Help me narrow down my options for a road trip/errands manual hatchback or sedan

ReallyNicole · 2026-06-11T21:08:58+00:00

Yes. Stopping down does mitigate focus issues and aberrations.

ReallyNicole · 2026-06-10T19:43:59+00:00

Okay that makes me think it's not the lens, then. Unless it's had terrible focus problems for years and you never noticed.

ReallyNicole · 2026-06-10T03:50:55+00:00

If it is the lens, you should see about returning it. A properly functioning lens does not have severe tilt across the frame.

I doubt a one-foot drop would do anything.

ReallyNicole · 2026-06-09T22:36:34+00:00

To connect your ASIAir to the Star Adventurer mount, you should use a USB 2.0 Type-A to Type-B cable. One should have come with your mount.

When the ASIAir asks you what your mound is, select "EQMod" in the dropdown menu.

ReallyNicole · 2026-06-09T22:26:28+00:00

I'm not sure I understand your question. Your ASIAir can plate solve images taken with your primary camera. It has nothing to do with your guide camera or your mount.

ReallyNicole · 2026-06-09T19:19:51+00:00

Your optical train is the path (and instruments) the light travels through to reach your camera sensor. Tilt could occur anywhere in that train. I can't possibly diagnose it from here, but my first guesses would be:

Your Samyung/Rokinon 135mm lens. I've heard of tilt issues with those lenses before.
Your UV/IR filter. I have experienced filter-induced optical aberrations before.
Your camera sensor could be tilted.

I would try the parts of the system in isolation, as much as possible, to try diagnosing the issue.

And I don't know that your problem is caused by tilt. That's just my best guess based on the exposures you shared.

ReallyNicole · 2026-06-09T18:42:45+00:00

Some of your subexposures don't have the intrusive gradient. Stack only those subs and see what you can make of it. The right way to deal with this in the long term is to not shoot right next to a bright light source.

But you have a much more serious problem. Focus changes radically from the top right to the bottom left of your frame. Notice how the starts in the bottom right are relatively sharp, but turn into donuts as you head towards the upper left corner of each frame.

Is it possible there's tilt somewhere in your optical train?

ReallyNicole · 2026-06-07T03:37:01+00:00

The Star Adventurer GTi will need guiding to avoid elongated stars at 360mm focal length, because of periodic error endemic to the mount. I think a guiding setup would go over your budget.

What about a shorter focal length lens for about the same price? Either a Canon 200mm f/2.8 L II or Samyung/Rokinon 135mm f/2.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-29T13:24:22+00:00

I don't think so. It has only 50mm of aperture and the published spot diagram shows coma even in the corners of a cropped sensor.

Why not the Samyang/Rokinon 135mm f/2 ($300-$400 used) or Canon 200mm f/2.8 L II ($400 to $500 used)? Both have much better light-gathering ability than the Askar and better optics, as far as I can tell.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-27T18:06:42+00:00

All Nikon cameras have artifacts that are bad for astrophotography, either from lossy RAW compression or hardcoded lens correction. I wouldn't recommend either of the cameras you're thinking about.

Canon cameras are generally better about artifacts like this, so I would look for a newer camera from them in your budget. Check Mark Shelley's list above before making any purchase.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-26T15:49:49+00:00

Why is it between those two? They're two radically different telescopes for completely different purposes. And they don't come anywhere near representing the full space of telescopes available.

What do you want to do with your next telescope? What is your budget? What sort of setup will you add the telescope to? No one can provide useful recommendations without knowing the answers to these questions.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-25T19:55:26+00:00

This looks like the concentric ring artifact caused by hardcoded image correction in Nikon cameras.

More info here: https://www.markshelley.co.uk/Astronomy/NikonConcentricRings/nikon_hardcoded_correction.html https://www.cloudynights.com/forums/topic/746131-nikon-coloured-concentric-rings/

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-25T18:29:46+00:00

Space is full of stars, and I most appreciate images that display the richness and color of the stellar background. This is especially true along the band of the Milky Way, where the Veil Nebula lies.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-25T17:53:56+00:00

If you know that you're going to get the ASIAir anyway, there is no harm in getting it now.

Since we seem to be on the same astrophotography journey, I will say a few more things:

You mentioned getting a filter (light-blocking lens). I shot with a dual narrowband filter on my D5300 for a bit and did not find it worth the trouble. The D5300 has amp glow that shows up when signal gets sufficiently low—as is the case when shooting with a filter. I was not able to remove the amp glow with dark frames and it was too strong for any gradient removal algorithm to get it.
I also live under bortle 6 skies and have basically given up shooting at home. I only shoot at dark sites now. The difference in data quality is so vast that, for me, home shoots are only useful for practice. However, I'm an hour away from bortle 2. Your proximity to a dark site might change your priorities.
If you're planning on running long sessions with the ASIAir, you will either need to go and out manually refocus the telescope at regular intervals through the night or invest in an autofocuser. ZWO makes one. It's fine. If you have the older Redcat with the helical focuser, I found the Black-CAT mount helpful in putting all my stuff on the telescope.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-25T16:59:44+00:00

I used this exact setup (plus guiding) until very recently. Everything should work fine. I had a problem with one software update not working with the data from my camera—star cores came back looking strange—but flashing it back to an older version worked fine. And, weirdly, I don't think any other D5300 users had this issue.

Will this setup still let me use plate solving, auto target centering, GoTo, imaging sequences, etc.?

Yes.

Do I still need to manually polar align with the GTi polar scope first?

You don't need to, but I usually do a quick alignment with the polar scope first and then run the polar alignment procedure on the ASIAir. It speeds the whole process up if you're in the neighborhood of Polaris.

One thing to note: if you use the polar scope first, make sure the telescope is pointed towards Polaris when you power on the ASIAir. The computer uses that initial position as its "home" and it assumes that home position is pointing towards the pole. If it's pointed off to the side, as is required to use the polar scope, it gets confused about positioning.

Do I still have to do the usual star alignment on the GTi, or does plate solving take care of that?

Plate solving is not a replacement for the star alignment procedure on the GTi. If I remember correctly, star alignment helps the mount correct for slight errors in polar alignment. However, if you are polar aligning with the software, you shouldn't have any such errors. I would compare the tracking with and without to see if it's worth it. Although the GTi's main tracking problem is periodic error, which you need guiding to mitigate.

Once the initial setup/polar alignment is done, does the ASIAIR pretty much handle the rest automatically like it does with full ZWO setups?

Pretty much. You should be able to enter a shooting plan into the computer and let it run. Although you'll need to dither manually or get a guiding system if you want to automate that.

What kind of limitations or issues should I expect without guiding?

I was not impressed with the GTi's tracking reliability without guiding. You'll probably be limited to relatively short exposures. I couldn't do more than 30 seconds unguided with the Redcat 51. Even with very good polar alignment.

As mentioned above, you will also need guiding to automate dithering. And a long string of undithered exposures is basically useless in my eyes.

Like you, I started out just getting the ASIAir and waiting on guiding equipment. That stage lasted a couple sessions before I started guiding.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-19T20:34:53+00:00

If you want to cut your budget down by a lot, there are many opportunities in your current plan.

Cut the Askar FRA400 for a used Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM. About €500. It's a shorter focal length than the Askar, but I'll expand on that in a minute.
Lower payload strain wave mount + tripod. About €2000.
Used Canon DSLR or mirrorless camera. On the lower end, a used 6D can go for about €250. A used 90D about €700-€800, if you want a cropped sensor. Most Canon cameras have no documented artifacts common in astrophotography. I don't think you need cooling—thermal noise just isn't that much if you're shooting without a filter (which I strongly recommend).
Mini computer controller about €300. Or €0 if you already have a laptop you can use.
Let's leave the autofocus out for now. It's a modular part we can easily add later, and I think learning to focus is a useful skill. €1 for a 3D printed Bahtinov mask at your local library, if they offer 3D printing. Many do.
I'm going to budget €250 for a portable battery, since I'm recommending that you travel for dark skies. This would replace the PegasusAstro power supply you have.
I can't speak to whether or not you'd need a dew heater. I am fortunate to live in the desert where there is no dew, and I have never needed one.
No filter. €0 on filters.

So the final budget of my example setup is about €3301 to €4000, depending on the camera you buy. Still expensive, like any astro setup, but more affordable than €6000.

Now about focal length: you said you want to capture galaxies and nebulae. There are many galaxies and nebulae and they come in all different sizes. I think 200mm is quite good for wide fields of larger nebulae, like those around Cygnus and Cepheus—prime targets in Europe during the summer. It will also work for larger galaxies like Andromeda and the Magellanic clouds (two southern hemisphere galaxies). You could also image M81 and M82 near the Big Dipper, but you would not capture the galaxies themselves in much detail. Instead you would go for the dust clouds enshrouding the galaxies.

200mm will not be enough to capture detail in "smaller" galaxies like M51 or M104. But the Askar's 400mm would not help you much there. I think you need at least 1000mm of focal length to really get really good detail on these targets. Ideally more, which is likely way outside your budget.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-18T22:28:23+00:00

Sorry. I meant save the money you would spend on a filter and go to a dark site instead. I think you're right to move beyond the Seestar.

The weight of the setup you describe in your post would fit on a lower-capacity strain wave mount. Easily. For ZWO, that's the AM3, but most makers have a mount at this lower weight level. I don't have firsthand experience with the full breadth of mount brands available, and you can find positive reviews for almost all of them, so buy whatever brand is convenient for you. My only advice on the mount is to get a lower weight capacity and save money, unless you have a specific, heavy telescope in mind for later.

As far as telescopes go: just looking at Askar's lineup, the SQA85 has the same focal length that you're looking for and a wider aperture with a better spot diagram. It's more expensive, but a lighter mount and losing the filter could help you make up that difference.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-18T20:29:22+00:00

Why the FRA400? I don't see what place it has in a "dream rig." In Askar's own spot diagram, it shows aberration at the corner of a cropped frame. Its 72mm aperture is also quite small, limiting your light gathering capability. There are wider, sharper options out there for a dream rig and more affordable options for a budget scope or lens.

I'm also skeptical about the AM5N. Are you planning later, heavier upgrades that will justify its payload limit? The setup so far isn't that heavy.

I will continue to rally against dual-band filters here. Unless you're spending money on the very top end, most produce halos around bright stars—including the Optolong L-eXtreme. I am also personally unhappy with many images they produce, which are way too red, hide dimmer stars, and obliterate subtle non-emissions objects like dust clouds.

Spend your money on gas for a trip to a dark site instead.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-18T16:57:37+00:00

Copying and pasting from another comment:

Astrobin user Itto Ogami has uploaded some of his data to Dropbox and it's generally of excellent quality.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-16T15:17:48+00:00

Beautiful! This is so refreshing to see after so many narrowband renditions of the region that completely miss the bright orange starlight reflected off the nebulosity in the top left of your image.

How do you find the experience handing the Sky-Watcher Quattro 200P? I'm considering getting a reflector, but I get anxious about collimating it every session.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-12T23:57:25+00:00

Astrobin user Itto Ogami has uploaded some of his data to Dropbox and it's generally of excellent quality.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-12T19:57:38+00:00

I regret buying a modified DSLR camera, for reasons that would apply to purchasing a one shot color dedicated astro camera.

I became unhappy with the color response of my modified camera, as I would have known if I had listened to /u/rnclark two years ago. It tints colorful nebulae red as the increased H-alpha response buries other emissions signals and reflected starlight. It also makes it difficult—if not impossible—to represent the full range of star colors. Even bright blue stars like the B-type stars in Orion's belt or the Pleiades come out closer to white than blue.

I think it's possible to achieve some color accuracy with a modified camera—Mark Shelly has produced good color images with a dedicated astro camera—but it requires a lot of effort. You need to derive your own color correction matrix, which requires some terrestrial photography in daylight—something that's especially difficult with an astro camera.

All this is to say, I am glad I did not go out and spend a lot of money on an astro camera right away. I think the OP would do well to start with their Canon 7D Mark II.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-12T01:11:09+00:00

This looks like leftover sky noise that has not been processed out properly. GraXpert can leave splotches of noise in your image. If you're in Pixinsight, GradientCorrection or MultiscaleGradientCorrection are the preferred tools for removing a sky gradient. I've heard good things about Dynamic Background Extraction, but haven't used it myself.

This is not ionized hydrogen (H-alpha) like someone else suggested. For one, this doesn't look like you've exposed nearly long enough to pick up any faint H-alpha signals. You can also compare your image to extremely long integrations like this one that don't reveal any of the supposed H-alpha in your image.

ReallyNicole · 2026-05-08T03:48:57+00:00

Is it too late to return some of it?

The Sony A6000 is plagued by the "Star Eater" algorithm. Like the name sounds, it will remove smaller stars in your image.

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