Idk about useless, I'm in bortle 6 and the SVBONY (cheapest one) has literally been the difference between nebulosity being there and not, as in completely invisible to visible, seems pretty significant to me.
@@coleisman - That depends what camera you use. I am at Bortle 5-6 and I get nebulosity without any filters with osc cmos camera Except my stars are bloated due to the filter I got has no UV/IR cut capability.
@@Cuntymccuntface123 There are so many variables and, despite Nico has made such amazing job, his excelent work didn't cover all of them. For example: differente ISOs, total exposure time vs apparent magnitude, telescope aperture and so on. You should test the limits of your gear bf buying a filter and this video can give you some directions.
Wanted to follow up with a thank you for this video. I finally received my SVBONY CLS filter and was amazed at the improvement over the ICE LIPO filter. I took 5hrs with of subs the other night and was able to actually see the Wizard Nebula, where as before I couldn’t see anything with twice as much exposure time! Definitely helped me get over a huge hurtle.
I'm only 30 seconds in, and Nico said "exhaustive." I thought, "Oh dear," it being Nico. But hey - its just 20 minutes. I don't need to set aside a whole evening. (Not a complaint!! Nico's stuff is worth spending the evenings.)
Excellent presentation, the best I have seen on this topic. Having just watched this for the second time, I absorbed a little more information. Greetings from Tasmania Australia 🇦🇺🦘👍
OMG i am so excited to see this. You mentioned you were going to make it a while back and I have been eagerly waiting for it to drop. Thank you for all you do to bring us the best information we can use to become better at our craft.
This is the best comparison video I've seen of these filters, and one I wish existed a few months ago before I made my LP filter purchase! I love the extensive knowledge and information that your videos provide. Thank you, Nico!
This is by far the most informative and direct review. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this, and really look forward to checking out your website. Thank you
Awesome review. I got the SVBony CLS clip-in for my unmodified Canon T2i + 70-200mm lens to shoot under my bortle 8-9 skies (with my Skyguider Pro) and it seems to do a very nice job. I also have the 2" version of the Optolong L-eNhance, but I can't really use it with a camera lens, so I'll wait with it until I upgrade to a small refractor.
Fantastic job Nico! Thank you for going above and beyond. This combined with your new website will prove to be extremely valuable for the community. I hope you have opportunities to continue adding to the list in the future. I'm sure people would love to see what you could do with the L-Extreme!
Really impressive method and delivery, Nico! Recently found your channel by referral from a photography friend and I've been so refreshed by your atypical, scientific approach to photography. Also Boston-based, so it's nice to know there's hope for me to get some good shots one day. Cheers!
What a GREAT review. We love that it is to the point, and let's the photos speak, and love your opinions at the end.....please do more of these....IDAS 1 is what i have , and pleased so far...would like to see how it stack up to your scrutiny.
GREAT Review! I appreciate the non-bias comparison and then your thoughts at the end with your personal selections. Hope to see more in the future - especially liked your LAB setup to compare the published specs. I would like to see what this comparison looks like with LED light pollution, Incandescent, Low-pressure sodium, and high-pressure sodium to round out the comparison because my Bortel 8 may not be the same as someone else's Bortel 8.
Hey Nico great job on this comparison - I missed it when it first came out. I own the Astronimik CLS and the Baader Neodynium and found very similar results to you in my bortle 5 region in Monroe, CT. I purchased the CLS first but was unhappy with the colors and more apparent noise that I got with it so I went with the Baader. I really don't use either much since I do most imaging with a monochrome camera, however, I now have an ASI 294MC Pro to be used with a new setup (once it arrives) so I will be using the Baader a lot more. I also purchased the IDAS NBZ for Ha and OIII imaging as well. - Cheers Kurt
Thanks Kurt. Yeah the Baader gives nice colors, and is very similar to the Optolong L-Pro. If I was doing much OSC work with moderate light pollution that is what I'd use too.
Man this is a great review. Really breaks it down in detail. Personally I thought the Optolong L-Pro was the best optically. And the SVBONY was close enough to the others that it’s price makes it the best if you’re on a budget.
Nico, thanks. The spectrograph presentation was OUTSTANDING!!! A Master class, really. Your comparison helped me decide on getting a light pollution filter. As you know, these can be quite costly, and I don't have to get the very best, but I do buy so that I do not have to replace later on, if that makes any sense? I opted for the Svbony CLS, 2". I live in a city. And I do shoot both astrocameras, and unmodified DSLRs, so at less than $50.00 I can justify the cost for the DSLR use .... Again, nice job. And thank you!
This is a great, well researched review. I live near Seattle, under a bortle 7 sky. Just bought the Svbony CLS as it's the cheapest I could find and I'm still figuring out if this is a hobby I can get into. The filter arrived 5 days after I ordered it and right on the night I got it it started raining. We've had 2 semi clear nights in the month that I've had it and I don't think it'll get better soon. I guess I will have to wait till spring given that traveling is still not such a good idea. Bummer!
www.seattleastro.org/activities/2 Ask around about dark sites at the Seattle Astronomical Society Astrophotography Special Interest Group. As long as we all stay 6 ft apart and mask up, I don't see why we can't do astrophotography safely as it is all outside which is a lot safer than inside. The rain/cloud problem I can't help with. I know Seattle is particularly bad for that aspect. Best of luck!!
Excellent review and thoroughly done. I look forward to seeing further tests of more extreme dual band filters in the class of the Optolong L-Enhance, Astronomik UHC or Radian filters which OPT should be able to supply you, if they haven’t already. And keep in mind that it isn’t necessary to shoot only through a filter. Under darker skies shooting unfiltered and filtered images and blending them later gives you the best of both worlds: the natural star colours and more subtle tones of some nebulas along with the richest and greatest extent of faint red nebulosity. It isn’t either/or. Unless you are shooting under light polluted skies, then a filter and modified camera is essential. And in that case an even more extreme filter than what you tested here would likely be better. Clear skies!
@@NebulaPhotos waiting anxiously for that one! Please include single band as well as dual-narrowband ones like L-eNhance and L-eXtreme as well. That would rock!!! :-)
I appreciate the work you put in. I know that must have been exhausting. I got the l-pro but have not had a chance to play with it. My camera just got modified and I’m waiting to get it back. I’m under bortle 6-7 so I’m eagerly waiting clear skies. Thanks for your efforts.
Great video! We need this investigation done with narrowband filters!
3 года назад+2
Awesome and reassuring that the filter that I have already ordered (optolong cls) and is hopefully somewhere in the mail was the right choice (bortle 8 in Reykjavík)
Just found your channel in the last couple of weeks since I bought a star tracker and have been experimenting with it and deep sky objects. I actually tried shooting the North American nebula last night from my balcony in Somerville as well, and was quite disappointed to see the lack of color and details. I may have to look into a filter, though I frequently go to the white Mountains in New Hampshire and dark skies are quite good up there! I've learned a lot already from your videos, I'd say the biggest thing I have to improve my knowledge on at this point is image stretching and editing! Thanks for your great work!
I have the svbony cls filter, one thing ive noticed is it seems to reduce star size a bit, which is always a good thing in astrophotography. but I would only suggest these in heavy light pollution as It seems I've been picking up less faint detail with it in comparison to shooting without it, and I'm in a bortle 4/5.
@@NebulaPhotos Great in depth video btw. I just started this hobby in may of this year, and your videos have been a big help. thanks for your contribution to astrophotography. Clear skies from here in eastern long island.
I'm pretty much in agreement. Confirmation Bias aside, I had both a full-spectrum T3i and a 294MC-Pro as well as UV/IR, Astronomik, Baader Neo and a few no-name CLS filters. The Baader definitely seemed to produce the best results on both when I was closer to light pollution. Especially with color. I ended up having to part with half of my gear but kept the Baader and UV/IR for use with the 294 because they were my favorites. I'm happy I did. Now if the sky would clear up, that'd be great.
Great review! I shoot under bortle 8 skies with an unmodified Canon 80D, I use the Astronomik CLS. Really like that filter, so it was nice to see your results with it and all the other. Keep up the good work and clear skies.
Great review! I have a couple of technical comments for you to consider. Since these are all thin film interference filters (thin film stacks of high and low index), their design is probably established with normal incident light. It was unclear if the stand you developed included a collimated light source. If not, you could have a large portion of the light at substantially non-normal angles. In that case, the optical thickness of each layer will be different and each filter design will behave differently (less transmission and wavelength isolation shifted). This could be a key contributor to your "as measured" results varying from the manufacturer's specification. You might want to attempt to collimate the light a bit (could even emulate the focal length of the lens you intend to use) and then see how the filters perform on your spectrometer.
Yes, that is what added substantially to the cost of building the device. I bought my collimated tungsten lamp from Thor Labs. I could try to emulate my focal length by adding more lenses, but I don't think that should be necessary. From what I understand talking to others is that it's pretty normal for these filters to be not completely 'in spec'. The transmission charts they send are not that particular filter measured, but rather an ideal filter. Most filter manufacturers don't state how much variance is acceptable. All that said, I didn't see really anything out of the ordinary in the real world imaging tests which is what really matters more to me.
@@NebulaPhotos If you could draw a "idealized" filter spectrum showing transmission by wavelength, what would it look like? Which specific wavelengths would you want to block? There are a few companies out there making more advanced optical thin film products for fluorescence microscopy, telecom applications, etc. Like the filters you reviewed, these can be bandpass, multi band pass in nature or even designed for specific slope shapes over the entire visible spectrum. They typically have ion beam or magnetron sputtering systems with advanced optical endpoint control to deliver higher transmission >95% and very steep and deep optical isolation OD5 or even OD6 performance. It would be an interesting design challenge to see if a manufacturable design solution could be created for your "ideal" spectral response.
The Svbony CLS is only $35 and my sky is bright at night from the city and money is important so I use that. The others are beyond my budget. So great reviews
WOW Nico!!!! What a GREAT review...But please next time start to measure the filters glass thickness, why? Because depending on what the filter thickness is that effects back focus, so let's say a 2mm think filter changes your back focus about 30% + or -, and what's very important is if all of your filters are all the same thickness like 1.85mm thick then they should be parfocal, that is the focus is about the same, so once you set your focus it may not need to be changed unless the temps change. 1 reason to purchase the same brand of filter is when you change a filter like LRGB your focus is very much are the same. What you did here is the best I have ever seen and I hope you will continue to do this kind of testing / reviews? I would get the Optolong L-eXtreme & the Optolong L-eNhance 2 of the best filters for the money.
Thanks Christopher! I did plan to measure filter thickness, but I couldn't figure out how to get the mounting off the Baader or Astronomik. Now that I'm thinking more clearly, I can use a measured shim and still use my digital calipers without removing the filter mount. I will do that soon, and add filter thickness to the website. I do plan to continue reviewing astrophotography products including many more filters. The L-eXtreme and L-eNhance are on my list. I won't give any estimate of when such reviews will be done, but I tend to be slow. This review took six months from concept to completion. Clear skies, Nico
Excellent review Nico! It works out great for me I only bought the Astronomik cls for my Canon 80D. Going to look into the IR cut filter now. Thanks for the review!
Great job Nico. Clear and objective; more so than most other comparisons I've viewed. I'm using Orion SkyGlow filter but still doesn't darken sufficiently my Bortle 5 skies outside Pittsburgh. Need a more effective CLS filter! Thanks much.
This explained a lot from my photo perspective. As just starting out, it helped me prioritize where to focus. (Ha!) Glass, location, filters, mounts, etc.
Sounds like this might have been a challenging video to put together, but it turned out fantastic! Excellent comparison! Everything I would want to make the best decision.
Very scientific, nice job. Although I probably like the filters in the opposite order but that's probably why there are so many opinions on this because it is subjective pretty much especially if you are not an expert in it.
Yep, I'd say in the end, when considering purchasing a LP filter, it really just comes down to: do you like how it affects the image? Which is mostly a subjective assessment
Thanks for that exactly what I was looking for. I'm Bortle 6 using a ASI183MC, so look torn between the Neodymium and the L-Pro... but this has helped a lot. Probably start with the Neo at nearly half the price of the other!
this was incredibly helpful. almost made me wonder if i ordered the wrong filters haha i have the asi294mc pro coming and i have the l-enhance and l-pro filters. but watching this, there are clearly better filtering options to use. i live in an area with bortle 5 skies, that being said there are areas close by which i have not gone to that are bortle 3. you gave me something to think about for future purchases
Great review, very nice! Keep it up! A small feedback for your website: It would be awesome if you could add a slider to compare the before (without) and after (with) picture using the filter, because you already have all the data. Also at the first moment I found it a little bit confusing, that in the description of the pictures there is no note that a filter is used. Especially because in the Video you compared the picture taken with a filter to the picture without.
Thanks for the feedback. I don't know how to do the slider thing, but I can look in to it. I did make this page for directly comparing the filters in the review against no filter: www.astrofilters.com/2020/10/15/light-pollution-filter-shootout/
Personally, I thought there was a subtle improvement under Bortle 4 skies using the Lpro (best) and the Neodymium. Contrast was improved a little, but the stars were definitely tightened up and I didn't really notice any loss of star colour. The CLS filters were horrible. Really in the Bortle 9 you would be better with something like the L extreme. Anyway, good video, always good to see real life comparisons without hours of post processing.
Hello Nico! It was great to meet you at NEAF this year. I was going back through your videos as I am filter hunting for the new ZWO Duo. In this video, you briefly discuss your spectrometer setup. I would be curious to see an in-depth video on this as I might be interested in building one of my own.
the baader Neodymium moon and sky glow works well on jupiter and mars as well for detail and the GRS.. its a good all rounder but i own a dedicated astro cam .. cheap-ish as well .... good unbiased review cheers james D
In a lot of cases, the differences were very small. Easier to see differences here on the website I set up: www.astrofilters.com/2020/10/15/light-pollution-filter-shootout/
Thanks for carrying out such a thorough series of tests and image captures! One major issue I have with your results however is that you actually combined two filters in some of the tests. I would have preferred you not to have confused the results with the pairings with the Astronomik L-2 in each case. The headline 'Light Pollution Filter SHOOTOUT' should be just that or else modified to include 'in combination sometimes with an Astronomik L-2'! And what about combinations with the Astronomik L-1 or L-3?
Hi Ed, There seems to be a misunderstanding here. To be clear: I didn't double up filters in any of these image captures. In the QHY tests, I only used the L-2 as the control filter for comparison to the other filters. I used an L-2 rather than a bare sensor because in real-life shooting I would never suggest someone shoots deep sky with the QHY168C without some kind of IR-block. Again, all the tests were single filter tests. Sorry for the confusion, Nico
I’m just about to send my DSLR out to be for spectrum modified. From what I’m gathering, the benefit of doing this is to get the IR light that is normally cut out on a stock camera. Wouldn’t a filter like the L2 also do the same as the built-in DSLR IR filter and block out the IR? I thought IR passing through was what I want for nebula. Thanks and great video!
Hi Christopher, Stock DSLRs often have a very aggressive IR-Cut filter that actually cuts well in to "the visible spectrum" making red nebulae less bright (e.g. pass the Ha line at 35% transmission). Now what is a bit confusing is what we normally call "the visible spectrum" is 400-700nm, but humans can't really see much past 650nm. Ha is at 656nm and SII is at 672nm. These are the main spectral emission lines we want for nebulae, especially the Ha. They are both deep red. We are typically not interested in picking up the infrared (IR) in amateur astrophotography, and due to the way optics work passing the infrared will actually result in star bloat typically because most lenses can't focus on the infrared and the visible light spectrum at the same time. So the reason to use an "Astronomik L2" or other UV/IR cut filter with a full spectrum camera is to block the IR, but it still passes the Ha and SII (nebula emission lines). If you do go "full spectrum" with your mod, you will want to use a UV/IR cut filter too. Really the only reason to go "full spectrum" over an "ha mod" is if you want to shoot IR photography with an IR pass filter either during the day or for planets with a telescope. More on these topics in my intro to filters video: ruclips.net/video/ys-28z4qTYw/видео.html Clear skies, Nico
This is how all reviews should be like. Amazing job Nico!
Great Non-Biased Technical analysis of 4 popular filters, best i've seen so far on youtube. Thanks for putting in the work Nico.
Glad it was helpful!
The results are not what I wanted to hear, but they prevented me from buying useless filters. Thanks for the review.
Glad it was helpful Alex. Clear skies, Nico
So they don't work? Thanks for saving me 20 minutes! 🍻
Idk about useless, I'm in bortle 6 and the SVBONY (cheapest one) has literally been the difference between nebulosity being there and not, as in completely invisible to visible, seems pretty significant to me.
@@coleisman - That depends what camera you use. I am at Bortle 5-6 and I get nebulosity without any filters with osc cmos camera Except my stars are bloated due to the filter I got has no UV/IR cut capability.
@@Cuntymccuntface123 There are so many variables and, despite Nico has made such amazing job, his excelent work didn't cover all of them. For example: differente ISOs, total exposure time vs apparent magnitude, telescope aperture and so on. You should test the limits of your gear bf buying a filter and this video can give you some directions.
This is probably the best filter review I have ever seen on RUclips. Really clear and helpful. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful! Clear skies, Nico
How I am only now watching this?? This was a titanic effort Nico, thank you so much for doing all of this! Absolutely amazing!
Wanted to follow up with a thank you for this video. I finally received my SVBONY CLS filter and was amazed at the improvement over the ICE LIPO filter. I took 5hrs with of subs the other night and was able to actually see the Wizard Nebula, where as before I couldn’t see anything with twice as much exposure time! Definitely helped me get over a huge hurtle.
The quality of your videos is off the charts! Thanks for putting in all this hard work!
I'm only 30 seconds in, and Nico said "exhaustive." I thought, "Oh dear," it being Nico. But hey - its just 20 minutes. I don't need to set aside a whole evening. (Not a complaint!! Nico's stuff is worth spending the evenings.)
1.5x :-)
Most underrated YT channel. you should get more subscribers
Answers almost all the questions one can have.....with detailed scientific and objective explanations! Thank you!
Excellent presentation, the best I have seen on this topic. Having just watched this for the second time, I absorbed a little more information. Greetings from Tasmania Australia 🇦🇺🦘👍
OMG i am so excited to see this. You mentioned you were going to make it a while back and I have been eagerly waiting for it to drop. Thank you for all you do to bring us the best information we can use to become better at our craft.
Thanks Miguel! Hope it helps 👍Clear skies, Nico
I really appreciate the diligence and methodical approach for a proper review. Thanks a lot!
Nico, perfect presentation for my current state and growth in astro-photograpy. Nice to see the various comparison.
As I'm getting back into the hobby after many years absence, and shopping for filters, this is EXACTLY what I needed to see. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Complimenti, fai dei video esaustivi e completi con molti esempi pratici.
This is the best comparison video I've seen of these filters, and one I wish existed a few months ago before I made my LP filter purchase! I love the extensive knowledge and information that your videos provide. Thank you, Nico!
This is by far the most informative and direct review. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this, and really look forward to checking out your website.
Thank you
Thanks for the excellent information.
Given the price of the Svbony filter I'm just going to buy one and see how it works for me.
Thanks Nico! Makes me feel good I went for the SVBONY CLS filter instead of splurging a bit more and getting the Astronomik filter
Thank you for the thorough review and great information!
Excellent video nico. Just what i was looking for.
Awesome review. I got the SVBony CLS clip-in for my unmodified Canon T2i + 70-200mm lens to shoot under my bortle 8-9 skies (with my Skyguider Pro) and it seems to do a very nice job.
I also have the 2" version of the Optolong L-eNhance, but I can't really use it with a camera lens, so I'll wait with it until I upgrade to a small refractor.
Loved the spectrophotometry part. From my work to hobby, it continues 😊.
Thanks Nico, that was very helpful. Keep up the good work, you've won a new subscriber :-)
Excellent job as usual. I'm a neighbor from Rhode Island.
Thank you for sending this link! It helped me pick the filter for my setup. I went with the SVBONY CLS. Clear Skies!
Excellent!
Fantastic job Nico! Thank you for going above and beyond. This combined with your new website will prove to be extremely valuable for the community. I hope you have opportunities to continue adding to the list in the future. I'm sure people would love to see what you could do with the L-Extreme!
Thank you for this review. I have Optolong L-pro and Bortle 9 skies, so I do not think I did a bad purchase given you analysis. Thank you again.
Yes, with a dedicated astro camera (or modded dslr) the L-Pro was good in all conditions
Really impressive method and delivery, Nico! Recently found your channel by referral from a photography friend and I've been so refreshed by your atypical, scientific approach to photography. Also Boston-based, so it's nice to know there's hope for me to get some good shots one day. Cheers!
As usual a great and useful video Nico!
What a GREAT review. We love that it is to the point, and let's the photos speak, and love your opinions at the end.....please do more of these....IDAS 1 is what i have , and pleased so far...would like to see how it stack up to your scrutiny.
Amazing job! Thank you for this very in-depth review!
GREAT Review! I appreciate the non-bias comparison and then your thoughts at the end with your personal selections. Hope to see more in the future - especially liked your LAB setup to compare the published specs. I would like to see what this comparison looks like with LED light pollution, Incandescent, Low-pressure sodium, and high-pressure sodium to round out the comparison because my Bortel 8 may not be the same as someone else's Bortel 8.
This was an excellent review and was very helpful. Thank you.
Hey Nico great job on this comparison - I missed it when it first came out. I own the Astronimik CLS and the Baader Neodynium and found very similar results to you in my bortle 5 region in Monroe, CT. I purchased the CLS first but was unhappy with the colors and more apparent noise that I got with it so I went with the Baader. I really don't use either much since I do most imaging with a monochrome camera, however, I now have an ASI 294MC Pro to be used with a new setup (once it arrives) so I will be using the Baader a lot more. I also purchased the IDAS NBZ for Ha and OIII imaging as well. - Cheers Kurt
Thanks Kurt. Yeah the Baader gives nice colors, and is very similar to the Optolong L-Pro. If I was doing much OSC work with moderate light pollution that is what I'd use too.
Great review!
Thank you very much!
Man this is a great review. Really breaks it down in detail. Personally I thought the Optolong L-Pro was the best optically. And the SVBONY was close enough to the others that it’s price makes it the best if you’re on a budget.
Nico, thanks. The spectrograph presentation was OUTSTANDING!!! A Master class, really.
Your comparison helped me decide on getting a light pollution filter. As you know, these can be quite costly, and I don't have to get the very best, but I do buy so that I do not have to replace later on, if that makes any sense?
I opted for the Svbony CLS, 2". I live in a city. And I do shoot both astrocameras, and unmodified DSLRs, so at less than $50.00 I can justify the cost for the DSLR use ....
Again, nice job. And thank you!
This is a great, well researched review. I live near Seattle, under a bortle 7 sky. Just bought the Svbony CLS as it's the cheapest I could find and I'm still figuring out if this is a hobby I can get into. The filter arrived 5 days after I ordered it and right on the night I got it it started raining. We've had 2 semi clear nights in the month that I've had it and I don't think it'll get better soon. I guess I will have to wait till spring given that traveling is still not such a good idea. Bummer!
www.seattleastro.org/activities/2
Ask around about dark sites at the Seattle Astronomical Society Astrophotography Special Interest Group. As long as we all stay 6 ft apart and mask up, I don't see why we can't do astrophotography safely as it is all outside which is a lot safer than inside. The rain/cloud problem I can't help with. I know Seattle is particularly bad for that aspect. Best of luck!!
Excellent review and thoroughly done. I look forward to seeing further tests of more extreme dual band filters in the class of the Optolong L-Enhance, Astronomik UHC or Radian filters which OPT should be able to supply you, if they haven’t already.
And keep in mind that it isn’t necessary to shoot only through a filter. Under darker skies shooting unfiltered and filtered images and blending them later gives you the best of both worlds: the natural star colours and more subtle tones of some nebulas along with the richest and greatest extent of faint red nebulosity. It isn’t either/or. Unless you are shooting under light polluted skies, then a filter and modified camera is essential. And in that case an even more extreme filter than what you tested here would likely be better. Clear skies!
A great comprehensive review which was easy to understand. I hope you will be reviewing other types of filters, for modded dslr etc.
Thanks Nico.
That was an awesome review. In depth with spectrographs and pictures. Please do a review of narrowband filters too!!!
Thanks, Glad you liked it! Narrowband filters reviews will come eventually
@@NebulaPhotos waiting anxiously for that one! Please include single band as well as dual-narrowband ones like L-eNhance and L-eXtreme as well. That would rock!!! :-)
I appreciate the work you put in. I know that must have been exhausting. I got the l-pro but have not had a chance to play with it. My camera just got modified and I’m waiting to get it back. I’m under bortle 6-7 so I’m eagerly waiting clear skies. Thanks for your efforts.
The L-Pro is great for a modified camera. Clear skies! Nico
@@NebulaPhotos Is it better to custom white balance the camera before or after placing a LP filter?
@@GrowingAnswers After
Great video! We need this investigation done with narrowband filters!
Awesome and reassuring that the filter that I have already ordered (optolong cls) and is hopefully somewhere in the mail was the right choice (bortle 8 in Reykjavík)
Just found your channel in the last couple of weeks since I bought a star tracker and have been experimenting with it and deep sky objects. I actually tried shooting the North American nebula last night from my balcony in Somerville as well, and was quite disappointed to see the lack of color and details. I may have to look into a filter, though I frequently go to the white Mountains in New Hampshire and dark skies are quite good up there! I've learned a lot already from your videos, I'd say the biggest thing I have to improve my knowledge on at this point is image stretching and editing! Thanks for your great work!
TY for the In Depth review. I purchased the Baader because I mainly shoot at 360mm in my backyard and our hospital use Na-Lamp ...
Thank you so much for the quality demo.
You and Cuiv from Tokyo are best on earth. Thank you so much.
I have the svbony cls filter, one thing ive noticed is it seems to reduce star size a bit, which is always a good thing in astrophotography. but I would only suggest these in heavy light pollution as It seems I've been picking up less faint detail with it in comparison to shooting without it, and I'm in a bortle 4/5.
Yep, we are on the same page there! Clear skies, Nico
@@NebulaPhotos Great in depth video btw. I just started this hobby in may of this year, and your videos have been a big help. thanks for your contribution to astrophotography. Clear skies from here in eastern long island.
I'm pretty much in agreement. Confirmation Bias aside, I had both a full-spectrum T3i and a 294MC-Pro as well as UV/IR, Astronomik, Baader Neo and a few no-name CLS filters. The Baader definitely seemed to produce the best results on both when I was closer to light pollution. Especially with color. I ended up having to part with half of my gear but kept the Baader and UV/IR for use with the 294 because they were my favorites. I'm happy I did. Now if the sky would clear up, that'd be great.
Thanks for a great video, as always!
Thx Nico! All very helpful info. And congrats on new site.
Amazing job Nico! thank you for the great review
Great review! I shoot under bortle 8 skies with an unmodified Canon 80D, I use the Astronomik CLS. Really like that filter, so it was nice to see your results with it and all the other. Keep up the good work and clear skies.
Amazing Nico. Happy New Year to you.
Looking forward to this year's content. 👍
Thanks for your great review! It helped me a lot making my decision for an Astronomik CLS filter on my stock Nikon Z6II.
Great review! I have a couple of technical comments for you to consider. Since these are all thin film interference filters (thin film stacks of high and low index), their design is probably established with normal incident light. It was unclear if the stand you developed included a collimated light source. If not, you could have a large portion of the light at substantially non-normal angles. In that case, the optical thickness of each layer will be different and each filter design will behave differently (less transmission and wavelength isolation shifted). This could be a key contributor to your "as measured" results varying from the manufacturer's specification. You might want to attempt to collimate the light a bit (could even emulate the focal length of the lens you intend to use) and then see how the filters perform on your spectrometer.
Yes, that is what added substantially to the cost of building the device. I bought my collimated tungsten lamp from Thor Labs. I could try to emulate my focal length by adding more lenses, but I don't think that should be necessary. From what I understand talking to others is that it's pretty normal for these filters to be not completely 'in spec'. The transmission charts they send are not that particular filter measured, but rather an ideal filter. Most filter manufacturers don't state how much variance is acceptable. All that said, I didn't see really anything out of the ordinary in the real world imaging tests which is what really matters more to me.
@@NebulaPhotos If you could draw a "idealized" filter spectrum showing transmission by wavelength, what would it look like? Which specific wavelengths would you want to block? There are a few companies out there making more advanced optical thin film products for fluorescence microscopy, telecom applications, etc. Like the filters you reviewed, these can be bandpass, multi band pass in nature or even designed for specific slope shapes over the entire visible spectrum. They typically have ion beam or magnetron sputtering systems with advanced optical endpoint control to deliver higher transmission >95% and very steep and deep optical isolation OD5 or even OD6 performance. It would be an interesting design challenge to see if a manufacturable design solution could be created for your "ideal" spectral response.
The Svbony CLS is only $35 and my sky is bright at night from the city and money is important so I use that. The others are beyond my budget. So great reviews
Thanks Nico, excellent review, filters are a bit of a minefield with variations in quality even in the same model.
I would have liked to see some galaxy comparisons. Thanks for the reviews.....I know it wasn't cheap.
WOW Nico!!!! What a GREAT review...But please next time start to measure the filters glass thickness, why? Because depending on what the filter thickness is that effects back focus, so let's say a 2mm think filter changes your back focus about 30% + or -, and what's very important is if all of your filters are all the same thickness like 1.85mm thick then they should be parfocal, that is the focus is about the same, so once you set your focus it may not need to be changed unless the temps change. 1 reason to purchase the same brand of filter is when you change a filter like LRGB your focus is very much are the same. What you did here is the best I have ever seen and I hope you will continue to do this kind of testing / reviews? I would get the Optolong L-eXtreme & the Optolong L-eNhance 2 of the best filters for the money.
Thanks Christopher! I did plan to measure filter thickness, but I couldn't figure out how to get the mounting off the Baader or Astronomik. Now that I'm thinking more clearly, I can use a measured shim and still use my digital calipers without removing the filter mount. I will do that soon, and add filter thickness to the website. I do plan to continue reviewing astrophotography products including many more filters. The L-eXtreme and L-eNhance are on my list. I won't give any estimate of when such reviews will be done, but I tend to be slow. This review took six months from concept to completion. Clear skies, Nico
Great review buddy, Thank you so much :)
Excellent review Nico! It works out great for me I only bought the Astronomik cls for my Canon 80D. Going to look into the IR cut filter now. Thanks for the review!
Top shelf review - thanks
Great job Nico. Clear and objective; more so than most other comparisons I've viewed. I'm using Orion SkyGlow filter but still doesn't darken sufficiently my Bortle 5 skies outside Pittsburgh. Need a more effective CLS filter! Thanks much.
This explained a lot from my photo perspective. As just starting out, it helped me prioritize where to focus. (Ha!) Glass, location, filters, mounts, etc.
Sounds like this might have been a challenging video to put together, but it turned out fantastic! Excellent comparison! Everything I would want to make the best decision.
Awesome thank you! I just purchased a used Astro modified DSLR and have a three filter set of the SVBony filters. I'm in bortle 5.
Very scientific, nice job. Although I probably like the filters in the opposite order but that's probably why there are so many opinions on this because it is subjective pretty much especially if you are not an expert in it.
Yep, I'd say in the end, when considering purchasing a LP filter, it really just comes down to: do you like how it affects the image? Which is mostly a subjective assessment
Great vid just what people really like to know about the astro filters.👏👏👍
Thanks for that exactly what I was looking for. I'm Bortle 6 using a ASI183MC, so look torn between the Neodymium and the L-Pro... but this has helped a lot. Probably start with the Neo at nearly half the price of the other!
Fantastic review! Thank you!
this was incredibly helpful. almost made me wonder if i ordered the wrong filters haha i have the asi294mc pro coming and i have the l-enhance and l-pro filters. but watching this, there are clearly better filtering options to use. i live in an area with bortle 5 skies, that being said there are areas close by which i have not gone to that are bortle 3. you gave me something to think about for future purchases
Nothing wrong with the L-eNhance and L-Pro. I will be covering multi-bandpass filters like the L-eNhance in my next filter shootout.
@@NebulaPhotos awesome 👌 I will be watching out for that
An Excellent presentation and review Thank you
Wow, super great job. Thanks very much❤
Great job. In bortel 9 or 4 on a Astro camera, what would you recommend galaxies?
Great review, very nice! Keep it up!
A small feedback for your website: It would be awesome if you could add a slider to compare the before (without) and after (with) picture using the filter, because you already have all the data. Also at the first moment I found it a little bit confusing, that in the description of the pictures there is no note that a filter is used. Especially because in the Video you compared the picture taken with a filter to the picture without.
Thanks for the feedback. I don't know how to do the slider thing, but I can look in to it. I did make this page for directly comparing the filters in the review against no filter: www.astrofilters.com/2020/10/15/light-pollution-filter-shootout/
Great Job!!!
Outstanding review Nico
And to my very amateur eye I say no filter.
Great! I'm all about saving money on this hobby, as it can be very expensive. Clear skies, Nico
@@NebulaPhotos OMG saving money is a must I am just starting out in astro and have smashed nearly £2k already.
Just found your channel. Brilliant review, thank you!!
A really amazing video, keep it up man!.
Personally, I thought there was a subtle improvement under Bortle 4 skies using the Lpro (best) and the Neodymium. Contrast was improved a little, but the stars were definitely tightened up and I didn't really notice any loss of star colour. The CLS filters were horrible. Really in the Bortle 9 you would be better with something like the L extreme. Anyway, good video, always good to see real life comparisons without hours of post processing.
Wish I found this a bit sooner I just bought and tried a Astronomik CLS CCD filter that so far not super impressed by. Nice thorough review. Cheers
So much great info! Thanks!
Huge thanks for that.
Hello Nico! It was great to meet you at NEAF this year. I was going back through your videos as I am filter hunting for the new ZWO Duo. In this video, you briefly discuss your spectrometer setup. I would be curious to see an in-depth video on this as I might be interested in building one of my own.
Super-useful info! THANKS!
Great video, just I needed. I was not sure if I go for LP or baader. But they are very close
the baader Neodymium moon and sky glow works well on jupiter and mars as well for detail and the GRS.. its a good all rounder but i own a dedicated astro cam .. cheap-ish as well .... good unbiased review
cheers
james D
Thank you for a great test, I could see very little difference. I guess being 75 effects my eyes
In a lot of cases, the differences were very small. Easier to see differences here on the website I set up: www.astrofilters.com/2020/10/15/light-pollution-filter-shootout/
Good video, Nico👍🏼
Thanks for carrying out such a thorough series of tests and image captures! One major issue I have with your results however is that you actually combined two filters in some of the tests. I would have preferred you not to have confused the results with the pairings with the Astronomik L-2 in each case. The headline 'Light Pollution Filter SHOOTOUT' should be just that or else modified to include 'in combination sometimes with an Astronomik L-2'! And what about combinations with the Astronomik L-1 or L-3?
Hi Ed, There seems to be a misunderstanding here. To be clear: I didn't double up filters in any of these image captures.
In the QHY tests, I only used the L-2 as the control filter for comparison to the other filters. I used an L-2 rather than a bare sensor because in real-life shooting I would never suggest someone shoots deep sky with the QHY168C without some kind of IR-block. Again, all the tests were single filter tests. Sorry for the confusion, Nico
Thanks for the clarification - I’ll watch again with that better understanding!
Well done!
Good review and helpful!
LAB REVIEW! :-) THANK YOU!
I’m just about to send my DSLR out to be for spectrum modified. From what I’m gathering, the benefit of doing this is to get the IR light that is normally cut out on a stock camera.
Wouldn’t a filter like the L2 also do the same as the built-in DSLR IR filter and block out the IR? I thought IR passing through was what I want for nebula.
Thanks and great video!
Hi Christopher,
Stock DSLRs often have a very aggressive IR-Cut filter that actually cuts well in to "the visible spectrum" making red nebulae less bright (e.g. pass the Ha line at 35% transmission). Now what is a bit confusing is what we normally call "the visible spectrum" is 400-700nm, but humans can't really see much past 650nm. Ha is at 656nm and SII is at 672nm. These are the main spectral emission lines we want for nebulae, especially the Ha. They are both deep red. We are typically not interested in picking up the infrared (IR) in amateur astrophotography, and due to the way optics work passing the infrared will actually result in star bloat typically because most lenses can't focus on the infrared and the visible light spectrum at the same time. So the reason to use an "Astronomik L2" or other UV/IR cut filter with a full spectrum camera is to block the IR, but it still passes the Ha and SII (nebula emission lines). If you do go "full spectrum" with your mod, you will want to use a UV/IR cut filter too. Really the only reason to go "full spectrum" over an "ha mod" is if you want to shoot IR photography with an IR pass filter either during the day or for planets with a telescope. More on these topics in my intro to filters video: ruclips.net/video/ys-28z4qTYw/видео.html
Clear skies, Nico
Fantastic explanation! Thank you for the information
Great review !
Great job man