Celestron RASA F2 Telescope Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- TLDR; This telescope is nuts. It feels like the future of telescopes.
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/ @dylanodonnell
Dylan's Telescopes, Cameras & Equipment
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Celestron RASA 8" Telescope
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Celestron NexYZ 3-Axis Smartphone Adapter
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Skywatcher EQ8Rh Pro Mount
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Celestron CGX Mount
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Celestron RASA F2 11" Telescope
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Celestron 11" Edge HD
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QHY268M Mono CMOS Camera
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Lunt40mm Solar Telescope
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Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack
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ZWO ASI 174MM (Planetary / Solar Camera)
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ZWO ASI 120MM. (Guide Camera)
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ZWO ASI 1600MM (Deep Space Camera)
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Celestron 0.7x reducer for 11" Edge HD
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Celestron 0.7x reducer for 9.25” Edge HD
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Celestron 9.25” Edge HD
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Canon 6D mkII DSLR
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Tokina 16-28mm Lens
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Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Full Frame
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Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens
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Dylan’s links
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PATREON : / dylanodonnell
WEB : deography.com
FACEBOOK : / dylanodonnell
TWITTER : / erfmufn
INSTAGRAM : / dylan_odonnell_
Intro Music - "Moving the Ocean (Aerologic Edit)" by Blastculture.
Dylan, also, after reading some of the comments below, I should like to make this information available to your viewers. The real difference between the RASA-11, and a C-11 with a Hyperstar, is that the RASA-11 was designed to give a wider field of view without any significant vignetting, and the RASA-11 is corrected for a wider range of colors than the Hyperstar. The Hyperstar approach is good for those who want to do some occasional fast imaging, but the RASA-11 is a real monster in terms of being a true wide-field instrument with exceptional color correction.
Thanks :) Of course the user has to weigh the benefits of hyperstar (one OTA, several focal lengths, cheaper outlay initially) against the superior quality of the RASA. I agree it's a monster! I hope the technology continues to move through the range, especially now that cameras are getting so small.
Wait.. is this Mark Ackermann co-creator and namesake of the very RASA sitting next to me right now? Thanks so much for chiming in! It’s an honour. Huge fan of your work 😆
My pleasure Dylan. It thrills me to no end to see people enjoying these astrographs, and, full disclosure, I have NO financial interest in Celestron or the RASA. I am just very proud to be a member of the extended Celestron team.
What an achievement. Glad to "meet" you indeed! I'm also a non-financial member of the Celestron family. I'm just glad the video wasn't too far afield for you .. it's not every day the creator stops by to add his thoughts :) Much appreciated.
Yea, But are you REALLY getting a much improved FOV With the RASA?, For the Money??. Now If you are going to use this scope JUST for Photography, this is the one. Otherwise, there are many
options available to you.
Dylan: Nice review. I designed the RASA-11 (based on Dave Rowe's original idea). I love seeing astronomers (and astro- photographers) putting this optical system to good use. You are correct, the RASA-14s are available, but are not being sold to the general public at this time as the demand by universities, government organizations, and private companies is so high. Both instruments are very well suited for wide-field photography, as you mentioned, and are also being used extensively to search for earth-orbiting satellites. Whenever you're in contact with Celestron, give a shout out to Eric, their chief of innovation. It is because of Eric that the RASA-11 was brought to the market place. He is very forward thinking in terms of product development.
Heya! I thought Eric didn't work at Celestron anymore? I was there recently in January (there is another video about that on this channel). I've emailed Eric a few times in the past :)
Great vid!
You are a very “low drama” and accessible presence for amateur astronomers.
Keep up the great work.
(Seeing that you get such great shots in a suburban backyard with all sorts of obstacles and obstructions gives us hope...😉)
Hey thanks for the kind words! Apart from being in a very low light pollution little coastal town my urban situation is far from ideal. I only get about 2 hours on any targets between buildings and trees, but with the RASA / Hyperstar that's enough :) Also the sea air makes the seeing poor and oxidizes my equipment!
Buzz Lightyear ☺ lovely comment 👍
The first 10 seconds of this video were the best 10 seconds of my life
You must have a really boring life
Looking back at old video, this one was very nice. It was the good old time when we still thought we were immortal and there was a purpose in life.
Very good summary of the RASA capabilities and camera configuration requirements
It made me so happy to see streaks across your corrector plate. I see mine and feel the need to clean it every 5 minutes but fortunately have been cautioned and clean very sparingly.
This is a wonderful video that explains clearly and practically the benefits of the RASA. Can't wait for the RASA 36 to come out. At 75lbs however it presents considerable challenges for Celestron's CGXL 75 lbs capacity flagship mount. Fully loaded it can't accommodate the RASA 36 but the RASA 11 inch which Dylan features here is fine. I expect a new mount soon from Celestron, or the resurrection of the CGE pro to cope with this.
*Galacticus* thanks! Agree .. they need a new class of mount !
Tsss... RASA 36... I used to have one of these, it was just a SA, not a RASA (i.e. Schmidt Astrograph :) ). Would be out of your budget, unless you are really very very rich. www.novapix.net/zoom.php?id_img=3655&search=calern&action2=1&page=1 It used to use 30x30cm plates (each plate was more than a 100 dollars), then we put a 2Kx2K camera with which we discovered more than 2000 asteroids (it was easy at the time), then the telescope was closed. But at Palomar, they have a SA48, with a 600 megapixel camera... www.ztf.caltech.edu/ Then as far as RASA11, look at www.observatorio-phoenix.org/t_proj/Sonear/sonear.htm in Brazil....
I fell in love with this telescope. I have been into wide field telescopes since a long time. First with large Schmidt telescopes (photographic) but all that stopped in the year 2000 basically.Then there was nothing, then I had (still have) a C14 hyperstar. The RASA brought me back to my youth. With a FLI ML16803, you get 3x3° fields, and the images are very sharp (can't do that with a hyperstar). But since I started shooting with a ZWO1600 camera (i.e. largest monochrome CMOS camera available for a reasonable price), problems have appeared. Focus is not that stable, collimation does change. In good condition one gets very sharp images (below 2 pixels size) but it's easy to get much worse. In fact the images shown in this review (black and white images of the asteroid for example) are clearly comatic. See at 14:40 on the video. So wondering how I can "stabilize" the telescope so as to be able to make long, sharp images all over the sky. With the 9 microns pixels it was easy, with the zwo 3.8 pixels it's much harder. Other than that the images are stunning. I am mounting 4 of them on a single mount.
Alain Maury that’s interesting .. I have a zwo1600 here I haven’t tested yet so will let you know if I get the same issues. Try running the values through the bintel astronomy calculator and see if you get good sampling in the results.
I don't have such problems with my hyperstar and 8 inch SCT telescope and my ASI1600MC camera. But some times the humid can make the stars bigger over the time or bad guiding performance.
@@DylanODonnell FYI Solved part of the problem purchasing a carbon fiber tube. Now focus is a lot more stable. I live in the desert, so lots of temperature change during the night. Plus it was not that expensive ( www.klaushelmi.de/home.html ). It came painted white, so now my RASAs from far away look the same, except I don't have the Celestron sticker :), and I don't have to refocus every ten minutes at the beginning of the night...
Awesome vid Dylan! Really appreciate your insight into RASA vs hyperstar as you are one of the very few who have experience with both. Look forward to your work 🤙 clear skies!
Thanks Rory! I'm definitely an advocate for both but ultimately sold the hyperstar when I got the RASA so I could leave my 9.25" Edge HD dedicated for the longer focal length stuff. The RASA just performs a bit better and a bit easier in my opinion but Hyperstar is still an excellent thing to have if you only have one OTA.
Thanks for that review Dylan it was great to watch. I really wish my refractor was that fast lol.
Hey thanks! It's so fast it almost makes astrophotography well, easy :)
Gollond Black ☺great review
Greetings from the US Dylan! Outstanding video mate. Answered all my questions as I been looking to purchase one. Look forward to more videos. Subscribedl
Hi Dylan, five years on, and with your comment concerning the RASA's potential for video astronomy, would it possible to revisit the current situation. For example, in the UK, the RASA 11 is now approx. £4300 and the RASA 8 approx. £2300. Celestron's cheaper SCTs are also Fastar compatible.
It would be great if you would do a guide on putting together a video astronomy setup (OTA, camera, software), and for reasons of practicality, and keeping it affordable, based on an 8" Celestron, with a budget of approx. £4K-£5K. Many thanks...
Omg, a classic vid in my stream. Yes please.
Dylan, please show us how to clean the corrector plate with spit :)))
6 years ago what the hell !
And what's the go with that old Holden distributor you have hanging off the front of your scope ?
Good ever green content mate, well done 👍
Damo
Regarding dew shield: I made a dew sheild out of concrete sono tube, with a layer of black felt glued to it. The outside I use pipe insulating wraps. Works great on my SCT.
Perfect.. as long as it's round/symmetrical it will work :)
This is what I asked for as my wedding present hopefully by June 5th of next year I'll have one
Then you'll dump the chic? LOL. JK.
@@Robert08010 she is the only way I could afford one if you get what I'm saying I'm just a journeyman plumber she has a master's and makes a ton more than me
Yeah that's why I liked my ATIK 460 on my C11 hyperstar setup for its tube form. I really enjoyed HS but struggled with coma on the edge. Sounds like RASA figured that part out. Star color was hard to manage as well. Overall though I actually found it a lot of fun when beginning. I've since switched back to RC8 and my ES ED127. Just got a QSI 690 wgs this guy had New in the box. Unfortunately it's form factor is too big for the RASA. I do miss the ease and fast exposures. Each way of shooting has its strengths and weaknesses but if time is a problem for you or if your view of the sky is small this is a great solution. Oh and I also bought one extra filter Slider adapter so I could have my next filter ready to go when it was time to change,
Good job Dylan. Thanks for taking the time. Sean
Yeh I run two drawers on the filter system too :) Makes for a quick swap out!
If stars are practically at a distance of optical infinity, then why do we need to worry about focus after setting the focus to infinity? I understand how an out of focus image looks in non Astro images, but what is the actual focus distance when you change focus on Astro targets?
The one drawback to an f2 is that shallow depth of field. As a terrestrial photographer with some fast lenses, I am always struggling with focal points. I would love to get the 11 someday. Great review.
Yes it’s very shallow and harder to find perfect focus .. good point !
You can reduce the camera focus problems by turning the auto focusing software to a lower level as auto focus over corrects and make things worse because of the exposure length
the 36cm aka 14in is only $14,000.00 US It is available to consumers just talked to my local telescope shop
Only
I spoke two soon about the dew shield! At least you raised the topic. I have to use a heater on my C14.
I don’t really need dew control where I am.. but I have been known to pull out the hair dryer occasionally !
You might know this by now, but just in case you don't, you can get the 14" RASA albeit it's obviously very pricey, 12,250 UK Pounds plus shipping.
Looks like a dream rig :) The RASA 36 doesn't even have a celestron mount to handle it yet.
Check this out, Dylan. They seem to have the 36 RASA on some sort of beefed up CGX-L mount. Looks an absolute beast!
th-cam.com/video/EqrAnSJFXHY/w-d-xo.html
EDIT: Just saw your comment on the video from 9 months ago, and realised they even used your images in the video! How awesome is that!
Dylan: excellent review... Having used Celestron telescopes for 35 years imagining has come along way. I’m seriously thing about buying this telescope in the next month or so. I’ve been videoing the night sky for 35 years. For the past 3 years I’ve been living streaming in 4k to TH-cam with great success. Mostly the sun, moon and planets. I’ve been using Sony’s A7Riii full frame. 42MP, 7952 x 5304 camera and the C-11 EdgeHD telescope. I’m waiting for the new Sony A7SIII which is more ideal to use... Full Frame, 12Mp, 4240 x 2832. Being only 12MPs and Full frame the pixels are bigger there’s less noise at a higher IOS and other factors making it a better camera for faint objects. For example the Sony A7Riii for meteor showers and using a 14mm f/2.8 I’m able to get 6 magnitude stars covering 105x72 degrees of the sky! And that’s in Denver, Colorado light pollution galore. I’m wanting to see how this telescope along with Sony camera would handle the brighter deep sky objects with video. Taking stills, there’s no problems... I want live 4k videos streaming live!
Thanks man! I think the A7 series would be *amazing* on a scope like this for faint objects. Good on you for streaming as well! It's a great outreach method.
Hey Dylan, just love this video! Very excited to discover Celestron just released an 8” RASA a couple of months ago, 400mm FL, f2 and retailing for about USD$1.6k/AUD$2.5k which is very affordable for consumers. Doesn’t look like Aus retailers have it yet. Seems Celestron t have improved a couple of things compared to the 11”, including a much better focuser system. Would love to hear your thoughts on it if you happen to see one around. Keep up the amazing work mate, love your relaxed style and expertise.
I'm pretty excited about the 8" .... I'd love one ! Thanks for your kind feedback too :)
I like the flexibility of hyperstar with normal SCT so that you can use it for planets or for deep space or visual. Rasa is very specialized for deep space only
Dylan got a hair cut. Looks better than the big fro. Just saying. Do you find that the RASA limits a lot of stuff you want to look at? I have a Celestron CGEM 11” HD with hyperstar. What’s the easiest and most accurate way to focus?
Hi Dylan, Great videos! I have a question, I just got an 11" RASA and was wondering how do you do dark, bias and flat frames with it? I think I found the answer further down in the comments. :)
how?
This was a really interesting video, Dylan. I'm very new to all of this and it's the first time I've ever heard anyone discuss the differences between a RASA and SCT. I also read Mark's pinned comments about the RASA's design and capabilities. So, if I understand correctly, with the RASA being sort of limited to wide field (you said it's unworkable for planets, etc.), the jack of all trades between the two would be the SCT with Hyperstar. Correct? This video is 2 1/2 years old, so maybe things have changed, but the practical difference between these two systems has been a question of mine for some time now. Aside from price, obviously.
So, if you were looking for one system to do a little bit of everything (planets, deep sky, asteroids/comets, near-earth objects, etc.), which would you choose? RASA or SCT/Hyperstar? God knows, I'd never be able to afford both!!
I had a hyper star for years and loved it :) search my name in youtube and you should find a presentation I did on the astro imaging channel
@@DylanODonnell - Will do, thanks!
Hey Dylan, love your work! Question… is the Edge HD/Hyperstar not the same as the RASA?? Cheers 👍
He is afraid of fiddling around the front corrector plate with Allen keys, but not afraid of wiping off the dirt from the same corrector plate and leave those terrible streaks and probably thousands of micro scratches. :D
Hey Dylan. Really enjoyed your review. Have been interested in hearing a bit about the Celestron RASA. Don't know if it's something I'd buy myself at this stage, but I never say never where astro gear is concerned! Haha.
Being a C14EdgeHD owner, I'll most likely go the Hyperstar path and enjoy having an instrument capable of planets and DSO. But it's certainly got my interest. Nice job, man
Thanks! Yeh that's a good reason.. and why I had the hyperstar with the 9.25" for so long! I'd kill for a 14" in the family hehe.
$3499.00 And I can't even afford a mount that could support it.
Hey Dylan, absolutely love your knowledge and approach to this amazing hobby. Is it time for a follow up video for the RASA 279 (11" (inch))?. So many astro photographers looking at this scope as a time saver, F2.2 will gather light nearly 6 times faster than a reduced F7 to F5.6 refractor, welcome news indeed if you live somewhere with continuous bad weather like the UK and need to make the most of those scarce clear nights. In the UK the dew shield would need to be compulsory and also a dew heater for the primary mirror (feedback from UK owners). Most people talk about the RASA being only a widefiled instrument, coupled with a ZWO 183MM/MC you get a 0.8" per pixel resolution that makes galaxy season fun and fast!
What is the achievable FWHM with the RASA11 and with the 3.76um pixel sized mono sensors with R/G/B filters (so not narrow band, but not full spectrum)?
That was very informative! The RASA is an impressive scope! Great job!
Nick Johnson cheers Nick! It’s pretty amazing!
RASA 36 (14inch) available in UK and US, but price around AUD 20,000- 30,000
So what's the difference between the RASA and for exmpl. a C-9.25" Fastar system?
Both works at F/2?
Basically the same :)
I don't think will gonna change soon my 8 inch SCT telescope. Combining with my Hyperstar I got 400mm ultra fast F1.9 telescope. Perfect for any object in the night sky and wider field of view then this $12 000 telescope. Easy for transporting cheap telescope with sharp pin point stars from corner to corner with the Hyperstar lens attached :)
Anyway, Dylan, if that RASA-11 model shown here is the best, what about the Nexstar 8SL?
The one thing that gave me pause (and ultimately deterred me) is that by weight, this OTA appears to need a large capacity mount. Even minimally loaded, it's approaching 75% of the CGX capacity, which seems to violate some of the conventional wisdom about astrophotography weight limits. I take it you've had no problems with the overall configuration, but I'm also wondering how much of that is due to other factors like having it enclosed in a dome, etc.
Yes it's a heavy OTA but I can confirm the RASA+CGX combo works perfectly. Contrary to popular belief the "conventional wisdom" about astrophotography and weight limits of the mount aren't based on anything. It's just something people started saying at some point and now everybody is repeating. The fact is, there is no "test" or line in the sand to dictate when a mount is good enough for visual vs astronomy .. in truth the weight limit is the tolerance of the build and the gears - and the tracking rate or accuracy doesn't change in the slightest from 75% or 90% of the weight limit.. it's not a spectrum. It either works.. or it doesn't. I've spoken directly to the engineers about this and I've loaded up the CGX until it stopped moving so I know the limit in a real world situation :) When it hits that 100% .. it stops / slips. Until then .. it works perfectly for astrophotography with all the performance you'd expect.
Good to know! I will look more seriously at this now that I know I can run it with a ~60lb capacity mount. I was too nervous to bite the bullet and try it before!
Let me know what you decide and how it goes :)
I think if you need a all round scope you can use a hyperstar or something.
Man I'd love to get under the southern skies in Australia, being probably the only english speaking southern hemisphere country with any bortle 3- skies... Unfortunately there isn't enough bug spray in the world to make me comfortable there.
Crazy bucket !
I think slooh, an online imaging service mostly used for education, uses a rasa but I'll have to double check.
"Biarasa" sounds like the version 2 of the rasa.
Hi Dylan. Which filters are you using with the RASA? I got the RASA 11" and a complete set of filters(all bought second hand) I knew the previous owner,but not sure if the local dealer selling it on behalf of his wive was not 100% honest about it. I have the Astronomik 12nm filter and can image Carina and Tarantula with no problem,but when moving to Orion and Horsehead I get halos around the brightest stars(mostly visible with Oiii) I have been in contact with Astronomik and was told that I need high speed filters. In your opinion which are the best to get? TIA
many thanks for the video, very helpful, was wondering about how hard is to collimate this scope, or even the 8”, a friend highlighted a point that this will be very hard to collimate, i’m been using refractors so far so collimating is something i never had to deal with, but with so few good nights for AP in here, i’m thinking seriously about this scope.
it would be great to hear your thoughts about this point
many thanks in advance
Anas Albounni I’m not the best person to ask because I’ve never collimated it in almost 2 years! (See my latest photo with it in the community tab to judge for yourself though!)
Why don’t the cables running to the camera show up?
They do show up.. usually as vertical or horizontal spikes on bright stars.
So....
Is there a diffrence between
The "RASA 11" Telescope
&
The "C11 EdgeHD" Telescope ?
Yes :) The RASA 11" is 640mm @ F2 ... the C11 EHD is 2800mm @ F10
Beginner here...Is there a significant benefit of this c.f SCT with fastar/hyperstar? The latter seems a bit more useful as it essentially functions as 2 different OTAs
It does but as previously stated the RASA has a considerably wider field of view but no visual back.
friend, I am a follower, which camera are you using on your rasa 14, I would greatly appreciate it
Hey Dylan great review thanks. One stupid question though...how do you manage flats, bias and darks with the camera right in the way?
I thought I replied sorry! My second latest video on Darks explains it (mechanical shutter) but sky flats are the right (maybe only) way for flats.
Thxs Dylan,...that is what would have thought too, but these little round ccd cameras in the zwo or qhyccd catalogs do not seem to have one built in (only electronic shutter)
@@DylanODonnell I have aluminum dew shields for my 8" SCT HD and 11" SCT Hyperstar setups. I have some stretch white nylon material that won't wrinkle. I place it across the dew shield and shoot flats through it. The dew shield keeps the material from touching the back of the camera (IMPORTANT to avoid the camera getting hotter). I just adjust exposure time to get around 1/3 of full well. It works flawlessly for me. You can do this before you start imaging to have a library of flats instead of a sky flat.... just remember to cool the camera to your operating temperature. I haven't found the exact focus point to be that important as long as the scope is at the general past focus point for your setup. I have a motorized focuser so can set it to the exact focus point I have used in the past using various software that gives a position reading. For darks I have created libraries at different temperatures with the camera not connected to the scope. Starizona has many good tips at their web site including a way to avoid taking flats using Photo Shop. Unless your lens, mirror, and filters are really filthy it may be all you need. Sometimes I think we tend to make extra work needlessly.
Hey Dylan, I've ordered an 11" RASA with a CGX and it's on its way. I can't wait to use it. I have a question though: have you felt the need for an autofocusing system with your RASA? I know the central focus zone is apparently super small. Do you have any difficult getting it focused and then having it stay focused all night long? Thanks.
Yes focus is *very* tight .. and I struggled with it for a while as I do it manually, but with a few tricks I'm still manual and getting nice focus :) It will shift focus as temperature changes though so I tend to refous every 30 mins. Will migrate to auto-focus eventually.
Thanks for the reply, yeah the focus is super narrow. With my DSLR (getting a CMOS soon) it's hard to find the exact focus, but I usually find the two points where stars become defocused, and then turn the focuser to the middle of those two points, which has worked really well so far. Locking down the focus clamps keeps the focus for the whole night, I've found, so I haven't had to refocus all that much. Otherwise this thing is an absolute dream! You were right about watching M42 and M31 live on video! I've got some friends at my university bugging me to get a spectrograph!
Hi Dylan,
I have a RASA 11 with a Celestron LP filter that is threaded in the optic window, also I have a Starizona filter slider for the Optolong L-eXtreme filter, is it okay to leave the Celestron LP filter in the optic window and use the L-eXtreme filter at the same time? With the L-eXtreme filter out I use a Optolong UV/IR filter to keep my focus parfocal.
Hi Dylan. Watched your video, which was great and well presented.Thanks a ton... I was on the brink of purchasing a new scope ( torn between a TAK 120 and the 9.25 Edge) but on the strength of your video /comments. I made my decision, and a 11" RASA is my choice to go on the CGX mount. Strangely enough the Local ( South African) distributor actually had one RASA in stock. Placed the order and will be picking it up on Monday 7th May. I have two questions, namely :# 1 The filter slider that you showed, is it standard with the scope or is it an aftermarket purchase ? # 2 I will be using a ZWO ASI1600 MC cool , I also have the ZWO ASI 1600 Mono cool with filters - any thoughts would be most welcome
Wow John.. I wish I was on commission haha. How's it going? It's a killer combination eh? .. The filter slide drawer system is from the Hyperstar guys at Starizona. Worth it. I've also heard great things about the 1600 series ZWO .. I think you'll be making better images than me probably :)
Hi Dylan-- I am going to get the filter system from Dean @ Starizona. In the meantime, I will use my ZWO 1600 MC-Cool ( Color) . Will check today if I can fit the 1600 to the RASA. I have some adapters and hope one will work, Otherwise it's another wait to either import or have one made locally. I am still a relative newbie so have no fear, about competing with your images. I noted your comments regarding mount capacity in general and at risk of starting a tech war, I agree totally with you. Regards from S.A. John
Dylan, what guide scope is that on top? I am looking to get something for my C11 Edge. Cheers
Looks like a Celestron 80mm guide scope
What do the wires hanging in front of the telescope do to the image ?
You get diffraction spikes on your stars like imaging with a Newtonian
Hi, I’m aiming for a RASA 11 that would only be possible in 14 months.
In the meantime I have the opportunity to purchase a used Hyperstar V3 for my 8” EdgeHD. Is the Hyperstar any good or should I give it a miss.
hi, nice telescope, one question how do you protect the Schmidt glass against dust without removing your caméra?
Hi Dylan. What image filters do you recommend for the RASA?
Hey mate! I recommend the baader "highspeed" filters 2" tuned for F2 and the starizona filter drawer system. works great!
Can’t you do something with the cables so there is at least only one, ideally without a thicker plug in the light path?
Would you think the RASA-11 would be a good telescope to start with Astrophotography? I'm a photographer looking at getting into Astrophotography (just bought a property out of Nambour in QLD) so really looking forward to this. I'm fairly proficient with photoshop - interested in thoughts?
Thank You Dylan, very interesting.
Steve Murray hey no worries Steve !
I cannot find a filter drawer for my new RASA 8. Bintel does not list one on their site. Do you know of any where that has them in stock?
Try Starizona!
@@DylanODonnell nope, i am waiting to hear from ZWO itself. have you used the baadar or others. the trick will be the spacing to get back focal. I have an 183 pro OSC and will not need the tray as of yet. i t does give the spacing and the future option for mono. And, no , they do not include the LPS with the 8. I found one(i think)
@@DylanODonnell I went with the Baader filter tray. Very Nice. I go t my RASA light pollution filter. It is a narrow band pass. Do I process the images like Trevor does with a one shot color and a narrow band filter. ? I am new to filters and will go MONO in the future. I am confused. and , I hope that I am not bothering you. You are the closest to Mr Celestron there is.
Hey Dylan, any chance of an in depth look at PHD2 and autoguiding in general?
Daneoid81 great idea! Not sure how in depth I could go but I can certainly give an intro and tips. Funny enough I’m in the dev credits for PhD2 :)
Speaking of cameras with small footprints, If you ever want to borrow my ASI1600mm for a trial/review it's all yours. (It's Dane from Byron btw)
Dane, that would be awesome! I've been meaning to try. It's going to be cloudy for a while but if i could borrow it on a clear night (moon is ok, will do Ha) that would be great and I'll get it right back to you.
Just got the 8 inch! Can't wait for 1st light! However just to correct a point, the filter is NOT included with the RASA 8, there was none with mine. Maybe they gave you one because you have a channel or you help them test. Wonder how you got to be a tester! I'd love to be a tester, I'm acually an Electric Engineer and used to work as a Test Engineer. How do we get to test some goodies! haha. Also got the Motofocus after seeing your review on the prototype :)
Hugo Brunet you’re exactly right! I ended up adding that info to the video description:) I’ve been on team Celestron for a while now! Can’t believe my luck!
Great video Dylan lots of information presented in simple terms which everyone should appreciate is not easy
Would I be crazy starting with a 11inch RASA and CGX mount to step up from my Star Adventurer? It's just that Bintel has it at 40% OFF for $5999. Could I keep it simple just using a Nikon D850 with the this setup and a pole master to ensure good polar alignment - to begin with. It seems like such a good deal but don't want to get out of my depth by buying a setup that I won't be able to get up and running on my own.
Great video, Dylan. I have a club member that owns this scope and it's amazing how quickly he can image things that take an eternity for us SCT owners.
Regarding the diffraction spikes caused by the wire... you should be able to eliminate them by curving the wire. Put a keeper on the side of the optical tube to hold the wire so that the path to the center curves in like a "C" shape. You can buy dobs with curved "spider vanes" instead of flat cross-shaped vanes that serve the same purpose. The diffraction spike occurs because light bends as it passes the edge. With flat vanes (or a straight wire) there's a long length where all the light is diffracting in the same direction along the edge... and it adds up to create the large spikes on brighter stars. But curving the vane (or wire in your case) the light diffraction isn't parallel... so it doesn't add up to create a big spike.
Great feedback .. thanks Tim! I'd heard about the curved wiring method before but never knew the details. Maybe I'll make a video about diffraction spikes!
See this page on cloudynights : www.cloudynights.com/topic/541027-near-full-moon-lunacy-wide-band-imaging-with-the-asi1600-color/ there is a photo of an hyperstar with the cables going this way.
Another image of a similar setup : www.cloudynights.com/topic/560614-modifying-a-celestron-14-schmidt-camera-from-film-to-ccd/
Hey Dylan, you mentioned that the RASA is not capable of visual use. Is it not possible to use a diagonal and an eyepiece so that your head won’t be blocking the telescope’s view? I know the eyepiece itself would block some of the light but at f/2.2 it shouldn’t put too big a dent in its light-gathering abilities.
It's definitely not designed for it and what you say is correct in theory, but with your eyepiece at the specific back focal distance and your head as well, you'd probably block half the light. not to mention awkwardly standing on a ladder to put your head there anyway. For that same result you could probably get a newt or dob with similar issues but with a side-facing mirror and backfocal distance so you're off to the side :)
Dylan O'Donnell Thanks m8.
Hi Dylan it’s me again, you are the only one i can ask about this scope as others never used it just speculating.
can i ask how hard was it to focus with such a fast telescope, every way i turn people are warning me about focus, as i has to be super accurate and very frequent with temp change, like every 0.5-1 degrees. how did you find the focuser Celestron provided and what is your preferred focusing method? what do you use?
many thanks in advance
Hi Anas! I have a video on manual focus.. this is what I use primarily .. and i have another video about the clothespeg featuretouch focuser .. I use that too! With these two things I nail focus almost every time on both RASAs and usually just check focus every 30 mins - 60 mins depending on the temperature change.
Dylan O'Donnell many thanks man much appreciated, you make it sound so easy 😆 it might not be as hard as others has described then
RASA it is 👍🏻😁
Oof, it looks like someone cleaned that corrector plate in a circular motion. Always clean from the middle to the edge!
Do you get flaring from bright stars (bright patches of light diagonally opposite the position of the bright star)??
Plate reflections are possible yes
What makes a RASA better for astrophotography then a ritchey-chretien telescope?
I am confused now. How is it possible that this RASA 8 or 11 telescope is the best when Games from techs insist that there are other models that are also the best? I asked earlier, is Nexstar 8se the best? Had no genuine answer yet. I would like to buy a telescope that I can few close up of the moon mountains and craters. Others say Nexstar 8se is perfect. Other say There are other tube telescope that perform the same. Talk about Confucious. 🤔
If you can not use your eye to view through it is not a true telescope.
It is however a great astro graph.
Modern day Schmidt Film Camera for the digital age.
Hey Dylan. Not sure if your little gadget (sorry forgot it’s name) was connected or whether you are even still using it. But if it is just wanted to entertain you by unsubscribing and again subscribing to your channel.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the RASAs amd Hyperstar in general. Just ordered my own set from Starizona for our 8“ Edge. I would like to say that it is all your fault, but it isn‘t, I’m afraid. Don’t be offended, but not everything in life is about you. Although your videos here as well as your pics did play a role in confirming my choice ;)
And no, I won’t get a RASA, as I am also still enjoying visual astronomy. And no, I am not offended by your videos, sorry 😁
Have a good one, and thanks again. Really enjoying your channel.
Hey dylan....thinking of pulling plug on cgx mount. How are they? Should I be worried about mount issues? I've read some have concerns
There are always going to be a few duds out of the factory .. and some early adopters (me included) got one of those. But the ones that work work amazingly well. Best mount I ever had!
@@DylanODonnell dylan....still thinking of pulling plug on 8" rasa. Can I add a feathertouch too it. To motorize my focusing with sgp?
Yep.. you won't be disappointed :) I'm hoping to get one too!
Hi Dylan. How do you rotate the camera when you want to frame a target?
I just loosen the ring and rotate in place, usually with a frame and focus exposure running so I can see what it looks like and get it just so. Nothing fancy :)
I know this is old. how do you take darks with a rasa?
You either take the camera off OR you have a fancy camera with a mechanical shutter internally that can make it dark :)
@@DylanODonnell what if paint a 2 inch filter flat black and insert in filter drawer? I just got my rasa tracking number today. order the starizona filter tray and the 183 mc pro. i am GEEKED ! thanks for the help mate. I will need to send a gift cert for beer.
Hello Dylan,
I am looking at a RASA 8. What cameras would I be looking at using? I take it I cant use asi1600 monochrome?
Yeh I think so :) But run the scope and camera through the bintel calculator tool to make sure.
ha? sorry why not? asi1600 in general? or just the mono? coz i have the color 1600 so no filter wheel needed
Anas Albounni see my video about why astronomers use black and white cameras :)
I have a stupid 12" LX90-ACF GPS. The computer freezes up. I have to reboot and realign it to get it to work again. Headache. It started after I had it for 2 months. It's still under warrantee and Meade says they will fix it if I pay $400 for shipping! I will never buy another Meade product!
Is there a camera that uses fiber optics which are so small that the optics should not see it? If not then that is a good idea to run with.
Stanley Chalk interesting idea :) I can’t imagine what benefit it would have though apart from being able to make a telescope that bends. Every time light passes through any optic you lose some quality so making a scope that was all optics could be problematic.
Hmm, how about using battteries for power to cool the chip and to power it too. The camera could store the images on a SD chip or perhaps offload them via Wi-Fi to a computer.. No wires would be needed.
Did the Rasa 11 really cost 10k back in the day?
It really did 😳 new video about that scope today :)
@@DylanODonnell I guess I can take some time out of my exceptionally busy and awesome schedule to watch this piece.
@@Kev376 I do apologise for interrupting your busy schedule.
I’m interested in the weight. I know I’m lazy for not checking online. Lol
There is a way to get a eye pice on it but it will be a computerised one
8:02 - What is this 'astro imaging' channel?
How can you mix focal length with field of view?! OMG! :-D
10,000$ wow But , In your pictures i saw stars in the corner don’t circle? Sorry my bad English, I’m from Kuwait .
That's correct the stars aren't perfectly circle at far corners but the distortion has been minimised so much as to be fairly negligible .. i was zoomed in pretty far for that asteroid. Check the whitepaper for specifics on that, it's definitely as good or better than a standard field flattener.. due in part to Celestron's experience in this field with Edge HD optics.
How come you no longer have it if it's that good 🤔.
I do :) it’s just in the house while I play at longer focal lengths.
I was always puzzled why astrophotographers downgrade into using tiny small aperture refractor, that possibly cost more than your setup. Makes sense aperture rules even in astrophotography aperture and fast.
Are you one of the few that like big aperture fast scopes?
Even professional astronomers big fast scopes rule. I grew up were aperture always ruled and to buy thr biggest you can afford.
I dont get why many are still using 50mm or 120mm scopes which can hardly pull in the same detail as your Rasa. So surly bigger and faster still applies to astrophotography?
Seems with visual aperture certianly rules, but in astrophotography they are going backwards, paying expensive prices for so little, when they could get a far bigger Rasa for the money.
You seem to be one of the very few sane astrophotographers out there who get fast big aperture rules
Why wouldn't they release this to public.
They have ... 3 versions now .. 8" , 11" and 14" (36cm)
I forgot to add in my previous post. This was a great review video!
Thanks man!
Gwapo😍
What horrifying cleaning method did you use on your front plate?
Just a damp cloth and gentle movements !
@@DylanODonnell Though the guy on this video is doing much more than we would want to do (like removing the correcter plate), the basics of how to clean, and the solutions to use, are excellent. You owe it to your $10,000 instrument to do it.
th-cam.com/video/e66yIuD3cMk/w-d-xo.html
How much $$..???
How could my comment be posted 3y ago? I just posted it 3 days ago. 🤔