Honest and Unbiased Reviews of Astrophotography Equipment Part 1

First, Smart Telescopes - My thoughts and experiences: Simple, not-too-technical explanations, of the (affordable) Smart Telescopes: The Dwarf 2 and The Seestar S50. I've been using The Seestar S50 a lot more lately.

Have you taken a good look at some of the images captured with the Seestar S50 lately? You can always go to the Seestar S50 Official Group on Facebook, and just have a look. What you see, generally, are average people acquiring some phenomenal photos of deep sky objects - using just a Seestar S50. 

Of course, there are some “outliers” who put in some extra effort, and a lot of extra time – and achieve really remarkable results. Probably the most amazing part of it, and this is coming from a bona fide astrophotographer, is that when compared to images acquired using conventional rigs: the results from the Seestar S50 are commonly as good, and often better, than those acquired while spending a lot more money (and time). 

I have spent a lot of my free time recently, simultaneously, adding components to the conventional astrophotography rig I have; testing it, etc. 

I've also been researching all of the different results which other hobbyists have been getting, using different combinations of equipment. Astrobin.com is a great resource, For doing some quick and easy searches – to see images acquired with specific equipment. 

Of course, I’ve been looking up equipment similar to the rig I currently have, as well as possible combinations of scopes and cameras, which I’ve considered upgrading to.

There are almost a dozen different scope / camera combinations I've considered: From Newtonian astrographs, to 6" SCTs, even considered the "exotic" (lol) Ritchey Chretien!  

And many cameras, from DSLRs to CMOS... And I could hardly find any (modestly-priced) combination, which would produce substantially better results than my Seestar S50. 

The only (affordable) scope I came across, which would show a noticeable improvement in overall image(s) were the popular 6" F/4 Newtonian astrographs (like this one - for one example). Or this one, which is at least in stock.

This is my current set up: 

How it started...

How it progressed...

How it ended up...

(still in progress)

• A ZWO AM3 Harmonic Drive Mount, on a ZWO TC40 tripod (this is currently on loan from ZWO).
• An Astro Tech AT80EDT (apochromatic triplet refractor).
• A 2” Astro Tech field flattener.
• A (soon-to-be-modified) Canon 550 / T2i / DSLR.
• A ZWO 30mm Guidescope 
• A ZWO ASI120MM Guide camera

Software, which is being tested extensively is:

• ZWO’s suite of standard ASI applications.
• N.I.N.A.
• PHD2
• APT - Astro Photography Tool
• SharpCap 
• Astroberry

These are all very good, but for now the ones I’ve settled on are:

APT

 &

SharpCap 

I like using APT because it gives you real time feedback on everything that’s taking place: There’s live view, you can look at your actual sub frames, you can see the battery status of connected equipment, etc. 

I just find it all intuitive and very easy to use. I may also be a bit biased, because it’s the software I’ve used in years past.

I purchased a license for Sharpcap software; I’m looking forward to trying it’s live stacking feature.

Among the DSLR combinations I was looking into, were the following: 

Canon 550D + 80/90/102mm refractors 

Canon 5D Mk II (inspired by Astrobiscuit!)

Canon 60Da (inspired by Trevor Jones – Astrobackyard)

Nikon D5300 (inspired by Nico Carver – Nebulaphotos)

       &

Canon SL2

Canon T7i

       &

Nikon D5600 (inspired by Jerry Lodriguss – Astropix).

Other cameras by Canon which I’ve been looking into:

6D MkI

6D Mk II (full frame sensor)

5D MII

5D Mk III

450D (because of how inexpensive and versatile it is).

Other cameras by Nikon which I’ve been looking into:

D7500

D5500

D850

D810A (full frame sensor)

D600 (full frame sensor)

D700 (full frame sensor)

Until next time,

Clear skies!

Story #2 - Being Disabled and The Convenience Of Smart Telescopes

I was on the fence for quite a while, about whether or not to discuss this subject on (any of) my blogs. 

So, I've decided to go ahead and post my little story here ('Story #2') on my Astronomy Blog. This topic coincides with the wonderful convenience which the "new" smart telescopes provide.

I've made some new (online) friends over this past year: Both in the world of Bat Research, and Amateur Astronomy. So, as an 'FYI' for them, and as a way to illustrate the usefulness of smart telescopes...

There are 1 billion people, 15% of the world's population, disabled today. At the age of only 39 - I would've never expected to have my career come to a halt. I wouldn't have expected it in million years.

In an effort to make a long story short: I found myself coming home from work, not just tired (like everyone else), but with increasing levels of back pain, and body-wide inflammation. When it got to the point where normal movement became difficult, I consulted Doctors.

It's interesting to note: The first couple of Doctors I visited (General Practitioners), attributed these issues as being: "muscle related", "possibly arthritis", or other run-of-the-mill issues.

The third Doctor I visited (a Pain Management Specialist), sent me for X-Rays & MRI's. It was discovered that I had 8 damaged spinal discs: 4 in the mid-back; surgery not an option (due to proximity to thoracic region). 3 discs in lower back (Lumbar region) surgery not an option there, as a perfectly healthy disc would be affected. As well as 1 slightly damaged disc in the neck (cervical region).

I was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia; by more than one Rheumatoid Specialist. In the years which followed, I had many tests done, and several medical procedures. I'm not going to go off on a tangent here, or get into all the details, etc. - The main points I'd like to make are that living with chronic pain & fibromyalgia (and most recently, diabetes) isn't easy.

The majority of my time is spent in bed. I never know when I'm going to feel okay; which makes planning to enjoy astronomy, or astrophotography (on clear nights) close to impossible. 

I was involved with both the visual, and AP facets of amatuer astronomy, since I was a freshman in high school. For about the past decade, trying to enjoy astrophotography was very difficult. There were quite a few steps involved in the set-up of the equipment, for a night of imaging. 

As you might imagine, there were many nights when the sky conditions were excellent - and I simply couldn't manage to set anything up. To say it was frustrating, would be a gross understatement.

With the development of these compact, smart telescopes - I've found that this is no longer the case. These new smart telescopes for astrophotography are practically effortless to set-up. The Seestar S50, for example - can simply be placed on a flat surface outside, and powered on. Then, you can just go back into your home, and control everything via smartphone or tablet. The Dwarf 2 is amazing - and almost as easy to set-up: You simply need to let it go through it's calibration process (successfully) and then you can also go indoors!

People sometimes like to say that the Dwarf II's lens is too small...But, have you ever seen what some (dedicated) astronomers accomplish with cell phone cams??

Anyway, this is a real game changer for just about anyone with disabilities. Which is really amazing, and is the reason why I'm sharing all of this.

For the first time in about 15 years, I won't have to miss out on any clear nights! I'll be able to just go out on the deck, and place a smart telescope on an outdoor table (or other flat/sturdy surface) and that's it! The rest is smooth sailing...

Well, that's my short post (for now). I'm happy to report, that:

• The 2-Part Review of The Dwarf 2 has been posted here (Pt.1 - Pt.2).
• The Seestar S50 review will be posted here soon!
• And, last...but certainly not least: Instead of my (usual) live webinar/presentation on the lastest bat detector, I'll be talking about these two new smart telescopes! As well as the hobby of amatuer astronomy! For the members of The BatAbility Club (based in Scotland).

Stay tuned - More interesting stuff coming soon!

I just got a new telescope today! So, I'll be reporting on it - All I'll say for now, is that it's the first GoTo telescope I've ever bought... I want to especially share what it's like, having a new "conventional" telescope next to a smart telescope...

Also: A few of you may remember me posting about some beautiful vintage telescopes a while back? ...Well, they may yet find their way here! We'll see...

Looking forward to it!

Clear skies!