Note that refractors will be less good than Newtonians at focusing IR light, leading to more bloated stars/halos with this filter (thanks to everyone in the comments for pointing it out!) My Patreon: www.patreon.com/cuivlazygeek My Merch Store: cuiv.myspreadshop.com/ For any affiliate link purchases, make sure to accept cookies if prompted! Also, browser plugin "Honey" may steal commissions from creators if you interact with it (even just clicking on "OK" to the "No coupons found" message)! SVBony SV240 filter: bit.ly/4hK69fV , use coupon cuiv10 for a $10 discount! If you prefer Amazon, here is the link: amzn.to/4frmeFx Amazon affiliate: amzn.to/49XTx01 Agena affiliate: bit.ly/3Om0hNG High Point Scientific affiliate: bit.ly/3lReu8R First Light Optics affiliate: tinyurl.com/yxd2jkr2 All-Star Telescope affiliate: bit.ly/3SCgVbV Astroshop eu Affiliate: tinyurl.com/2vafkax8
Thanks Cuiv for this video and information on this filter. I found it very helpful to discern if it is something that I should incorporate into my imaging workflow. I also want to say a huge "Thank You So Much !" for the information that you provided earlier on the SV220 filter review. It has changed my imaging trajectory! I had been under the impression that I needed a long-exposure guiding set-up in order to take advantage of any the dual narrowband filters (I use a astro-modded DSLR + SWSA GTi only), but your enthusiastic encouragement of being able to use the shorter exposure images (30-60 seconds) with the SV220 gave me hope and so I purchased one and it has opened up a whole new world of DSO's that I could not take advantage of with just a regular light pollution filter (I'm in a Bortle 8-9). So again - thank you!
Again, thanks for your work... Svbony recently released their 5-band SV260 filter for broadband targets, and I just ordered one off Amazon with a discount. Not much information is available yet, so I hope you will be reviewing it soon. Thanks, Michael
Thanks for this information! SVBony filter are both affordable and excellent. I did purchase it using the affiliate link. Very helpful tutorial on how to combine images to enhance color.
Thanks for the review. It would be nice to see a fully processed result of just the Svbony, see if those colours can be improved. Thanks again for your time and sharing your experience with the rest of us!
I kinda disagree to an extent. At around 10:00 he shows the stacked image from the SVBony, then around 12:00 he shows the same image after processing. Then at 16:25 he shows the results of combining the SVBony image with the previous Hyperstar image. So he does show what you are asking for. The only nitpick I would say is in the title, it could be inferred that his "best" image was with just the SVBony, but the actual best image was the combo image. But he does explain the why and how of the final result, so I'm pretty good with that.
@@michaeldiaz4942 Not true. The hyperstar image in this video was from one of his captures a while back (before he got this filter) and did not have a filter or sensor in place that passed Near-IR. You need both the IDAS GNB or SV224 plus a camera that is sensitive to near-IR (like the 585). Many Cameras ...like the 2600 MC pro have built-in IR-cut FYI.
Honestly, I don't think you can really improve on the colors with the filter on its own, at least in PixInsight - I've heard that some Japanese people using the processing software "StellaShot" have a way to get more natural colors, but no idea how this is accomplished...!
@@brianhayward8240 Astro originally mentioned that Cuiv had not shown a processed image of the stack with just the SBV filter, which was incorrect, so he corrected his post. My other point was that the title of the video could be read to mean that Cuiv's best photo was with JUST the SVB filter, but as he explained in the video, just using the SVB gave him very good detail but very little color, so adding the Hyperstar image he previous took allowed him to have the great detail but add in color the SVB photo lacked. So I'm not sure what you mean by not true.
I once captured M51 in a Bortle 6-7 zone without any filters. Each exposure was 60 seconds, and I also used a 585 camera. The contrast was so much stronger compared to using a UV/IR cut filter. Maybe you could test this for comparison as well. My telescope was an f/6 Newtonian without a coma corrector.
Looking to add this to my filter collection to pair with my Touptek 585 camera and Askar 71F. Waiting to buy that new Askar once they solve that back focus issue.
Thanks so much! I'm told a refractor would have fared less well though, so keep that in mind! I've updated the pinned comment and description with that!
My take away is about the benefits of a NIR sensitive sensor and using something like the sv240 to provide luminance data to use with colour data from an RGB run. I see the 585 is now available in a mono version... mental gears are turning...
This gives me an idea, you could approximate this filter's behaviour with a monochrome camera, use 20nm Ha and Oii filters, and a red filter... Would be interesting to try!
Wow! It almost seems like a color camera and these fancy filters are the way to go in light polluted areas. I'm shooting mono and I've given up shooting galaxies from my light polluted skies.
That’s a phenomenally sharp image - hard to believe it was taken in light polluted Tokyo!! Curious if you’re using a primary mirror mask - stars look beautiful! Clear skies
Question: I took a picture of M33 with my imx585 without UV IR filter. It turned out almost Black and white in the end. I read on CN that Bayer Filters become transparent for IR. Is that the reason??
Why would you use this VS the SVBony SV220 dual band filter you reviewed? I am running a ASI533MC Pro camera> You do get into this a bit, but wondering what object types you would use the SV240 versus the SV220. I just ordered the SV220, off your review of that filter. Thank you! I appreciate the time you put into these!
That’s a great question, Cuiv should do a better job explaining the differences and when to use these. I have the SV220 too, now this guy recommends another one.
The key is Near-IR as he mentions in the video. SV220 does not pass near-infrared but this one does. This is why it's a decent galaxy filter. One drawback is that refractors (even triplets) are tuned to visible light as far as avoiding CA. When you add in near-IR bandwidths in a refractor, they won't focus at the same spot and this affects focus of your captures. This is why you likely want to use this filter on a newtonian not a refractor or SCT(corrector plate). You also need a camera that allows Near-IR to pass to the sensor as well, not all cameras do this well.
Most refractors can not focus near IR and visible at the same time. This is precisely why a UV/IR filter is on many cameras like the ASI2600mc or are generally recommended. Use this filter with an with a AT60 or any other entry level scope with the 585 and you will have a halo mess instead of crisp details. The only reason this is working is because he is using a newtonian reflector. I wonder if he had to remove the coma corrector as that is also likely to suffer from this problem.
Great review Cuiv! The data that the filter provides with the right camera is amazing! I like the second version of your picture more than the first version of combining the two images. I guess I need to find a better paid job, a sponsor for my astro stuff or just win the lottery. 😂 There are just too many great items that bring images to the next level. You may also try to put some convolution (around 15-20 as per the slider in PI) on the color imate and use the Luminance information from the SV240 filter to throw it on the color image. Blurring the color image and sharpening the Luminance gives even more natural trasitions from one color to another in my hunble opinion. Checking bank account for miniCam8 mono combo, a color 585 camera, SV240 filter, and all the other stuff. On the other hand I could just sell my Asi2600MC Pro and AsiAir Plus. 😁
It has no issues with my coma corrector, so I didn't realize it could have such issues with refractors - thanks for this, I've added this to the description and the pinned comment!
Great video Cuiv! It would be interesting if one can use an NIR filter on Mono camera as a separate channel. You would have full control on the color (merging with RGB etc.) and not have focus issues as you can focus separately.
Hm, it appears YT deleted my earlier comment with a link. I wrote that Svbony had a similar filter -- UHC filter. It was a visual filter, thus the manufacturer did not care to supress the transmission in IR. It has a transmission in an approximately 750-850 nm window, in addition to O-III and H-a. Svbony does not show the IR part of the UHC filter spectrum, however I was able to find it at the forum stargazerslounge in the topic titled "IR or UHC ?" from 2019. UHC filter is much cheaper.
Very interesting, thank you!! It does show much wider bandpasses at the same time, which isn't ideal, and I would assume off band blocking would be somewhat weak! Still could be a budget alternative!
Looks like my comments are being eaten (maybe because they have links?), but the ASI 2600 manual page 5 states that the ASI 2600MC Pro has an IR cut window. The monochrome version does not.
Oh wow, good to know! I feel it's something that should be very explicit on the front page of the product... And yeah RUclips hates comments with links... They basically go into some sort of spam folder, and I have to go out of my way to check it, which I don't do often enough (because there is legit trash in there...)
So, what is the best galaxy filter for the 533mc pro and Recat 51? The hydrogen does not show with an IR/Cut filter and I have never had much luck using my Antlia ultra dual narrowband. Bortle 4/5.
@@sarahjanereilly9335 Not quite sure what you mean by the hydrogen not showing? H alpha should be picked up by the 533MC Pro without any problems. Were you talking about infrared? I wouldn't use a dual narrowband for galaxies, unless you plan combine that with an image taken with no filter
Saw someone on CN that had IR bloat when using this filter with a refractor. Not so sure about this one as most beginners have lens/refractors they might fall for bad marketing.
I also had folks in my astronomy club point this out when I was considering getting this filter for my 585 MC Pro. Even well-corrected triplet refractors really are only tested to properly bend visible light. They are not expected to handle Near-IR very well. This is why folks in my astronomy club recommended only using this for an imaging newtonian. Even the SCT corrector plate can have problems with Near-IR. What happens is that the Near-IR ends up being slightly out of focus compared to the visible light, even in a triplet. So it is difficult to get crisp focus.
You already addressed this in comments but was surprised you did not experience bloated stars and less detail with this filter…. Although it’s a debated topic I always preach that you should not try to image visible and infrared at same time. Apparently dwarf labs was able to go a little in to the infrared with their d3 without bad effects but I think they do cut it at around 790nm with their internal Astro filter….. but anyway I guess the main takeaway is I did not realize the results would be different based on the type of telescope you were using…. I’ll have to research further to understand that.
thanks for the review , i bought this filter a month ago and i had a big issue with it which is a huge and dense halos around all the stars , no matter the size of the star , i was wondering if you got such an issue , i have a full thread on that on cloudynights with pictures throw all the process ... if you are interested, i would like to hear your opinion on the data i shared there ...
From the comments, it seems this can happen with refracting optics - I've added a disclaimer both in the description and the pinned comment. It appears that refractive optics have trouble focusing near infrared, but it also depends on the glass type used and the coatings as well... What telescope do you use? In my case because it was a Newtonian (although with a coma corrector/reducer that does have refractive elements, I didn't experience the issue). I'll have to test the filter with a refractor to be sure!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek thanks for the replay Cuiv, you are correct , i am using this filter with a doublet refractor , the reason i got that filter is for both galaxy and nebula astrophotography , at the time i bought this filter , the claim on svbony website didn't exist and there was no reviews for it yet so i took a chance however after many diagnoses to figure out the issue i came to the conclusion that the filter is the issue and i got my self an IR/UV cut filter + sv220 filter which in my openion the best options for my setup , i have no issues with 10 minutes exposure guided with the AM5N in zone9 skies so i am combining the images from both filter together for galaxies and using the sv220 for nebules , please let me know your opinion on this since i really learn alot from your channel ... also i am including the link for my thread in case you are interested .. www.cloudynights.com/topic/947622-i-cant-figure-out-why-the-stars-in-my-images-look-like-this/
I don't really get the point of this filter. If you use it as a pure monochrome filter, as you suggest, wouldn't it better to use a pure IR pass filter? That may would also help refractors focusing if only the IR part need to be in focus. To use it as a dual band (OIII and Ha), it has much wider passband so much less effective than a proper dual band filter (like SV220).
Since this uses infrared, doesn’t this effectively not work on refractors? Since they can’t really focus IR at the same time as RGB? Or is that just a problem on the other end (blue fringing, so UV not focused).
Dang I didn't even know about the 260! But the SV260 seems quite different: no NIR, and it looks like a more general purpose light pollution filter! I personally in that case would just use a UV/IR cut filter!
Thanks Cuiv, I'm using an Antlia Quadband filter which also pass alot of IR with an IMX585 camera without IR cut in a heavily light polluted area, will I get more dark details if I switch a dual-narrowband filter or a tri-band filter which doesn't pass IR?
Hi Cuiv... Thanks for the good work. I'm using a 533 with a triplet refractor in Bortle 8 suburban skys, and I'm wondering if a quadband filter from Antlia or Optolong (SV260?) might be better for galaxies and reflection nebulae? Meanwhile, the Svbony 220 works well as a dual narrowband for emission nebulae. Regards, Michael
I’m using a 533mc-pro and have ordered a Antlia quad band specifically for broadband targets using my FF80 refractor. However I still haven’t had a chance to try it since it’s been cloudy non step since early November. I do know when I ordered the filter there’s a risk of having halos (because of the IR vs visible light focusing differences) but I still haven’t had a chance of trying the filter out.
Is there any reason why you have to use this filter for luminance vs just using a 685nm IR cut filter? Im struggling to understand qhat the Ha/Oiii bandpasses add to standard galaxy imaging.
That's actually a little better than the GNB because the halos are a bit more tame especially on a mirror telescope. Just don't point this a Alnitak LOL. Wow SVBony is really making a name for themselves and at an affordable price! Nice image BTW! Clear Skies!
What's the potential for using a filter with these new gen scopes that are basically just a camera that accumulate photos for you? I'm really tempted to get one of those as my first 'scope but I don't have the knowledge to know how far it would get me. I'm sure a multi-thousand dollar setup can do a whole lot. Can someone give a big picture comparison?
After taking the image with SV240, can we use a duo-band filter instead of a UV/IR cut filter? (my UV/IR cut filter is 1.25" and it will be easier for me to simply swap the 2" filters from the drawer instead of changing the 2" nozzle to 1.25") :)
How would you compare this to the SV220 filter? Would they compliment each other or do they overlap and do the same thing? My impression from the descriptions are they essentially are the same, I'm confused. Amazon sell them both separately and as a "bundle".
Different purposes, the SV220 is for emission nebulae and has tighter band passes. The SV240 is more of a specialist filter that happens to be decent on nebulae but not as good as the SV220
I have never owned a telescope, but I did just buy a ZWO Seastar is there an equivalent lens for that ?? I live in a city of a million plus people in the U.S. so in the middle of light pollution. Due to health issues, I can't drive out into the country to take better pics that way. any help would be greatly appreciated !!!
@@andreacarminati9843 just be aware it's a very specialist filter and you should be good! I'm also told in the comments that it could work less well on refractors, so please keep that in mind!
Hi Cuiv, happy New Year. That filter seems to work very well as a luminance filter for broadband targets in light poluted skies. I've just bought a set of 4nm dual band filters from Altair ( the ones you reviewed a while back ) I only got to use them for the first time last night so haven't processed the image yet. As you know, these aren't cheap so I wont be buying anymore filters anytime soon. Regarding the ASI585MC Pro if you use an IR Cut filter double stacked with a narrow band filter would this give the same/ similar results to the SV Bony filter?
Your 4nm dual narrowband filter from altair already cuts out the IR. So there is no point in stacking an IR cut filter on it. Remember, this filter does not CUT near-IR, it allows it to pass to the sensor. That is the key difference.
Maybe I missed it in the review, but is it correct to assume that this filter is not going to work nearly as well with any refractive optics that aren't well-corrected in the IR (pretty much all of them)?
Thanks for the review Cuiv, much appreciated! Any recommendations for companies that'll cut custom sizes filters? I shoot widefield nightscapes and have been playing with screw on narrowband filters from Nantong Foric Optics (77mm), unfortunately they fog up a little too easy, so am considering a direct replacement with better coatings, or making a clip in filter with custom cut glass. Nantong are happy to do custom sizes and I am waiting for responses from Svbony and Ximei. Thanks!
That sounds like it'd be incredibly expensive. You might consider a 3d printed holder to put it either in front of your lens or between your lens and camera. It doesn't need to be terribly sturdy if you're just going to leave it set up on a tripod, although moving the lens out slightly will essentially lose you a bit of your FOV, as it'll act like a very short extension tube.
@@aaronsmicrobes8992 so the 3d side I can handle, both design and print. The 77mm filters I have from Nantong are normal screw on filters, (20nm ha and Oiii) they were about 50 quid each, so not too bad cost wise and Nantong will cut custom sizes for me. Issue is, I don't think they have much in the way of coatings, so an upgrade to something that does would be nice. (they fog up even when heated for eg) I could potentially design a drop in filter system, but ideally I don't want to reduce my light gathering potential. I shoot at 45mm, so I use a much shorter integration time compared to DSO because the resolution just isn't there to pull out the fine details that longer integration gives you. I'd rather have a quick setup so I can capture more comps and my drives home are not at stupid o'clock in the morning! :)
@@CuivTheLazyGeek no worries Cuiv! Svbony got back to me and said no to custom cut filters, although they are curious why I want rectangle filters! 😂 😂
My IDAS had horrible halos, the core of M81 was just one big halo wich covered 2/3 of the entire galaxy with 120sec exposure it wasn't overblown either
Interesting, the comments tell me a lot of refractors would have issues with this filter, which I hadn't realized - I've updated the description and the pinned comment to include this!
@@michaelkohl2250 thanks for the details, this is pretty bad indeed, especially with what is supposed to be a good scope. Looking more into it, it seems that normally scopes using ED glass and decent coatings should not be much affected. Thanks for this data point!
Cuiv - a great video would be for you to confirm the reports that this filter does not work well with some scopes. Newtonians are able to bend the Near-IR to the same focal point as visible ligith, but refractors, an SCT corrector plate, or hyperstar optics might cause blur in the images because they cannot handle Near-IR as well. People in my astronomy club mention that IR-cut is mandatory for even triplet refractors to get the sharpest details.
I'll check with a refractor - I didn't realize that, and it seems it had no issues with my coma corrector! For now I've added this to both description and pinned comment!
2 дня назад+4
At 13:53 you said that svbony filter remove light pollution but you show a picture after software removed gradient (image title). That's not fair.
Why is it not fair? Both images have gradient removed at this stage (the luminance image is catastrophic before gradient removal) - I've already shown the raw image of the SV240 filter earlier in the video, so you've already seen what it looks like before gradient removal...
NOOP, this filter would cut the entire spectrun between OIII and Ha and this is the exact part you need to photograph galaxies, because 80-90% of the galaxies emission is exactly there. The best filter for galaxies in mild light pollution is Baader neodymium.
He describes in the video that this filter passes Near-IR. The SV220 does not and is for nebula. He also mentions that Near-IR is better with light pollution, dust, etc. Which makes combining this filter with a camera that is sensitive to Near-IR a good option for galaxies (like the 585 MC Pro). The main drawback to passing Near-IR along with Visible light is that refractors do not focus Near-IR very well. So it is best used with an imaging newtonian. Even the corrector plate in an SCT is not great for focusing Near-IR to the same focal point as visible light. He used his carbon star with this filter which is a newtonian. This refractor part could have been explained better.
@@brianhayward8240 The Coma corrector that most use with Newts is also going to have this issue. I wonder if he removed it since he was also using the small 585 on this target. If so that is kind of crappy that he did not disclose that fact. I also think it is pretty bad he did not mention the issue and problems using this with a refractor.
I didn't remove the coma corrector, this simply didn't occur to me. I've updated the description and pinned comment with your remarks on refractors vs IR
Sorry this wasn't clear - SV220 has nice tight band passes for emission nebulae and is better for those. This one has wider band passes and also passes near IR, with the impact seen in the video. I'm told NIR can also be problematic with refractive optics so I added that to description and pinned comment!
Note that refractors will be less good than Newtonians at focusing IR light, leading to more bloated stars/halos with this filter (thanks to everyone in the comments for pointing it out!)
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excellent video as always Cuiv! Will this filter be a good match with the zwo asi294mc pro camera? Thanks in advance!
@@robinellIt should work well - just be aware of the above limitations wrt use with refractive optics!
I need a clear night filter...
A cloud-filter
Get me one too
ruclips.net/video/8QzXeUe1xg8/видео.html
That'll be a radar
🤣
Thanks Cuiv for this video and information on this filter. I found it very helpful to discern if it is something that I should incorporate into my imaging workflow. I also want to say a huge "Thank You So Much !" for the information that you provided earlier on the SV220 filter review. It has changed my imaging trajectory! I had been under the impression that I needed a long-exposure guiding set-up in order to take advantage of any the dual narrowband filters (I use a astro-modded DSLR + SWSA GTi only), but your enthusiastic encouragement of being able to use the shorter exposure images (30-60 seconds) with the SV220 gave me hope and so I purchased one and it has opened up a whole new world of DSO's that I could not take advantage of with just a regular light pollution filter (I'm in a Bortle 8-9). So again - thank you!
This review leaves people with more questions than answers!
Sorry about that - I've replied to some questions in the comments, what do you need answered?
Again, thanks for your work... Svbony recently released their 5-band SV260 filter for broadband targets, and I just ordered one off Amazon with a discount. Not much information is available yet, so I hope you will be reviewing it soon. Thanks, Michael
Cuiv and Luke are the best bromance in Astrophotography. 🤪
Hahaha!! Made my day! :-D
Thanks for the info on this filter! A new year and new/refined gear to look at! 👍👍
Cheers and happy new year!
Thanks for this information! SVBony filter are both affordable and excellent. I did purchase it using the affiliate link. Very helpful tutorial on how to combine images to enhance color.
Hope it works out for you!
Thanks Cuiv. You really do make me keep spending money. Love the videos though. Happy new year.❤
Only spend what you have, and only if you need it! I think this filter is a bit of a specialist filter, so not everyone needs it!
Thanks for the review. It would be nice to see a fully processed result of just the Svbony, see if those colours can be improved. Thanks again for your time and sharing your experience with the rest of us!
I kinda disagree to an extent. At around 10:00 he shows the stacked image from the SVBony, then around 12:00 he shows the same image after processing. Then at 16:25 he shows the results of combining the SVBony image with the previous Hyperstar image. So he does show what you are asking for. The only nitpick I would say is in the title, it could be inferred that his "best" image was with just the SVBony, but the actual best image was the combo image. But he does explain the why and how of the final result, so I'm pretty good with that.
@@michaeldiaz4942You are right! I missed the part when he shows the quick processed image of the svbony. I've updated my comment 😊
@@michaeldiaz4942 Not true. The hyperstar image in this video was from one of his captures a while back (before he got this filter) and did not have a filter or sensor in place that passed Near-IR. You need both the IDAS GNB or SV224 plus a camera that is sensitive to near-IR (like the 585). Many Cameras ...like the 2600 MC pro have built-in IR-cut FYI.
Honestly, I don't think you can really improve on the colors with the filter on its own, at least in PixInsight - I've heard that some Japanese people using the processing software "StellaShot" have a way to get more natural colors, but no idea how this is accomplished...!
@@brianhayward8240 Astro originally mentioned that Cuiv had not shown a processed image of the stack with just the SBV filter, which was incorrect, so he corrected his post. My other point was that the title of the video could be read to mean that Cuiv's best photo was with JUST the SVB filter, but as he explained in the video, just using the SVB gave him very good detail but very little color, so adding the Hyperstar image he previous took allowed him to have the great detail but add in color the SVB photo lacked. So I'm not sure what you mean by not true.
I once captured M51 in a Bortle 6-7 zone without any filters. Each exposure was 60 seconds, and I also used a 585 camera. The contrast was so much stronger compared to using a UV/IR cut filter. Maybe you could test this for comparison as well. My telescope was an f/6 Newtonian without a coma corrector.
Looking to add this to my filter collection to pair with my Touptek 585 camera and Askar 71F. Waiting to buy that new Askar once they solve that back focus issue.
keep in mind refractors probably wont focus IR light and visible at the same time.
I hadn't thought of that when making the video, adding to my description and main comment
The final image says it all. Great work 👌
Thanks so much! I'm told a refractor would have fared less well though, so keep that in mind! I've updated the pinned comment and description with that!
My take away is about the benefits of a NIR sensitive sensor and using something like the sv240 to provide luminance data to use with colour data from an RGB run. I see the 585 is now available in a mono version... mental gears are turning...
This gives me an idea, you could approximate this filter's behaviour with a monochrome camera, use 20nm Ha and Oii filters, and a red filter... Would be interesting to try!
Wow!
It almost seems like a color camera and these fancy filters are the way to go in light polluted areas. I'm shooting mono and I've given up shooting galaxies from my light polluted skies.
That’s a phenomenally sharp image - hard to believe it was taken in light polluted Tokyo!!
Curious if you’re using a primary mirror mask - stars look beautiful!
Clear skies
Thank you! Yes I do have a primary mirror mask, which I designed and 3d printed, the design is available on thingiverse!
@ That’s so cool, thanks!!
The 533MC camera also has sensitivity in IR with a CLEAR window
Question: I took a picture of M33 with my imx585 without UV IR filter. It turned out almost Black and white in the end. I read on CN that Bayer Filters become transparent for IR. Is that the reason??
Correct - although less sensitive than something like the 585
Why would you use this VS the SVBony SV220 dual band filter you reviewed? I am running a ASI533MC Pro camera>
You do get into this a bit, but wondering what object types you would use the SV240 versus the SV220.
I just ordered the SV220, off your review of that filter.
Thank you! I appreciate the time you put into these!
That’s a great question, Cuiv should do a better job explaining the differences and when to use these. I have the SV220 too, now this guy recommends another one.
Essentially the same think I asked before I was your question.
The 220 is dual narrowband and only meant for emission nebulae. This one can also include galaxies
The key is Near-IR as he mentions in the video. SV220 does not pass near-infrared but this one does. This is why it's a decent galaxy filter. One drawback is that refractors (even triplets) are tuned to visible light as far as avoiding CA. When you add in near-IR bandwidths in a refractor, they won't focus at the same spot and this affects focus of your captures. This is why you likely want to use this filter on a newtonian not a refractor or SCT(corrector plate). You also need a camera that allows Near-IR to pass to the sensor as well, not all cameras do this well.
Most refractors can not focus near IR and visible at the same time. This is precisely why a UV/IR filter is on many cameras like the ASI2600mc or are generally recommended. Use this filter with an with a AT60 or any other entry level scope with the 585 and you will have a halo mess instead of crisp details. The only reason this is working is because he is using a newtonian reflector. I wonder if he had to remove the coma corrector as that is also likely to suffer from this problem.
Great review Cuiv! The data that the filter provides with the right camera is amazing! I like the second version of your picture more than the first version of combining the two images.
I guess I need to find a better paid job, a sponsor for my astro stuff or just win the lottery. 😂 There are just too many great items that bring images to the next level.
You may also try to put some convolution (around 15-20 as per the slider in PI) on the color imate and use the Luminance information from the SV240 filter to throw it on the color image. Blurring the color image and sharpening the Luminance gives even more natural trasitions from one color to another in my hunble opinion.
Checking bank account for miniCam8 mono combo, a color 585 camera, SV240 filter, and all the other stuff. On the other hand I could just sell my Asi2600MC Pro and AsiAir Plus. 😁
Good idea on the blurring, more stuff to try out!
@CuivTheLazyGeek Trying out and playing around is one of the fun parts. I stole that idea with pride as well. 😁
Pair this filter with a entry level refractor and you will see nasty halos. Very few refractors will foucs those IR wavelengths.
It has no issues with my coma corrector, so I didn't realize it could have such issues with refractors - thanks for this, I've added this to the description and the pinned comment!
Amazing work.
Great video Cuiv!
It would be interesting if one can use an NIR filter on Mono camera as a separate channel. You would have full control on the color (merging with RGB etc.) and not have focus issues as you can focus separately.
I think you can - R+ they call them
There are IR pass filters on the market. Both Baader and Optolong sell them.
Yep, I've heard of people doing this with IR pass filter, but never tried myself...!
Hm, it appears YT deleted my earlier comment with a link. I wrote that Svbony had a similar filter -- UHC filter. It was a visual filter, thus the manufacturer did not care to supress the transmission in IR. It has a transmission in an approximately 750-850 nm window, in addition to O-III and H-a. Svbony does not show the IR part of the UHC filter spectrum, however I was able to find it at the forum stargazerslounge in the topic titled "IR or UHC ?" from 2019. UHC filter is much cheaper.
Very interesting, thank you!! It does show much wider bandpasses at the same time, which isn't ideal, and I would assume off band blocking would be somewhat weak! Still could be a budget alternative!
Looks like my comments are being eaten (maybe because they have links?), but the ASI 2600 manual page 5 states that the ASI 2600MC Pro has an IR cut window. The monochrome version does not.
YT randomly kills comments with links. Some get through, but most will not.
Oh wow, good to know! I feel it's something that should be very explicit on the front page of the product...
And yeah RUclips hates comments with links... They basically go into some sort of spam folder, and I have to go out of my way to check it, which I don't do often enough (because there is legit trash in there...)
@@jpdemer5 That would explain why my previous comments weren't showing up. I had posted the comment with a link to the ASI2600 manual!
So, what is the best galaxy filter for the 533mc pro and Recat 51? The hydrogen does not show with an IR/Cut filter and I have never had much luck using my Antlia ultra dual narrowband. Bortle 4/5.
@@sarahjanereilly9335 Not quite sure what you mean by the hydrogen not showing? H alpha should be picked up by the 533MC Pro without any problems. Were you talking about infrared?
I wouldn't use a dual narrowband for galaxies, unless you plan combine that with an image taken with no filter
Saw someone on CN that had IR bloat when using this filter with a refractor.
Not so sure about this one as most beginners have lens/refractors they might fall for bad marketing.
I also had folks in my astronomy club point this out when I was considering getting this filter for my 585 MC Pro. Even well-corrected triplet refractors really are only tested to properly bend visible light. They are not expected to handle Near-IR very well. This is why folks in my astronomy club recommended only using this for an imaging newtonian. Even the SCT corrector plate can have problems with Near-IR. What happens is that the Near-IR ends up being slightly out of focus compared to the visible light, even in a triplet. So it is difficult to get crisp focus.
I hadn't realized that - thanks for bringing this up, I've updated the description and the pinned comment to have this!
You already addressed this in comments but was surprised you did not experience bloated stars and less detail with this filter…. Although it’s a debated topic I always preach that you should not try to image visible and infrared at same time. Apparently dwarf labs was able to go a little in to the infrared with their d3 without bad effects but I think they do cut it at around 790nm with their internal Astro filter….. but anyway I guess the main takeaway is I did not realize the results would be different based on the type of telescope you were using…. I’ll have to research further to understand that.
Do you know the near IR response for a 183mc pro sensor? They have a clear window but the graph of light curves is cut off beyond 700nm. Thank you.
Bonne annee Cuiv, je te souhaite de beaux cieux clair dans ton coin de pays.
Merci beaucoup, bonne année à toi aussi! Clear Skies!
thanks for the review , i bought this filter a month ago and i had a big issue with it which is a huge and dense halos around all the stars , no matter the size of the star , i was wondering if you got such an issue , i have a full thread on that on cloudynights with pictures throw all the process ... if you are interested, i would like to hear your opinion on the data i shared there ...
From the comments, it seems this can happen with refracting optics - I've added a disclaimer both in the description and the pinned comment. It appears that refractive optics have trouble focusing near infrared, but it also depends on the glass type used and the coatings as well... What telescope do you use?
In my case because it was a Newtonian (although with a coma corrector/reducer that does have refractive elements, I didn't experience the issue). I'll have to test the filter with a refractor to be sure!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek thanks for the replay Cuiv, you are correct , i am using this filter with a doublet refractor , the reason i got that filter is for both galaxy and nebula astrophotography , at the time i bought this filter , the claim on svbony website didn't exist and there was no reviews for it yet so i took a chance however after many diagnoses to figure out the issue i came to the conclusion that the filter is the issue and i got my self an IR/UV cut filter + sv220 filter which in my openion the best options for my setup , i have no issues with 10 minutes exposure guided with the AM5N in zone9 skies so i am combining the images from both filter together for galaxies and using the sv220 for nebules , please let me know your opinion on this since i really learn alot from your channel ... also i am including the link for my thread in case you are interested ..
www.cloudynights.com/topic/947622-i-cant-figure-out-why-the-stars-in-my-images-look-like-this/
The Player One IMX571 has only antireflective coatings. I don't get why ZWO uses an IR/UV cut filter on an astrocam .
I'm not sure...! I think they want the camera to be completely standalone, not needing any filters...
I don't really get the point of this filter. If you use it as a pure monochrome filter, as you suggest, wouldn't it better to use a pure IR pass filter? That may would also help refractors focusing if only the IR part need to be in focus. To use it as a dual band (OIII and Ha), it has much wider passband so much less effective than a proper dual band filter (like SV220).
Since this uses infrared, doesn’t this effectively not work on refractors? Since they can’t really focus IR at the same time as RGB? Or is that just a problem on the other end (blue fringing, so UV not focused).
Yes, others in the comments are telling me this, I've added this to both the description and the pinned comment
Thanks for your videos Cuiv. Do you also use Siril? Supposedly version 1.4 is supposed to be groundbreaking and a competitor to Pixinsight
Any idea how the sv260 compares? I believe they are the same but the 260 adds SII
Dang I didn't even know about the 260! But the SV260 seems quite different: no NIR, and it looks like a more general purpose light pollution filter! I personally in that case would just use a UV/IR cut filter!
Hey Cuiv! What was your Gain and Offset you used on M33? Many have a similar setup CS150/IMX585. Asking for a friend(s). 😊
Not on the PC right now, but as I recall gain 100 (HCG mode) with offset 500!
Thanks Cuiv, I'm using an Antlia Quadband filter which also pass alot of IR with an IMX585 camera without IR cut in a heavily light polluted area, will I get more dark details if I switch a dual-narrowband filter or a tri-band filter which doesn't pass IR?
Interesting, I wonder if this filter would be useful on a Celestron Origin?
I almost bought it in pre sale, before launch, now I regret not doing so. 😢 spent the budget elsewhere right before Galaxy season
You'll still get great galaxy images :)
Hi Cuiv... Thanks for the good work. I'm using a 533 with a triplet refractor in Bortle 8 suburban skys, and I'm wondering if a quadband filter from Antlia or Optolong (SV260?) might be better for galaxies and reflection nebulae? Meanwhile, the Svbony 220 works well as a dual narrowband for emission nebulae. Regards, Michael
I’m using a 533mc-pro and have ordered a Antlia quad band specifically for broadband targets using my FF80 refractor. However I still haven’t had a chance to try it since it’s been cloudy non step since early November. I do know when I ordered the filter there’s a risk of having halos (because of the IR vs visible light focusing differences) but I still haven’t had a chance of trying the filter out.
Agreed... I'm waiting for more info on the Svbony 260 before I order the Antlia or Optolong quad. Think you can't go wrong with the Antlia quad.
Is there any reason why you have to use this filter for luminance vs just using a 685nm IR cut filter? Im struggling to understand qhat the Ha/Oiii bandpasses add to standard galaxy imaging.
That's actually a little better than the GNB because the halos are a bit more tame especially on a mirror telescope. Just don't point this a Alnitak LOL. Wow SVBony is really making a name for themselves and at an affordable price! Nice image BTW! Clear Skies!
Apparently though it could be really badly on refractors - I would need to check that!!
Does this filter make sense for use in visual astronomy? For nebulae and especially for brighter galaxies (for example M31).
Cuiv, is this usable then on the 533mc-pro and 2600mc-duo? THanks. Coming to Tokyo in October, love Japan!
533MC Pro: yes, but somewhat low sensitivity in NIR
2600MC Duo: no, it has IR cut window on the sensor
October is a great season to visit Japan!
What's the potential for using a filter with these new gen scopes that are basically just a camera that accumulate photos for you? I'm really tempted to get one of those as my first 'scope but I don't have the knowledge to know how far it would get me. I'm sure a multi-thousand dollar setup can do a whole lot. Can someone give a big picture comparison?
isnt the infared data colorless?
After taking the image with SV240, can we use a duo-band filter instead of a UV/IR cut filter? (my UV/IR cut filter is 1.25" and it will be easier for me to simply swap the 2" filters from the drawer instead of changing the 2" nozzle to 1.25") :)
Wonder how it would work with the Celestron origin?
So you need an IR pass filter 😊
Thanks! And what filter is better? I have Optolong L quad , so is it any reason to replace it by svbony sv240?
Probably not - it's a specialist filter, and likes to be combined with luminance, if you're satisfied with your L-Quad, I'd say no need to update!
Could this filter be adapted to use on Dwarf 3 and would it be advantageous?
Thanking you in advance.
Bummer, Amazon's storefront for SVBONY's filter is "unavailable" as of today (Jan 3, 2025)...
Oh well...
How would you compare this to the SV220 filter? Would they compliment each other or do they overlap and do the same thing? My impression from the descriptions are they essentially are the same, I'm confused. Amazon sell them both separately and as a "bundle".
Different purposes, the SV220 is for emission nebulae and has tighter band passes. The SV240 is more of a specialist filter that happens to be decent on nebulae but not as good as the SV220
I have never owned a telescope, but I did just buy a ZWO Seastar is there an equivalent lens for that ?? I live in a city of a million plus people in the U.S. so in the middle of light pollution. Due to health issues, I can't drive out into the country to take better pics that way. any help would be greatly appreciated !!!
Great review Cuiv, thank you!
How well does SV240 works with fast optics like RASA?🤔
The banpasses are quite wide, so it should work well with the RASA in terms of bandpass shift
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thank you! I definitely should take a closer look at this filter...
Would this work on the s50 and how well?
I just bought a binoculars from a closing store, I probably shouldn’t buy this, currently $139.
No, it wouldn't work on the S50! The S50 always cuts IR, so it would basically be equivalent to the S50 internal LP filter - so you don't need it!
Thanks for that info. I’d like to try other filters on my s50 but never know which ones would work.
The asi533 can capture Near infrared?
Yes, although not extremely sensitive!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek thank you! I think It can be interesting to try this filter!
@@andreacarminati9843 just be aware it's a very specialist filter and you should be good! I'm also told in the comments that it could work less well on refractors, so please keep that in mind!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek maybe for refeactor Is Better a ir filter ?
Are you going to make a test with a refeactor to see the difference?
@@andreacarminati9843 I'll definitely try when I get some time!
Would this be better than Optolong L-Quad Enhance for broadband targets?
Someone got halos and switched to the expensive Antlia Filter.
Overall I don't think so - it doesn't seem like a general purpose LP filter for all broadband targets
Hi Cuiv, happy New Year.
That filter seems to work very well as a luminance filter for broadband targets in light poluted skies.
I've just bought a set of 4nm dual band filters from Altair ( the ones you reviewed a while back ) I only got to use them for the first time last night so haven't processed the image yet. As you know, these aren't cheap so I wont be buying anymore filters anytime soon. Regarding the ASI585MC Pro if you use an IR Cut filter double stacked with a narrow band filter would this give the same/ similar results to the SV Bony filter?
Your 4nm dual narrowband filter from altair already cuts out the IR. So there is no point in stacking an IR cut filter on it. Remember, this filter does not CUT near-IR, it allows it to pass to the sensor. That is the key difference.
@brianhayward8240 thanks for the info, most appreciated.
Brian answered already :) enjoy your Altair filters!
Maybe I missed it in the review, but is it correct to assume that this filter is not going to work nearly as well with any refractive optics that aren't well-corrected in the IR (pretty much all of them)?
It seems like it from the comments! I hadn't realized that, I've updated my description and pinned comment! Thanks for bringing this up!
Hi any exposure losses with that filter ??
Thanks for the review Cuiv, much appreciated!
Any recommendations for companies that'll cut custom sizes filters?
I shoot widefield nightscapes and have been playing with screw on narrowband filters from Nantong Foric Optics (77mm), unfortunately they fog up a little too easy, so am considering a direct replacement with better coatings, or making a clip in filter with custom cut glass.
Nantong are happy to do custom sizes and I am waiting for responses from Svbony and Ximei. Thanks!
That sounds like it'd be incredibly expensive. You might consider a 3d printed holder to put it either in front of your lens or between your lens and camera. It doesn't need to be terribly sturdy if you're just going to leave it set up on a tripod, although moving the lens out slightly will essentially lose you a bit of your FOV, as it'll act like a very short extension tube.
@@aaronsmicrobes8992 so the 3d side I can handle, both design and print. The 77mm filters I have from Nantong are normal screw on filters, (20nm ha and Oiii) they were about 50 quid each, so not too bad cost wise and Nantong will cut custom sizes for me.
Issue is, I don't think they have much in the way of coatings, so an upgrade to something that does would be nice. (they fog up even when heated for eg)
I could potentially design a drop in filter system, but ideally I don't want to reduce my light gathering potential. I shoot at 45mm, so I use a much shorter integration time compared to DSO because the resolution just isn't there to pull out the fine details that longer integration gives you.
I'd rather have a quick setup so I can capture more comps and my drives home are not at stupid o'clock in the morning! :)
Yeah unfortunately no idea about that... Besides some Frankenstein adapters...
@@CuivTheLazyGeek no worries Cuiv! Svbony got back to me and said no to custom cut filters, although they are curious why I want rectangle filters! 😂 😂
My IDAS had horrible halos, the core of M81 was just one big halo wich covered 2/3 of the entire galaxy with 120sec exposure it wasn't overblown either
Interesting, the comments tell me a lot of refractors would have issues with this filter, which I hadn't realized - I've updated the description and the pinned comment to include this!
@CuivTheLazyGeek used a askar fra600
@@michaelkohl2250 thanks for the details, this is pretty bad indeed, especially with what is supposed to be a good scope. Looking more into it, it seems that normally scopes using ED glass and decent coatings should not be much affected. Thanks for this data point!
Sounds like this is a dedicated color camera filter and will not work with monochrome cameras. Thanks for sharing 👍
I believe it should work as a great light pollution filter for Luminance data with mono camera
Is the sv240 a good filter to use with seestar s50?
I had the same question, I have the Apertura Upgrade Kit for 2" filters.
The Seestar would always cut the IR spectrum, so no it's not really good for it (just asks as the native LP filter would)
Sweet
Cuiv - a great video would be for you to confirm the reports that this filter does not work well with some scopes. Newtonians are able to bend the Near-IR to the same focal point as visible ligith, but refractors, an SCT corrector plate, or hyperstar optics might cause blur in the images because they cannot handle Near-IR as well. People in my astronomy club mention that IR-cut is mandatory for even triplet refractors to get the sharpest details.
Yep, most entry level imagers do not have well setup Carbonstars or other newts. Put this filter on your average refractor and you will have a mess.
I'll check with a refractor - I didn't realize that, and it seems it had no issues with my coma corrector! For now I've added this to both description and pinned comment!
At 13:53 you said that svbony filter remove light pollution but you show a picture after software removed gradient (image title). That's not fair.
Why is it not fair? Both images have gradient removed at this stage (the luminance image is catastrophic before gradient removal) - I've already shown the raw image of the SV240 filter earlier in the video, so you've already seen what it looks like before gradient removal...
NOOP, this filter would cut the entire spectrun between OIII and Ha and this is the exact part you need to photograph galaxies, because 80-90% of the galaxies emission is exactly there. The best filter for galaxies in mild light pollution is Baader neodymium.
Which is why I'm combining with the luminance filter in the video?
👋
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
I feel these days most of the arguments against color cameras are not really valid anymore
“Cheap!” And it’s $170 😕
Cuiv should do a better job explaining the differences and when to use these. I have the SV220 too, now this guy recommends another one.
He describes in the video that this filter passes Near-IR. The SV220 does not and is for nebula. He also mentions that Near-IR is better with light pollution, dust, etc. Which makes combining this filter with a camera that is sensitive to Near-IR a good option for galaxies (like the 585 MC Pro). The main drawback to passing Near-IR along with Visible light is that refractors do not focus Near-IR very well. So it is best used with an imaging newtonian. Even the corrector plate in an SCT is not great for focusing Near-IR to the same focal point as visible light. He used his carbon star with this filter which is a newtonian. This refractor part could have been explained better.
@@brianhayward8240 The Coma corrector that most use with Newts is also going to have this issue. I wonder if he removed it since he was also using the small 585 on this target. If so that is kind of crappy that he did not disclose that fact. I also think it is pretty bad he did not mention the issue and problems using this with a refractor.
I didn't remove the coma corrector, this simply didn't occur to me. I've updated the description and pinned comment with your remarks on refractors vs IR
Sorry this wasn't clear - SV220 has nice tight band passes for emission nebulae and is better for those.
This one has wider band passes and also passes near IR, with the impact seen in the video. I'm told NIR can also be problematic with refractive optics so I added that to description and pinned comment!