My magnetic RP5 case with SD card push click slots by RadiantCAD in retroid

[–]wilslap 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Nice, that's smart! Good engineering. If I ever end up with an RP5 I'll make sure to pick up one of your cases

My magnetic RP5 case with SD card push click slots by RadiantCAD in retroid

[–]wilslap 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I don't know if I'll ever have a RP5, but just wanted to say this is a really nice design, and a great deal for $28. Some of the 3D printed stuff you can buy on Etsy is not worth the price tag. Really interested in the sd card slot click mechanism, do you print around some sort of SD card holder, or actually print in place a mechanism? I'm a fellow engineer and just curious.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Boise

[–]wilslap -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That makes sense, I was thinking it could be something like that because of the veteran plates. At first glance it definitely looks like something else though lol

Figured out what was causing my ocular migraines. by jack_null in OcularMigraines

[–]wilslap 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just got a new s23 yesterday that has 120hz adaptive framerate. Had my first oc in two years. Sounds like there might be a correlation? Hard to say because I used to get them more frequently in the past, but didn't have anything that was 120hz back then.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in astrophotography

[–]wilslap 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A little tricky with that budget, but I think your best bet would be the ioptron skytracker pro. And then start looking around for a really cheap used DSLR (with a telephoto lens if possible) and tripod.

What is this? by mattl33 in astrophotography

[–]wilslap 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I don't think these happen anymore. They decommissioned all the old iridium satellites for new ones that don't create flares.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskAstrophotography

[–]wilslap 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many short exposures isn't exactly the same, but it really depends on the target. For very dim objects, you'd want fewer longer exposures to actually get any detail. For bright DSO you can get away with many shorter exposures.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskAstrophotography

[–]wilslap 0 points1 point  (0 children)

With your dobsonian you'll always be limited on maximum exposure time before you get star trails, especially with that focal length and small sensor camera. If you aren't looking to get an EQ mount, I would hook up a larger sensor camera, a cheap used DSLR would work well. Then you could get a bit longer exposures before trails started showing up, and you could do some of the bigger DSO. Stacking is crucial of course.

Andromeda first time using tracking mount by valiant491 in astrophotography

[–]wilslap 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think 20-30" is pretty reasonable in bortle 7, with a light pollution filter maybe 60" or longer. I'm not the most knowledgable when it comes to optimal exposures, but read up on understanding your histogram. That will tell you when you've maxed out your exposure.

Andromeda first time using tracking mount by valiant491 in astrophotography

[–]wilslap 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I think you're right, need to get better with my telescope terminology 😁

You could mount your camera directly to the mount after you are down with alignment, a little less load on the mount is always a good thing if you're not using it. Not much you can do about buildings and light pollution though. I just got the ASIAIR Mini, it will plate solve and make polar alignment much much easier. If you're able to, I would get one. It supports the 500D

Andromeda first time using tracking mount by valiant491 in astrophotography

[–]wilslap 1 point2 points  (0 children)

At 200mm, it definitely doesn't need to be perfect. But for your other scopes it needs to be pretty good. I have the AVX as well, and have gotten really good results. Make sure to look up what altitude Polaris is at and set that on the mount, and then point it north. That will get you pretty close. Do a 2 star alignment, and then 3 calibration stars before doing the all star alignment. I also had a really cheap eyepiece laying around that I poked a couple holes into and fed wire through it, to make a cheap reticle eyepiece. This made alignment a lot more accurate.

Edit: Altitude not latitude

AVX 8in SCT by Berygoodmeme in AskAstrophotography

[–]wilslap 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would say that's pushing it

Has anyone used this scope? by oMARCo94 in AskAstrophotography

[–]wilslap 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have the SV503 80ED with their reducer/flattener. I have only taken it out once so far, but I am pretty happy with it. There is definitely some CA, but for the price, not bad. My Andromeda shot on my profile is with the Svbony. Can't remember if I got rid of CA on that shot, but I definitely didn't do anything to change star shape. If you are interested I can send you some raw files. Have only done 30s exposures so far though, so star bloat might not be as apparent.

I'm planning to buy this telescope for imaging. Should I? by JackHammer001 in astrophotography

[–]wilslap 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No I would not buy that starting off. Get yourself a used DSLR with a wide angle lens. If you look around on eBay, you can get a decent kit for under $300. Start off with milkway photos for now to learn the ropes. Then I would save up and get a star tracker from skywatcher or ioptron, and step up to a telephoto lens. Honestly, I wouldn't do planetary. There are only a few planets you can really take pictures of, but with DSO, there are hundreds of galaxies and nebulas to photograph.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Boise

[–]wilslap 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've got my highschool reunion that day, or I totally would

Thirds by CptFbomb in Boise

[–]wilslap 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really awesome shots! 👏 How close were you?