What you Should Buy to Start Narrowband Astrophotography
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- Опубликовано: 16 июл 2022
- This is some general advice on how to start your journey into astrophotography and the very rewarding narrowband imaging part of it. For those starting from ground zero there is plenty to learn here about what gear you need first. Its actually quite easy though as long as you start with smaller gear and also a lot affordable then most thing it is if you make the right decisions.
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Good job on explaining all of this equipment.
Thanks Chuck!
First time I came across the quantization error with OSC and NB filters. Makes good sense. Thanks.
It is a rather advanced topic. Not too many books mention it. It is a small factor but it is there none the less.
Great content as usual. Hope you're doing well!!!!!
Outstanding as usual
Thank you! Cheers!
First off I want to say Many Blessings and Best Wishes to You and Your Family on Your Road and Journey to Remission! I know this is an old post. I just recently became a fan and Subscriber. I went from Old To New videos trying to learn and get any info that I can learning this hobby. When hearing about your Battle I felt heartbroken but Admiration on Your Positivity. I felt the Strength and Determination in You.... I wanted to ask a question but now it seems selfish or awkward after saying what I said especially what you got going on. Stay Positive! Your Determination, Strength, and Positively is an inspiration for people who battle life no matter which wich road, boat, or lake they are in.....
Thank you. This has been a tuff road but the end is coming. In a good way.
New fave channel.
Thanks!!
Very interesting. Didn't realise about the size of some of these objects.
Thank you very much for sharing this information! For those starting from zero, what about a star adventurer 2i plus skywatcher 72 ED telescope? Actually planning to use my Olympus omd em10-III while saving a bit more money for dedicated camera. Congrats for your excellent channel!
I think that scope is a little overpriced and also too slow. I would check out some of the other ones out there in the 60-70mm range. Don't forget a focal reducer. That will help a lot with the speed.
Great advice. I would say however that manual filter wheels can be prone to light leakage and might be best avoided ( a filter draw may be a better bet ). I had a lot of trouble with this when I first started with narrow band imaging. As a temporary measure I made a cardboard cover to fit over the side of the housing where the wheel protrudes. I have since upgraded to an electronic wheel which is of course sealed and can be controlled by the camera control software.
Great point! I know some manual filter wheels are designed for visual instead of astrophotography where light leaks are critical.
This fella provides you with some useful info.
Glad you think so! I try to bring stuff that no other channels talk about.
Excellent! Just what I needed to know. Wish I saw this in 2013 when I started and bought a huge scope. Great advice here. I have been doing OSC cameras and just want to jump into monochrome now with an ASI178 which I picked up cheap since it is discontinued. I have used the 533 and 183 color and just understanding mono now. Can I use an Optolong L'enhance with the mono and get a similar effect with the mono camera that you achieved with the Ha filter? I use the L'enhance with the OSC cameras. I want to slowly use the Monochrome scene. I was thinking of using the 178 as a guide camera besides based on your other video. I need better guiding. Thanks for your insights.
achromat NB imaging here I come! after all these years, I honestly hadn't thought about that as something to try, need to buy a cheapish achromat now...
You must defiantly check out this video I did here. ruclips.net/video/4nB79t998s4/видео.html
I think Achromats will always find a spot in my astro shed. Solar observers have been doing this for year as they already knew this trick.
I have an ZWO 120mm guidescope with ASI120MM-S, and an Canon 60D with an 24-85mm USM lens (just below L lens). In few months i am getting an Skywatcher Evolux 62ED, and putting my Canon 60D behind that. I cant wait!
Sounds great! if you can get guiding to work with that it will be so much fun. And do not hesitate to try some imaging with the guid scope and guid camera. Use a narrowband filter with it and you will be surprised at how much it will pick up.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel You mean photographing with the Canon 60D and ZWO 120/30mm Guidescope with ASI120MM-S? I tried yesterday with Stellarmate. Putted my Canon 60D and Guidescope next to eachother on a Dovetail. See picture: hxxps://i.imgur.com/ldpAO25.jpg (change to http). After resolving through my window, it directly changed direction to an other star. So i guess it works. My parents have bortle 3 location (at a farm).
Looks like you answered what I was wondering about, if triplets/ed glass is needed for monocameras since you take one colour at the time.
Yes I even use a Achromat for some of my imaging. Perfect chromatic correction is nice but actually not needed.
Definitely great advice and information. I guess one reason why I have not ventured into narrowband is that it seems it pretty much requires assembled rigs be kept assembled. For them like me that need portability, I have to set-up and break-down the rig every time. I guess I could do it if my rig all stays manual; manual focus, manual filter changes, etc. Also, if you had to estimate how much additional time requirement is required for imaging with 2 or 3 colors in narrow band versus doing a one shot color image with a dual narrowband filter, what would you say? To get roughly the same image exposures (similar "views"), does it take twice the effort and additional or less exposure time? Maybe a hard question to answer, I know. Just wondering, because not all of us can turn on a computer, leave the telescope outside in the backyard and collect the images in the morning....... Still thinking about giving it a try, but wondering what really will be my new time commitment baby-sitting the rig in the park (etc.) ..... I do like the achromat-scope idea, however!
Do not think of Narrowband as needing long exposures. It is that you CAN take longer exposures. That will get you details that are unachievable with OSC. Really you could spend exactly the same amount of time and you will get the same result except there will be more resolution with the mono camera.
A filter wheel will eliminate the need to take your rig apart. I put mine together and on average do not take it apart for several months of imaging. I only ever take them apart to adjust for different seasons. Like swapping out different scopes for different small vs large objects.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel I appreciate the detailed response. I guess I am most concerned about the autofocus device since that involves screwing down equipment. That is something that cannot be easily assembled and disassembled each use. But it sounds like 30x3 min exposures with OSC is roughly equivalent to (10x3)*3 for narrowband with 3 filters.....but the end result has more detail and better quality. Eventually I will try it. But I think I still have more to learn doing OSC astrophotography, and a lot to learn about processing! I really enjoy your videos! (do me the honor and check out my videos sometime, they are designed to be less technical and more entertaining). Thanks!
Thanks for the videos! Found your last video from one of the astro facebook groups I think and have watched several since. I've always wanted to get into narrowband but thought it would be more expensive - thanks so much for showing how it can be done in an affordable manner! (starting with the guide camera as your imaging camera sounds like a great idea).
I'm currently shooting OSC images with a DSLR, telephoto lens, and iOptron SkyGuider Pro. I was (before finding your channel) planning on upgrading to a small refractor or better prime lens, astromodding my DSLR, and getting a dual-band filter to do pseudo-narrowband (and to avoid the light pollution of my Bortle 8 skies).
But now I'm wondering about just going straight down the narrowband route, especially if I can save money getting a scope that doesn't need to be perfectly corrected. Any advice on a first small refractor for narrowband? If I can get a cheaper refractor, it'll give me more money to get an Ha filter and probably an ASIAIR to control it all. I assume even if the CA doesn't need to be perfect, I'll still want one with a flat field or with a field flattener? (which will drive up the price a bit).
Or any advice in general as to the next steps I can take without spending a huge amount of money would be much appreciated.
I wound up with Losmandy D/V saddles for my various mounts. The lighter scopes and DSLR lenses are mounted on Vixen rails (7" to 14") while the larger scopes require Losmandy "D" rails. Not all Vixen rails are alike - some are cheap extruded channel aluminum, while the good ones are milled flat with internal slots. Longer rails allow the use of front ring clamps for (extended) tele lenses, a guider (underneath the rail) ,and a smooth balancing act . If you're filter shopping, check manuf. specs to insure a parfocal set. Consider 36mm filters for an APS-C sensor - usually less expensive than 48mm. Buy used (Cloudy Nights or AM) and save $$ .
That is great to hear.
So I would recommend a William optics doublets. Get a focal reducer too. As long as you pick a sensor that is at least 4/3rds or smaller the scope will be a good match and the focal reducer will increase the speed of the scope so you can acquire data faster.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel Thanks for the advice! Looks like those are a bit out of my price range ATM, but definitely a potential purchase for not too far in the future, I think. For the time being I've picked up a cheap vintage prime 200mm that's meant to be pretty decent for astro - I've been looking into dual narrowband filters, and I might look into trying the trick of imaging with a Ha filter through a mono guide cam (that I want to get for guiding anyway).
Good Advise Start with Small, I started way big and actually enjoy the wider Field better with a smaller Scope.
Yes wide field is fun. And a lot of space stuff is larger than people think too.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel Someone gave me a Meade LX200 8inch on a fork, I struggled for over a year just trying to make it work. Fork mounts are difficult, they hit camera I can go on forever. Then I got a EQ Skywatcher and 102mm refractor and that's why things started, also the ASIAIR was revelation for me saying goodbye to all my 100ft USB Cables. Now I use a PHQ65 ASI2600 and could not be more Happy.
Awesome video mate , why you went for a 5 filters wheel? Ha, O and SII , what u use in the other 2 slots ? A black cap for the calib frames ?
I usually put a Baader Moon and Sky glow filter in the other slot then leave one blank. Calibration frames I just do in the shed with a cap on the scope.
Nice video
great video. I am at the duo band OSC vs mono crossroads. can you suggest the relative time difference of each I.e. 2 mono filters versus one filter in duo band but less signal?
Depends given an identical budget though you could see ruffly 20-30% more integration time would be needed from the OSC and with the Mono you will have 4x the resolution.
I am going tor follow your advice, have most of the equipment using a DSLR and going to plunge into narrowband and buy the ASI533MM Pro (Mono)
Cooled. What bandwidth range of the narrowband filters would you recommend starting out with which will give the best bang for buck. There is a very wide range from what I can see from 3nm-20nm. I was thinking about 7nm? which is what the dual band OSC filters seem to be.
Start with 7nm. You might even find that thats enough for a long time.
Great advice for this newbie to EAA and AP. I know you didn't want to recommend any particular equipment in the video but wondered if you could recommend a hydrogen alpha filter for my ZWO ASI120mm guide camera? As well, would a UV IR Cut filter be a worthwhile purchase for my guide camera? Thanks
You do not need a UVIR cut filter. Instead consider a Red filter. I did a video about that a while back. You can get better guiding using red light instead of white light.
For the Ha filter there are a lot of brands out there. The ones I have experience with are the Ha filters from Baader. I have used their 7.5nm and 3.5nm filters. I would recommend the 7.5nm for some starting.
Links to products that you’re showing and discussions of availability would be welcome. People can choose to follow those items or pick their own but if you’re giving people a place to start, don’t make them guess where to get it. Nice videos.
Hello there! Great info. I am thinking of getting the mono guide cam and first taking mono images with this as you said. Do I absolutely need an IR cut filter from the start? Or Ha? What does it look like without any filter? Thanks!!
My vote would be an Ha filter.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel ok sounds good, thank you for your quick reply. Would also mean another thing to do during moon nights. One more question: what is an affordable Ha filter for that purpose? All I find is basically more expensive than the camera itself. Any recommendations? Thanks a lot !
Great video. I'm working my way through your pathway and trying to capture some Ha images with mono guide camera through ED70 telescope. You mention 2 minute exposures but can you suggest how many might be required to get a reasonable beginner image. I have guiding available so longer exposures might be possible too.
Great. You will love how easy it is to process images with no light pollution whatsoever.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel Thanks for the reply. Wondering how many 2 minute exposures I might expect to need? Keep up the great content.
@@chrismills59 You should always shoot to get at least 30 frames. At that point you will have seen the most improvement and and any more than that and there will be little improvement.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel Awesome. Many many thanks for your advice. Looking forward to some clear sky.
I recently bought the Redcat 71 and I can't beleive how good it is! I started with a 500mm Taiwanese scope and had nothing but problems. I love my 183MC Pro, but considering going for mono. I got tired of the filter box with three filters (UVIR, LPro, Antila gold Narrowband), and just ordered a 7x2" filter wheel so I can use for both?? Or would you recommend 5x36 filter wheel for the new MM camera?
The 7 slot filter wheel is wha I would go for. If you are using 183MC Pro you only need 1.25"filters. That will save you a ton of money. Buying 2" filters will be big $$$$
@@TheNarrowbandChannel yes I already own 2" filters for the ZWO filter box, so will go for this and I will take your advice on the new MM camera and filter wheel in the near future (for my new rig). Thanks so much for your valuable advice and great videos.
Went with the SV503 80mm for my first scope. Now I'm trying to figure out my camera system as well as mount. I currently have a Skyguider but wanting to guide and it's not the best.
Yes you need a better mount for sure. I like the iOptron mounts. You can get them used for good deals on Cloudy nights.
And for a camera look into the 533MM. It's a very easy camera to use as a beginner.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel Thanks, was originally looking at the 294mm due to the sensor being a bit larger, even with the amp glow issues.
I took my new OM-1 out for night photography for the first time and was surprised (and a little distressed) to find that the Starry Sky feature didn’t always work as advertised, failing to achieve a positive focus lock about 1/3 of the times I tried it. Are there specific settings or technique I should be using?
(I know that this is somewhat OT to the subject of this video, but if I can’t focus on the stars, there’s no getting started with astrophotography.)
That is ok. Have you tried the slower Starry Sky AF option?
@@TheNarrowbandChannel Yes, I have it set to Accuracy (for tripod).
You didn't mention the need for a laptop computer, but that should also come in play, right? Or can it be done without?
With the air some stuff can be done without. The only thing i use a computer for is the stacking and storing of images.
Ok, so dumb question. I'm going to go the route you mentioned about starting imaging with a guide camera. I'm getting the ZWO 120 mm and pairing it with a 3 nm Ha filter; I live in a Bortle 7 zone. My question is, I have a Redcat 51. How do I adapt the 1.25 guide scope easily to the Redcat to use it for imaging?
You just need an eyepiece adapter unless you purchased the planetary version. In that case it has M42 threads on it.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel Thanks! I ended up getting a WO Rotolock for it!
What mount is that? Im in the market for one. I own a z61 , i think the eq6-r is overkill right now. but might be worth it later on?
It looks like an iOptron CEM25EC. They also have the CEM26 that is more affordable.
@@billkonkel6325 Its not the error correcting version. Its actually the very old Zeq25 version. But works just as well. Motors are noisier is all. By the way I would never recommend an Error Correcting mount. Not worth it. You guid with those anyways to me its money waisted.
I thought HA was the best for full moon vs SA??
Its not. Sii is further into red so it is more immune.
Quick errata for ya: the Veil complex is about 6 times the size of the Moon, not 60. Still humongous, just not “that” big. 😀
You are right. What I meant was that you could fit 60 moons in that part of the sky that the Veil complex takes up.
Some how I think this is a ZWO commercial.
I was not trying to make it one. However I am quickly becoming a fan boy. Mostly just because I have had such good results from their stuff and my impression of them on a face to face basis not that I have spent more time with them at NEAF as I also did with many other vendors.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel I was more of a joke. Your videos are at great motivation, and very much appreciated. I will take a closer look at the ASI178MC, as I understand it should be good enough to do some DS, and dont have the price of a cooled camera.. Keep up the excellent work.
😃👍
@@Peter.A-A Go for the MM version. Great guid camera and can do a lot of other things. A MC version you wold find yourself trading in later.