What if I had to choose just ONE ASTRO SETUP??

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[@OzDrizzleDrizzle]

I’m so glad you’re back Cuiv. You’re awesome and highly valued in the community. You’ve helped me on many occasions.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I appreciate that, thank you :)

[@anotherastrochannel2173]

I'm so glad to hear how helpful my scripts have been, that means a lot! I too can relate to burnout and also selling off equipment. I just want to say that you have been a huge inspiration to all of us, especially during the pandemic and I would like to say thanks for hanging in there, through good times and bad,, keeping us learning, entertained and sharing your life experiences with us. Thank you! Regards, Bill Blanshan

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks so much Bill, for all your work, your scripts, and your comment, which means a lot!

[@davexx1188]

Bill, will your Scripts work in affinity photo?

[@lwizzit]

Hey Bill. I was going to make the move to mono with all the extra time, money and effort that entails until I found your scripts. I reprocessed my nebulae and was stunned at the results. Once one has a handle on using them (they’re quite easy) the final product is indistinguishable between OSC and mono. I love it!

[@anotherastrochannel2173]

@@lwizzit Thats awesome to hear!!! Glad it helped you 🙂

[@peterlaubscher3989]

so good to have you back - your videos are invaluable to all of us in the astro community.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Peter :-)

[@tiagosnightskies]

Your reasoning behind the osc vs mono choice is actually invaluable to me. As an owner of a 533, I've been considering an upgrade to the 2600, but was torn between the osc and mono choices, so that insight gave me food for thought. Thanks!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad I could help :)

[@lwizzit]

I just went through the same thinking process until I happened upon Bill’s tools. I’m sticking with OSC now (also the 533) as those scripts are such a game changer they may well have made mono redundant.

[@Matt_10203]

@@lwizzit I too have been getting some really good results with Bills tools. Plus here in the Uk the weather is so unpredictable that it can be a real pain to get good data with a mono cam - plus bortle 3-4 skies are dark enough where mono doesn’t seem worth it to me, for now at least.

[@lukomatico]

"The periodic error is typically a couple of years" that one made me laugh out loud, love it :-D This was really interesting to watch, it seems we've independently arrived at a very similar conclusion my friend! I'm actually quite inspired by you to make a video like this of my own! - I'd reference you of course! (dropped you a message on IG)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Mwahahaha! We have our own PE, but no really good PEC :D Go for it, as we discussed separately!

[@lwizzit]

I need to start selling some stuff. My wife is starting to look at me funny whenever a new scope arrives. But they all serve different purposes!

[@koamit]

Glad to see you back. Watched your last couple of videos about C6 +Hyperstar setup. Convinced me to order the same. It will be a great combo for my OSC, especially when I usually have Small cloudless windows to get as much as data as possible. Plus, with C6, I realise, I can get 3 different focal lenghts. One with hyperstar, one with 0.63x reducer and native C6 full focal length. This is a good value for money setup to do all type of AP.

[@lionki3]

Thank you for this video. It is validating my similar gear choices as well. I'm a 2 year beginner in Bortle 9 Los Angeles and have also discovered the C6 hyperstar that is on the way to me by a seller who gave a deal no one could pass up. I have the OGMA AP26CC and running a minipc with a used EQM-35 Pro. I'm on a super budget build in a white zone and it gives me the feeling of an underdog. I hope my copy of the C6 will be good so the collimation would be painless. I'm running a similar filter to the L-Extreme, the SV220. I look forward to more of your videos to familiarize myself of this setup. Only difference in processing is that I'm using freeware like DSS, SIRIL, GIMP, LR and GraXpert. I've learned a lot from much of your other videos as well.

[@gwtomsic]

Clear, straightforward, sensible, and a spot-on approach, I think. You are a good man. So true! Pick a favorite, don't try to do everything. Like you, I tried to 'do it all' over decades but found a favorite. A mature, focused decision. Your honesty helps us all.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I appreciate that!

[@daveincanada4794]

This was refreshingly honest and practical, Cuiv. I've seen a lot of astrophotographers "over-purchase and under-utilize", accumulating inventories of gear they use infrequently and regret buying. There is more than enough stress in the world today to go around so let's not inflict more upon ourselves by manically trying to keep up with the technology available in this hobby.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Dave!

[@justindame]

Cuiv, so glad to have you back my friend. Sending love!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!

[@BryonStice]

Hyperstar c6 with a 533mc pro is my setup of choice, and I liked it so much that I mounted an identical setup right next to it.

[@davidterraza889]

This is just the type of advice that i need. I cant afford all the equipment that i """"want""""" but i really enjoy the art of taking a nice astrophoto: alignment, calibration, planification, troubleshoting, sleepless nights, and so on... but is just a hobby, you dont need a observatory kind of equipment, you dont need to compete vs JWST or Hubble. Just take your picture, play with it and enjoy your hobby..... thanks again. Is really great to see you again, thanks for your work and your time to share your thoughts and experiences.

[@Astrogator1]

Just coming out of astro slump since was in hospital for a week in July and was having mount and focus issues and finally have solved some of these and was testing last week looking at rosette nebula (first tiime), was so blown away with just HII, really motivated again. also seeing you back helps with listening to your advice and comments also has helped a lot. So thank you Cuiv now just need the clouds to go away again

[@andreassundstrom8388]

Hi! I went from barely knowing how to handle a selfie, into successfully taking pretty decent (for a starter) pics of nebulae, DURING your break. Thanks a lot man and very welcome back!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Awesome Andreas!!

[@rashie]

👍👍- Great to see you back, Cuiv. Gracias!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you too!

[@JVRost]

Only one thing saves me from the astro swamp - lack of income))). But I completely agree with the approach - I always followed it when I was doing ordinary photography, not a single camera, not a single lens can take photographs, they are taken by a person. Therefore, I better invest in the development of software, the purchase of filters, learning English, but I will be easy with my equipment. When I outgrow it, then opportunities will come to update it.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's an awesome philosophy Volkov!

[@woody5109]

Keep it simple, great approach. We all need mental health breaks every now and again, glade your back. You are appreciated.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!

[@stefanb9593]

Great to see an update from you. Having a setup that you can assemble in a couple of minutes after months of bad weather or just not feeling like doing it is the best. I've reached this set of equipment too where i basically just have to put the scope with everything attached onto the mount, plug in two cables and it just works.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Stefan! Good to see you! You're exactly right. It makes a huge difference. And then with NINA and some judicious saved sequence templates the whole software part is pretty much ready to go from the start :-)

[@y2ukr87]

Awesome, great to see that you reached the target. I tried to do the same thing with my 8SE and HyperStar, it was great for some time, but then it got out of collimation. So, I headed the way of sorting out my guiding with CGX mount (now it's ~0.5") and can image practically with any focal length. Now, when I tried Bill Blanshan's scripts (thanks again Cuiv) I'm thinking to get back to that setup again. Lazy way rules!

[@terohiekkalinna]

I have same mount! It is awesome! Great to have you back! 😃

[@philleng480]

Great to see you back Cuiv, hitting the spot as usual. Take it steady and look after yourself.

[@Seafox0011]

Great video. An 'astro cleanse' is where I'll be heading next year - following a similar process. Will be using the next 6 months or so to distill down to my ideal setup. In my case something that is semi-portable/luggable - as my home site is totally urban and has very limited views that are dependent on the time of year.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Good luck with distilling your equipment into a delicious single setup :)

[@RandallKayfes]

Your vids are very much appreciated! I can extrapolate your current setup and reasoning to my current setup as well. Also, your honesty with your slump is appreciated which make your vids even more relevant. You could almost call this vid "How to get out of a astrophotography slump". I think AstroBackyard went through a similar situation - going to an awesome star party got him rejuvenated. Anyway your vids are the closest to actually informing people of the how to for us normal folks (love your N.I.N.A. vids) So thank you for sharing!!!!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Oh yes I remember Trevor's video on that topic! It just happens...

[@steveg4iwr]

If it works for that's fantastic. Thanks for the video and your thoughts

[@MooseHenderson1]

Good move Cuiz, now you truly are the poster-child for The Lazy Geek. I find myself thinking along these lines each time I want to get more equipment. I have the Celestron CPC 11" EdgeHD, a scope with many compromises but an excellent scope if you can get beyond the compromises. I have it on a permanent concrete pier, with wedge, in an observatory. Great scope and good mount for piggybacking a 300mm camera lens, etc. Thanks for all the great videos, I proudly where my Cuiz, The Lazy Geek t-shirt when imaging.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

In your case... Yeah, if it ain't broke, right? And awesome about the t-shirt :-)

[@thepapatech2067]

I love to see you back doing videos…great video of you “flying” in the other post, as my grandson said!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!

[@fazergazer]

I’m going through a similar downsizing process for similar reasons and your video really helps!🎉❤

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad it was helpful!

Hi, a great pleasure !! Toujours des choix raisonnés... Ta réflexion entre couleur et monochrome est pleine de bon sens. Merci à toi !!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Merci Devis!

[@amaar1646]

I ended up purchasing the zwo asi533mc pro after you dropped your wonderful review on the camera a while back. The fact that despite living in a bortle 9 area, you were able to take great pics made me pull the trigger. I'm a med student so i really don't have a lot of free time, and that too makes OSC make alot of sense

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

The 533MC pro is such a great little camera, glad you're enjoying it! Also good luck with your med studies!!

[@theambient1]

So so happy there's new content! Great video as always!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yay, thank you!

[@josephluciani5531]

Cuiv, can’t tell you how glad I am to see that you’re back. When you decided to “take a break” from imaging I recall feeling, “does everyone eventually get burnt out?” 😢However, your return and enthusiasm, once again, confirm that astrophotography can become a sustainable, lifelong hobby. Thank you for this video along with your through explanation of your thinking behind your gear, I can’t tell you how much it helps.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad it helps! I'm sure you'll see me go through some further slumps, but that's just the way I am!

[@Astrokhels]

Another awesome video Cuiv. I get into processing slums myself but not imaging. So most of the time I end up with 5-8 target datas stored. Mostly takes a good chunk of my time on post process. Also have a SCT 8” Hyperstar at 390mm variable to an f6 at 1285mm OAG. Although what I still need is a portable scope between 500mm-900mm fl in between. ASKAR color just released their 6nm duo bands (D1 haO3) and (D2 SiiO3) for mc shooters and looks promising for fast focal ratios as well.

[@jodyschultz5870]

I feel your pain. For me the complexity can get overwhelming, like a telescope that's too big that you never use. I did add layers one at a time but now I have EFW, OAG, DSLR, CGX on wheels, SCT, 81GT, 50mm uniguide, asi1600Pro, RGBL+SHO, heaters, batteries, Laptop, table, chai, power, cables, one hour setup, Sharpcap, Firecap, Nina, Planetarium s/w, Platesolving, CPWI, PHD2, etc. I have had more than one night where the goto freaked out and lost alignment and I ran out of time as the target went behind a tree while I was trouble shooting so I just gave up for the night. I have a ZWO EAF but it's still in the box. I can't bring myself to add it because I know that will be the straw that breaks the camels back. I never seem to have an issue with focus anyway. I am now in the habit of rechecking focus at the end of the night and it always seems good even after 3 or 4 hours. I must be doing something wrong.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hahaha I love your conclusion at the end! Maybe you're just doing everything right :D

[@seangriffin2588]

I’m happy you’re back. Can’t wait to see more videos.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yay! Thank you!

[@Gordonlanguam]

Good to see you back Cuiv. I’m feeling a slump right now and I just have my gear sitting in my living room

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Awww, well it's ok to be in a slump, don't feel guilty about it!

[@ws5246]

Hi Cuiv. Glad you came back into the fold as I have always found your vids both entertaining and informative. You switched me on to NINA (love that software now). I have exactly the same camera as you, its a fantastic camera for a budget price and I have just bought the control pc I think (is it a Mele?) but I have them both paired with and Orion 80ED on an EQ6 mount. Like you, I love this set up because it just works. Clear skies buddy.

[@jimtaylor5802]

On the same page, going with a CEM25P, SE6 (with and without HyperStar), ASI294MC, and a filter drawer. Very light weight,stable and transportable. Have options and hope/plan to do planetary and DSO with this setup. However I’m deep into the ASI ecosystem, but have a NUC ready on the sidelines. Great chose and combination of great equipment. Do tell how you are doing the HyperStar flats too. Clear skies…from Iowa.

[@scarman123]

Glad you’re back. I’m in a similar place. I have some really good gear. Always being tempted by new gear. Especially a mono camera. The cost and time commitment keeps me from going mono yet. Not sure I ever will. I do pretty well with my OSC camera. Mono good maybe not but pretty close sometimes. I thing I’m afraid of is doing it all too fast and burning out. I feel I need to slow it down and enjoy where I’m at.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I think it's wise to stick with OSC and play with it for now! Especially if you're a Bortle 5 or better, so much can be done with OSC!

[@scottinharwood]

I understand where you are coming from. I gave away my 12" Dobsonian just because I was tired of spending the first hour plus of setup just tuning the telescope up to do visual work. It was too bulky to carry around for star parties. So, I still have a broken AVX mount that I am tinkering with and tuning up (including replacing the old broken hand control with a more up to date one). However, I have a 6", an 8" and a 10" SCT that need a sturdier mount. I have a Losmandy GM811 mount coming tomorrow and it will carry up to 55lbs for astrophotography and upto 65lbs for visual work. It is also brakes down into parts that makes it pretty light to transport. Unlike you, I have Bortle 4-5 sky's outside my front door. I also purchased a ZWO ASI585MC uncooled camera to use with my 80mm SVbony 550 ED Triplet refractor. Now, I have a couple of Meade Fork Mounts to get rid of ;)

[@figzastro-photography]

Wow, you're on fire. Keep up the good work my friend.

[@celestromel]

Hi Cuiv, this is such a valuable vid - your reasoning is a model for many of us who are inveterate gear collectors.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Melvyn!

[@rawhead909]

FYI, if/when you get back to a portable setup, I've been very happy with the ZWO AM5; looks like iOptron HEM27 would be nice, too.

[@AstroSoundscape]

I've been in these same Circles Cuiv, sometimes it's the hard to find a balance and it creates a cycle of collecting and then frustration and then selling!!! It's all absolutely necessary and it's all absolutely not and so we go crazy! Eventually I'm sure you'll work out the right balance !!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks so much Ollie! That balance is truly hard to find!

[@JeffHorne]

Glad to see you imaging again! 👍

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Jeff!

[@tankerdude2683]

You cant stop, Im just starting to get the hang of nina thanks to you! lol Keep it up love the videos.

[@gregerianne3880]

Loved this! Guess our (human) PEC is just to turn off the power for a while and reset. 😁 This video was great and I love your rationale for the things you do.! Thanks.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Greg!

[@astronomyphotography6380]

Good to see you've gotten your astrophotography mojo back!

[@siegfriednoet]

Great to see you back Quiv. About the gear, you have to use what feels best for you I guess, to much gear makes it a hassle Nice to hear that you didn't loose to much money with selling all those great things you owned. Here in Europe it's a problem selling second hand astronomy gear, people want it to cheap

[@Klyress]

It's really easy to buy tons of things in this hobby and really hard to prune out those unnecessary. Your story is very valuable to newbies like me. Thank you.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad it was helpful!

[@davidaylsworth8964]

Your setup is very nice as it stands. I really like that iOptron mount.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks David! Yes, that mount is awesome

[@77BlackKnight]

Amazing channel. I have used Hyperstar from 2019 with my HD 8 inch and imager from Stockholm. Wery versatile setup to use both wihh 390mm Hyperstar, reducer with 1422mm for smal object and 2 inch filerwheel and powermate and 4000mm on planets and moon. The flexibilitet of the system makes it Easy and made astrophotography possible from balcony possible. F2 optics make it work from Stockholm and pool condition with wheather and often just one time to run image. Amazing stuff and see u found The way back to image and your channel is one of the best out there. Clear skies and u are on the right path with one rig setup but it can be flexible as i use it. Greetings from sweden.

[@aerozg]

My ideal one-astro-setup: 8" EdgeHD + Hyperstar. Soon. Very soon.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hehehe! very very soon!

[@aerozg]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek forgot to say also the 0.7x reducer. So then i will have basically 3 focal lenghts to work with, both for visual and imaging.

[@robertw1871]

It can be overwhelming at times there’s no shame in it. The worst part is desperately wanting to image and clouds for weeks at a time. Makes one wonder why we do it, glad to see you back though.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Robert... it's really as you say

[@pigeond]

I also have a third hand C6, no hyperstar (yet) though. But loving it so far, apart from I'm still sort of trying to figure out the best backfocus to use with the Celestron f/6.3 reducer/corrector. I also suspect my corrector plate and the secondary mirror may not be well calibrated anymore, partly because at one point I took them all out to clean even though I tried my best to keep everything at the same position/rotation/etc.

[@glennvanrooij5571]

Hi Cuiv, great video. Keep it going !

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks, will do!

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

Great video Cuiv I'm kinda like you in a way as I've got far to much stuff so much its taking over my home & I really need to get rid of some gear, I have been imaging with a RASA 11 but as it's a version one the autofocusser is useless due to the mirror flop so I'm thinking of just using a mask & manually focussing it as when its locked off it seems to stay in focus the whole night anyway. I have just taken it out of the observatory tonight & going to try out an Altair astro 102 EDR so taking life in the slow lane for a while lol. Clear skies!!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Good luck with that focusing!!

[@oskarinikkinen102]

You can transport all of that stuff easily to darksites since you have a car, just need to figure some kind of carrying bags for all the kit. Wont be very lazy though. My mobile astrophotography kit consists of an AZ-EQ6, 8 inch newtonian, camera and power supply equipment and a small refractor that i use for visual on an AZ5. I carry all of that in 2 or 3 trips from my apartment to my car, but that is at worst a 10 minute delay to leaving for a darksite so no real issue there. Does mean that the darksite has to be basically a parking lot, since i cant really carry it further than throwing distance from the car.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yeah exactly, travel is always the issue...!

[@shinyparts]

Great to see you are back at it again, makes perfect sense to narrow down to a single setup, you will probably get more out of it than using multiple setups that aren't 100% dialled in. Which Risingcam is it by the way - is there any amp glow? Looking to change over to a cooled OSC camera at some point and if that's an APS-C sized sensor vs a 1" square as on the 533 it might be a great option.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It's the ATR3CMOS26000KPA

[@vjcaiozz]

Did you say that you have a periodic error? If I heard that right, it was hilarious! Love the set up and the flexibility of the Celestron Fastar systems. Thank you again for another entertaining and informative video.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yep I sure did say that, and I totally have a PE :D

[@PagyBio]

Thanks for the vídeo, Cuiv! I live in Brazil and budget here is really tight! I've got my setup mostly because you and some other experts, like Ed Ting gave good feedback about it. I believe I am pushing my mount to its limits... I've got an Celestron SCT 6" mounted on a Az-GTi mount. My plans are buying a hyperstar just like yours... I hope the mount would be able to handle it!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Oh wow that's really pushing the GTI! I think it could work with no wind, and relatively short exposures with Hyperstar!

[@N4GW]

Another great video. I have gone down to two scopes - REDCAT 51 and 71 both mounted on my EQ6R Pro at the same time with my RisingCam IMX571c. I just move the camera back and forth between the two scope based on the target

[@DBFIU]

Sounds neat, do you remove one scope or the other when imaging when one?

[@N4GW]

@@DBFIU no, I have a dual mount. Too lazy lol to swap them, so just move the camera back and forth

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hahaha now that's a great way of working! :)

[@williammauney1129]

Thanks for this video. I've been in the hobby for about a year and I could easily see myself going down a rabbit hole (mono, multiple OTAs, filters, etc.). This really helps me put the hobby back into the hobby perspective and makes a few next decisions a little easier. Maybe when I retire one day I'll go all in but for now I'm going to go a little easier and enjoy. BTW, have really enjoyed the videos seeing what you're doing away from the hobby as well

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks William, and glad I can provide such a perspective :-)

[@orionm4268]

Cem's are the way to go for performance because they are so sensitive to the desired payloads and then some.

[@TareqAstroPhoton]

I bought many and still not done and i didn't image anything yet, but i will never do a mistake as many others did, which is to buy something and sell it and then buy it again or buy another thing similar to what has been sold, in my situation i can't sell anything at good value, also i bought everything after long search and asking so no wrong buying, only i buy something else if new things came out only, and i try hard not to sell old things even if they are no longer good enough than new ones, i just try to find another purposes with my old ones, because if i don't want to use my old ones anymore then who would. Cuiz, good job, i like that you are almost like slowing down more now, or you are choosing and reviews carefully, i prefer this more than other KZbinrs who don't leave anything new came out without buying and reviewing and keep buying replacing stuff over and over again, they have their own reasons, i don't follow them much nowadays anymore.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks for that feedback Tareq!

[@TareqAstroPhoton]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek You welcome

[@phadeezz]

Welcome back! Hello again from SCT8+Hyperstar. Thanks to you I got the RisinCam, but monochrome. Dualband filters produce some bad gradients for me .. F2 Rules!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

F2 is truly awesome :)

[@grahamwhite75a]

Hi Cuiv, for me the one bit of kit that I love is the 10Micorn 1000HPS Mount. So well built and just works. However the one area that I think is very poor on every single mount I have used (including 10Micron) are the PA adjustments. They all suffer badly from backlash during PA and shift the mount when you lock the mount at the end of PA routine. Having watched your video on PH2 and multi star tracking it prompted me to look at my mount. The 10MIcron tracks perfectly....but was ever so slightly out of PA which meant drift in imaging. Conclusion is that even on the best mounts you still need tracking to correct for PA error. I also love my William Optics FLT132, though if I am being honest its a bit of compromised scope. Its nearly as heavy as 150mmm scope with a focal thength that is neither short or long! Thanks for the nudge your videos (including this one) have given me; adding a guidescope and tracking has massivley helped improve my imaging quality.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Great to hear - a guidescope is always useful in my book - there is always some PA error to deal with, etc.

[@anata5127]

There is video on how to guide mounts with encoders. Do you build sky model? If yes, how many stars? How long unguided could you do on your mount?

[@grahamwhite75a]

@@anata5127 yes I do build models with between 30 to 50 stars. The reason it is important is because of movement in equipment on the telescope. For example moving scope from east side to west side might make camera on draw tube flop from one side to another. Many times i have done alignment and got really bad results to then find I had a loose draw tube.

[@anata5127]

@@grahamwhite75a Oh! You telling about differential flexure! Yes, big-big problem. Happens all the time. You guide 0.5”, and stars are like eggs! As soon as I switch to refractor (Vixen) with Moonlite rock solid focuser and OAG, all these stoped. Which scope do you have?

[@aradani3]

Very interesting! You don't mention it, but this setup could also work if you want to do planetary! I think it's amazing to have with one scope the flexibility to choose between 1500mm at F10 and 300mm at F2!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's very true!

[@deep_space_dave]

Hi Cuiv! When I used the 1mm shim in the collimation gap on the HyperStar to get a starting point, the same thing happened to me! Perfect collimation with just using the shim! I am in the same boat as well with my C6. I recently sold my ASI533MC Pro as the ASI 2600MC Pro gives me all that I need! The camera is only about 2mm bigger than the Starizona filter drawer. I am so spoiled with F2 that it is hard to want to use the other end of the scope 🙂 I did try a camera with smaller pixels to shoot galaxies but it ended up being bad quality and not cooled so I returned it. My setup is just the C6, Stariona HyperStar 6v4, iOptron HEM27EC mount, iOptron iGuider system, Celestron focuser, for filters the IDAS NBZ UHS and IDAS LPR D3. Oh I also have the C6 Dew ring and Celestron Dew controller which is awesome as I have a serious problem with dew here near Chicago, USA. I have other stuff but like you I am now considering selling as shooting at F2 is so superior and I am have less desire to use the scope's rear end 😀!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad to see you've got it dialed in! How is your HEM27 mount?

[@deep_space_dave]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek The HEM27EC has been working pretty good! I am still forced to use it un-guided with my HyperStar at the moment until iOptron sends me a new mount for the iGuider. I could mount a guide scope on the C6 but I found that if mounted to the dovetail saddle works better. It's been windy here but I did finally get a calm night and the stars were completely round and low FWHM all night except for a 30 min period which I think the wind came back. Yes that is impressive not being guided but my subs were 10seconds for a lucky imaging project I am working on. It's such a light setup so wind affects it so I will get better results when I start using the guide scope again. It is really nice to be able to carry both my C6 and the mount at the same time without killing my back! Sorry for the long post but you asked 🙂 CS!!

[@banyantree8618]

I am in a Astro slump and I have yet to take a single image yet. Took me months to get all the components due to supply issues, then another two months to build a power box (I need to drive out away from the city - no extension cord) and now I’m in the wet season so clear nights also holding me back.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

You'll get through it and you will get your clear skies!!

[@johnfrancke8980]

Cuiv, I, as a newbe, feel my decision of my setup has just been confirmed. I picked the Ioptron cem40 with a C8and a hyperstar and my ASI533pro. with a mini PC with NINA SharpeCap and PHD2,,oh and the Celestron auto focuser ,, so thanks for your saving your set up and saying ,,,, well that great minds think alike! LOL! thanks for all you do!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

YES! That's a great setup!

[@andrebremer7772]

Always great to see what's going on with you! I feel you on the never-ending rabbit hole of buying gear. While I have a collection of mounts for different weight categories, I am tempted to get an RST-135 to replace them all. At 3.3kg it's portable, but it can also accommodate everything up to an 8" SCT, which is plenty for me. I know you previously had a bad experience with Hobym, but do you have other reasons for not going the harmonic drive route? Seems like the best option to downsize.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Everyone I've talked to who owns the RST-135 is extremely happy with it!

[@davidf9494]

Glad to see you back in the saddle Cuiv! I have a similar system with an EDGE 8/ASI1600MM and GEM45. I was interested in your thoughts about your OSC use instead of NB? What Bortle sky do you have where you image? I choose NB because of my Bortle 8/9 sky and wideband continues to be problematic. Thanks again for your videos and sharing your knowledge!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'm in Bortle 8/9 (Tokyo) - I do OSC NB ;)

[@DBFIU]

Yesss newwww videooooo

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hehehe

[@JoMoJack]

I had a big drink of orange juice about 2 seconds before your "periodic error" joke. Thankfully I was able to keep my composure, but it was a tough battle. Good to see you back! Although, I am directly crediting you with the increase of C6 prices recently.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Mwahaha, glad you managed to not choke on the OJ! And yes the increase in prices of the C6 is absolutely and uniquely my sole and only fault :D

[@JoMoJack]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I noticed you expanded on how your example of the C6 is rather good due to center obstruction concentricity, but that C8+'s have adjustable grub screws to accommodate misalignment. Since it is hard to verify condition of these telescopes remotely when purchasing second hand, would you be more or less worried about the condition of the telescope if it were an 8"?

[@Neanderthal75]

I just started mono imaging - and I am so deep into, that I haven't made any images yet. 🤣. The reason is weather of course, but also my never ending of testing it. I have 4 scopes and of course I had to try it on all 4. I made a bunch of Ha and OIII shots, but weather usually cuts me short at night anyway, so I decide them to be a "testing night only". While I have 4 telescopes, I keep going back to one and it's the cheapest, but also the fastest, my 150mm F4 Newtonian. Not too big, not too heavy, although the corrector doesn't exactly correct all the stars, but with the Starizona flattener, it's an F3 and using that and then going back to my refractor or RC scope, they just don't feel satisfying. There is a HUGE difference between a 5 minute sub taken with an F3 vs a 5 minute taken with an F5.6. It's like , I don't care about any scopes slower than F3 and that's bad lol! But you already know that.

[@bretthaussmann2068]

Very interesting that you chose to keep the Risingcam colour camera. I have a 533MC but I don’t particularly like the square sensor. (Everything else about the 533 is awesome) Having experience with the Risingcam camera, would you buy it again? Thanks love this channel and welcome back!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'd buy the Risingcam again yes

[@willissutherland8516]

As others have expressed...I find your videos fantastic and great for learning Astrophotography. I am a newbie to Astrophotography (still looking for Saturn's Rings)...As you have stated...I have limited funds but have purchased so darn much...Problem..I have a Ton of equipment including the Celestron CGEM 2 and CGX...and a RASA 8 inch etc and etc...Lots of equipment and NO KNOWLEDGE...Thank you for all you do...I will take your videos one at a time and see if I can become an accomplished Astrophotographer..

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Good luck not hoarding too much equipment!

[@peterlaubscher3989]

PS I have the Risingcam / ToupCam with the colour array similar to ZWO ASI2600 together with Optolong L-Ultimate - the results are draw droppingly good.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yep the L-Ultimate gets great reviews!

[@celiaxel3448]

Great video, nice to see you back. Why did you chose this particular Focal Length? Or FoV? Are you more interested in Nebulae? Will you get bored during galaxy season?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It's an easy to handle FOV, a lot of great targets. And yes I will get bored during galaxy season, but then the seeing here is always terrible so I'm not missing out that much :)

[@phemmert]

Excellent video, as usual! Was also intrigued to learn you fly paragliders too! Awesome! It’s hard to hear what mount that is, can you clarify? Thank you!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Paragliding is awesome :) The mount is the iOptron CEM60 (replaced by the CEM70 now I believe)

[@phemmert]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thanks for that, that mount is hard to find these days! You should get a glider ride someday, if you haven't already. I forgot to ask what your light panel you use for flats is? I saw it in a recent video and was intrigued.

[@nxu5107]

Go on Cuiv . I was going to ask you when you shifted from skywatcher to ioptron. Why and what is it that we should have to get into this hobby reliably and relatively cheaply.

[@HarleyDoom]

Quite insightful, I was wondering what UV/IR cut filter do you use? I'm looking to get the AR glass version of that camera and have been looking for a good filter to pair with it.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It's difficult to make a bad UV/IR cut filter - the cheap SVBony one I have works great, which I confirmed via spectrometer reading

[@HarleyDoom]

That's the conclusion I drew from your series of videos on filters but wasn't sure. Thank you for confirming that conclusion, cheers 👍🏻

[@rossc383]

Glad you found your setup! Congratz! How do you find RisingCam IMX571 in terms of quality? I got one and see severe banding when using LGC mode

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I've had no issues at all with the camera, but I've never tried using it in LGC (what's even the use case for LGC?)

[@rossc383]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I thought you could make a video about this :)

[@FrootyRecords]

Must be refreshing to the mind to only concentrate on 1 setup. Good decision for you I think Cuiv, OSC camera is def' the way to go these days with filters and software we have. but will you squeeze that setup in to the Astro Camper with your flight gear ? :) . Maybe you should have kept that little AZGTI, I used mine on a trip to Cape Verde recently , It drove a 72 ED +cams and Guide scope!. I was so pleased I didn't sell it.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yes, I might have a plan B coming up for the portable side of things :)

[@astrogav]

hello cuiv, good video!, I wanted to ask you, I read in a forum that you had the sxd2 vixen mount, I just bought one in kyoei japan, since you have had several mounts I wanted to know if this mount is as good as an ioptron or a eq6r pro? thank you for sharing your experiences.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I loved my SXD2 mount - it's really polished and works out of the box - you have no risk of getting a lemon, and there's basically no lottery with Vixen, unlike SW and iOptron. I had some issues with ASCOM drivers at first, but Vixen fixed the issues.

[@Luftbubblan]

Very nice

[@screwyouyoutube5493]

I kept going back and forth between SC and Newts and for some reason, just like you, I have stuck to just what works, and for me, its my newtonian. Somehow using a monochrom with a filter wheel produces the images that I want. I had a hard time with the softness of the images both with a RC8 and a Celestron edge 8. Perhaps being in a bortel 4 sky is produces much different results. idunnno

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Bortle 4, I'm jealous!

[@sekitv]

Hi Cuiv san, Thank you for great video every sessions !!. I saw you use Celestron Electric focuser for your C6. So let's me question.How about its work (auto focus is nice?)?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It's working great for me!

[@frednurk4772]

I really enjoy your mindset, you express what so many of us suspect. Rather curious that I have arrived at a similar conclusion about Hyperstar. But unlike you, I seem to have an example of a C11 that lacks the mythical corrector screws and is way out of collimation. Living in Cornwall UK we have this stuff called thick cloud that seems to cover us about 300 nights per year so the opportunity to fix my problems is elusive. But once the Hyperstar, C11, EQ6, Mele and 571 OSC with Quad Band filter become operational I expect to make the most of those rare clear nights. It is also great reading others' comments and to realize that we are not alone in an otherwise fairly solitary hobby. Again many thanks for the mixture of philosophy, technical knowledge, and humour. Ross ps my PEC cycle seems to be getting shorter.... any known cure?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Good luck with that equipment! And PEC cycle in theory can't really get shorter... so measurement error? Or another harmonic

[@frednurk4772]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek A change in PEC on the mount would be manageable, the big problem is my personal PEC, the cycle of enthusiasm to frustration is getting shorter.

[@davexx1188]

Could you provide a link to the videos you mentioned about processing OSC images into the Hubble pallet colors using SHO? I believe you mentioned Bill Blanchin (sp?) name about the Scripts. By the way I’ve been watching your videos the last year or so since I got back into this hobby and I’m glad to see you’re back. I had a Celestron 6SE that I sold late last year to get a William Optics GT81 to do nebula images as well as for solar imaging with the Daystar Quark. I don’t have the Quark yet but I did watch your video about it and how well you liked it. Now I wish I wouldn’t have sold ithe 6SE and just bought a hyperstar like your setup, but still keep the APO for the Quark.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Check my back to astro video!

[@cjuk81]

Nice setup, ive often wondered about doing this with my c6. whats the mini pc you are using?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Mele Quieter 2 - if you search my channel for mini-PC it should come up, there's a whole video on it

[@cjuk81]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek thanks Cuiv, i missed that video!! :)

[@Martinko_Pcik]

Cool. A documentary on Japanese Giant Hornets cured my son's phobias of wasps and bees. Now he knows what to be really afraid of 😆

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Mwahaha yes indeed! Those things are massive!

[@Willriii]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thanks for not editing that part out (the hornet encounter). I got a good laugh

[@pnjunction5689]

Question about the dew shield: do you easily get consistent flat frames with it, or do you have to pay close attention to how you attach it on the scope?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I thought it would be an issue, but surprisingly it doesn't seem to be - I do reattach it in a very similar manner each time, but I don't care much and it still works

[@ChristianPsencik]

I've been a visual astronomer for many years but I'm recently getting into astrophotography as well. I've got a 10" Meade LX200 SCT and its really great for planets at f10 but maybe I need a faster scope for doing deep space? Anyway I just got a eq6r-pro mount (hasn't even arrived yet) and I'm looking to get a cooled camera next. Thank you for your videos and for sharing your adventures whatever they might be! Watch out for the murder hornets!!

[@tommyozzy317]

Lately ive been shooting at f10 with my meade 8” acf. Its so incredibly slow but doable. If i had the budget I would definitely swap over to a nice faster refractor but alas, its what I have. Even with 8 hours of data (5 minute subs) through narrowband, need much more data for the crescent and crab, my 2 latest targets. Also guiding at that focal length is challenging. Using a friends On Axis guider, which is quite helpful but comes with its own set of issues.

[@ChristianPsencik]

@@tommyozzy317 that’s what I’m worried about too. Maybe I’ll try a focal reducer and see what I can get out of it. Have you tried one?

[@tommyozzy317]

@@ChristianPsencik i have a celestron 6.3 reducer/corrector but no good for my acf since its already a corrected scope. Seems like they never made one either for it. The reducer worked ok enough on my 8” non corrected Meade but with the on axis guider caused issues so i went back to the acf.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'll make sure not to get stung :)

[@andyrogerson3813]

Thanks for being real about your slump. I really enjoy your content so hope you’re back, but do what’s right for you, not necessarily for the KZbin consumers

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks so much Andy, that's what I want to hear :)

[@alneid2707]

I just got first light with the RisingCam IMX571 on my C6 Hyperstar. Nice field of view compared to the 183 sensor, but a bit under sampled. Will be interesting to see how a two panel mosaic of the Heart and Soul nebulae works out with just one night of imaging. Are you doing drizzle integration with this setup?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'm not bothering with drizzling, I fully embrace the undersampling :)

[@alneid2707]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Haha, now that I tried drizzling my data, I'm right there with you on accepting undersampling.

[@stephanep1330]

Hi Cuiv, Just a question related to your fantastic setup... would it be even immaginable to remove hyperstar module (and put back secondary mirror) to be able to do some visual observation from time to time? Or would you say hyperstar module is not removable?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It's easy to switch, I'm just too lazy :)

[@ChristianPsencik]

How do you test for "exceptional optics" on your SCT? I'm looking to get one 2nd hand too and how do I test it? Just star test like normal collimation?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Star test indeed! And intuitively on a planet, a "snap" on good focus is a good indicator. And removing the secondary to check the centering.

[@tubedude54]

'Slump'... that's what I will start calling my slump, which lasted for about 15 YEARS! lol I'm retired now and trying to get back into the hobby so I have something to do but it's taking some effort to go out and brave skeeters in the summer and the cold again in the winter. I've been slowly collecting some new gear and dabbling in photography a bit. My biggest obstacle has been trying to figure what settings to use on the cameras... seems no one ever says what they use when they shoot objects. I took a picture of M13 a couple weeks ago which turned out nice but, was totally lost as to what exposure settings I should use... so I experimented. I used Deep Sky Stacker and when I tried to use it it said it couldn't 'de-bayer' 8 bit images and then crashed... so I have hundreds of fits files for a lot of objects I can't stack and don't know what program to use that will stack them... but I'm learning.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Good luck! Things have changed since 15 years!

[@digital_steve]

People keep trying to talk me out of going down the HyperStar route with my C6 SCT Evolution. I just don’t want to buy multiple telescopes. Am I really missing out by going with the C6 HyperStar and something like the zwo 533mc camera? Do you really lose out on much by going with HyperStar?