Beginners MUST use a small refractor - Still true in 2024?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, and Happy 2024! My Patreon: www.patreon.com/cuivlazygeek Amazon affiliate: amzn.to/3hTB5Ne Agena affiliate: bit.ly/3Om0hNG High Point Scientific affiliate: bit.ly/3lReu8R All-Star Telescope affiliate: bit.ly/3SCgVbV Dwarf 2 Smart Telescope: bit.ly/3SyChXu Seestar S50: tinyurl.com/3n62hpzx

[@stay_at_home_astronaut]

Thank you for providing us with "humble-hardware" with this encouragement.

[@RWBHere]

All the best for 2024, Cuiv. 🙂👍

[@robertlautenslager9832]

I have a soft spot for newtonians. Fourteen years ago I learned the night sky in my Bortle 5 backyard with Orion XT8, and Starblast 4.5 and it was an amazing fun time of discovery. I hand built two mirrors, and started to burnout fighting the neighbors lights.. and EAA saved the day. I bought an Atik Infinity camera. Their software and camera pared with my home made 6" f5 newt and Atlas mount changed everything for me. Especially during galaxy season, when with just 6" of aperture there was all this detail I could never see even with my largest dob. I rarely use my dobs anymore, and like all of us, I have spent many thousands of dollars on the latest and greatest equipment. But, my most used telescope continues to be my 8" f 3.9 newt. I have only owned one refractor and I almost never use it, I perfer tinkering with the newt.

[@johndaley9188]

I'm a beginner now for about 6 months. It didn't take long to realize this hobby is huge and expensive mistakes are real. To me it comes down to education. Watching you and others has helped tremendously. When I do buy(before spring) I'm leaning toward 9.25 CG on a AM5. So, my answer to your question will be no if I continue with my buy plan. Great question and video. Thank you.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

The C9.25 is great for planets and even for deep space IF you have the seeing to support it! Otherwise you may be better off with a large refractor or a C8 or EdgeHD8!

[@jamesp5408]

I think this is a nice reminder that astrophotography is photography after all. Even with terrestrial photography, wider angles present fewer technical challenges (for the most part) but leave you with more stuff to either compose into the image or try to keep from distracting from the subject. Longer focal lengths are more fiddly, but make it easier to isolate a subject.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Very good point there!

[@TheOrionDude87]

For a budget set up I went with the original Bresser 6" tabletop (F5 750mm focal length) and AVX mount and Uranus C camera. Capturing M81, M82, NGC 2264, NGC 2261, Whale Galaxy, Antennae galaxy, M101, M102, M42, NGC 4631, M1, Flame and Horsehead Nebula. M104, NGC 4565, and M33 Unguided and tested up 30s exposure Also tried 12in Dobsonian 4-8 seconds of exposures on M42 Battling right now with flats and darks.

[@hiddentrenton]

I started doing EAA in September 22 with a C9.25 Evolution, which was a bear, and nearly drove me out of the hobby before I started. I did get it to work reliably after a 4 month learning curve that brought me to the verge of tears on more than one occasion. Long story short, I ended up swapping that system for an Askar V and an EdgeHD 8", both on an AM5 mount. My back yard is Bortle 4, so very different from Tokyo. No doubt in my mind that the Askar V is way easier to deal with than the Edge... though I love them both, and the 8" is much easier than the 9.25, just because it's smaller and lighter and you don't have to worry about vignetting. Still, for a beginner, I would still suggest the refractor. There are plenty of bright nebulae that can fill the FOV of the Askar V, certainly in the 470-600mm focal lengths, so even in a light polluted city I would think you could avoid the low S/N scenes.

[@shadowOrgon]

Wow I wished I watched this video right after I found your channel in February.. I'm one of those people who always wanted to jump into this hobby, but was scared away by the vast options, and price. The Seestar S50 allowed me to wet my toes into the hobby and have been loving it... and now I got the astro-bug of wanting just *a little* more. Been obsessed in the last week or two looking around, researching what scope I'd want, what mount I'd want, Camera, etc. This video really helped me kinda narrow down my search parameters and helped reel me back in before I went crazy lol. Always love how much info you make so easy to understand and jam pack it into each video. Also love how infectious your passion and love for this hobby is.

[@davepritchard4208]

HAPPY New Year, Cuiv and fellow watchers. I've been at it for 20+ years. Made all the mistakes. Started with a 4.5 inch reflector (junk scope) Then went big to an OLD 8" on a HEAVY pier. LONG focal length C8 SCT. Terrible luck (but lots of frustrating "fun") until... the AM5 and a RedCat 61. Lots of success from my light polluted part of Canada, but with the advent of mini computers with "all" the required softwares (at least to capture) and the freewares to process, I am successfully imaging the night sky. 20 years later, but I'm doing it. Cuiv is right. Knock yourself out with widefield equipment, but be prepared in the CITY light. I'll be picking up a 150P this year to add a reflector back into the gear mix. Thanks for your excellent videos. So much great information and advice. Looking forward to your 2024 videos.

[@starpartyguy5605]

I tried a 10 inch Newtonian for imaging about 15 years ago. I built 2 scopes, grinding my own mirrors. First was a 10 inch F/6.3. It was originally a dob on a cherry wood base. I ordered a 12 inch diameter tube, 66 inches long. William Optics were producing a couple heavy mounts. I bought a GT1-HD on a pedestal. The problem I remember was that it shook too much in the wind. I ground a second mirror 10 inches/4.4. Shorter tube. Still struggled with wind. I have a G11 Gemini 2 now with an Ovision worm from France. 20 years old and still accurate.

[@gerardford1116]

Cuiv, I agree with your advice. The "pre-entry" knowledge you provided is excellent. Wish I had it when I began this journey. I started out about 15 years ago with a 10" Meade on a fork mount. Great for visuals, not so much for astrophotography. Progressed to a wedge which helped a bit, but the long focal length coupled with the inefficiencies of the base mount presented huge challenges. Basically, I did not know some of the basic tenants you identified and so the struggle was very real and frustrating, but I learned a lot. I was shooting with Meade DSI Pro color camera and eventually a used SBIG XM400 color CCD in those days. After three years I de-forked the 10" SCT and mounted it on a MI-250 GEM. Huge improvement and accelerated my knowledge, opportunities, and capabilities. Purchased an ES ED80 Triplet and again recognized advancement and knowledge with short vs. long focal lengths. In 2017 I purchased a Losmandy G11T and now run that with the 10" SCT and an ES ED127 (tandem mounted). Coupled with that was the switch to CMOS imagers, better acquisition, guiding, and processing software, probably thousands of hours on KZbin videos and books-research were invested yet in my opinion was worth it. The ED80 will be going on a strain wave mount but I haven't decided yet which one. A long journey, but I'm in a happy place now. We're all in a much different and exciting environment now. As you stated, think about the ZWO Seestar and the opportunities it presents to folks who want to enter this hobby. The acceleration prospects for them are enormous. Good for them. Yet, your advice with entry level GEM mounts, strain wave mounts, and focal length considerations is sound (I'm in a Bortle 8-9 environment so I know that pain as well). Good video, keep 'em coming.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you so much for this! It's been quite a journey for you and it brings back memories, as I started with a Meade LT6 telescope in Alt Az for astrophotography :D

[@mycarolinaskies]

I've been into imaging since the 90s. What I discovered early on when shooting film with my SRT101 35mm Minolta was that shooting small aperture fast F-ratio was indeed 'easy' and forgiving. But it was akin to always shooting a 28mm lens doing my daytime photography. Sure I can get A LOT of stuff in the field of view, but I couldn't drill down to the tree in the forrest. I see that the same way with the modern (last 15 years) conventional idea to shoot a 60-80 F/5-F/7 telescope. I'm only going to get so much out of that aperture, so much extra field (without trimming), but I'm really painting a huge black background with a relatively small target, or a target I can't drill down into like digging into the cereal box for a prize(for those who remember doing that). Back in the 90s if most of us weren't shooting with at least 150mm of aperture it was like we were wasting the good film. The Tak Epsilon was the premiere instrument to bridge the gap between refractor and SCT, a buddy had one and we all enjoyed how 'easy' it was to get exceptional flat images from that 3.3. Most Newtonians were at best F/7 or F/8 and reducers were expensive to get really good shots. The SCT was only a bit more tricky because with a reducer we were still dealing with a lot of focal length. A lucky few had early ST-4 units but most of us were guiding by eye with illuminated reticules. Definitly none of the easy mode everyone has today. When I got back into AP in 2017 I bought slightly used what was at the time the individuals ideal setup, an F/5 150mm with MPCC, ST80-guider w/ASI120, all on an NEQ6. There were some up and coming reasonable refractors, but I felt that 150mm was better and just as easy as any smaller refractor. I had earlier in the year bought a Sirius EQ-G w/ED80 and going to the 150 and NEQ was about getting serious. Here in 2024, a beginner can get in with camera trackers, small refractors, etc. But there's no reason a 150mm Newt cannot be a great first AP rig because it sure as heck is still portable, inexpensive, and capable and I think better as a rig to bridge the gap between wide-field imaging and sub 1-degree imaging with good detail.

[@MiguelGuila]

The processing of images taken with my Redcat 51 and a full frame unmodified camera definitely left me unsatisfied with my images and part of the reason I left the hobby temporarily and sold my gear. It's frustrating how wide the field of view is and how much I needed to crop my images, which just results in a bad quality image. As a beginner as well, with no background in image processing, I found the task daunting. Another frustration is that using a star tracker, took me ages to find my targets. I wished I had a more capable go-to mount!

[@ma-fi1nu]

I started on a c8. Once I figured out backfocus, I quickly out grew the c8.. I then got a c11 edge.. loved that so I ordered a hyperstar v4. Once I got set with the hyperstar, I bought another c11 edge and use that with the .7 reducer . Love my 2 rigs.. I go thru 2 5 terabyte hard drives every 6 months..

[@woody5109]

I’m year three into this hobby, best advice I can give, spend 80% of your budget on a mount and 20% on the scope. Finding and tracking is the key.

[@brutushusse]

...and 50% on a camera and 40% on accessories. ~190%

[@davidtotten3042]

Man, am I glad that I didn’t know any “experts” when I first started out! My first scope, the famous Dynastar 6 inch, was a long focal length newt. It had motor drive on one axis and guiding was accomplished by looking thru a guider scope and manually turn slow motion controls. Photography was done by hypersensitive film that you had to cook up yourself, with very caustic chemicals that you then had to specially process yourself. I mastered that, by myself at 16. I’m not especially bright or gifted, so if I could do that then, then I think just about anyone could master today’s scopes. It’s so friggen easy today. Yes, I have a couple modern scopes with all the bells and whistles, and they are just such a joy to use, but sometimes I yearn for “the good old days”---NOT!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Dang now THAT is a way to start!! I would have given up so many times in your stead. Wow!!!

[@pleyenterprise]

16 years old actually has the advantage of less distraction from adulthood. I taught myself photography at 15 and model airplane flight at 12. Kids at that age are a single focus.

[@davidtotten3042]

@@pleyenterprise ya, like me? Working full time to pay the house payment (my father was sick), taking AP classes, and doing all man of the house things. No I didn’t have any distractions. Maybe you grew up with no distractions but a lot of us weren’t so fortunate

[@francisfrankenne9020]

Bonjour Cuiv, Je suis tes vidéos depuis maintenant quelques années et les apprécie beaucoup, même si certains détails techniques sont hors de portée pour moi. Je suis un photographe arrivé à l’astrophoto après avoir été frappé par la beauté graphique des images de ciel profond. L’astronomie n’est donc pas mon but premier, qui est de trouver dans le ciel des tableaux abstraits intéressants. Actuellement, mon équipement est assez basique : un bon pied carbone, une monture skywatcher AZ GTi, un téléobjectif Canon 300mm f4 L, un Canon 80D défiltré,un filtre L-extreme une petite lunette + caméra pour le suivi et un asiair+. J’arrive à des résultats corrects, sans plus. Il faut que je m’améliore sur la post-production, mais je sens également que j’atteins la limite de mon matériel au niveau optique, stabilité et imagerie. Pour cela, certaines de tes vidéos m’ont énormément intéressé, celles où tu parles entre autres d’un télescope SW newton 650/600, de la monture zwo AM5et d’une caméra astro refroidie munie d’un petit capteur avec de petits pixels donnant une haute définition. Cet ensemble permettrait un cadrage serré sur les éléments d’intérêt, une beaucoup meilleure qualité d’image, des temps de pose plus courts, la suppression des flats, darcks et bias à chaque session etc, ceci avec un budget non négligeable, mais à ma portée si les acquisitions sont étalées dans le temps, ce qui me paraissait impossible jusque là Je pensais acheter en premier le le télescope, mais cela nécessite une monture plus robuste (AM3 ??), le tout couterait 2000+ euro. Trop cher actuellement pour moi. L'autre option est d'acheter la caméra refroidie en premier lieu, une zwo (seule marque compatible avec l’asiair) ASI183 color pro, qui répond aux critères recherchés mais qui a de l’amp glow ou l’asi 533, dont la résolution est moindre. La question que je me pose alors : que donnerait la combinaison de chacune de ces caméras avec mon objectif de 300mmdont la définition est certainement inférieure à celle du télescope 150/600 Gagnerais-je vraiment en qualité pour l’image finale par rapport à mon équipement actuel ? Qu’en pense-tu ?

[@Mrcloc]

I started with a 5" MCT and then went on to an f/6 8" Newtonian that I built. And I started with an ASI178MM. Start where your interest lies. :)

[@amp2amp800]

Again very astute and accurate analysis Cuiv! I started AP by doing synscan upgrade to my classic EQ6 and downsizing my antique 5" visual doublet (2000mm) to a modern 130 APO reduced to 728mm. I combined that with the small 533 sensor and an asiair pro. Portability issues overcome by using a camping cart. That was such an incredibly gentle way to get started! Everything you said in this video rings true to my experience in Amsterdam's light polluted skies. Now I've added a smaller widefield refractor (FF80 reduced to about 450mm, on an AM3 with a 2600MC). Andromeda has turned out great this season, but my heart nebula efforts so far are a complete washout! Thankyou for pointing out that I havent just "lost it" - but there is much bigger challenge to overcome here! I had kinda given up on visual astronomy for a while because of light pollution. I remain utterly gobsmacked at what is possible with modern photographic equipment. This is a fantastic hobby. Happiness and clear skies in 2024!

[@anata5127]

Wise advice! It is also about available time and ….. money. In any case, start from EAA. Then, guiding; then NINA; etc.

[@aradani3]

Hi Cuiv, Happy new year! I think I have started with the worst setup for beginners: 6 inch F5 Newtonian on a cheap EQ mount with RA motor only and a APS-C mirrorless camera. So I had all the issues: no polar scope, hard to balance, coma... Except for the Moon, I was able to shoot M42 and M13. But results were very far from what I wanted. I was far more please with the result's I got of the milky way with a DSLR on a tripod... Then I moved to the extreme opposite direction: AZ GTi, mirrorless camera, vintage Pentax SMC 200mm F4. Unguided. And HARD time processing on GIMP. Then instead of getting a larger 300mm lens, I decided to go for a 60ED doublet. And started getting decent results at least in dark locations. But things were very hard when imaging from the city. It is really frustrating, that thing that are so easy in dark locations become so difficult in the roof of your building, suddenly nothing works. So I decided that I needed a proper mount (CEM26) with polar camera, a guide camera, a home made electronical focuser, and a MELE Quieter2 with NINA... Looking back it is hard to tell what made the difference (maybe it's just experience ?) and it's even harder to give advice for beginners, because every one has different strength and weaknesses. There a steep cliff and many ways to climb it. The best advice is what everybody is telling: put good money on the mount.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Mount, mount ,mount for sure! Congrats on hanging on throughout that journey!

[@AmatureAstronomer]

I started with and still use a Bresser 102/460 f/4.5 ED refractor and a Orion Spaceprobe 130ST f/5. I chose these because they are the largest refractor and reflector I can use with my Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi mount. I do electronic assisted astronomy (EAA) with my ZWO asi294mc camera with 4-8 second exposures using Sharp Cap 4.1 in my Bortle 6 sky. I do not use or need a guidescope.

[@KevinRudd-w8s]

Happy New Year Cuiv. Great commentary, you missed one important point, not everyone has the time or the space to use a large set up such as yours, perhaps they are unable to even image from their own homes. In these cases the small refractor is possibly the only viable option. I am currently in this situation. However, when I'm able to move back into my own home next year I am planning to get a longer focal length scope for some of the reasons you have outlined. Looking forward to more from you in 2024.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's a very good point!! People imaging from their balcony, or having to go to a local park (I was like that before). I just want beginners to understand though that these days they shouldn't be afraid to go with something a bit more "crazy" than a small refractor - if they have the space for it!

[@deep_space_dave]

First of all Happy New! I started with a C90 Maksutov, then C5 but then I wanted the hyperstar so I got a C6 but then the RASA 8 finally became available so I got that and sold everything else. But I was never happy with such a short focal length and I tired of seeing the same old nebulae over and over. I wanted to see tiny dim galaxies! So I bought a used Ritchey Chretien 8" and paired that with a Starizona APEX-L. Now my RASA 8 is collecting dust as I see exactly what you mean Cuiv! Instead of dealing with all the empty space only to crop it later and take longer to stack, just get zoomed in and instantly the SNR becomes way better and no more cropping though some may need mosaics now but still more SNR! As I always tell people in the beginning get something you can afford and move up from there. One day you will find your sweet spot like you did Cuiv! Best wishes for the New Year mate!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Awesome journey Dave, love to see you so happy with the RC8! Cheers and HNY!

[@deep_space_dave]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Haha I still remember when Luke said "dont do it!" 🤣 HNYU2 😎

[@mif1118]

80mm refractor with a focal length between 400 to 500mm is a really sweet spot to start in. That is what I did and this scope is still my most used one. A reducer can broaden up the fov for a budget.

[@dysichi]

Happy new year from Tokyo. I started astrophotography with a newtonian and the target was the moon when in high school as I cannot afford a eq-mount. I re-started the hobby with a AZ-EQ 5 mount and a 200/800 newtonian reflactor three years ago. I am pretty happy with the scope and the colimation doesn't seem to bother me at all. I bought a C8 recently and struggled to find small and dim object. (Still an amateur)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Happy New Year, fellow Tokyoite! I see you are a reflector lover! If you use something like NINA together with Platesolve 3 , it should be able to center targets automatically even with your SCT!

[@edjones3390]

I started with the wrong scope... SW 130P on a flimsy EQ2 mount, I didn't know anything about astrophotography but started taking shots with my cell phone camera, then moved onto a cheap DSLR camera (which wouldn't achieve focus without a 2.5 x Barlow) images were very poor - but that winter, seemed to have a lot of clear nights - so gave me plenty of practice time! Happy new year!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Happy New Year! And yes that was a VERY undermounted setup, but so glad you persevered!!

[@naegeleh]

Thank you for your valuable informations! Good luck and clear skies in 2024!! Herbert

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Herbert and Happy New Year!

[@andrewmortimer3317]

Budget is paramount to me. I got into astronomy by building a 3D printed Hadley Newtonian. I just purchased a tracking mount and hope to modify my Newtonian to fit it. Your videos help me understand what obstacles may come up, and many ways to overcome the challenges. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's amazing! A 3D printed Hadley Newt... Wow!

[@MountainFisher]

My smallest scope is a 102mm Maksutov I use for Moon viewing on a small AZ mount, but not photos. I use a 6" reflector F5 with a refigured mirror at .98 Strehl and 1/12th wave. Easy to collimate and hardly any coma, guy in my club used a coma corrector and said it didn't make much difference because the coma was easy to crop out. I have a 4" refractor F7, but I prefer the Newtonian for visual and I don't see any coma until I get above 200x on planets. At high power I see some coma on some of the outer fov. My friend prefers a Nikon DSLR camera and I can't complain about his results as they are some of the best astro-pics I've seen. He mounts my 6" on a CGX which is pretty hefty as he has a C11 as well he mostly uses with a reducer, but he likes my scope for its contrast and clarity on brighter objects he doesn't need as much aperture for, you collimate it well and it is like a refractor with diffraction spikes in photos. I was going to change my vanes to a thinner high carbon steel I could heat treat so they wouldn't flex and he said to leave it as is. Because he thinks the diffraction spikes are perfect. Not too big and not too small. He told me that some people like the spikes, I said okay, who knew? Hubble has diffraction spikes and the JWST is just ridiculous, but that's more for science than pretty pictures.

[@ryanmichaelhaley]

My first scope was a Apochromat doublet 73mm refractor, I still use it to this day. One day I'll upgrade to a triplet (I guess it's technically a triplet with the flattener). I also use an 8" EdgeHD SCT with 0.7 reducer, which requires collimation, but that's the only reason I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner. I control them both individually with the ASIR, each unit has a dedicated computer, I run two telescopes per night.

[@KingLoopie1]

Happy new year, Cuiv! 🎉🎉 My rule has always been 'use what you've got'. And then I run out and buy 1 or 2 of everything and get confused as to which I want to use tonight and how the heck did I have it set up last time?!? I guess I need to work on setup and workflow lists and charts.... 🙄 Happy new year to all wherever you are!! 🎉✨🎶👍 Stupid KZbin update doesn't allow me to edit comments so I had to delete the other one...

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Happy New Year, and yes this is solid advice!

[@aw7425]

Happy New Year our Astro friend, may you be and your family be healthy, happy, prosperous and have clear skies forever and a day

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Same to you!!

[@astroguimo]

Really depends on the target and what you're trying to achieve. There are plenty of large emission nebulae that are no issue for a wide field refractor. The whole cygnus region is a good example. Longer focal lengths open up a whole other can of worms so I guess it comes down to what you prefer to deal with

[@IanSmith-Astro]

I started completely the opposite to the usual advice: an Edge HD 11! But I had been imaging planets with it for quite a while before changing to DSOs (and Planetary Nebula in particular). That gave me some experience of imaging with long focal lengths (I had to smile at your reference of 510mm being long 😀) and the kinds of issues that I would face. The best thing I did was change the mount from a naff old Celestron mount to a Mesu 200. Great video and a happy new year to you and all your subscribers/followers/etc. Cheers, Ian.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Happy New Year Ian, and wow that was a banger of a way to start the hobby! And an amazing mount now :-)

[@msa-6654]

It depends on the person... I started with an 8" f4 newt and i am pretty happy about it. I am used to dig into new stuff very quickly so i got guiding, capturing, automation and processing down very quickly.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Agree! And glad you've got your Newt working so well! :D

[@msa-6654]

The biggest hurdle was colimation of the newt. But watched many videos ( including yours of course ) to get me on track

[@ivanknezevic3167]

If you have the will to learn, and dedicate time to this hobby, reflectors will give you best bang for your buck. Good quality refractors, even the small ones, are pricy compared to a newtonian.

[@ronanhunt88]

You also get a gradient benefit in light pollution areas with a smaller fov. Helps a lot with light pollution. Im guessing collimation can be a big unnecessary pain for beginners. I think tailored beginner advice depending on your sky conditions, weather and objectives. I think you probably want to avoid the Quattro if you plan on moving your scope a lot or travel to dark skies as it’ll lose collimation getting moved too much.

[@samk2407]

This is 100% something I realized on my own too. You simply can't shoot wide field full color images from light polluted areas. The gradients are too extreme. However shooting longer focal lengths it's way more manageable

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yep! :)

[@bbasiaga]

How wide is wide? I have an image taken at 135mm from a B7 area that is pretty nice, APSc sized sensor. Covers the orion nebula up to the horsehead/flame. GraXpert was all I really needed to take care of the gradients. Not sure I'd go to 20mm. And the gradients from my 400mm refractor (focal length, obviously) are typically pretty easy to remove.

[@buggyland]

I've got both and as a beginner the refractor gets more use, easily. The available reducer options (while not impossible on the newt) also makes the refractor more versatile. Dew control on the refractor is much-much easier than the newt. Wind cannot be over looked, it will ruin a night for the newt but the refractor keeps on keeping on. Handling the newt is more cumbersome. All things being perfect (or merely 'good') the newt is technically better (especially bang for buck) by a mile, no argument. Unfortunately it gets less use on average entirely because of the negatives. For me, having good & regular star time is the most important thing for progress as a beginner. When you can pick and choose your nights, then go the newt.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Very interesting! I haven't had issues with dew on the Newt yet, but that's because I get wind that does prevent the dew! Thanks for the feedback!

[@giuseppececere9815]

I own both a completely automated 8” SCT and a Dwarf2 telescope and very happy with both. I agree that pictures from Dwarf2 or refractors are more difficult to edit due to large noise and large FoV compared to SCT telescopes. In light polluted area no chances with the Dwarf2 while “no problem”with the SCT by adding filters and post processing techniques. But to your question, would you recommend to a beginner a telescope with large FL? Nope. The newtonian you showed with mount, camera, pc or Asiar is more than 5k and those telescopes require tech competencies that you have but majority of novices don’t have. I would then recommend them a compact telescope like Seestar or Dwarf at 1/10th of the cost. Have a great 2024 and always learn from your videos 😉

[@AstroDenny]

I think the gear you start with isn't as important a proper understanding of the night sky. This is a great hobby but it has a steep learning curve and a lot of attention to detail. There are a lot of vids out to discuss the pros and cons of different scope types so make sure you know what you're getting into as far as collimation, one-person setup, focal ratio and image capture, etc... Do your research on polar alignment and guiding. Test everything during the day and know where everything goes almost with your eyes closed, because that's what you'll be troubleshooting in- Darkness. Join a club, make some friends, and ask lots of questions!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Good point Dennis! Willingness to learn and to fail is key!

[@cjmenagh882]

Started with 8 inch SCT, manual guiding, Kodak 400 Gold film, in North Dakota winters shooting M42. Yep, easier now. Do love the Z73 for wider field images. Mosaics are not that easy.

[@jasonpatterson8091]

I never shot on film, but I've been considering getting an SLR and trying to shoot long exposures with a modern mount and guiding.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Ooh wow! Now that's a warrior way to start! Just wow!

[@peterlaubscher3989]

I got a great deal on a 10" f/4 Newt [1 000 mm fl] and love the results. Mount EQ 5, which of course, struggles with the wind. However, on windless nights, the results are amazing. Finding stuff is hard, but after w while, you find a way to work around this issue. Maybe not ideal for learning, but the learning process wasn't overly difficult.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Wow, that's an impressive setup, especially on an EQ5! I could never make it work from my windy rooftop!

[@bobhenderson7077]

I started with the wide field option. I wanted to eliminate back-focus as issue and settled on a Redcat 71. With the Petzval design I can put any camera on it and not have to even consider back focus. Also I am well into my 60's and weight is a consideration so I chose the HAE29 from Ioptron, light and portable. I can pickup my entire setup with one hand.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's a great way to start as well, the Redcat series are great scopes :)

[@lynnoliver9802]

Great video and summary. As a recent Seestar S50 owner I take your input to heart when I decide to get more advanced.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Cheers, and congrats on your Seestar!

[@jesuschrist2284]

Im a beginner and chose a sw 72ed. Seems a good choice.

[@harynjk]

I started with a newtonian,150/750 (if i dont consider the regular camera lenses and normal DSLR/mirrorless cameras on a MSM rotator), and it took me some times to start to care about collimation, first even the coma doesn't bothered me too much. Later as i learned more, i started to care about those issues and to try to correct them.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's a good gradual approach, well done!

[@cristusvincit]

I think I never took a picture of the sky with focal length under 900mm. I started in early 90s and I think I still have the mentality of this period : long focal length, big diameters trying to see really far. If I would give advices for beginners that would be to take a good reflector for the same price of the refractor. BUT in fact spend your money in the mount. The mount IS the key, not the OTA.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Wow! Those are long focal lengths, and I guess you have the seeing conditions to support that!! Reflectors are amazing options for a low price, they just need to be collimated well :)

[@celts88-78]

Fantastic videos Cuiv, you always have so much energy and enthusiasm 😀 I've only just started out in Astro and managed to get a good deal on a 2nd hand Avalon M-Zero mount (it comes with T-pod 70 tripod) which gives me a good compromise between weight and portability (going travelling in our caravan around Oz later this year so don't want to get to large a set up that's not manageable). I've got a WO GT-71 refractor to start, and went straight for mono with an ASI294MM Pro, which came with a ZWO EFW and 3nm Chroma LRGB & SHO filters. Been looking at a good 2nd hand Esprit 120ED, but maybe I should hold off and learn the ropes with the GT-71 and ASI294MM Pro. With the processing side of things I went and got PixInsight and BlurXTerminator.

[@mrursusv]

Happy New Year and Vivat Newton!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

🎉

[@robandjo2001]

Good video again- you explore the pros and cons really nicely👍. I started with a 130pds for budget reasons several years ago, and it was a brilliant way to get going.

[@DenisMartin72]

I had purchased a Meade 8 inch SCT in the early 2000s and quickly lost interest. By an large the reason was my inability to polar align properly and I was only doing planets visually. I recently deforked the OTA and now have it on a AM5. With the addition of an asiair mini, I'm all in now. What a wonderful hobby! I am mostly imaging galaxies and having a great time.

[@TheDostergaard]

First of all, love your channel. Your passion and enthusiasm always comes through and is infectious and a part of my inspiration to pursue this hobby further. This video just validated my reasoning and decision to purchase an AM3 and 102mm refractor two days ago! About the only point I hadn't given much thought, was the ability to ignore those low signal to noise ratio areas around the targets. Now I can add that to my list! Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that we're right, just that we agree and I am happy to hear your reasons that support my decision. 😅 Happy New Year! I hope you have an awesome 2024 and beyond!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's some awesome equipment you're getting, congrats!!! And happy new year!

[@artyombeilis9075]

One another advantage of small refractor is price of the sensor. You can start easily with planetary sensor - even as cheap as 224MC or IMX178 sensor that I use with my cheap 60/400 scope (achromat - I know)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I think you can use those sensors with longer FLs too :) But you're right that in terms of FOV they're more realistic on a small refractor! I wish ZWO was still making the cooled 178 :)

[@artyombeilis9075]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I also most looking for EAA rather than AP - break through light pollution and see stuff I can't see visually. For me lightweight easy to assemble rig (but yet flexible unlike smart scopes) is high priority - so I can take the rig and start (e)observation withing few minutes. And for this small refactors are fantastic. That is why I even don't use mini-PC but rather connect the camera directly to Android tablet so I don't need to handle extra power or computer - just like stack with proper camera on a tablet.

[@KJRitch]

I started with a C8 with AVX mount this year. What is holding me back is the ASIAir Plus 256 I purchased in October. Lack of documentation and compatibility with the AVX mount has frustrated me. Signed for the beta trail hoping to get some fixes. Mount disconnect errors plague me. I’m getting a minipc to try NiNA and the applications it can control. I want to image all. Planets, lunar, galaxies, clusters and nebula. If I need wider FOV I’ll go with Hyperstar. Like you said the SCT is flexible.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yeah as I recall even in NINA Celestron mounts had issues due to their funky behavior, like if you slewed to a target close to but not yet past the Meridian, it would point from the other side proactively (to avoid a meridian flip) but still perform an (incorrect) flip afterwards, it was a bit of mess (and the reason I added a "Use Telescope Side of Pier" option to NINA at the time)

[@jacquesjolivet5685]

Bonjour. Bonne et heureuse année. Your channel is by far the most useful for budding astrophotographers. I started astrophotography in Bortle 4.5 skies using an Esprit 100 (a great all around choice) with an iOptron CEM 40 and a QHY268C, initially, changing later to a QHU268M. You have taught me how to control my sessions with NINA and I have been very happy with the results. Following a galaxy season, I added an Edge 8 HD for more magnification. This was followed by a year of frustration while setting up guiding, autofocus, OAG AND, last but not least COLLIMATION. ARGHHHH….. Your OCAL video prevented a psychiatric consultation. I’m now enjoying astrophotography again but setting up the Esprit was MUCH easier than the Edge 8 HD. I do have a question though. You rated the Edge HD as one of your most disappointing telescopes in a previous video. You now seem to recommend it what has changed your mind.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hahaha the pain with the EdgeHD! The collimation was not the problem for me, as I find SCT collimation far easier than Newtonian collimation (but I was very used to it). The EdgeHD wasn't (and still isn't) good for me simply because of the seeing conditions here. It gives me an image scale that forces me to oversample with pretty much any camera! That is why I was disappointed with it (and some other stuff like the weird way the backfocus is computed from the reducer). So in this video I'm careful to mention the seeing conditions have to support it :-) Another reason I can recommend it is now we have a lot of OAG options, including the excellent Celestron one, we have a lot of good USB controlled focus options (I didn't at the time), etc :)

[@Rafastro]

Great video, but you did not mention the need to guide below the image scale. Guiding below .40 or .30 RMS, requires quite a bit of fine-tuning, not to mention a very good mount.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yes it's impossible to go into every detail unfortunately!

[@Jcastleinfo]

Unless you are really experienced with new things, optics/cameras, and have a lot of patience, a refractor is the way to start, but I don't agree it has to be small as long as your mount can handle it. Price is probably the limiting factor before getting "too big". I started on an 80mm APO. Actually, I started with a camera lens and DSLR on a SkyWatcher AZ-GTI with a wedge which was much more difficult than a simple ZWO setup. I was disappointed with the results but excited by the potential and jumped in full with a refractor and AA+ and CEM26 about 2 months later.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I agree that refractors can take a lot of the guesswork out of the equation, especially Petzval designs! Still it's good for beginners to know what is available to them :)

[@Jcastleinfo]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek also Happy New Year from Kyoto!

[@-VK2NP]

Happy New Year Cuiv🎉 I started with a Meade 6” ACF SCT still love it and Azeq6 but now use a Vixen SXD2 mount much lighter as I can’t leave it set up and a 700mm 110 Refractor mainly

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I started with a Meade LT 6 ACF, so pretty much the same thing! And then I had a Vixen SXD2 which is a great, great mount! So very similar :D have fun imaging and happy new year!

[@OGParzoval]

That orange box looks familiar. Tell me that's a stellermate and someone is finally going to review one. I contemplated getting it and doing a video about it, just like my alternative AM5 mount from iOptron that nobody has reviewed much either. Feel like there's holes in reviews, not sure if it's manufacturers not caring or what.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yep, it's the Stellarmate Pro!

[@pleyenterprise]

Thanks for the refractor vs. reflector comparison for photography. Collimation don't bothers me, even though I am a new user. I have a 10" Newt and a SCT C6 with AM5 & ASI533MC and ASI Plus for ease of use. The big Newt is for manual observation, and the SCT rig is for picture; I still need a guild scope and cam, plus an ASI focuser. The SCT's long focal length (1500mm) needs a reducer to make it wider so a 1/3 Focal length guild scope can be easier to find. Do you have any recommendations for such a guild scope? I like your idea of using Newt. Refractors are much more popular for astrophotography, citing that the lens image is better than mirrors. What size and brand is your Newt? Maybe a large guild scope can turn into a Refractor later? I am in AZ with B3 & 4. Light pollution is not a big problem compared to Tokyo.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

My Newt is the Quattro 150P - if you check my channel, I have multiple videos where I improve it!

[@jeff5163]

Happy New Year Cuiv, I just bought the AM5 and I'm still fiddling around with trying to get tracking under 1. Could you do a video on how to calibrate PHD2 and adjust setting for the new harmonic mounts. I've read a ton but would love to see you go through a setup routine from start to finish.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It might not be enough for a video, but I'll look into it! The trick is one second exposures, multi star guiding enabled, and aggressiveness settings to 0.6-0.7 for both RA and DEC!

[@revolting887]

Happy New Year Cuiv! Now that I finally got my AstroPC you reviewed and switched over to NINA, you've got another imaging PC to review!?!? My timing is off by 5 months!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Don't worry, the NINA imaging PC is still the best ever 😂

[@gcgreg]

What an interesting perspective and a good explanation of the reasoning behind it. I especially like the focus on the fact that it makes the process(ing) enjoyable - surely that's a key objective for most people in any hobby but one that's easy to lose sight of.

[@simonhooper2458]

Dammit, I need to know what that red box is 🤣. Beginning the setup of my first deep sky rig and using a Macbook, hopefully this is affordable enough and saves me the hassle of going down the PI route myself. Don't want to be locked into one manufacturer and am looking at Player one for my cameras.

[@marvinwhisman3333]

Okay I can't wait to see the orange box that works like an ASIAir. Happy New Year Cuiv.

[@PEWannabee]

its probably the stellamate X. running Stellaberry flatform

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Still testing it Marvin, and it's promising despite some bugs! It's the Stellarmate Pro :D

[@liviulazar9387]

Happy New Year , man! You´re great, like always! All the best, from Munich!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Happy new year!

[@TL1000S97]

Very good advice Cuiv! I'm a beginner in this hobby and have noticed these issues with small refractors and SN-ratio that are hard to process. I also love that 585 sensor so I have two. ❤

[@thomasrider5852]

Im starting with a Celestron 8 Evo and Nikon D3300. I can get up to 30 second exposures with guiding and focal reducer. Definitely want an astro modified DSLR or Cooled camera and an AM5 in the future

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

For your next upgrade, I highly recommend the cooled camera rather than a modded DSLR, and follow that with the AM5 or other strain wave gear mount!

[@thomasrider5852]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I fear if I went cooled camera I would miss the APS-C the Nikon has unless I went very expensive 571 sensor. I also think going cooled and cheaper 533 would be great in Arizona summers where a Nikon might not be useable for close to same price as a newer modified Nikon D5600

[@giuseppececere9815]

Buy a ASI294MC-pro and you will not lose a lot of FoV and is a great color camera. Have your same setup and never went back to a DSLR (own Nikon D5300)

[@FlyRc23]

$500 for that short focus newtonian with coma corrector included looks like quite a deal. $800 plus for the 2 inch redcat not so much.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yes it's an incredible deal, but you do need to be willing to work on it until it performs well!!

[@MountainFisher]

Get an Astro Tech 80mm ED for under $400. I had one and it worked well.

[@blufferblue1599]

Great video. Can you do comparison of medium to high focal length refractors and reflectors for astrophotography? As I see it, for given focal length you either get reflector - so you have star spikes and have to collimate occasionally, or you get refractor which has none of the above but costs like 10X and weighs 2x. And for some reason a lot of people go with refractor.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's an interesting topic, and you've actually summarized it pretty well - I might just do a video about that :D

[@paulyoung4817]

Happy New Year Cuiv... Great analysis. Please keep up the channel if you can in 2024. Priceless!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks so much Paul!

[@candylai2981]

I watched your D2 EQ mode setup, I also saw someone setup Seestar S50 in EQ mode on Facebook, it seems works. Can you also make video sharing howto setup EQ mode with Seestar S50. Thanks😊

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

Ah Cuiv you're teasing us with the orange box so I'm looking forward to the review of whatever it is as I've been thinking about buying a Stellarmate pro which is also orange. I started doing some planetary using a 200P on an EQ5 but the deep sky imaging bug started to bite & I ended up buying more & more but there's a lot of stuff I've wasted money on to. Newtonian's are great imaging scopes but they are also a pain to set up as you mention whereas refractors are more plug & play but sadly a lot slower. I image with a RASA 11 at home & I love it but it does have plenty of issues to contend with & its a scope you have to work with. Heres wishing you a happy new year Cuiv & I look forward to more of your fine content to

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

You fell into the astrophotography black hole! Aaaand yes it is a Stellarmate Pro! Happy New year!

[@DSOImager]

Gateway drug... in astrophotography now.. lol. Good points across the board.

[@sKay11623]

Yes, I have the ioptron HEM15 and this little beauty is awesome. Most the time I use it with the skywatcher Evoguide 50ED as my main scope, one of the smallest refractor but I love it 😊 But even with a 130 f5 Newton, the results are really good. By the way I love your videos and can't wait for a new one. Have a nice 2024 an keep going on Greetings from Germany

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks so much for this feedback and happy new year! There's a lot of happy campers with the HEM 15 :-)

[@sKay11623]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek and a happy new year to you, here it will be 2024 in 28min 😀🎉

[@johnbutterworth5193]

Happy New Year Cuiv 🎉, another great informative video, I,m using a SK 72ed at present but looking at pushing my limits, I also have a SK200 newt, that I have never used, and was thinking of selling but after seeing this video I may give it a go for astrophotography, keep up the great work.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Happy New Year! And wow you will have a blast with that Newt,... As long as you get it well collimated (and get a coma corrector!). Have fun!!

[@stevengrunfeld5627]

Happy New Year Cuiv, I have recently started astrophotography. I chose an Askar 107phq, am5, and a zwo 2600mm pro with guiding. It has been and still is a challenge to take on mono chrome however I am happy with my choice.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's an excellent rig, well done on putting it together!!

[@jacquesdemolay3303]

Happy new year from France

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Bonne année, bonne santé, et surtout beaucoup de nuits claires!

[@bobhenderson7077]

I am a beginner when it comes to the hobby and I have noticed a dearth of information on weather conditions. More specifically on when it is better to stay home. I use Telescopius and I am not sure how to interpret very bad bad regular good excellent. What effects does each have on my results? Is it possible to compensate? Can I mitigate the effects with equipment/target choice? I know that with experience I will learn however I am being lazy and thought I would ask someone who already knows. For me at this time of year there is a lot of cloud and the humidity is almost always "bad" when it is clear the temperature drops to -12c and I am told to expect -30 on a regular basis. I will gladly endure the worst of the cold because I am under Bortle 1 skies :) I would however like more sure that the effort was warranted. Clear skies

[@ericwilkes1840]

Wonderful video Cuiv

[@ricklaird2218]

Great video Cuiv. The new Harmonic drives are a game changer. I went from a iOptron Gem28 to a iOptron HEA29. Best guiding I got with the GEM28 after an achieving perfect balance (10 min or more of effort) was about 1.2” RMS. On the HEA29 consistent guiding of < 0.75 RMS with no balancing. Just mount the scope and go. I use a small refractor (GT 71) so that helps. What are your thoughts on pre cropping images prior to integration? Taking an APS-C image , crop down to just the part of the image desired and do a batch crop of the frames. I guess you would have to do the darks and flats in that set also. But might be an interesting technique. What are your thoughts? Thanks again for the video.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I have a video about precropping already :)

[@knightclan4]

I'm just a visual astronomer. I have been watching the astrophotography KZbin videos for years wondering whether to go down your rabbit hole.

[@dadwhitsett]

don't. you'll probably regret it. call my wife🤣

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Wellllllllllll it depends haha. But if you're in a fairly dark area it can be extremely rewarding immediately, even with stuff like the Seestar S50, or adding a camera to your current rig!

[@keithhanssen7413]

Best set-up for a beginner is a camera/lens and star tracker.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Oooh I disagree as especially from cities like Tokyo a full GoTo mount + platesolving is almost a must have to find targets! It really depends on the situation!

[@keithhanssen7413]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek the skywatcher gti is goto, but yes, I see your point.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

@@keithhanssen7413 yep! So I see it as a full fledged mount rather than a star tracker! Cheers and happy new year!

[@keithhanssen7413]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek happy new year, Cuiv! Thanks so much for all of your detailed work. Always a pleasure!

[@deepthought1569]

I guess I'm that guy starting with a c11 😂 I just got the zwo 533 and it's been cloudy since. I'm hoping the .63 reducer will help. Failure isn't an option but dying of age may be.😂 Eventually I'd like to try the hyperstar. I chose the sct as my first real scope because it does everything I want that the dwarf can't do. BTW, thanks for teaching me everything about the dwarf and your my #1 astrophotography guy I watch. Clear concise and to the point 👉

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks so much and good luck with that setup! I would recommend not caring too much about the stars in the corner, as the .63 reducer won't give perfect results! But BlurXterminator, if you have it, will make short work of that!

[@deepthought1569]

Omg, I can't believe you messaged me omg omg 😭 It's an absolute honor I'm lost for words. Thanks for your words of encouragement they mean the world 🌎 ❤️ 🙏 I am so absolutely grateful to even own an instrument like this , for now I won't concern about small details as I will be in awe if I can get some dso with even the shortest exposures. Thanks for posting your videos. Honestly without you I wouldn't be where I'm at today. Your Dwarf tutorial is the holy grail to beginners and it's widely known in the dwarf fb community. Happy new year , your an amazing person !!! 💛

[@gregerianne3880]

Great insights, Cuiv! The information you provide, as well as your incredible enthusiasm, is very much appreciated! Thank you for a great year of videos, and Happy New Year to you. Wishing you all the best 2024 has to offer. 👍

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks so much Greg, Happy New Year to you too!

[@stevenmoore7123]

Another thought provoking discussion. What is this new mini computer!!!!!🤔

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It's the Stellarmate Pro!

[@theHDRflightdeck]

Happy new year Quiv! I’m going to buy the AM3 for my 80mm refractor. Is there a reason I should buy the AM5 instead?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

For a refractor, the AM3 should be more than enough!

[@bbasiaga]

I like the size and portability of the strain waves. But they are not a solution for every problem. While they do allow payload increases vs. some of the GEM mounts, they MUST be guided due to their very large periodic errors. So that puts a beginner in to guiding right away. They are harder to polar align if you are not using a computer, due to lack of a polar scope. So that drags you in to a laptop, mini PC, or ASI Air right away too. Of course if you are commtted to all of that, then they are good options with high payload for their size.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

To be honest I would recommend guiding to all beginners if their mount supports being guided.

[@AVIDAlimf]

Great video Cuiv, as always! Buon anno! 🇮🇹

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Buon Anno!!

[@didierpeyret9561]

I Cuiv. Happy new year from France ! I hope you weren't affected by the earthquake... Just about the new type of mount : does the need to still use a counterweight from a certain optic size (I use a 10-inch Ritchey-Chrétien), in order to avoid tilting of the mount, not reduce the interest in an 'armonic drive' mount?

[@ssrattus]

Thanks Cuiv!

[@cjmenagh882]

Happy New Year! Any thoughts about some other f2 replacement for your oops? Did home owners/renters insurance cover it? Glad I’m in a Bortle 3 and use a 73mm and an 8 inch SCT. All fun!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Wow Bortle 3 is amazing! Unfortunately the C6 wasn't covered by insurance, I'm currently thinking that maybe I should be happy with the two setups I have on camera for now... Plus they don't require preshifted narrowband filters!

[@SKYST0RY]

From camera technology to image processing, I am finding a lot of the old principles no longer apply. I think we are in for an exciting time of all kinds of positive changes in the field.

[@ravnica1]

It is easy to forget that the learning curve is really steep, and there's a lot of complexity in setting up hardware and software, and then processing the images. Some beginners might even be totally new to astronomy in general and not know how to find their way in the sky. It is a big ask to pour thousands of dollars into equipment when all you get in return is frustration. But I can also recall the excitement of capturing the first images. In my humble opinion, every beginner should start with a small, inexpensive mount, scope, and an old DSLR. Could ROI address the issue of unwanted space around the target?"

[@AstroProductReviews]

Awesome! Another excellent video! Super informative - you gave us some interesting things to think about. I like what you said about those who already own a Seastar S50: should *maybe* be thinking about a Newtonian or SCT 👍🏻 Thank you!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Exactly! Thanks and happy new year!

[@rawhead909]

あけおめ〜〜。 Looking forward to more vids in '24, Cuiv. I'm thinking of starting a channel myself, with a very different theme.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Best of luck!

[@etx007blue2]

Hi Cuiv, how good is the CEM60 compare to the AM5 in terms of performance. Thanks !

[@waynewheaton3210]

Good to know. I'm just starting out and live in a Bortle 7 area. Newbie question, at what focal length(ish) would one consider not wide field?

[@shubhamcweb]

Hi Cuiv, I have an 8” f4 with exos-2 pmc8 mount. Planning to get a paracorr2 and a camera soon to start astrophotography. I have zeroed down to getting either the ASI294MM or MC since it covers a larger area and has a better pixel scale, and is overall the best sensor for my system. As someone who is just starting with (actually doing) astrophotography, should I just take the plunge and go mono or do you think osc might be better? I’m a CS student and have been watching you and Trevor & others since years at this point, so have gotten to know a lot about different aspects of mono imaging so not really afraid of a steep learning curve tbh. I live in bortle 8, so mono seems optimal…. OR do you think if I just integrate for much MUCH longer with osc, I’ll be able to swamp the noise & not really need mono? Simplicity of osc is enticing too…. Ugghh can’t decide!! Sorry for long comment, would appreciate your response. Thanks, and happy new year!!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It's a really difficult question! I went mono in the past, but went back to the simplicity of OSC... And for now I've stayed there. I no longer had any of my old monochrome equipment... Do note that the ASI294 (and other cameras with that sensor) is a very capricious camera, especially if used with a narrowband filter! Also the MC has huge pixels at the default Bin2 (Bin1 difficult to use in practice with the MC). With that sensor: - do not take bias frames - take flats that are at least 3 seconds long - take flat darks of the same length - take darks With the above it should work fine! I would suggest an IMX533 or similar is far easier to start with :)

[@shubhamcweb]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thanks for the insight Cuiv! I think I might just go OSC to begin my journey with this setup, and then later (like when I have some $$$ saved) invest in something like an SVX102T with IMX571 mono chip and all the shenanigans.... I will look into the quirks and imperfections of the 294. Hopefully it won't be too bad. I really, and I mean REALLY, wanna go with an IMX533 but the fov is just so small at 920fl for so many DSOs! M81-82, Leo Triplet, veil.... name anything! It's just a bit too small :( So yeah, I guess I'll just take a leap of faith with the IMX294-C and figure out my way from there. Thanks again for your input, and happy new year!!

[@davewilton6021]

A couple of points: 1) You mention it later on in the video when you're talking about the Newtonian, but I would emphasize that a huge reason that beginners should go with a small refractor is the lack of a need to collimate. A beginner rig should remove as many obstacles to capturing good data a possible. Once they've mastered the basics, they can move on to more complicated rigs. (And best, if you have the money, is a Petzval design like the Redcat, eliminating the issue of backfocus.) 2) The only real advantage of a strain wave mount over a GEM is its weight and mobility. These mounts are great for small rigs, but once you get a heavier scope, the advantage disappears. The motor may be able to handle the additional weight, but you still have to add counterweights (or weights on the tripod) to keep the rig from tipping over, and the advantage is lost. If you're always imaging from the backyard or balcony, a traditional GEM gives you more flexibility.

[@jasonpatterson8091]

I couldn't disagree more with your first point. Collimation is just not a major thing. It's something you learn how to do and then it's done in a couple of minutes when it needs to be addressed at all. If a person can figure out how to assemble an astrophotography rig and get it all working properly, adding a small additional task is just not a major hurdle. Further, if a person isn't prepared to deal with any problems at all, they're just not going to stick with this hobby.

[@davewilton6021]

@@jasonpatterson8091 There are so many points of failure in astrophotography, it's very important to eliminate as many as possible for the beginner. For those of us who are experienced, collimation is a no brainer. But for a newbie, it is a very daunting task. If a new scope arrives out of collimation, the beginner will be at sea from the very start. You want a few early successes so the beginner experiences the fun of the hobby before the frustrations.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

While I agree on the first point, solutions like the OCAL have made collimation far closer to a "push here dummy" approach :-) still, as I said in the video, a large refractor also makes sense :) And you're right on (much) heavier setups - I was careful to only give examples of medium size (and weight) setups :)