000$ and more. Meanwhile im super happy with a "cheap", 2nd hand EQ3-2 GoTo and 750mm 6" F5 newton
FYI, your waste power if you plug in a device that uses DC power into a transformer and then plug that into AC (your going from DC to AC to DC again). Better to use a DC plug straight to the power supply. Already DC, stays DC, waste less power.
Hello how are you? Your videos are very cool and very didactic, it would be possible for you to program the translation subtitles in Portuguese, I'm from Brazil and there are no videos like yours here, we would help a lot to understand. Astronomical hug!
@@daggerspine1337 Yes! The ASIAIR has a wonderful polar alignment aid that works great with goto mounts and star trackers! All you need is your camera attached to your telescope for it to work.
Hundreds of hours spent on TH-cam , watched all these channels trying to understand at least 1% of what’s going on in astrophotography even before I took my first shot. Got to say this, no one explained it better than you what all these accessories and gears do. Thank you!
100%
Same. I pretty much watched all of astrobackyard and nebula photos videos
I have the Redcat 51 and I LOVE it. Sharp well defined images with no chromatic aberration and it comes with a bahtinov mask. It's mounted on a Canon M50 and guided by Skywatcher AZ-GTI. I've been controlling the mount by wifi and the camera by bluetooth on my cellphone and the experience has been just amazing. My first photo was the lagoon nebula, just a 20 second exposure at ISO 3200 and it was just incredible there it was on the camera screen!
Just an FYI for those looking for power solutions. If you don't want to shell out the $400+ for a power pack, Talentcell makes mini power bricks that put out 12v power, and has enough amperage to power your camera. It wont have enough to power a full rig with just one, but even if you buy 1 for the mount and and guider and 1 for the camera you are still coming in at about 1/4 the cost of the big battery.
Thanks! I'm going to have to try these out!
Very nice video! Some comments: 1) Fujifilm cameras pass Ha red without modification. 2) I saw someone else’s video on dual narrow band filters, and they said that reflectivity of the filter causes halos around bright objects/stars if the filter is close to sensor. So clip-in filter might not be so good. I just bought the new SVbony 2” filter and a step-down filter adapter to attach it in front of my camera lens. It works well. The adapter ring was on Amazon, but took long to ship from Germany. 3) New cameras often have USB charging port, which you could connect to a basic battery bank. That would be cheaper/better than buying a dummy battery. 4) ASIAIR has power distribution built in. But I do like that humidity sensor with that little box you have.
I just bought an redcat 51 and a heq5 and waiting for clear skys.I really like your channel and videos because you explain everything very simple.thanks a lot
This is really good info. I've been struggling for 4 years (on and off) to get my EQM35 and Nikon D500 running from a laptop, but just can't seem to get it to happen. So I bought the ASI Air Plus.
I'm not sure I like it much. It does not have any means to control the aperture of my lens, and the shutter speeds available go only as fast as 1/1000, whereas my camera can go to 1/8000. This is helpful when doing solar imaging, but the complete lack of aperture control forced me to unplug the camera from the device, set the aperture, plug it back in, and then tell the device that it was plugged in and what it was! Hardly a very smart device, if you ask me.
It looks like I may be in line to buy an APO 'scope and a dedicated ZWO camera, but I'm trying not to do that if I can avoid it.
Thanks for this concise video.
If I was looking for a way to start, your video eliminates years of trial and error selecting the gear.
Hey there, this is actually for your C11 video. I have pretty much the same setup but only just getting into AP and your video was really really really helpful. Thank you, Marcus in Florida
I have been watching Astro explainer videos for years and this is the most easy to understand and follows a logical step-by-step process for beginners . Thank you very much!
Mount: Paramount MyT (used)
Scope: 8” Edge with reducer.
Focuser: Moonlite motorized focuser
Camera: Qhy533m
Filter wheel: QHy
Filters: Astronomik
Guider: OAG or 50mm scope and Asi174mm
Minicomputer.
Overall: 12K. No headache with operating and hundreds of targets to photograph.
Recently got my camera astro modified and got a clip in H-alpha filter. Amazed with how powerful that combo is in a bortle 4-5 zone!
I am new to this hobby and just starting. Thank you so much for this great overview and summary. I took me nearly four week to collect all the information you just put together into this great video. Thank you!
20:04 I hear ya brother. Here in NC, during the summer, there are days where the humidity is so bad that you can barely go outside. The moisture in the air is so oppressive and makes it hard to breathe sometimes.
The auto-guiding tutorial is a great idea! I'm about to dip my toe in that pond, so seeing you go through it will be sure to help me make decisions.
Ok great! I'll make sure and work on that ASAP!
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!
THANK YOU FROM NEWCASTLE IN AUSTRALIA.
WOW . . . I AM NOW A SUBSCRIBER, WELDONE MATE.
YOU ARTICULATE YOUR MESSAGE EXCEPTIONALLY WELL AND YOUR VIDEOS ARE HIGHLY ENGAGING.
GR8 STUFF!
SENDING YOU BLESSINGS AND ETERNAL LIGHT,
A. SORAYA
Great video, many thanks
I found your channel and have enjoyed your videos. You make astrophotography accessible and understandable. One small request--a lot of your links in this video (one of the most useful!) point to OPT, which has since gone out of business. An updated list would be amazing! Thank you!
This is so useful! Your videos are so informative and straight-forward (funny, too). Thank you for spending your time so we can benefit from your experience, it's truly appreciated Walt!
As always Awesome!
I watch out for every video. I have the SWSA mount, a Samyang 135mm lens and a Skywatcher 72ED. My Canon 600D is Astro-modified and I use the same L-Pro filter. I’ve taken some great images but strive for better. I have for some time had the desire to upgrade to a Go-to mount and step into autoguiding.
This summer I ordered the ZWO mini guide scope, camera and the AA+. My priorities were to be able to more more easily find targets and take longer exposures. I was enthralled with your video using the AA.
I think I now need to familiarise myself with what I’ve just bought which in the northern UK is never easy during the summer with very little astronomical darkness. I’ve also added a declination scale to my mount and created an ‘Hour Angle’ chart courtesy of a fellow TH-camr (BobCo Astro). I should now get very close to what I want to find and use the AA+ to plate solve.
As autumn approaches I’m eager to get out and use it all ……… clouds allowing.
Maybe then a GOTO mount? But the rabbit hole is deep and I need to be able to balance what I already have with regards to the UK weather and the opportunities to use what I have.
Thank you so much for what you do 🤝
Autumn can't get here soon enough! I visited the UK in 2019 during the spring/summer and was blown away by how long the sunset was and how late it got dark! It's time for some dark winter skies!
Great video. My wife asked what I had and the answer was…. all except the ASIAir (it is on indefinite back order). I think that the AT60ED is also a worthy small wide field scope. It’s price point is great and I am very happy with the quality of the images I get. The Pegasus box seems interesting but is listed as the ‘micro’, not the ‘mini’. My Bahtinov mask doesn’t get used much since I focus using Backyard EOS, which I feel is wonderful software.
I love Backyard EOS! I wish Astrophotography Tool was as easy to use! I had to move on from it because I wanted more control over my gear, but I still use it for Lunar photography.
thank you thank you thank you thank you! you’ve answered so many of my questions! thank you for the detailed explanations and for leaving all the links finding this information in one place is surprisingly not easy. i respect all of your hard work you put into these videos.
Thanks
Huge fan of your channel and youre the one that got me into the hobby! im currently using the kit lenses for milky way shots. I also have a sigma 150-600mm which is similar to the tamron you have. i might start using that to shoot! thanks for all the tips! i think that next i will pick up a dedicated refractor telescope like you suggested.
I'm so glad I could help get you into this insane hobby! Do you have a tracker?
@@deltaastrophotography Wow you actually responded! Thank you! I just purchased a skywatcher pro. I cant wait to start trying out some deep sky objects! the witch head nebula is the one i love the most but i will get there one day! Thanks again for responding man thats super cool you made my day!
@@spencerbray2054 The Witch is one of my favorites too! Go ahead and invest in a guide scope and camera as soon as you are able to. That way you can get the most out of that 150-600 lens. Feel free to hit me up on Instagram if you ever want to chat!
Dual is two, or double, but a duel is a fight.
Thank you ,subbed, and looking at beginning with the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI and Tripod soon, Canon 5dIV no mods, and eventually Redcat scope with dedicated astro camera and maybe guide scope, I have taken images of the Green Comet with 70-200 mm/Canon and stacked with Deep Sky Stacker, 0.5 seconds exposure and 200+ images, and I was impressed! Can only imagine the better quality with tracking and longer exposures. For me I like to tinker with manipulating the photos!
Love the content. I grew up in Greenville just a shot down the road from you. Just getting into the hobby and your videos are a tremendous help. Thank you!
We need to get together and shoot sometime!
@@deltaastrophotography Love too but I am in Germany for the next few years. Home is Texas now. next time I am local to you (visiting family graves mainly) I'll PM you.
Hello Delta Astrophotography. I watched your video which I found very informative and well presented. I'm new to astrophotographer. I've been scratching my head and very confused on which mount to purchase? The iOptron SkyGuider Pro with or without the iPolar or the Sky Watcher GTi. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
@@5219spark It depends on what you want to do. If you are into traveling and taking nightscapes with a foreground, you are better off the the Skyguider Pro. If you are trying to get into deep sky astrophotography, the GTi is going to be a better option.
Great video with top of the line knowledge for someone like me who is considering starting astrophotography!
Very educational video, sir. Thank you.
I have the SWSA, unmodified Nikon D750, 70-300 lens ASI Air plus guide cameras. From a chat on Facebook l found the Air can control the SWSA to give goto in RA which makes finding targets much easier.
I own a Canon R6 and a 400mm 2.8 and can’t get good results,but I just ordered a clip on filter Astronomik CLS XL hoping it’ll
Help
Great video! Thanks
Also, the Jackery power stations on Amazon are actually pretty awesome. I have the Jackery 300!
I'm getting an FF camera and want something I can do at home with it, so I'll probably just start out with moon shots and see if I like it before anything else.
Pretty good top ten list. I think I might have included Pixinsight and SharpCap. Excellent to point out that an APOchromat is almost a must for imaging. Hopefully viewers won't make the mistake of seeing an achromat for such a low price and thinking it's the same thing! Happens in the club all the time :)
I'll probably make another video about software people should try!
Good stuff - thanks!
Sorry to hear about your Troubles Walt...That sucks!...Great Video....Sigma made APO lenses...I stumbled upon them...I own 2 now...and They really have been Great....They aren't quite as good as a Redcat but they're very close..Good enough for my Widefield Imaging...Clear Skies Walt...
Really good video, I wish I had seen a video like this before I started astrophotography
I'm resisting every urge I have to upgrade my tracker. I had the Star Adventurer Mini. Didn't use it much. Upgraded to the Star Adventurer 2i. Have used it more, but still not much. Just as I'm getting comfortable with it, they release the GTI. If I see an incredible deal for it during the holidays, I may get it. I wish I had kept that SAM, though, for doing panos, because I think it's probably easier for that particular purpose than its two bigger brothers. I let it go before I started getting into panos, so I didn't even think about what I was giving up.
Love your videos you really help me out on my astro journey.
Thank you! Marvelous content. You did mention something about astronomy specific type computers. Will that be another video or did I zone out and miss it in this video. I need a replacement for my old worn-out HP. Thanks again.
I was referring to the ASIAIR which I talked about, but also the PrimaLuceLab Eagle which I didn't talk about in the video! It's far more advanced and runs Windows if I remember correctly. It's also pretty expensive!
Great video! I love your tutorials and suggestions. Very well spoken!
Hello, great content, recently I have just started astrophotography, I am in no way a professional, I just love taking photos, I recently bought a Canon T5 with a 55-250mm, 75-300mm, EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens (haven't receive it as yet) and an Orion Starblast 4.5 EQ and I am ready to go to the next level, I love the Skywatcher adventurer GTI and the Svbony sv503 80ED but in the meantime, I would like to know what is the best settings I can use for the milky way and deep sky viewing with the Canon T5.
Amazing content as always! Thanks for the gear suggestions, they all seem affordable and with good price/quality balance.
Great video as usual. On the filter side of things im really happy with my UHC baader. Ive also had doubts on clip in filter vs 2 inch and i went with the 2 inch (currently on my refractors field rotator) thinking it could still help me if i ever got a dedicated cam. Im not sure if itll work as im still stuck with dslr and i guess dedicated cams work best with more restrictive filters but gettin my hopes up it wasnt a mistake.
Good informative video. I learnt a lot. Many thanks.
Already acquired all the items on your list and more! I have a star tracker but I am stumped at the goto mount. Can't decide on such an expensive investment. The ioptron starhunter seems to have many issues, star adventurer gti, not available for another year here in Canada. Ioptron cem26 is over $2K.... heavy sigh.
Asiair was a game changer but still struggling to set up my auto guiding with my dslr. What dew strap do you set on your auto guiding camera?
Great video. Can't wait to see the next planned video. Congrats on the 10K subscribers and sorry about the equipment theft. What a bummer.
This is the dew heater I use for my guide scope. Probably out of stock like everything else these days! optcorp.com/products/orion-1-25-eyepiece-and-30mm-finder-scope-heating-band
for wide angle astrophotography are speed boosters in general a good option? I have a apsc camera with a full frame wide angle lens. Great Channel!
Congrats on hitting the 10K. Here's to the next 90K at least.
Hi from Brisbane, Australia. Congratulations on hitting 10k subs & keep up the great work. Clear skies.
Thank you and clear skies!
Hey Walt. I am one step closer. Got my 2i Pro yesterday. Now I am worried about my current tripod. The wedge fit on the tripod, once I removed the ball head. I have it put together entirely, minus the camera. Is there a way to beef up the tripod, or a tripod you recommend?
Great video and fun, as well as informative. New subscriber. Cheers!
Will Guidung be useful on a star adventurer 2i?
12:26 Hey, so guess what I learned? I got a clip in filter for my Canon T3i. BUUUUUUUT, only certain lenses will connect with the filter installed. As best as I can tell, so far, if your lens has a red dot to line up, you are good to go. But if it has the white square to line up, it will not fit. Any thoughts as to why?
Good video
Hey Walt. Quick question. So, if I do not have auto guiding, do I still need the ASIAIR? Or can I just use the Pegasus fto consolidate my power wires? So, my goal for now, is to get the SA 2i Pro Pack, a dummy battery for my canon T3i, a few heater, and either a yeti400 or a jackery 400, and a wireless intervalometer. I was thinking I could get the Pegasus, hook all the power cables to it and plug it into the power supply like you show in the video. If I ever move to the GTi mount or the HEQ5 mount, then I would get the auto guiding and then spring for the ASIAIR so I could use a tablet from the warmth of my car to operate everything.
No you don't need an ASIAIR or laptop if you decide not to auto guide! If you are shooting with a focal length of less than 200mm you shouldn't even have to worry about Auto-guiding. The gear you listed is perfect for a basic star tracker setup. If you are shooting at a high focal length you might have to do shorter exposures with a higher ISO.
@@deltaastrophotography So, as for my lenses, I have the 75-300, Nifty Fifty, 18-55, 55-250, and one other that I can't remember off the top of my head. The longest one I have is the 75-300. I am thinking of getting the telescope you showed, the one that is the same as the Radian 61 but half the cost. I figure that + my lenses + plus getting my camera astromodified, those should keep me going for awhile. Mostly I plan to use the winter and early spring to work on getting set up down, and understanding how everything works, and then maybe by the summer I might get either the GTi or the HEQ5. Right now, I am leaning toward the HEQ5 at that time. With my disability, that would be the heaviest I would ever go. I live in Raleigh and so light pollution is a pain. I don't know if you can answer this, but when I go to light pollution map dot org, they have world atlas 2014 (I think that's the right year) and they have VIIRS 2020. What is the difference between those? Why is there such a disparity between the World Atlas and the VIIRS? And in VIRRS I don't get the data I'm looking for, like the bortle, or the SQM, or the artificial brightness. It just pulls up a graph. And the VIIRS shows a ton less light pollution. Is the World Atlas to aggressive or is it more realistic? Or is the VIIRS more realistic or is it severely downplaying/underrepresenting the light pollution?
Also, what telescope would be the best at letting you see the planets in good detail, and even allowing you to be able to image the planets, where you can see banding on Jupiter/being able to see the moons pretty good, or seeing the Cassini division of Saturn's rings, and maybe even being able to see Uranus (not yours though, lol....yeah it's a dad joke, I have two kids) or Neptune?
Any consideration for the AM5 mount? Thank you for this video. I wish more astrophotographers would do similar ones.
Too expensive and untested for starting out….better off which a traditional mount like heq5
@@chrisvig123 Agreed!
So sw 150/750 on motorized eq3-2 is bad for starting out?
I've been casing planetary imaging with my 8" newt. Then I discovered the world of Maksutov tubes. I picked up an open box 102mm Mak for next to nothing. Turned out my best planetary image yet. The right tool for the job I guess. Thanks for the video as always.
you will need high magnification and a very long capture time to get 10000 frames of a planet to get it more detailed,i recommend to use your 8 inch newtonian (and get tracking mount:eq or eq platform,goto) if you start high resolution planetary imaging.
@@kristof3031 long capture time? If I am capturing at ~150 Fps, 1 minute of video contains 9000 frames right there.
@@MazzifLOL oh typical Zwo camera user :(
@@kristof3031 typical random internet person...
@@kristof3031 Don't be like that!
Good and sensible advice, save yourself money and heartache, watch this video
i have a sony 200-600 telephoto lens, i plan to attach it to a meade LX85 go mount that has a 33lb payload. you think this will work for long exposures if i get the tracking right?
Certainly, I am using the same lens a lot. But you must make sure checking on focus creep every now and then, as the focus of the lens changes slightly along major temperature changes in the field. The mount shouldn´t be a problem anyway.
Hey Walt. Quick question. I sent my T3i off to have an Ha mod done, and i hope to get it back next week. My question is this: can i still use it to photograph galaxies? Or will the mod screw with it to where i can only image Ha heavy targets?
No you should be just fine with galaxies. I highly recommend getting a photography grey card and taking a picture of it outside during the day and then using that to create a custom white balance. Otherwise everything is going to be very red until you balance your color channels in processing.
@@deltaastrophotography oh, ok. I have no idea how to do a custom white balance, but I'll give it a shot. I just wanted to make sure that I could still image other objects in space
Hey Walt. Just wondering, the Pegasus has the meter that allows to to turn on and off your dew strap depending on the humidity. Does it control all dew straps, or just certain ones?
Just the ones with the RCA style connectors.
@@deltaastrophotography oh ok. Good to know.
Could you do a video on using light pollution filters when there is a full moon, to see how much of the moonlight is blocked? I can get to a bortle 4 rather easily, and I know of a bortle 2 that's about a 3 1/2 hour drive. But, my biggest enemy, is the moon. Getting clear nights is a challenge, and it seems I get crystal clear nights, whenever there is a full moon. It would be great to know which filters do a better job filtering out the moon light, and if it is worth trying to use a filter with the moon in the sky. So maybe set up two rigs to run at the same time - one using a LP filter and one that doesn't use a LP filter. Maybe do it on a full moon, 3/4 moon, and 1/2 moon. Just a thought.
You can mount a guide scope to the "hot shoe" slot on your DSLR with a special adapter thing and it works decently well. Also my best Andromeda picture was with a Sigma 300mm F2.8 lens. That's a $3,500 lens with a $3,000 DSLR compared to a $600 scope and $800 ASI camera. (Same Skywatcher EQ6 pro mount & guide scope) I still use my telescope more though since it's 1250mm and has 4x the reach, but @ f10 which makes me need the 5+ minute exposures, however, just got the reducer so it'll be F6.3, but not sure what focal length will be now... 800mm?
I have one of those adapters for the guide scope. It's pretty loose so I cram a small piece of toothpick in there to keep it from wiggling around! What scope do you have?
@@deltaastrophotography Toothpick trick is a good idea! I have a Celestron c5 and plan to upgrade to the 9.25 soon. Don't really recommend the SCTs starting out since they're less forgiving, but if I managed anyone can. (Long focal length & slow scope needs better tracking & longer exposure)
@@isoufo Yeah I was gifted a C11. It's been interesting trying to use it for sure! The reducer really helps a lot!
I have a Nikon D3500 and I’ve hit a brick wall in terms of trying to get some sort of intervalometer for it without a laptop! Anyone have any tips?
The only thing I could find is the qDslrDashboard app. ControlMyCamera for IOS. You need a USB cable to connect your camera to your phone. I have no idea how well this works. I'm sorry you are having this problem! Why would Nikon make a camera without a remote connection? It's like modern phones not having a headphones jack!
Have you ever tried using a ZWO camera with a Skyguider Pro mount? I’ve had difficulties finding objects even at 150mm on my Tamron lens and DSLR, but I know the ASIair can plate solve and I would like to get an actual telescope to replace the lens. I’m just worried it would be too difficult without a go-to mount.
If you have a color ZWO camera, a star tracker, and an ASIAIR, you should be just fine. Finding targets with the ASIAIR is pretty easy. If you get a monochrome camera, you pretty much need a goto mount. You'll be imaging the same target over multiple nights and a star tracker just isn't enough for that!
You are sooooooo cooool
Hi, Im looking to go with the red51 and zwo 533 route. I dont need a light poultion lens but im wonder what other lenses i would need!
what about the camera?
Definitely not for beginners
How are you able to hold your composure with all those little mosquitos trying to bite you.. that would drive me nuts!
I also have the same ZWO camera but with an SVBONY lens and you can get coldshoe mounts for the camera that allows you to attach the guide scope directly ontop. Fairly cheap, like 5-10 bucks
Omg! It's insane! But nowhere near the insanity of trying to shoot outside at night in July-September. It's hell. The air is literally a cloud of mosquitos!
Also I use a coldshoe mount as well! I have to use a toothpick to keep it from moving from side to side, but otherwise it works really well!
Best to spend most of your money on a good mount.
Totally agreed!
❤️💯
15:04 um, "Duel" should be "Dual".....unless you plan to fight the filter to the death.
I do! Evil filters! 😂 Thanks! I'll correct it.
@@deltaastrophotography LMAO...
"Beginners":
ASIAir..... super expensive raspberry pie
EQ6R Pro.... probably the 2nd most expensive "bigger", better mount
Bahtinov mask is not the cheapest, its FOR FREE (just make it DIY)
Your "beginner" recommendation easily shoots up to 3000$ and more.
Meanwhile im super happy with a "cheap", 2nd hand EQ3-2 GoTo and 750mm 6" F5 newton
FYI, your waste power if you plug in a device that uses DC power into a transformer and then plug that into AC (your going from DC to AC to DC again). Better to use a DC plug straight to the power supply. Already DC, stays DC, waste less power.
Hello how are you? Your videos are very cool and very didactic, it would be possible for you to program the translation subtitles in Portuguese, I'm from Brazil and there are no videos like yours here, we would help a lot to understand. Astronomical hug!
Big hug from here too! I'll look into translations and see what I can do!
Hey there , can i use the ASIAIR with only my goto telescope and a camera attached to it without using a guide scope and a camera ?Thanks.
Yes absolutely!
@@deltaastrophotography Thanks for the quick response! Will i also be able to polar align with ASIAIR using only a camera attached to my telescope?
@@daggerspine1337 Yes! The ASIAIR has a wonderful polar alignment aid that works great with goto mounts and star trackers! All you need is your camera attached to your telescope for it to work.
@@deltaastrophotography Thank you again , best of luck and keep up the good work!
Great video and love the channel, however I would like to know if you live in your grandma's house or a time warp to 1960 😂
😂😂 if you are referring to the old desk with the green lamp, that was my dad's! I inherited it after he died. Love it!
I see Godzilla, I subscribe
I like you already!
@deltaastrophotography great video by the way...minus one is looking awesome. Can't wait!
@@mikemoran5439 I'm going to have to avoid TH-cam and the internet in November to avoid Minus One spoilers. I'm so damn excited for this movie!
@@deltaastrophotography Did you see it yet? Saw it twice here. AMAZING!
Sorry about your cameras . That sucks
Please delete that atrocious intro.....
𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚖 💋