Hey Cuiv, great content as always, very informative on astrophotography beginners' startup, It was you who pushed me into the rabbit hole after watching your tutorial "From DSLR to smart telescope" video, I started off with a Canon DSLR then added MSM, ALZ-GT, OrionStartBlastEQ4.5 and now I am at Dwarf2 soon the D3. I do want to have a very excellent rig something like your RedCat setup but my imagination is way ahead of my pocket lol
After having discovered your channel 15 days ago, I have order a Dwarf3 smart telescope for a Christmasspresent for my son and I have bought the SeeStar S50 for me. I hust got the S50 yesterday from the shop. As I cannot handle heavy equiment, I am not sure I will move toward more professional-amateur equipment. Anyway it is interesting to know what is the state of the art for astro-photography.
You are so good about giving credit to other content creators and i love seeing it. I love your videos as well as @backyard astrophotography and @nebula photos.
For me the real gamechanger was NINA as it helped speed up my start up time to get imaging, as much as I'd love a strainwave mount for portability I just don't have the budget right now so I'm still lugging big heavy German equatorial mounts, guess they're good for workouts though ha ha
Aged 12 I bought a 60mm refractor with money from my paper round , and when I was 17 the local club lent me a 4" f/12 newt, and I added a Zenit-B SLR with earnings from shelf-stocking in the local supermarket. The air cadets had a darkroom I could use. Got some great shots of lunar eclipse on 50ASA Ilford PAN-F 1/5sec at prime focus using elastic bands to mount the camera, focussing by moving the secondary spider, and using sheet of card as a shutter to avoid shake. I graduated BSc astrophysics, and in mid-life was an amateur visual amateur using club instruments, and had my own observatory for a while with a 5" f16 refractor that I later put on an EQ6 which stayed with me until recently. Now retired in the city (Bortle 7) I got back into AP in a big way. I have an FF80 (reduced) AM3 2600Duo wide field grab and go, and an Orion 130ED AM5 533mc/462mc for close-in deep sky moon and planets. The Orion (like Murphy's knife) is *exactly* the same telescope as my 5" f/16... I just a replaced the OTA, and the mount (twice) and added a bunch of eyepieces, a couple of cameras a power saddle and an asiair 😉.
Even though I know everything you went over on this video I really enjoyed watching it with my morning coffee. Love the channel btw because of your review I got the Astro gadget Astro PC that you reviewed and I love it. Also I think that they listened to you because the bright green power light is gone, mine came with a nice dim red one.
Nowadays, the question is less so whether you are able to handle the difficulty of astrophotography, but rather how much you are able to handle the costs.
I just started this week when we had a few hours of relativ clear skies. (20-30% cloud layer). I only used my phone on a tripod, moved it for every 100 frames and took a total of 276 framed of the last section of sky, Pleiads. But the results are, we'll not great. I have a lot to learn when setting up the stacking. I did take bias and dark frames. Unfortunately the software for editing is to me very expensive and also it seems to be fairly complex. I'll be looking into getting my old dslr working and trying that the next time. Thanks for your advice :) /Jon
I had always dreamed of having a telescope... 40 some years later, companies like Dwarf and ZWO are making this a reality at 500 dollars. This entry point is game changing for the masses that always wanted to explore the stars but couldn't afford another mortgage for a working setup.... Now if we could only talk Pix Insight into giving us a discount XD. I do feel the fact that once you get into it you will want to upgrade. That's with all hobbies from motorcycles to golf clubs lol. I feel it now. I love my Dwarf 2 but Dwarf Labs have made it REALLY hard to not want a 3. The seestar is also calling to me but I cant get past the sensor orientation. I have a nice DSLR that I could also work with but that more money for a good tripod, tracking motors and etc... I kinda dont know what to do right now lol. I really am waiting a little while for some more Dwarf 3 Comparisons.
😮 My wife just upgraded my phone to a Pixel 9 pro. I had no idea it had an Astro mode! Thanks Cuiv! I'm playing with the camera app now, it has a 30X zoom that is very impressive! The zoom might not be good for Astrophotography but it works great for insects.😂 I haven't seen any RU-vid videos covering smart phone astrophotography, hint hint. I love your videos Cuiv.
That sounds awesome! I'm currently using an old Pixel 4a 5G so I will need to upgrade first, but all phones seem to be too large and heavy these days...! Thanks so much for your support and for your suggestion :)
This was a particularly useful video, very informative and relevant. I think you do a very good job of distilling this high complex hobby into something a lay person (of reasonable intelligence) can understand. Thank you!
Informative video. There's also one *very* large "smart telescope", the Vaonis Hyperia, a 150mm refractor with a 61 Mpxl sensor that retails for $45,000.
2:35 is so true xD Started out about 8 months ago with a dslr, cheap telescope that my dad had, and an alt-az mount, then about 2 months later, I got the heq5, then after another month, the 533 mc and some filters, and just purchased the carbonstar 150 last night! Huge thanks to you, your videos have been very helpful to me, especially on the equipment side of things! Keep up the good work!
I don't really agree to be honest. I'm getting guiding that is just as consistent (if not better) with those mounts - I don't really care whether they are technically inferior, or less well machined, etc. That said, it will be interesting to see if they pass the test of time!
Hi, I enjoyed the video. No matter what kind of telescope/camera you use, the real story is the post-processing. Amateurs are taking ordinary images and making them look incredible with the post-processing software.
I agree that the processing is important (which is why I have that three hours long video tutorial on how to get from zero to hero on PixInsight) but I would argue the real story is still the capture! No amount of processing is going to make a 10 hour image with poor tracking look like a similar image with better collimated optics and tracking for instance!
One of the reasons was that my EFW started behaving randomly, and I decided I could do everything I wanted with OSC with less hassle, although at the cost of slightly worse results!
I differentiate between gear that improves the quality and gear that improves comfort, in context of the price you have to pay for it. If I would start today again, I would have saved a lot of money.
Hi. I like your videos on the dwarf 3. When do you think you will have a total review of it? You got me very interested in the hobby and I like what you did with the dwarf 3. Can you do a comparison between the dwarf 3 and the seastar? Since they're both about the same price I'd like to have a better understanding of what they both do. You said you're going to France soon so I'm really looking forward to what you can do in a really clear sky. When will you be going to France?
Hello - I'm unable to say when exactly I'll be in France, but I can say the forecast doesn't look great where I'll be! I'm planning on making a full review and comparison later on, but I can't say when yet, very busy these days :)
Absolutely brilliant information. Thank you very much indeed. Two little details where I had problems. I used Synscan and connected my mount using USB. The instruction manual and another online source said that was enough. It wasn't. I needed to change SynScan connection settings from Network to Serial. I also couldn't get NINA to recognise PHD2 until I turned the PHD2 server off and on. I realise that these are issues you may not have encountered. This is not a criticism. It's information for others. Thanks again.
My Patreon: www.patreon.com/cuivlazygeek My Merch Store: cuiv.myspreadshop.com/ ---------------------------------------------- The New & Lazy Smart Telescopes! ---------------------------------------------- Dwarf III (tiny and cheap): bit.ly/3SyChXu Seestar S50 (cheap): bit.ly/49mQhLJ (Agena) or tinyurl.com/43r5pd6y (ZWO) Vaonis Vespera II (high end): bit.ly/4e0haaA Celestron Origin (psychopathic): bit.ly/3XDMxC2 ---------------------------------------------- The Oldie - Camera + lens ---------------------------------------------- Rokinon 135mm: amzn.to/4cZmKIU Canon 200mm f2.8 amzn.to/3Xn1fMB Lukomatico Universal Bahtinov mask: www.etsy.com/listing/1762622415/universal-fit-telescope-bahtinov-focus Sample cheap DSLR: amzn.to/4efZzLy Review of that DSLR for astro: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZWp209tqd8o.html Star Adventurer 2i: amzn.to/4dVUqsb or bit.ly/3TmKBLK Move Shoot Move Tracker: bit.ly/47ih8s9 StarAdventurer GTi GoTo Mount: bit.ly/3UKLpLJ Control center if you go for GoTo: bit.ly/3OiGlv5 or tinyurl.com/2526tajc ---------------------------------------------- The Classic with a Twist Quintessential Beginner Rig ---------------------------------------------- UMi 17 Lite Mount: www.proxisky.com/ ZWO AM3 Mount: tinyurl.com/mtyctrzb (ZWO) or bit.ly/3QVCEMf (Agena) ZWO ASI2600MC Air smart camera: tinyurl.com/tr2r3esn (ZWO) or bit.ly/3SV04Co (Agena,) or bit.ly/3SZARXx (HPS) RedCat51: bit.ly/48hyuVx (Agena) or bit.ly/48pTWXW (HPS) NEW Minicat 51: bit.ly/3MFFP8s (Agena) or bit.ly/3XjPdDE (HPS) The cheaper camera/control center/guiding combo: ZWO ASI585 MC Pro Camera: bit.ly/3Iwo6y8 (Agena) or bit.ly/4cp1Ofn (High Point Scientific) or tinyurl.com/yc2386cd (ZWO) ASIAIR Mini: bit.ly/3OiGlv5 or tinyurl.com/2526tajc ZWO GuideScope: bit.ly/4dUlyYM ASI20MM Mini guide camera: bit.ly/4cZ2xCX ---------------------------------------------- The Criminally Insane Buy Once Cry Once?? ---------------------------------------------- ZWO AM5N Mount: bit.ly/3W3TWKe or tinyurl.com/4pj56en7 Apertura CarbonStar telescope with coma corrector: bit.ly/3W7ZFiA ZWO ASI2600MC Air smart camera: tinyurl.com/tr2r3esn (ZWO) or bit.ly/3SV04Co (Agena,) or bit.ly/3SZARXx (HPS) Or with computer control: ZWO ASI2600MC Duo: bit.ly/3M8IkPS (Agena) or bit.ly/3Jti7KQ (HPS) or tinyurl.com/54nkj5n8 (ZWO) AstroPC Pro: tinyurl.com/4rshehnf Mele Quieter 4C: amzn.to/4d4kjEW ---------------------------------------------- Light Pollution Filters ---------------------------------------------- Askar C1 & C2: bit.ly/48VZGZQ SVBony SV220: amzn.to/3vqwWdI or direct from SVBony: bit.ly/3vTpMPu (if you buy more than $200 from there, use code Cuiv20 for $20 off) ---------------------------------------------- Tutorials and Reviews ---------------------------------------------- 80% of Astrophotography Basics in 20 Minutes: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2zHvT_XHRl8.html DSLR + Tripod Polaris Flare: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-H9AuuTJ44Ik.html DSLR + Tripod Andromeda Galaxy: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pXcRKoxTPVg.html DSLR + Tripod Orion Nebula: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iuMZG-SyDCU.html ZWO ASI2600MC Air Review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5GJAQKdwHEc.html UMi 17 Lite review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mba7OUQdQgQ.html ZWO AM5N Review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eQyyqVjw_2g.html CarbonStar 150 Review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jNaubZIulKg.html ZWO 2600MC Duo Review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KPSS8ChEZiA.html ZWO ASI585MC Pro Review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zibS7JyKdw8.html Seestar S50 Review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Nt29_kHV1Fg.html 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
Hello, while using dithering in N.I.N.A. with phd2 , I sometimes get red flashing screen and alert sound from phd2. somehow phd2 sometimes picks guide star far from the center , or very close to the edge of sensor while taking multiple targets(with center target and start guiding option turned on for all targets) in legacy sequencer and then once in a while it gives me this red screen and alert sound I mentioned. can I force phd2 guiding to pick guide star far away from the edge of guide camera sensor ?
Great video! As still a fan of the ZWO "walled garden" intrigued with this camera so your review really helped. As a tech guy, not really put off by NINA but for the past few years have been almost always pleased by what ZWO puts out with the ASIair and related gear. Being out here in Tucson provides lots of nights and areas for dark sky work and the boys at Starizona have been always helpful for any of the few ZWO questions I've had. All that said to say that I see a lot of value in the new 2600 here, maybe time to sell my MC533. Thanks again, excellent review and channel!!
hi Cuiv, like your videos a lot! I have a question : as I am doing astrophotography on my balcony, Can you prevent flipping at all with This Mount? I know these mounts are creating a lot of force …. but a Flip on the Balcony is difficult, sometimes cause the Space is Limited on Mine. Appreciate Your answer , Best regards from Germany, Claus
Sir: love your videos. Can I use a sky watcher star adventurer equatorial wedge base and mount Dwarf3 on top of wedge to achieve polar alignment? Kindly advise.
Great video! The one thing is missing - if your flats for some reason overcorrecting - adding darks to the stack will fix that! That's what exactly helped me, I've got a lot of bright dust spots when used only flats+darklats with my cooled IMX571C camera. Adding darks - eliminates any overcorrected dust spots.
Cuiv, Well...How can I put this. I follow your channel and now have a StellarMate Pro (nice piece of gear). I was able to register it successfully. I have an account. I've installed ASCOM drivers. I've started Stellarmate software. I have a QHY CCD guide camera attached by USB, I've got a QHY Precision QFocuser attached by USB. Sadly, I am not having much luck connecting to the StellarMate Pro device with a mini-PC. I can connect with my iPad...however, it's missing the Qfocuser in the setup, where it is in the PC version (an oversight?).. Has anyone actually come up with a First step do this, second do this, third do this...n Step, capture stars... I have to believe it's a good device, just at this time, I'm not feeling it. Suggestions... YES...I've watched many RU-vid videos. Many, just gloss over the initial (Critical in my view) steps of the process... Do I need to install ASCOM first? How do I get INDI drivers (do I need them?), When do I add them. Can I use this with NINA? I have no issues with my Pegasus Ultimate Power Box... I do have ASIAIR Pros...but they don't support my WarpAstron WD-17 etc... Frustration abounds...!
Hi Cuiv! The optics of the of the D3 are good, I think your Tracking was not that great probaly because your rough alignment of 5 degrees combined with that tripod you used. Without fine tuning options from eqmode to get better alignment needs some manual fine tuning. You should check my results at 1 degree deviation or 2 degrees, when you get round stars, you can see the images in my tutorial how to Master Polar Alignment with the Dwarf3 when i find tuned the alignment using a simple method
Do you know if the phone/pad need to be connected and active all the time during the photoshoot, or if you can start the session änd do other stuff on the device while you are waiting?
Thank you very much for the video, this is amazing! I think the full built-in support of the equatorial mode is a real game changer. I thought the Seestar was nice, but was not considering buying it in the near future. After your latest couple of videos about the Dwarf III, I think I should start considering breaking the piggy bank... Waiting your for a full Seestar vs Dwarf III video ;)
Hi cuiv, excelente review… i ask your question? I have SXD2 and my setup is around 10-11 kg for Astrophotography, Do you think it's too much weight for sxd2, or should I lower it?
Liars, all lies. You can't accurately measure distance with this technique. How did you get yo know the distamce of the "near star?" 2 unknown dostances cannot give you a precise distance, stop the lies.
