A Fully Automated, Ultraportable Astrophotography Setup! Lens & Camera

Подписаться 51 тыс.

Просмотров 19 тыс.

50% 1

In my last videos, I went through the process to make the AZGTi mount into a fully automated equatorial mount, then on how to tune it for better performance. In this video, we're looking at the actual imaging rig, with lens, autofocus, and camera!
Update: forgot to say in the video, but you can use a filter wheel as well! If using a ZWO camera with 6.5mm backfocus and ZWO filter wheel, your backfocus will be perfect with no need for additional adapters!
Equipment in this video:
SkyWatcher AZ-GTi mount: bit.ly/2DKgmuC
SkyWatcher Wedge: bit.ly/2PHDAE6
ZWO ASI533MC Pro: bit.ly/3fKPmsv
Astromechanics adapter: astromechanics.org/
Filter adapter: www.electricsheep.co.jp/astros...
ZWO Camera Rings: bit.ly/2Q6YmwT
Set down rings: www.amazon.com/Neewer-Anodize...
General affiliate link to OPT: bit.ly/2OIw6jH
Other equipment I own (or similar/related):
Cameras
ZWO ASI1600MM Pro: bit.ly/2CLmHVV
ZWO ASI174MM: bit.ly/3gwBySZ
Mounts
Skywatcher AZ-EQ5: bit.ly/3ib4Jvq
SkyWatcher EQ6-R Mount: bit.ly/2OEXkYl
iOptron AZ Mount Pro: bit.ly/33pogE9
Guiding
Skywatcher EvoGuide 50ED bit.ly/3jtiLtR
ZWO ASI178MM: bit.ly/30qqbFu
QHY MiniGuideScope: bit.ly/2WD6bOA
QHY5L-IIM: bit.ly/3jpcE9y
Focusers, filters, filter wheels
ZWO EAF: bit.ly/2OCp13U
ZWO EAF Advanced Bundle: bit.ly/2ODHjlt
ZWO EFW 8x1.25" Or 31mm: bit.ly/30oN3VD
ZWO EFW 7x36mm: bit.ly/2CrnhrY
ZWO Mini filter wheel: bit.ly/32v1JoZ
ZWO Duo-band filter: bit.ly/2PUP07s
Astrodon filters: bit.ly/3fHiPne
Optics
Vixen R200SS + Coma corrector: bit.ly/2OFW8E0
Vixen R200SS: bit.ly/2OGq6YJ
Vixen PH Corrector / Reducer for R200SS: bit.ly/3fHicKo
Coronado SolarMax Solar Telescope: bit.ly/2ZIT9kv
Others
Artseky Flat Panel: bit.ly/3jtj8of
Telegizmos 365 Cover: bit.ly/2CMOrt8
Follow me!
My Instagram: / cuivlazygeek
My Facebook page: / cuivlazygeek
#astrophotography #skywatcher

Наука

Опубликовано:

1 авг 2024

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 127

@whatmattersmost6725 3 года назад

Hi Cuiv, FYI those screws holes are 1/4-20 not 3/8. Also get that ADM VPA-AZGT- V no screw holes and a better fit!

@terrybrooks395 3 года назад

The Sky Watcher doevetail adaptor is solid and much cheaper, allows you to fit a ball head with arca swiss or any other standard camera mount www.amazon.co.uk/Sky-Watcher-Star-Adventurer-Ball-Adapter/dp/B00YWPCNJU

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Oooh thanks for reminding me of that - apologies for the wrong info in the video! I will pin this comment!

@AstroProductReviews 9 месяцев назад

This is the kind of set up I've been wanting to do for a while! Excellent! Thanks!

@ironwither123 3 года назад

This video is exactly what I needed for my future set up. I really love your tutorial video because of how to the point and relatable it is. That scope is really nice too.

@astrobeardimage 3 года назад

Cool little refractor looking forward to seeing that again! Clear Skies

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Thanks AstroBeard! Videos of it coming soon :)

@spookydonkey2195 3 года назад

Love the new scope, it’s almost as cute as my Spacecat 😉. I’m excited for your travel videos in the future. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Yep, it's in the plans for the channel! It will have to be limited at first as what I'm thinking about involves taking some time off from work... Maybe one day I'll be as big as Trevor and YT will be my work :-p

@douglassmith1215 3 года назад

I recently discovered a cute trick to avoid marking the pretty dovetails. I happened to have what's called "Thermal Copper Heatsink for CPU GPU" 15mm x 15mm x 1.5mm (check on Amazon). They usually come in a package of 10 for less than ten dollars. Being quite soft, copper will grip both surfaces securely without marking. If you tend to put the dovetail back in approximately the same place all the time, you can use "Scotch double sided tape" (the thin transparent kind) to position them. 15mm is about the height of most dovetails and 1.5mm thick is enough to survive quite serious clamping. I normally use the ADM clamps but they are not typically made for small mounts and the weight would be too great anyway.

@Astrofrank 2 года назад

A very cheap alternative: Larger cardboard packages are often secured with plastic ribbons, some of them fit nicely to the clamping surface of a dovetail bar. Just keep one of them after unboxing.

@caxappuc2261 3 года назад

Thank you, awesome video! Sharpstar is going to be my first telescope, that’s why I’ll be glad if you’ll dig deep in details, especially from the point of view of the newbie.

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

I have an upcoming video where I set it up, and another with its first light!

@TMG_Dude 3 года назад

Very neat adorable little setup ! Thanks for sharing !

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Thanks for the feedback! I love adorable setups :-)

@mathiasboehme 3 года назад

Such a cute scope! 😍

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Right?! It just screams "Buy me, hold me, cherish me" with its big puppy lens :p

@elmikol2443 3 года назад

Cool video Yannick! I recently made a rig similar to yours. Waiting for the filter drawer from ZWO. You crack me up!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Cool! I hope you'll get clear skies along with that filter drawer!!

@Diomedes642 3 года назад

Love the setup man !

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Thanks Greg!! :-)

@jeffreystirman6940 3 года назад

Much cooler than space/redcat! I got the same scope with the ZWO auto-focuser and the reducer a few weeks ago. I have only been able to use it once so far, but it's awesome! Pretty fast and very compact. Good luck with it!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Thanks Jeffrey! It had its first light for me recently as well, and it seems really really good! So happy I got it :)

@andyweeks2216 3 года назад

I'd love to hear more about the non-backlashed EAF! I'm so jealous!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

I was pleasantly surprised! There is a bit of backlash in the telescope focuser itself, but everything works fine!

@SpaceFactsWax 3 года назад

Thanks for uploading. I got the chance to witness a rocket launch in 2018. Memorable experience. I shared a pretty fun montage of the journey to my channel.

@bicycleninja1685 3 года назад

Good tips, thanks!

@celestromel 3 года назад

Happy to hear your new EAF has very little backlash - see, it can be done 🙂

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Yes indeed! That was a nice surprise :-)

@Philip-KA4KOE 3 года назад

I just forwarded this to Sarah...especially the cuteness at around 10:45.

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Hehe, I hope she enjoys it!

@Fredruiz622 3 года назад

Love the video, excellent stuff. How about a series on auto guider cameras and guide scopes?

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Thanks for the suggestion Fred! I do touch upon it to some extent in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4pqowyaQy-M.html But yes a proper autoguiding guide video :-) would be nice indeed! Thanks for the suggestion!

@AcButeo 3 года назад

If it isn't too late yet... FirstLightOptics carries an ADM clamp style mounting base for the AZ-GTI. No more screws, no more marring!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

I know... I used to have the Vixen dovetail version of it with my old AZ-GTi and I found it quite flimsy, I wasn't a big fan of it. I've told the Vixen+Losmandy version is better though...

@AcButeo 3 года назад

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Oh, I didn't know that. I do have the Vixen-Losmandy version and it is definitely rock solid.

@rossbrigolimusic 3 года назад

Very informative! Now browsing for cannon lenses on ebay. :D

@dankahraman354 3 года назад

Thank you Cuiv. You are a bundle of energy. Two ideas for you: 1) Look into Green Swamp Server. I know people are getting guiding as accurate as 0.10" RMS. It is designed for Synscan, Skywatcher, Atlas mounts idea #2. Sharpcap live image capture/stacking as well as the option of saving individual frames. Unbelievable! Get some rest man!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Thanks for the suggestions Dan! I actually started using GSS a few nights ago! It's quite impressive, but two nights ago I started having terrible guiding that stayed with further calibrations (with or without the GSS Goto DEC pulses). The moment I switched back to EQMOD (during the same night), guiding was back to normal... So I'm not sure what to think! I'll have to test it again at some point...! As for #2, I may indeed feature it, but I prefer to use Dark's EZ Live Stack in PI, as it's more powerful! Thanks for the ideas! And I never need rest, I'm a machine :D

@dankahraman354 3 года назад

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Remember Rusty the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz....Reinstall GSS and see if it helps...Using PhD2 at present but if I don't execute it as Administrator I have nothing but grief

@dilipsharan8699 3 года назад

I would be interested to hear more about GSS!

@geirvalsvik1780 2 года назад

Hi Cuiv, thanks for a great video again, i'm a big fan of you channel! Very interesting info about the Astromechanics adapter for Canon lenses. That is a great piece of equipment I think i need to have :) The 2" filter adapter mentioned, is that only sold by the japanese company you link to? (I can not see the 2" spacer on Astromechanics pages, only a 1.25" and a M36 adapter) I'm using 2" filters, so I would love to get that 2" version. I assume the electricsheep company only sell to japan? Best regards from Norway!

@richardxiong6926 3 года назад

Wow, Cuiv, we have the exact same super portable telescope setup! I am using 071 with this setup right now but I have a 533 too if I want to "zoom in" a bit. The performance of the Sharstart 61 EDPHII with the 0.8 RF is really impressive. I had my first light last week and the stars are sharp and round all the way to the edges with the aps-c sized sensor. You will not be disappointed. I use ZWO ASIAIR Pro to control my rig which helped me get rid of the computer to make the setup truly "Portable" haha. Here is an image of my rig, I would assume your finished set up will look pretty similar to mine since we have pretty much exactly the same equipment :)) And you could see the First light image of NGC 7000 in there too. It only has 55 min of exposure time before the cloud rolled in and I have to end my session. BTW don't upgrade the firmware to 3.22 August 9th version yet. I experienced the same DEC guiding issue people are saying using that firmware during my first light session and I had to turn off the DEC guiding because it drifts so bad even with a successful guiding calibration process. flic.kr/p/2jA51Wg

@Aerostar509 3 года назад

Tell us about the mount under your tracker, the piece with the blue knobs. It looks very precise.

@richardxiong6926 3 года назад

@@Aerostar509 Its this thing here. Cheaper than the William optics wedge and still has a hight percision during PA adjustment. www.aliexpress.com/item/32822479423.html

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Wow Richard, that is a beautiful, beautiful rig! And very sharp stars! I will need to mount a small computer on my rig at some point (I've been waiting for the ASIAir Pro to add autofocus for over a year now). Very interesting on the 3.22 firmware, I will check at my next session, thanks for the tip! That wedge tickles my curiosity! Thanks for the feedback :-)

@richardxiong6926 3 года назад

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Yeah I am waiting for that ASIAir update for autofocus function too. Rumors are that zwo will have it included in the next 1.5 app version update which is scheduled to be released at the end of this month but might got delayed again since its already 25th now.

@salomon1639 3 года назад

@@richardxiong6926 Richard. I love the set up- can you please let me know what you used to attach the asiair pro to handle of scope and want size dovetail plate you used at base of scope to attach to mount-thanks for your help

@noypi75 3 года назад

Hi Cuiv. Good video as always. Need info on that dovetail lens and camera mount. I want one!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

It's here! www.electricsheep.co.jp/astroshop/?itemcode=esring01 . But it's Japan only!

@Quilter_Di 3 года назад

Hi Cuiv, Our rig is very similar and we are really new. Would you be so kind as to do an automated session with the AZGTI and give us an example of what we are striving to create. Love watching your videos!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Thanks for the feedback Diane! All in due time - right now I'm not having the weather that cooperates, but it will come eventually!

@MarkoPola 3 года назад

i love your videos. just subscribed. i'm working on a similar compact set up for my dslr plus lens. Have you considered getting the asiair so you can use a phone or tablet instead of bringing the laptop?

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Thanks Marko, and welcome to the channel! Unfortunately the ASIAir Pro doesn't do autofocus yet, and even when the feature is added, it won't work with my lens focuser (only the ZWO EAF)... so it simply cannot work for my setup at this stage... autofocus is very important to me...

@bobbeanbags 3 года назад

So glad I found your channel!!! I have a question about the canon lens adapter by Astro mechanics. Can it be controlled by the ZWO EAF or is it used in place of the EAF for Canon EF lenses? I am using an ASI Air with an iPad (no PC). The ASI Air is compatible with the EAF for sure (both ZWO). I would like to use EAF with my canon lenses. Thanks!!!!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Welcome to the channel Robert, and thanks for watching!! As you undoubtedly found on the other video, the Astromechanics is standalone - it doesn't require an EAF (which is great), but at the same time it means it likely will not work with the ASI Air, which is really, really a shame...

@spex357 3 года назад

The single point of contact can possibly be sorted with a screw and a corresponding indent like on the wedge.

@Astrofrank 2 года назад

Another way might be using a piece of thin cork, maybe the ones used as coasters for glasses.

@rameshtahlan 3 года назад

You are doing some amazing stuff. I need some serious help. I want to us the ASI 294 MC Colour dedicated camera with my Canon lenses , 100-400L f/4.5 to 5.6, 24-105L f/4, 17-40L f/4, but how do I control the Aperture ? OR will the lens remain fully open ? Since there is a MF/AF sw, so focus in MF not a problem. I also have the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 but at 1.4 huge Coma effect, so have to stop down to 2.8 or more. How do I select a particular aperture ? If there is solution, that would be just great. At one point you said very simply that the Camera USB port gets connected to the Adapter USB port, and you have control of Aperture, does that mean I don't need to carry a Laptop and everything can be done with the ASIAir PRO App. It would be great if you can give a link to that adapter so I can order online.

@ankarstew 2 года назад

Thanks Cuiv. Stupid question: am I right in assuming that the guide scope does not connect directly to the mount? I'm using the ASiAIR+ so I'm guessing the guide scope only connects to the ASIAIR via USB? I'm looking for a travel mount to take to Southern Africa. The SW Star Adventurer GTi/ iOptron Skyhunter looks like the perfect option but there's a huge backlog in availability. I guess the AZ-GTi is the next choice. It looks like you're pretty happy with it...

@orionm4268 3 года назад

Question, how would one lock the lens aperture (The iris) on an automated ef lens? There are manual lenses I think that allow one to adjust the size of the iris with the lens and without the aid of a camera.

@lunawatanabe5311 3 года назад

Other stuff needed: - Tokyo Tower Hmm... that's gonna be a problem, seeing as I don't have one. How about a Tokyo SkyTree? Will that work?

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Hahaha, I'm glad you picked up on that! OK, the SkyTree works too :)

@HaroldxC Год назад

Hey Cuiv ! Do you think the astromechanic ring for focus is better than a ZWO EAF fixed on the Astrodymium Ring System on this setup ? Also, is a filter wheel fits between the lens and the camera (+the adapter canon to zwo) ? Thanks !

@travelanddrones 3 года назад

Excellent video and quite clear. I have a question though, and I hope you can help me: how could I get th4 right focus for my set up : ZWO 294 Pro Color + Samyang 135mm F2.0 + Canon EOS adapter? I've tried different ways using the 16.5 mm and the 21mm extenders and rings with no good results. Thanks in advance.

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Mmmh it sounds like your sensor is too far from the camera. You need to be 44mm from lens flange to sensor itself (which is recessed by 6.5mm in the camera body, and another 11mm by the removable T-ring). Not sure how wide your EOS adapter is though!

@travelanddrones 3 года назад

@@CuivTheLazyGeek thank you, I used the small ring that comes with the cam, looked for the best position + ZWO 294 and it worked. So, no extra adapter is required , Just this metal small ring.

@Aerostar509 3 года назад

Cuiv, If your (or my) wife ever figures out how much we spend on astro gear then we both are in big trouble!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Hahaha, I think everyone watching my videos is in big trouble then :-D

@stephane153 3 года назад

Hi Cuiv, I would be interested in the rings and dovetail please.

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Thanks for letting me know! I may try to contact the shop to tell them there is interest abroad...

@jirestre 3 года назад

Buy a cheap svbony red dovetail and mount the sharpstar on top. You will not mark your original dovetail. I did that with my WO ZS73.

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Thanks for the suggestion! I might do that in the end!

@anissoulhaci2653 3 года назад

Keep up

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Absolutely :)

@jackworsnop9257 3 года назад

Can you recommend a camera hot shoe to finderscope dove tail adapter?

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

I had a cheap hot shoe red dot finder bought off ebay in the past - are you planning on mounting a guidescope there? Your guess is probably as good as mine as to what works well!

@jimngugk4741 3 года назад

Hi I'm new to using these azgti and like to know where did you connect the guide scope as it's didn't have any auto guide port ? ,Thanks

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Excellent question! You may want to check my previous videos on guiding and on connecting to the AZ GTi mount: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4pqowyaQy-M.html . Basically you don't want to use the autoguiding port, even if it's available! As much as possible you want to send guide pulses directly to the mount using an ASCOM or INDI connection!

@bobbeanbags 3 года назад

Hi Cuiv, I’m lazy too! At 2:20 you said that you can plug the autofocus adapter into the USB port of an ASI camera. Does this mean an asi air could control its focus? That would be awesome!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Unfortunately the ASI Air only supports the EAF! So no.... :(

@cameronfung2296 3 года назад

Great video! What brand of tripod are you using? Thanks

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

This is a tripod from Sightron Japan: www.firstlightoptics.com/tripods/sightron-japan-carbon-fiber-tripod.html

@cameronfung2296 3 года назад

Thanks! I'll check it out... Looks like a pretty solid tripod

@tasrini72 3 года назад

Hi...how you are guiding? Guide port is there in the mount?

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Hello Srinivasan! I guide directly using ASCOM connection to the mount over Wifi, you can check towards the end of my video to see how that ASCOM connection is done: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xJmntIr50lk.html

@stephane153 3 года назад

I think I much prefer the Canon lens over the 61EDPH, it's cheaper and way more compact. But, two different things really.

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Yes indeed, completely understand - but as you say, two different things indeed!

@terrybrooks395 3 года назад

iShoot make lots of camera lens feet for many lens brands and models

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Thanks for the tip!

@ivanjaen6094 3 года назад

Culv, how do you do a precise polar alignment with that AZ-GTi mount as I do not see a polar scope?

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

I haven't used a polar scope in years... I use Sharpcap for precise polar alignment (no need for a polar scope), you can see details here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iw8AfoPmrIM.html

@timliscum2861 3 года назад

I want a no computer setup for my dark sky sessions.. the AA batteries are greater great for the mount to compliment my K1 DSLR.... but what about polar alignment.. is it close enough to polar align via azimuth and latitude angles? I put a lot of effort into making sure my tripod is level and when I do my latitude hardly needs any adjustment each time I set up

@freonmak5812 3 года назад

what brand adapter do u use to control the canon lens focus? thx.

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

It's the Astromechanics adapter, you can see my review here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WtoxBm3dzIE.html . Most of my issues with the ASCOM driver have now been fixed!

@poruatokin 3 года назад

Please can you explain how you polar align this mount?

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

I use Sharpcap! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iw8AfoPmrIM.html

@poruatokin 3 года назад

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thank you very much, I am seriously thinking to purchase one.

@Miguel_Noppe 3 года назад

Hi Cuiv, thanks for directing me to this video where you introduced the Sharpstar scope. Like i said, i've got the 76 EDPH, but the rebranded one from TS Optics, you're right, beautiful scope, but unfortunately i wasn't able to achieve balance with the stock tube-clamp and dovetail, i had to invest in PrimaLuce lab gear (witch is pretty much the same color 😅). I've done two images with it thus far, one LRGB ( astrob.in/d1lnlz/C/ ) and one narrowband, not bad, but i think i got some tweaking to do, i see a little bit of tilt and blue halo's. Curious about your findings !

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Oh yes the balance is impossible with the default dovetail! Right now I'm just using it completely unbalanced :-D I haven't seen such halos on my images, but then I use dual band filters so that could be the reason... Also I am one of those guys who doesn't care at all whether stars are not pinpoint, or halos are there or not. I've discovered it's simply much healthier not to care :-)

@stormingbarney4498 3 года назад

Can you change the saddle on the AZGTI to one that doesn’t mark dovetails?

@acapulcoastro5967 3 года назад

Yes you can. www.firstlightoptics.com/adm-replacement-saddles/adm-dual-dovetail-adaptor-for-az-gti.html

@stormingbarney4498 3 года назад

Acapulco Astro: thanks for the link - this is perfect and will be my next purchase

@stephanbutler2095 3 года назад

Hello Cuiv; not able to read a lot in the page of electrosheep , all japanese !! Is there a for western people understandable internet page/ shop? Cheers Stephan

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Unfortunately no English page...! I put the link for reference only, I'm not aware of equivalent rings anywhere else...

@Philip-KA4KOE 3 года назад

Cuiv...how do you mic yourself for these vids?

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

I use a cheap Sony audio recorder (for classes, conferences, etc.) with an old, old mic. Then I need to synchronize with the video, but I've become proficient at that. Does it sound very bad?

@Philip-KA4KOE 3 года назад

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Sounds very good. If we continue to make videos (Sarah and I), then I'm going to have to improve the setup. Using the internal camera mic is not the best way to do this.

@ioan_astro 3 года назад

61edph sharpstar? :)

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Yep! v2 of that scope (now a triplet rather than a doublet!)

@ioan_astro 3 года назад

Cuiv, The Lazy Geek I have one as well:(( but no weather

@ioan_astro 3 года назад

Cuiv, The Lazy Geek yeap:) it looks like nice little scope, mine is from tsoptics:)

@terrybrooks395 3 года назад

The Canon 50mm f/1.4 is diabolical for astro photography, the coma is just about the worst of any lens I've used, horrid, throw it away :)

@Philip-KA4KOE 3 года назад

Diablo!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

I did use it a couple of times, I think closed down to f2.8 or f3.2, and it performed decently - I'll need to try it again! Lenses, as with everything else, have a lot of variability!! :-(

@stephane153 3 года назад

You can improve your AZ-GTI with www.firstlightoptics.com/adm-replacement-saddles/adm-dual-dovetail-adaptor-for-az-gti.html

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

Thanks Stephane! Yes, I had one of those before (well, the Vixen saddle one), and it felt a bit less stable than the default one, so I think I'll just start with the default dovetail-marring saddle for now!

@MichaelLevAstro 3 года назад

Congrats on the Sharpstar! It's an awesome little scope, Redcats are Overated!! 😁 I use the 76EDPH and am inlove with it, it's so good! Check out the #gallery channel on the nina discord, i uploaded the Elephent's trunk nebula shot with that scope.

@spookydonkey2195 3 года назад

Aww, I love my Spacecat! Admittedly I don’t have much to compare it to besides cheap cannon lenses but for the $ I think it’s hard to beat. No flatterer required was what sold me. The Sharpstar is a cute scope though, I’m excited to see it in action!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

I saw that, it's a beautiful and very sharp image!! This series of scopes is a killer!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

I think what turned me away from the RedCat / SpaceCat was the helical Focuser - you need some DIY work to automate such a Focuser, and even then there would be a belt in the way (most likely)... Otherwise I think I'd have done like everyone else, and just sprung for one! Flexible back focus is awesome!

@spookydonkey2195 3 года назад

Cuiv, The Lazy Geek yes the focuser is the weak point in my opinion. It’s a pain to get it just right.

@whatmattersmost6725 3 года назад

First!

@CuivTheLazyGeek 3 года назад

As always! :D Thanks for watching and commenting!