Discussion - First Light Optics positive experiences about upgrading my current astrophotography and astronomy kit

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The people at First Light Optics really are good. Whenever I have ordered something from them, it has been sorted and dispatched promptly; all packaged safely and arriving absolutely on time. 

One of the the things I really appreciate about them is the fact that they actually answer email queries with consideration and thought. I have found that not all companies do this. 

For example, I contacted FLO to ask advice about upgrading my kit (see my previous posts on my kit dilemma). Within a day I had a well crafted and thoughtful response, the basics of which were as follows: 

• that I would not be able to insert a filter wheel between my DSLR and Zenithstar 61ii flattener due to the strict spacing requirements of the flattener. I would have the same problem trying to do it on my samyang 135mm lens as well. However, if I went for a dedicated cooled astrocam instead then I could use a filter wheel
• confirmation that I would see a huge improvement in my imaging quality of emission nebulae if I used a dual narrow band filter such as the L-eNHance clip in version for EOS canon cameras
• agreement that a next step might be to look at getting a GOTO mount as it makes it far easier to locate faint smaller objects especially if also using autoguiding such as the ASIair mini. Whilst the SWSA GTi is a very good mount, the FLO team agreed that to future proof myself for the potential to use a larger refractor later, a mount to consider might be the HEQ5 Pro, which has a long and decent track record for deep sky imaging
• If I looked to upgrade my refractor and team a new one with the above mount, they gave me two recommendations to look at:   https://www.firstlightoptics.com/askar-telescopes/askar-103-apo-triplet-refractor.html  and https://www.firstlightoptics.com/starfield-telescopes/starfield-102mm-f7-ed-doublet-refractor.html    Both are refractors in the focal length range 700 - 900mm; giving me far more imaging range than I get on the zenithstar 61ii. FLO did note that my zenithstar is a decent scope for widefield imaging, although there are better widefield options with faster optics etc available. They didnt see any need to change now unless I particularly wanted a scope with more aperture and a longer focal length for imaging the smaller targets. 

So, this helpful response has given me much to think about. Given I am still learning how to properly process the image data I catch now, I could just upgrade the clip in filters, stick with my SWSA 2 i Pro and do my five minute length images. 

I could stick with what I have, do the filter upgrade and buy the SWSA GTi and not change the gear I have - it is highly portable and easy to cart about in the motorhome. My SWSA 2i would be my milky way landscape photography tracker. The Gti version - the one I use at campsites or directly out the back of the car boot.  

I could stretch the budget a little and go for the better mount with the higher payload and future proof myself now. I am leaning towards this option but I need to see one to see how heavy it is. Can it go in the motorhome with the SWSA 2i Pro? 

At the moment, within my budget (leaving a little bit for a new power station and perhaps a dual narrowband clip in filter)  I am looking at mount upgrades in the form of the skywatcher EQ-AL55i; the EQM 35 Pro and the SWSA Gti. One of the things which immediately struck me, watching YouTube videos, is how noisy they are! Using one of these outside of the motorhome is going to require some diplomacy with my neighbouring motorhomers! 

Details about the EQ-AL55i: https://astrobackyard.com/budget-astrophotography-build/

A review by Trevor Jones Astrobackyard  and https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/sky-watcher-eq-al55i-pro-go-to-astronomy-mount.html  

Details about the EQM - 35 Pro https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/skywatcher-eqm-35-pro-synscan-goto-modular-mount.html and Nico's review: 

And finally, the SWSA GTi - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/sky-watcher-star-adventurer-gti.html and a review or two

Conundrums eh?  A nice one to have - but I am conscious that once I have done this upgrade - it will be several years down the rod before I can afford another - so I have to spend wisely now! 

No pressure then! 

Thank you FLO for all your help - much appreciated. 

Discussion - Upgrading your astrophotography kit

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Where do I go next? 

I am thinking about the evolution of my astrophotography and astronomy equipment! It is hard trying to work out what you may need or a direction you may wish to go in the future. Especially if you are new to a hobby/passion!

I have been on a journey over the last two years.  I started with just a Canon 800D and kit lenses along with an Ioptron Skytracker pro. From no understanding of basic photography whatsoever (I was just a 'spray and pray' merchant) - I did two DSLR courses for newcomers at my local arts college. You know the thing - 'how to get off 'auto' and onto 'manual''. 

Then I started researching basic astrophotography and followed some YouTube tutorials. I did some free on-line courses about basic milky way photography. I learned to use deep sky stacker and sequator. I brought Affinity photo and started to learn the basics of post process editing, at a simple beginner's level. From there, I started to learn about SIRIL and GraXpert. I joined various Facebook forums to do with astrophotography and carefully chose my Youtube channels! 

My learning journey has been immense; sky rocketing. The proverbial 'steep learning curve'. 

And so, now, I'm here: a portable wide-field rig and some basic understanding about astrophotography. 

My current astrophotography kit:

• Canon 800D astro-modded camera
• Zenithstar 61ii refractor
• Samyang 14mm and 135mm f/2 lenses
• Canon 22 and 50mm prime lenses
• Skywatcher star adventurer 2i star tracker
• William optics wedge for above tracker 
• ASIair mini
• ASIair 120mm mini guide camera
• RVO 32mm guide scope
• Skywatcher power tank
• various accessories including four small power banks, bahtinov masks, flats tablet, intervalometer, red dot finder, MSM Z shape ball head, ball heads, benbo CF tripod, right angled polar viewfinder, assorted dovetail plates, ring system for Samyang 135mm lens, optolong L-Pro clip in filter, dew bands 

My astronomy kit includes:

• Skywatcher Star Discovery 150 i wifi GOTO newtonian reflector with tripod
• various barlows and eyepieces (25mm, 12mm and 8mm)
• red dot finder 

My passion definitely centres on the astrophotography elements!

And here, as I have said in previous posts, I have certain requirements. Portability, simplicity, compactness, multi-purposefulness (is there such a word?) and some potential growth room for future. The most important ones are portability and simplicity. I have a motorhome and I take my astrophotography kit with me on every tour. I like to do milky way landscape photography along the coastlines of Devon and Cornwall as well as deep space imaging, just about from anywhere. 

So, where do I go in terms of upgrading the kit? Most of it is really aimed at a portable wide-field set up, isn't it? 

On my list of possible stuff is the following:

• optolong L-enHance clip in filter? 
• astronomik OWB clip in filter?
• Skywatcher star adventurer tracker gti or perhaps HEQ5 or equivalent?
• a pixinsight subscription?
• electronic autofocusser - ZWO EAF?
• a cooled astrocam?
• selling my zenithstar and getting a better quality refractor? 
• (a new rucksack for those walks to cliff top destinations - the Osprey Rook II 65lt)
• (jackery 300 plus power station) 

I have absolutely no idea. Are any of these a useful evolution/extension of my existing kit?

I know that if I go down the road of investing in more filters, then it is probable that I would need to upgrade my mount. At the moment I can achieve 3 - 5 minute exposures relatively straight-forwardly.  If I have understood what I have read about filters, then I would need to be able to take exposures of 10"+ and even with an ASIair mini and autoguiding system, I think this would be a push on my rig!

So, at the moment I want to keep portability at the heart of what I do but I want some 'evolution' wiggle room to grow into as my skills and needs advance in the future. 

What would you do? 

What would you advise me to think about or purchase? All help and thoughts gratefully received in the comment box below. And thank you for your help.

As always, clear skies, stay safe and happy observing! 

Steve PlymouthAstroBoy 

Imaging session: Astrophotography timelapse on a GoPro hero 9

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A quick look at what a typical astrophotography night session looks like when you are a beginner 😂 and somewhat disorganised like me! 

Equipment review: A cooking stove for astronomers, the Primus Lite+

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What do you do for your hot drinks on those cold winter nights when all your equipment is covered in dew or worse still, frost? When you are chilled despite all the proper layering of good clothes you have done?

I started my astronomy/astrophotography sessions with taking flasks of tea. But I found these cooled really quickly. Even worse, the milk started curling on the long journeys down country lanes. Yep, that really did occasionally happen. Ugh! 

Then I switched recently to a different system - taking flasks of hot water in an insulated food bag, along with a small metal bottle of milk. I'd make a cuppa using tea bags and the hot water and milk. 

Advantages? The flasks seemed to keep the water far hotter for far longer in the insulated bag. The task of making a cuppa was fun; something to do whilst waiting for your light frames shooting sequence to finish. Great if I was operating out the back of the car where weight of equipment carried wasn't going to be an issue.

But what about when I am doing milky way astrophotography, away from the car? 

Trekking along stretches of coastline or across moorland to a secret destination for a night shoot! Weight of equipment carried becomes an issue then! As does keeping warm in exposed locations. 

So I am switching back to my favourite system of making a cuppa - using a stove! Or cooking noodles! Or heating a camping 'meal in a bag'. It doesn't have to be just a 'cuppa' any more.

Coming from an outdoor pursuits background, firstly as a mountain climber and trekker, then as a dinghy cruising sailor doing overnight expedition raids along the south Devon coastline, I love the hiss from a good camping stove. The heat generated, the bubbling of boiling water, the instant gratification from a hot, warming drink and/or meal. 

I have always used a Trangia stove. Always! Mine is nearly forty years old and is still going strong, but, as Trangia users know, whilst it is a brilliant little stove, it is heavy if you add in the meths that has to be carried as well. 

So, I have sinned. Transgressed. Traitorised myself! I got a Primus Lite+ stove for my birthday present! 

Shock, horror, the world is ending! He has succumbed to the lure of the 'all in one' stove! 

So why have I done this?

Firstly, I wanted a lightweight stove system specifically for when I go off and do my milky way shooting sessions. Something integrated but light weight; giving fast boiling of water. Easy and quick to set up or put away. I often walk a fair way to get to a good location that I have scouted previously. After shooting, I may move location slightly and do it all again in the same session.  I want to be able to pack and unpack equipment quickly. Mobility, time efficiency and safety are the key things here.  

The Primus Lite+ meets these requirements. 

The stove is an integrated 'all in one gas' design; small pack size and a lightweight 400gs. The pot is 0.5l capacity and its a one-person stove set up. On my initial tests out in a windy garden, my stove boiled water in 2' 30"s.  

Fuel efficient and a smart design, it is built of high quality materials. Typical Primus quality! 

The anodised pot has an integrated pouring spout and built in heat exchanger at the base. The lid is plastic and has a strainer inbuilt. This also allows steam to escape as water boils. Stepped, the lid is easy to remove to check the water (or noodles!) Its actual function is, a small mug or bowl! 

Insulated by a cork lined fabric sleeve which closes with velcro, the pot is easy to handle when removing it from the burner assembly. The handle is a sturdy, secure, strap affair which can be folded over the top of the lid to store everything safely inside the pot (or used to hang it using the supplied cord loop, from a convenient branch). Attached to the handle are three little screw pins, more about these later. 

The 0.5lt anodised pot with integrated heat exchanger and the clever triangular attachment system 

The burner unit screws into a gas canister. Triangular in shape, with piezo ignition, its a laminar flow burner giving a 1500w flame. The piezo ignition works well, and the large wire handle to turn the gas on and off gives good simmer control as well.  The triangular joint connection to the pot is ingenious and so simple to use. The pot attaches and detaches with ease. Frankly, the whole set up is low profile, with a low centre of gravity. Stable, safe; helped by the included fold out triangular base leg system that attaches to the gas canister.  Cool down time, by the way, was around ten minutes but that will depend on the conditions on the night won't it?

What about those three pins?  Well, they screw into the three holes on the burner unit. You can then use a bigger pot on the stove. Ideal, if like me, you might be tempted on a longer night out to do a 'boil in the bag' camping meal. I can use one of my very lightweight trangia pots for this. Something I couldn't do on the 'Jetboil Flash, which was the other stove system I looked at. 

The burner head unit and those three pins that can be screwed in to support larger pans if needed

So what don't I like about it after testing it a few times in the garden? 

Not much actually. And that's a rare thing as I'm not that easily pleased when it comes to outdoor gear.  

Those pins on the attached handle make it difficult to fold the handle over the pot for secure storage. They scratch the mug lid as well.  When separating the burner unit from the pot, there isn't much to grab hold of which isn't hot - so you have to hold the gas cylinder and twist. As I said, it separates very easily so that doesn't seem to be a problem in reality. 

In conclusion, I like the portability and lightweightness of the stove. Everything including a 100g gas cylinder packs down into the pot. Materials are sturdy; the design is robust, thoughtful and modern. Its certainly efficient in boiling water even in windy conditions. Primus have an outstanding reputation - a proven track record in good outdoor gear design, reliability and quality.  

Some of you may say it is overkill. A flask of tea is fine. But I say to you, imagine this - sat on a cliff, watching the milky way pass overhead, hearing your DSLR clicking away and in the background, the quite reassuring, comforting roar of a primus lite+; the bubbling of hot water and then a really HOT cuppa or stomach warming noodles! Early morning porridge with cinnamon and sultanas thrown in!! Nectar of the Gods. 

Perfection! 

Notes: 

Copyright on photos above - Peak Mountaineering

I found two review sites useful when researching what stove to buy: 

https://www.peakmountaineering.com/primus-lite-plus-stove-review/

https://outdoorsmagic.com/article/primus-lite-plus-stove-system-review/

Here is the stove in action: 

Editing tutorial: learning to blend a foreground image with a night sky shot in affinity photo

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I hit the YouTube rabbit hole the other day. The weather was lousy and I was going through my portable hard drive trying to tidy up folders and delete duplicates. I found these that I had forgotten to process properly. 

An opportunity then to practise doing sky replacement in affinity photo. 

This is my latest effort - Wembury Mill on the south Devon coast, just to the east of Plymouth Sound. 

I took the foreground image just after nightfall. I cant remember the settings - sorry! I forgot to write them down in my little notebook. I did briefly paint the mill with my head torch beam though. I then returned to capture the milky way galactic core just after it started appearing around 0330 ish. That I tracked. ISO 800, 35" x 20 or so. No calibration frames. 

Not my best shot but not bad - I rushed things on the night.

However, it was good practice for trying to get to grips with Affinity Photo

The sky shots were stacked in Sequator first. 

The Milky Way above Wembury beach, south Devon 

My last photos that I did of the area were these: 

Somehow I managed to get a funny red line between sky and far cliff line - absolutely no idea why - but it was a post processing mistake. I suspect I applied a mask and then did some painting selection brush work which didn't quite work out properly 

Milky Way above the Great Mewstone, off Wembury Point, south Devon

Taken from a slightly different position on the beach from the one above. 

Below are the videos I used to help me work out how to do sky replacement.