I Finally Got It! Unboxing My New Gear and First Impressions

[@gregorymckenna6609]

Good to see you back and more importantly fantastic that you are putting family first! Cheers

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Gregory! Most important thing 🙂

[@stefanschneider3681]

I'm very glad you took the break to re-focus, it's your life, you don't owe us anything. But I think you connect with us, that's why we are subscribed, and are interested in what's coming, whatever it is. Some might turn away, but I think that's fine, and the ones that stay around don't mind the pace of you uploading stuff. After all, it should be something you enjoy!

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Stefan. You’re absolutely spot on 👍

[@jessbailey1429]

1:03 So glad you’re back but just as glad you took a break. Good for you! Always appreciate your clear, patient explanations of complicated material.

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Jess! Hoping to make some useful content for people soon 🙂

[@71janas]

Happy to see you back: Better to take a break, than breakdown yourself.

[@AstroExploring]

Thank you!

[@craiglowery4427]

I missed you. You helped me get my first start into PixInsight. I'll never forget your easy to understand style. Welcome back

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks so much Craig!

[@3172bees]

Life is short, stress is a killer. Take it easy and stay healthy for the wife and kids. I’m just a beginner with cameras but I am right in the path of the solar eclipse coming up in April.

[@AstroExploring]

Hope you get some good shots!

[@astronebulee578]

Great to see you back and doing what you love rather than what you were made to do. You just do what you want to do Nick and enjoy it as that's what it should all be about. Doing something that'll make you happy and get more joy out of it. Take whatever time you need, life is to precious 😊

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Lee!

[@bngwira]

Welcome back Nick. We missed you. Glad you're OK.

[@AstroExploring]

All good thanks!

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

Do what you enjoy don't feel pressured into anything on here by anyone, I just do it as a bit of fun but I really do come across crap on camera lol. Congrats on the Quark you'll have fun with that although I'm still old school using PST's DMK41 cameras & a Lunt wedge for white light. Clear skies

[@AstroExploring]

The main thing is you’re having fun 😀

[@HelenasAstrophotography]

So good to see you back, Nick. I have a very similar outlook on sponsorships. It can also add an extra pressure on uploading when you have to meet the sponsorship deadlines rather than uploading because you want to make a video. So happy to see you're doing well and can't wait to see where you take the channel!

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks so much Helena! Working to somebody else’s timeline definitely didn’t agree with me 🙂 nice to see that you’re making videos again too! Haven’t seen your latest yet but it’s on my list for this week

[@ianmacdonald2307]

Great to see you back. I, like others wondered where you’d gone. You come across as very humble and know what you want to do and what you don’t. You, and particularly you introduced me to this great hobby at the beginning of lockdown. I learned so much from you and am eternally grateful for that. My advice would be to stick to doing what you enjoy doing in your time without the pressures of of others. Keep it simple. Your tutorials are good and are always engaging when you are doing the practical stuff you enjoy doing. Like you say, this is where you attracted your viewers! Once again, it’s good to know you’ve not gone away 🤝

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks so much, Ian! It’s great to know that I played a part in your journey in this hobby. That’s exactly what motivates me to do this!

[@richardmorris4697]

Hey Nick, great to see you back. Your content is so helpful. Good on you for taking time out. Totally respect you, not selling yourself and sticking to your core Interests and values.

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Richard 🙂

[@iangee856]

Hi Nick. I've just bought a 432mm for my daystar solar scout. Not used it much yet but lent it to a friend who is more experienced at solar and uses a quark. He has been using a 174mm but says the 432mm is awesome . Good luck with solar and looking forward to future vids.

[@TelfordO]

I have the same but not for solar, I use it for DSO seems to work fine

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Ian. Leaning towards the 432!

[@wyrmtale]

Hi Nick, many cheers from the Netherlands .. good call to get your grip back and really be you while doing your great videos.. they helped me in the past en will in the future. Thanks!

[@paulmckeown5672]

Welcome back and good idea to step back on the sponsorship front. A channel like yours doesn't need that sort of pressure complicating what you are trying to say and do. Very interested in the solar stuff you are going to do and I'm looking forward to seeing you figure out how to do it from scratch (saves me time and effort) !

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Paul. I generally film stuff while I’m learning as it’ll include mistakes etc so hopefully that’ll be useful for you

[@jamesw5713]

Welcome back! Weather here in the UK hs been terrible so not missed much!

[@Imabloodyhuman]

Great to see you're back Nick. Thanks for all the videos you've done so far, they have really helped me as I venture into this expensive, never-ending learning hobby of astrophotography. Let me know if you have any issues with the ZWO EAF. I've been playing with mine for about a month now and learned quite a lot regarding focussing with it an an ASIAIR.

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks so much! The EAF does make me slightly nervous 😬

[@CharlieLyons-nf8bk]

Great to see you back. We are here because you have interesting things to say and show, so carry on doing what you are doing in your own time and enjoy making the videos because we certainly enjoy watching them.

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks so much!

[@siegfriednoet]

I can recommend you to also buy the Daystar tilt adapter, it will help you to prevent Newton rings when shooting solar. I've been using the Quark for two years now and still very happy with it, but as all the rest in this hobby it has also a steep learning curve. Good luck with the new gear and the channel Ow, and about the Telegizmo, the 365 version is for leaving it outside all the time. About the camera the 174MM has proved to be one of the best solar cameras, but not so good for planetary. I switch between the cameras that i own for solar and planetary, 174, 178, 385 and the 585, that last one can also be used for deep sky EAA, great camera and very less noise for an uncooled camera

[@DSOImager]

Grats on the new gear! As a very small YTer, I appreciate the insight in regards to your channel. Clear Skies!

[@AstroExploring]

Thank you! Best of luck with the channel 👍

[@davidcarr4984]

Watched your vid on my TV came to my PC to write you a 'good to see you back' and I see so many other have already done so! Well done for taking back control!! Looking forward to the next video, would love to see your processing workflow using something OTHER than Pixinsight :) and how it varies according to object type (nebula, galaxy, globular etc) All the best.

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks David. I have some older videos where I use Photoshop, not sure if you’ve seen them? Otherwise I have played around with other software but not enough currently to do tutorials on them. I’ll definitely be doing that in the future though

[@vornwend]

Great to see you back Nick. Your pressure reduction strategies are, I'm sure, the right thing to do. I'm very intrigued to see how you get on with solar imaging and quite tempted to follow your path again!

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Vaughan! Not a cheap game to be in but it sure looks fun!

[@KopLamp]

Hey Nick, great to hear these stories from behind the scenes. As you know, I am trying to play this KZbin game as well, but I have hardly grown to the size that companies will want to sponsor me. They sound cool and all, but it is very helpful to hear that pressure can be a thing too then. I am just out of a work-related burnout and don't want to end in one in my hobbies. So thanks for that! As to which camera to buy; I would go for the 174MM as that seems to be THE camera for solar. I am dabbling with solar too since a few months and I have been using an ASI120MM mini. This works, but people continue to advise me to go towards an 174MM. So this advise is not coming from me directly, but it is passed on from people that advised me. Looking forward to your results!

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Martin! I’ve no doubt that your channel will continue to grow, you have lots of helpful content on there. The 174 does seem to be the go to camera for solar!

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Christmas in June, or so it seems. Lots of new toys to play with. I'll be interested in seeing how that solar filter works. I keep my rig (minus the camera) covered all the time with a good cover, similar to what you just bought. I first place a large towel over the scope, then a thin thermal cover then the heavy duty cover. Works like a champ. I am impressed that you kept your integrity with potential sponsors. Says a lot about a person. I like to wish you clear skies, but during this time of the year, what's the point? (well, solar imaging perhaps.) As per planetary camera: I have the ZWO 585 and it does a great job. However, Player One just came out with a cooled version of their IMX585 sensor ... Uranus-C Pro. That looks promising. - Patrick -

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Patrick. Christmas has indeed come early 😀

[@wesmagyar]

I have a ASI585MC and l and love it

[@johnmheaton]

No idea about your camera choice but thought I'd say, welcome back!

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks John!

[@bobmcelvogue8133]

174 is very good with the oag Don’t know if people use the 432 for that. Oag is a game changer.

[@actudoran]

432 is on my list ... nice big pixels suitable for planetary at high FL if you take that path ! or suitable for lucky imaging of the core of galaxies and brighter nebula and various other things with bigger scopes and stuff to dramatically enhance your various details you might be hunting 😅, all in all a great addition to your gear collection especially now that you got eaf and probably a filter wheel 😊😊

[@AstroExploring]

I’m definitely tempted by the 432

[@Wheeljack678]

Wise choice to take a step back when pressure (both from sponsors and yourself) started to kill the joy of being a content creator. Since you're doing this as a hobby on the side of a full-time job and a family, it's very easy to burn yourself out if you don't listen to your gut feeling. I think that your best video is the one you want to make, not the one you feel you have to make. When you make videos you WANT to make, it won't feel as much as an effort, and the quality will also probably be a lot better too. And, side-note, I think that being selective about sponorships show integrity. I usually run a browser-addon that auto-skips sponsors, since 9/10 times, the sponsored segment feels like a commercial, and I am already paying YT premium to avoid ads. I will watch if the sponsorship is relevant to the video though. Good to see you back. I enjoy your videos, even if they should be months apart. I've always been in the "quality over quantity" corner.

[@AstroExploring]

Thank you, I appreciate that! I’m definitely in the quality over quantity camp. I’ve got lots of ideas in my head but I’m not going to rush them out, I want to make sure they’re right for the audience first

[@AdamFarnell28]

I have the zwoasi385mc planet camera but it’s only a very cheap one compared to the ones you mentioned. My focal length is really to short so might get the 150pl Newtonian see if I can get better