ASI 2600MC Air Review
September 03, 2024
The 2600MC Air is ZWO's latest camera, and one of the most unique they've ever released. ZWO have taken the excellent 2600MC Duo camera and put an ASIAir inside of it. That means you get a main camera sensor, autoguider sensor, and ASIAir all in one camera! This significantly reduces the clutter associated with modern astrophotography. There's no g...
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ZWO AM5N Review
August 22, 2024
The ZWO AM5 has been my #1 recommended mount since its release in 2022. It really is the perfect blend of portability, ease of use, price, and features. During the summer of 2024, ZWO released an updated variant - the AM5N. This new version is very similar to the original, with a few noticeable changes, including:
Increased payload capacity (witho...
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William Optics SpaceCat 61mm Review
June 18, 2024
Over the past 5 years I've been using the SpaceCat 51mm telescope for most of my deep space imagery. The wide field of view allows me to capture large regions of space, and showcase the phenomenal dust and nebulosity throughout the cosmos. Earlier this year, William Optics reached out to me and offered to send a SpaceCat 61mm telescope for review....
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2023 Astro Gear Recommendations
February 14, 2023
2023 Astro Gear Recommendations Last Updated - November 26, 2023
I'm going to start off this article by listing my recommended gear for 2023. If you've been following me for a while, then most of this will actually look pretty familiar. I don't update my gear that often, especially when I find something that works well.
ZWO AM5 with tripod
ASIAi...
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Fornax LightTrack II Review
January 11, 2022
Initial Impressions I've spent the last 4 years using almost every star tracker on the market, with one notable exception - the Fornax LighTrack II. I had seen this tracker here and there on the internet, but never had a chance to actually try one out. Thankfully, one of my supporters, Kip, had this mount and was willing to lend it out for a few mo...
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Focus On Stars - Wide Angle Bahtinov Mask | Review
June 17, 2021
If you've read my previous article on the Kase SharpStar Filters, then you know a Bahtinov Mask is a great way to focus at night! However, there's one problem - these filters don't work well with wide angle lenses (35mm and wider). The wider the focal length, the less visible the diffraction spike becomes. This is where Gábor Takács' Focus On Stars...
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Kase Filters AstroBlast Review
June 08, 2021
If you've been doing Milky Way photography for a while now, you might be getting a bit bored with the same old results. I know I was getting tired of the same small, sharp stars in all of my Milky Way photos. There are some great astrophotographers out there that create really dreamy looking nightscape images. There are two different ways to create...
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Kase Filters Bahtinov Mask Review
March 11, 2021
Whether you've been doing astrophotography for one week, or 10 years, you've likely had trouble focusing your telescope / lens. This is especially a problem on some older DSLRs, where you can hardly see the stars on Live View. Usually, the best you can do is slowly rotate the focus ring until the star looks as small as possible. Not exactly precise...
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Dithering with a DSLR and Star Tracker
September 21, 2020
Dithering with a DSLR and Star Tracker Dithering is a special process that should allow you to fix some annoying problems in your astro images. Many sensors produce fixed pattern noise, which can include hot pixels, banding, color mottle, and purple glow. Canon cameras tend to have very bad banding issues, along with color noise. Nikon cameras ofte...
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Nikon D780 Review - Astrophotography
April 05, 2020
Nikon D780 Review - Astrophotography
The Nikon D780 is the long-awaited replacement for the popular D750. I've been using a Nikon D750 for the past 5 years for all of my astrophotography, landscapes, wildlife, portraits, and more. The camera has done a phenomenal job, but it was starting to show its age. There were also a few small problems with t...
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A Guide to Astrophotography Filters
February 19, 2020
Astrophotography Filters In this article we’ll be looking at the different astrophotography filters and how to properly use them. These filters are mainly designed for monochrome camera users. If you have a color astro camera or DSLR, then you won’t get the full benefits of using narrowband or LRGB filters. You could go for some unique light pollut...
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Choosing your first Dedicated Astro Camera
February 12, 2020
Choosing your first Dedicated Astro Camera If you are considering purchasing your first astro camera, you’re probably overwhelmed! Do I want a monochrome or color camera? What brand should I go with? Do I need filters? How do I even use this camera? We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get started!
*Before we get into all the details, I want to ment...
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Pairing a Camera with a Telescope / Lens
December 28, 2019
Pairing a Camera and Lens / Telescope for Astrophotography Astrophotography is a fairly complicated hobby, and there's a lot to learn! One of the most important aspects of astrophotography is picking the correct camera for your lens or telescope (and vice versa!) For all my fellow photographers out there, we are very familiar with focal length, and...
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William Optics High Latitude Base Review
November 24, 2019
William Optics High Latitude Base Review
While I was reviewing the Space Cat, AgenaAstro was kind enough to send me a William Optics Latitude Base to test out. This base comes in two different configurations – High Latitude (32-59) and Low Latitude (7-34). You should choose the base depending on your shooting location. For example, I normally ta...
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William Optics Space Cat Review
November 24, 2019
William Optics Space Cat Review
For the past two years I’ve done most of my deep space astrophotography with an iOptron SkyGuider Pro, Nikon D750, and a Tamron 150-600mm lens. This combo works surprisingly well, and I like the versatility it offers. However, I have been looking to upgrade to a real telescope for some time now. The clear choice for...
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