Hi Marc, nice video. I have a Sky guider pro back in AZ and I’m going to get an ASI Air plus as soon as I get back in October. Been doing astrophotography off and on since the early 90’s but the ASI Air plus is a true game changer that makes you sit up and take notice and say WOW! Look forward to looking through some of your other videos. Thanks!
Was looking for a video showing DSLR being controlled by ASIAir for a while now, yours hit the nail on the head square on, so much so I’m ordering one as soon as I’ve finished typing this. Massive thank you 🙏🏼
That's great - glad you found it helpful. You're going to love the AA - it really is a game changer for simplifying many of the complexities of astrophotography.
The second version called The ASIAir Pro was the one that had poor wifi reception because it didn't have an external antenna, and it had a metal case. The original ASIAir had a plastic case, and had pretty decent Wifi reception.
Yeah, the Pro was a pretty great improvement to things overall, but the WiFi was...awful. I (along with many others) ended up adhere a portable wifi router to it to make the signal even close to usable. The Plus has pretty good WiFi reception - though I usually just link it to my home network through station mode.
Thank you for this video! I am just getting into the hobby and have had so many questions about what gear to buy and how to use it. It's been a bit of a struggle but I refuse to give up! STUBBORN FTW!! :D
I’m fairly certain being stubborn is a prerequisite for this hobby - there WILL be frustration for sure, but the rewards are worth all the difficult nights!
Really appreciate this video! My 10 year old son and I are taking a similar approach with a mirrorless camera I bought for work during the pandemic. I’d love to see a tutorial that’s a little more in-depth for beginners that are just starting out with a dslr, lens, tracker, and asiair plus. Great work!
Thanks for the reply! As a beginner who’s never used a guider before, here’s a few things: - how to connect the camera / guide camera / ASIAir Plus / mount - how to guide - how to plate solve I know, it’s a lot. Really appreciate your videos!
@@marcrasselphotography You’re awesome! I continue to be blown away by the AP community and how much people want to share knowledge and help other people grow. Thanks for your generosity!
Thanks for this video, as I am about to "pull the trigger" on the AIS Air Mini...but I had a few questions. If the AIS Air is stacking your images, does that mean you got one file back after your imaging session is over, that is, a stacked image? Or did you get 40 images? Were those images in RAW format? If the image(s) is/are stored on the Air, how do you get the images form the Air to your PC? Did you download via your local network? Sorry, it wasn't clear in your video how you do this. I realize the video was not meant to be a step-by-step tutorial. Anyway, thanks again.
Even when doing the live stacking, you can set it to save all of the individual files (I'd recommend this). They are not in RAW format - they are FITS files which are similar, but require special software to read and use, but there are plenty of consumer-level options out there. I usually save the images direct to a small thumb drive plugged in to one of the USB ports, but if you save direct to the ASIAIR you can transfer either over the WiFi network or through USB-C connection. Hope that helps!
@@marcrasselphotography Thank you for the reply! I'm afraid it is still confusing...I guess the question is will I get RAW images just like I do when working with a DSLR that will ultimately be stacked in a program such as DSS??
Me too a new comer for astrophotography owning some basic equipments such as EOS RP + Askar FMA 180mm + iOptron SkyTracker Pro. As I am not good in finding deep sky objects as well as post processing, I hope that ASIAIR Plus could help me to step forward, without spending too much again for the gears. At the moment I am still waiting for a good weather to try the ASIAIR ( I am living in a light pollution city ), hoping that you can make more video to lead us for studying more. Thanks!
In this video, you are using live stacking without any Biases, Darks, and Flat Frames. Is it OK for the final image quality? If I choose to use also the Biases, Darks and Flats frames for live stacking, do I need to shoot these frames first before taking the Lights frames ( of course do keep the same gains and exposure time ), or otherwise, using those being saved in files during last shooting, if any.
That’s correct - I didn’t bother with the calibration frames for this video. Without them the quality is ok, but would certainly be better with them. You can always shoot them afterward, but to see the benefits in the live stacking you’d want to load them in prior to shooting the lights.
What brand is that articulating arm attachment for your ASIAir to the tripod? I have been looking for something similar while I wait for my plus to arrive.
Hey Chris - I believe the one you see in the video is this (linked below). If not the exact one, it's very similar - I use these all the time. They don't hold as much weight as the more expensive ones and brands, but work great for lightweight stuff like holding the asiair. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SV6NVDS
@@marcrasselphotography Thanks for the quick response, that is one of the brands I had been eyeballing already. The other question is with the bracket, is that the same one that is listed on ZWO for the ASIAir Pro (ZWO finder shoe)? Sorry for the questions btw, I feel like I have been buying so many little items to make this whole thing work these last few weeks, its starting to get overwhelming and the rabbit hole is deep.
@@chriscarlson9284 no problem on the questions - I’m happy to answer them the best I can. The rabbit hole however…that’s just astrophotography. It. Never. Ends! The finder shoe bracket is great, but I’m not using that in this video. I just have the 1/4 20 screw on the articulating arm connected directly to the ASIAIR.
Really good vid. Perfectly narrated. Thanks. Wish you had a step by step for processing a first (or second)!shot - including the how to take. This still goes a little fast. Thanks!
After the holidays I’ll be creating some additional videos adding detail to the various steps, primarily around setting up and using the ASIAIR first, but will definitely add some processing videos soon.
Love your commentary 👌!! Great video, best one so far, got me thinking of getting one cuz I already have 130mm refractor s6000 on a skywatcher eq6. Could this be the missing link 🤔 😂🤣😂
This video was very helpful as i'm waiting for my air plus to arrive. My question is about required cables. I know the ASI Air Plus and the ASI183MC Pro utilize the same power supply, so my question is what cable is used to get power from the Air plus to the camera. I know the Air plus can supply power to cameras but can't find the "jumper cable" from one unit to the other. Thanks in advance.
The ASIAIR Plus will come with a selection of 12VDC cables - Once you supply 12VDC power to the Plus, you'll just connect one end of the cable to one of the DC outputs on the Plus, the other to the camera. Then in the app you enable the output and that's it. It's all pretty seamless.
I haven't, but I don't really use this setup regularly. I mostly put this kit together for demonstration purposes, but I'm curious about that question - have you run in to issues?
I see an ethernet (CAT5) port on the ASIAIR Plus. What is this used for? My tablet uses WIFI, so do not know what the ethernet port/cable is used for. Can you explain?
Yeah, you can hardwire this in to your router so you’re not relying on the ASIAIR’s WiFi signal. Makes for fast and reliable connection / image loads. Then your phone / tablet connects to your home WiFi to control the ASIAIR.
Great video on what you can do with a simple setup! Thanks. I only started this about 2 months ago and this is very helpful. What is that nifty bracket you have to support the ASIAir Plus? It's a great idea. I see something on Amazon that looks similar: 11" Adjustable Robust Articulating Friction Magic Arm Clamp Holder Mounts Kit, but couldn't really see what you had attached to your tripod. Thanks again for a useful video!
It sounds like you found it - there are a ton of different options that are essentially the same, but it’s just a friction arm with magic clamp on one end and 1/4 20 mount on the other. These are great for the price, they worn hold a ton of weight but worn great for light items like the Asiair. www.amazon.com/dp/B087T4T8D5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_W9YTQSW80TZ6HFGXJ08F
@@marcrasselphotography Terrific! Thanks so much for the link. You mean they won't pick a full 5-gallon water bottle like they show in the Amazon videos?! Hahaha...
@@gregerianne3880 you can certainly give it a go, but whatever the result is on you. Good luck! Really, though, I love these things - they constantly prove themselves useful
What program did you use to process the images from the Asiair ? I tried using Photoshop but it will not work with Fits files or maybe I am missing something. Nice video you did and thanks!
Photoshop won’t read FITS files. There used to be a plug-in that would make that work, but I don’t believe that works any longer (perhaps there are others out there I’m unaware of?) I work primarily on a Mac so I do the stacking in AstroPixelProcessor, output a TIFF file, and finish in Photoshop / LightRoom
Hi Frank. I use a program called Affinity Pro which runs on Windows and includes stacking of FITS files (so no need for a separate program like Deep Sky Stacker) and also does a great job of post processing. It is relatively inexpensive and you buy it, you own it for life, unlike subscription software.
I have a SkyWatcher StarAdventurer Pro tracker and just got the ASIAIR Plus and their guide camera as well. My problem is what mount to choose when setting up the ASIAIR Plus because the StarAdventurer isn't an option. Anyone else trying to use the SW SA with the ASIAIR Plus?
For this you’ll want to choose “On camera ST4” since there’s no go-to function it’ll just send the guide pulses from your guide camera through the ST4 port.
So far it has shown no sign it knows anything about my Nikon D600 or my Sky wanderer 2i. Via the asiair app on the pc my ZWO guide camera works fine as it does via the app on my Android pad and on the Iphone. None have triggered the camera or the mount. I've just ordered a usb cable for the Nikon instead of the snap cable to see if that makes a difference.
ZWO does have the D600 listed as a compatible DSLR so yes, the USB cable should work just fine. The mount will likely just need to be set to the generic On Camera ST4.
@@marcrasselphotography I bought the snap cable as I have seen others using that and haven't seen anyone use a Usb version but it doesn't work for me, so it's literally a test. I have it set on St4 but the pc, pad or phone don't see it. I still have my laptop to test later which is on a different version of windows. Apart from that i am unsure what else I can do. Luckily on the pc we can install many versions of different drivers and apps in the hope that one does the job. It's been raining for days so I'm not missing out on anything and the forecast shows endless clouds ahead so I have plenty of time.
@@spex357 Just to confirm / rule out any simple fixes, when you're using the snap cable, is your camera set on Manual and Bulb mode? And cable is going from your camera direct to ASIAIR?
@@marcrasselphotography yes it's plugged in direct but I see no sign of it on the air. I'm wondering if there is anything in the Nikon menu that needs altering,, it's on Raw file and bulb mode and I've tried all the modes on the remote dial.
@@spex357 if you’d like, send me a message through the contact form at howtoshootthemilkyway.com/contact/ and I’ll try to help you sort this out offline.
It's funny to see, most professional photographers i see on youtube use the ioptron tracker. Everywhere else the skywatcher one is being promoted, skywatcher is clearly having a better marketing for a similar device inferior to the SGP. In my opinion ofc.
Of course mine would be a slightly biased opinion in favor of the SkyGuider Pro, but most of these portable trackers are fantastic - they just very slightly in the details. I feel the SGP is geared more toward the flexibility auto guiding and shooting more deep space objects, but this and the SkyWatcher are both great.
Trouble is, it's a locked system, locks you into ZWO cameras or dslr cameras, no good if you have say any other brand of dedicated astro camera, sorry hate a closed system
Hi Marc, nice video. I have a Sky guider pro back in AZ and I’m going to get an ASI Air plus as soon as I get back in October. Been doing astrophotography off and on since the early 90’s but the ASI Air plus is a true game changer that makes you sit up and take notice and say WOW! Look forward to looking through some of your other videos. Thanks!
It really is a game-changer for making astrophotography so much more accessible.
You are my 3rd and final follow for astrophotography. Very much liked the clear explanation of the kit you used.
Thank you .
Paul (UK)
Third place for the win! Thank you - I appreciate that. I’m working on a bunch of new content that I’ll be uploading soon. Thanks for the follow!
Was looking for a video showing DSLR being controlled by ASIAir for a while now, yours hit the nail on the head square on, so much so I’m ordering one as soon as I’ve finished typing this.
Massive thank you 🙏🏼
That's great - glad you found it helpful. You're going to love the AA - it really is a game changer for simplifying many of the complexities of astrophotography.
U and I both pal!! He really convinced me to get one, injoy..
Such a modest and underrated video. Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us!
Glad you enjoyed it. (I’m hoping to find time to create a lot more of this soon)
Good video on the ASIAir Plus.
The second version called The ASIAir Pro was the one that had poor wifi reception because it didn't have an external antenna, and it had a metal case. The original ASIAir had a plastic case, and had pretty decent Wifi reception.
Yeah, the Pro was a pretty great improvement to things overall, but the WiFi was...awful. I (along with many others) ended up adhere a portable wifi router to it to make the signal even close to usable. The Plus has pretty good WiFi reception - though I usually just link it to my home network through station mode.
Enjoyed it....well done
Thank you for this video! I am just getting into the hobby and have had so many questions about what gear to buy and how to use it. It's been a bit of a struggle but I refuse to give up! STUBBORN FTW!! :D
I’m fairly certain being stubborn is a prerequisite for this hobby - there WILL be frustration for sure, but the rewards are worth all the difficult nights!
Excellent video, thanks
Great Video. Any idea how to connect it to Skywatcher AZ-GTI mount? Nobody seems to know. Thx Mike
@@highq8160 Thank you. I do have that its incorrect. I managed to figure it out. Thx much for the reply. Mike
Thanks for this video, very helpful, What was the clamp that you used to hold the ASIAIR to your tripod?
That’s just a small magic arm very similar to this one: amzn.to/3JnT0sv
Really appreciate this video! My 10 year old son and I are taking a similar approach with a mirrorless camera I bought for work during the pandemic. I’d love to see a tutorial that’s a little more in-depth for beginners that are just starting out with a dslr, lens, tracker, and asiair plus. Great work!
Would love to help out - are there any parts of the process that you’re particularly interested in seeing in more detail on?
Thanks for the reply! As a beginner who’s never used a guider before, here’s a few things:
- how to connect the camera / guide camera / ASIAir Plus / mount
- how to guide
- how to plate solve
I know, it’s a lot. Really appreciate your videos!
@@chrisdavis8663 no problem - I’d be happy to put this in the queue of videos to be made. I’ll try to get this together soon.
@@marcrasselphotography You’re awesome! I continue to be blown away by the AP community and how much people want to share knowledge and help other people grow. Thanks for your generosity!
Correct me if I’m wrong but I could use the air plus with a dslr camera OR a dedicated astrophotography camera?
That’s correct, although it will only support ZWO astro cameras.
Thanks for this video, as I am about to "pull the trigger" on the AIS Air Mini...but I had a few questions. If the AIS Air is stacking your images, does that mean you got one file back after your imaging session is over, that is, a stacked image? Or did you get 40 images? Were those images in RAW format? If the image(s) is/are stored on the Air, how do you get the images form the Air to your PC? Did you download via your local network? Sorry, it wasn't clear in your video how you do this. I realize the video was not meant to be a step-by-step tutorial. Anyway, thanks again.
Even when doing the live stacking, you can set it to save all of the individual files (I'd recommend this). They are not in RAW format - they are FITS files which are similar, but require special software to read and use, but there are plenty of consumer-level options out there. I usually save the images direct to a small thumb drive plugged in to one of the USB ports, but if you save direct to the ASIAIR you can transfer either over the WiFi network or through USB-C connection. Hope that helps!
@@marcrasselphotography Thank you for the reply! I'm afraid it is still confusing...I guess the question is will I get RAW images just like I do when working with a DSLR that will ultimately be stacked in a program such as DSS??
No, you won’t get RAW files, you’ll get FITS that you can use in DSS (or similar software)
Me too a new comer for astrophotography owning some basic equipments such as EOS RP + Askar FMA 180mm + iOptron SkyTracker Pro. As I am not good in finding deep sky objects as well as post processing, I hope that ASIAIR Plus could help me to step forward, without spending too much again for the gears. At the moment I am still waiting for a good weather to try the ASIAIR ( I am living in a light pollution city ), hoping that you can make more video to lead us for studying more. Thanks!
In this video, you are using live stacking without any Biases, Darks, and Flat Frames. Is it OK for the final image quality? If I choose to use also the Biases, Darks and Flats frames for live stacking, do I need to shoot these frames first before taking the Lights frames ( of course do keep the same gains and exposure time ), or otherwise, using those being saved in files during last shooting, if any.
That’s correct - I didn’t bother with the calibration frames for this video. Without them the quality is ok, but would certainly be better with them. You can always shoot them afterward, but to see the benefits in the live stacking you’d want to load them in prior to shooting the lights.
What brand is that articulating arm attachment for your ASIAir to the tripod? I have been looking for something similar while I wait for my plus to arrive.
Hey Chris - I believe the one you see in the video is this (linked below). If not the exact one, it's very similar - I use these all the time. They don't hold as much weight as the more expensive ones and brands, but work great for lightweight stuff like holding the asiair. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SV6NVDS
@@marcrasselphotography Thanks for the quick response, that is one of the brands I had been eyeballing already. The other question is with the bracket, is that the same one that is listed on ZWO for the ASIAir Pro (ZWO finder shoe)? Sorry for the questions btw, I feel like I have been buying so many little items to make this whole thing work these last few weeks, its starting to get overwhelming and the rabbit hole is deep.
@@chriscarlson9284 no problem on the questions - I’m happy to answer them the best I can. The rabbit hole however…that’s just astrophotography. It. Never. Ends! The finder shoe bracket is great, but I’m not using that in this video. I just have the 1/4 20 screw on the articulating arm connected directly to the ASIAIR.
Good to know, the images online don’t show any mounting points for the ASIAir plus. Thanks again
Really good vid. Perfectly narrated. Thanks. Wish you had a step by step for processing a first (or second)!shot - including the how to take. This still goes a little fast. Thanks!
After the holidays I’ll be creating some additional videos adding detail to the various steps, primarily around setting up and using the ASIAIR first, but will definitely add some processing videos soon.
@@marcrasselphotography Excellent. I need the setup and using first! Much appreciated.
Love your commentary 👌!! Great video, best one so far, got me thinking of getting one cuz I already have 130mm refractor s6000 on a skywatcher eq6. Could this be the missing link 🤔 😂🤣😂
I’m a bit biased but I would certainly say so!
This video was very helpful as i'm waiting for my air plus to arrive. My question is about required cables. I know the ASI Air Plus and the ASI183MC Pro utilize the same power supply, so my question is what cable is used to get power from the Air plus to the camera. I know the Air plus can supply power to cameras but can't find the "jumper cable" from one unit to the other. Thanks in advance.
The ASIAIR Plus will come with a selection of 12VDC cables - Once you supply 12VDC power to the Plus, you'll just connect one end of the cable to one of the DC outputs on the Plus, the other to the camera. Then in the app you enable the output and that's it. It's all pretty seamless.
@@marcrasselphotography thank you very much
I have the same setup with the same camera. Have you noticed any issues if you connect your camera to the USB 3.0 port rather than the 2.0 port?
I haven't, but I don't really use this setup regularly. I mostly put this kit together for demonstration purposes, but I'm curious about that question - have you run in to issues?
I see an ethernet (CAT5) port on the ASIAIR Plus. What is this used for? My tablet uses WIFI, so do not know what the ethernet port/cable is used for. Can you explain?
Yeah, you can hardwire this in to your router so you’re not relying on the ASIAIR’s WiFi signal. Makes for fast and reliable connection / image loads. Then your phone / tablet connects to your home WiFi to control the ASIAIR.
Great video on what you can do with a simple setup! Thanks. I only started this about 2 months ago and this is very helpful. What is that nifty bracket you have to support the ASIAir Plus? It's a great idea. I see something on Amazon that looks similar: 11" Adjustable Robust Articulating Friction Magic Arm Clamp Holder Mounts Kit, but couldn't really see what you had attached to your tripod. Thanks again for a useful video!
It sounds like you found it - there are a ton of different options that are essentially the same, but it’s just a friction arm with magic clamp on one end and 1/4 20 mount on the other. These are great for the price, they worn hold a ton of weight but worn great for light items like the Asiair.
www.amazon.com/dp/B087T4T8D5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_W9YTQSW80TZ6HFGXJ08F
@@marcrasselphotography Terrific! Thanks so much for the link. You mean they won't pick a full 5-gallon water bottle like they show in the Amazon videos?! Hahaha...
@@gregerianne3880 you can certainly give it a go, but whatever the result is on you. Good luck! Really, though, I love these things - they constantly prove themselves useful
What program did you use to process the images from the Asiair ? I tried using Photoshop but it will not work with Fits files or maybe I am missing something. Nice video you did and thanks!
Photoshop won’t read FITS files. There used to be a plug-in that would make that work, but I don’t believe that works any longer (perhaps there are others out there I’m unaware of?) I work primarily on a Mac so I do the stacking in AstroPixelProcessor, output a TIFF file, and finish in Photoshop / LightRoom
Hi Frank. I use a program called Affinity Pro which runs on Windows and includes stacking of FITS files (so no need for a separate program like Deep Sky Stacker) and also does a great job of post processing. It is relatively inexpensive and you buy it, you own it for life, unlike subscription software.
I have a SkyWatcher StarAdventurer Pro tracker and just got the ASIAIR Plus and their guide camera as well. My problem is what mount to choose when setting up the ASIAIR Plus because the StarAdventurer isn't an option. Anyone else trying to use the SW SA with the ASIAIR Plus?
For this you’ll want to choose “On camera ST4” since there’s no go-to function it’ll just send the guide pulses from your guide camera through the ST4 port.
Very good photo! They are only the light frame or also dark and offset?
Only light frames for this, no other calibration data.
@@marcrasselphotography wow fantastic !
It really is amazing what can be done with some basic gear.
So far it has shown no sign it knows anything about my Nikon D600 or my Sky wanderer 2i. Via the asiair app on the pc my ZWO guide camera works fine as it does via the app on my Android pad and on the Iphone. None have triggered the camera or the mount. I've just ordered a usb cable for the Nikon instead of the snap cable to see if that makes a difference.
ZWO does have the D600 listed as a compatible DSLR so yes, the USB cable should work just fine. The mount will likely just need to be set to the generic On Camera ST4.
@@marcrasselphotography I bought the snap cable as I have seen others using that and haven't seen anyone use a Usb version but it doesn't work for me, so it's literally a test. I have it set on St4 but the pc, pad or phone don't see it. I still have my laptop to test later which is on a different version of windows.
Apart from that i am unsure what else I can do. Luckily on the pc we can install many versions of different drivers and apps in the hope that one does the job.
It's been raining for days so I'm not missing out on anything and the forecast shows endless clouds ahead so I have plenty of time.
@@spex357 Just to confirm / rule out any simple fixes, when you're using the snap cable, is your camera set on Manual and Bulb mode? And cable is going from your camera direct to ASIAIR?
@@marcrasselphotography yes it's plugged in direct but I see no sign of it on the air. I'm wondering if there is anything in the Nikon menu that needs altering,, it's on Raw file and bulb mode and I've tried all the modes on the remote dial.
@@spex357 if you’d like, send me a message through the contact form at howtoshootthemilkyway.com/contact/ and I’ll try to help you sort this out offline.
It's funny to see, most professional photographers i see on youtube use the ioptron tracker. Everywhere else the skywatcher one is being promoted, skywatcher is clearly having a better marketing for a similar device inferior to the SGP. In my opinion ofc.
Of course mine would be a slightly biased opinion in favor of the SkyGuider Pro, but most of these portable trackers are fantastic - they just very slightly in the details. I feel the SGP is geared more toward the flexibility auto guiding and shooting more deep space objects, but this and the SkyWatcher are both great.
Trouble is, it's a locked system, locks you into ZWO cameras or dslr cameras, no good if you have say any other brand of dedicated astro camera, sorry hate a closed system
That’s entirely true - will only work with DSLRs and ZWO cameras. It’s a downside for sure, but we’ll worth the trade for simplicity for many people.