Light Pollution filters for DSLR imaging in Singapore?

[cloud_cover]

Well, if its a D70 you're comparing to, you can ship in a modded canon (usually 350D or 20D), used from the US for less than USD400 which might work out cheaper than modding, getting filters etc.
Having said that, sometimes I wonder if getting a cooled CCD is ultimately cheaper than getting a new consumer level DSLR and then modding it. And netbooks with 10hr battery life are less than SGD400 these days.
Not cheap, but just comparing prices
As for me, I have no guts to mod my D700 and I'm loathe to give up its high ISO ability as well as full frame field.

[cataclysm]

The IDAS LPS2 is not a strong filter, but offer the best colour balance on my modified Canon 350D.

does anyone have an Astronmik CLS or Lumicon UHC or IDAS LPS that I might be able to borrow to evaluate?

Hi Cloud Cover, I do have a Astronomik CLS in-camera clip on filter for Canon dslr. Wanna try it?

[wucheeyiun]

Hi Kevin ( cataclysm ) - do you need to remove the IR cut filter and replace with a HYdrogen-Alpha filter within your canon DSLR before clipping on ... ?

[cataclysm]

Hi Kevin ( cataclysm ) - do you need to remove the IR cut filter and replace with a HYdrogen-Alpha filter within your canon DSLR before clipping on ... ?

Hi Cheeyiun, the clip on filter will works even on standard DSLR. It is placed in front of the flip mirror, like this: http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid ... ilter&st=2

[orly_andico]

after playing with my old/cheap Meade DSI (air-cooled, no fan or TEC) for a while... i am a believer in astro-cameras.

using DSLR for astro is such a pain in the #$#@# because it's not designed for such purpose. the astro-cams have unbelievable sensitivity compared to DSLR (e.g. almost real-time capture of M42, 4 seconds I could see more detail than a 30-second DSLR shot).

so... in the end a big-sensor low-end astro-camera (e.g. Orion starshoot pro, QHY8, SBIG 8300) might be the least-hassle imaging choice when you also factor in the variability of the weather, preciousness of imaging time, etc.

[andeelym]

Orly, I am hearing you.

Personally, I do not have any experience in Astro-imaging yet. Still trying to build up my gears. But reading what you have written, is it true that even a "low-end" Meade DSI can do that? 4 seconds comparing to 30 seconds from a DSLR? If so, I'm sold.

I can see that imaging time can be cut down to a fraction of the time needed. In the end, I get my images, my wife is happy and my kids can see what I taken with a shorter time.

[wucheeyiun]

I have done some shots ( point and shoot m42 with very dated d200 & d700 dslr camera ) ... And now with new nikon D3s ...it will be vastly improved. The shots are all done in 1 to 8 secs.

http://www.singastro.org/viewtopic.php? ... hlight=m42

[orly_andico]

andeelym,

here is a single shot, 4 seconds with the original Meade DSI Pro (monochrome). I was limited to 4 seconds because my polar alignment was so bad that 8 seconds was showing star-trailing.

notice the hot pixels since this is a single shot. I just did some contrast-stretch (no flats or darks). William-Optics Zenithstar 70ED on Vixen Polaris.



notice that the Trap is already burned out at 4 seconds.

the big challenge with these old small CCD's is that the FOV is tiny. But this one only cost me $220 SGD shipped from the US.

EDIT: I'm planning to get a Peltier from Sim Lim Tower and mod the DSI Pro to add cooling. Should cut down significantly on the hot pixels...

Granted, my wife wants a Pentax K-r for her bug-chasing adventures (the K20D is too heavy for her) and I'd be lying if I said I'm not looking at the K-r for astrophotography as well... I've seen some amazing shots of M31 taken the the K-x. So DSLR certainly has a place. But the astro CCD is so much more gratifying to use as the exposure times required are so much smaller and you have automation via your laptop.

Meade Envisage if your laptop is connected to a Meade mount, can also do drizzling to stitch several images together, also corrects for field rotation (in case of imperfect polar alignment) so the small-CCD problem is partly obviated.

[mymoon]

I was wondering if either narrowband (Lumicon UHC, Astronomik UHC) or line fiters (OIII) will be useful when imaging in Singapore with my DSLR. I don't think the broadband filters will do very much as far as imaging DSOs and defeating the light pollution is concerned - I have a Lumicon Deep Sky and an Orion Skyglow and visually I must say they don't make much difference here!
What do you guys think?
I'm not about to spend on CCDs at the moment so Ha and SII are definitely out of the question for me at the moment (unless you guys have experience to the contrary?)
Come to think of it: while filters are expensive, one 2" filter costs 'only' 5 trips to Punggai, so if it works well, it "buys" me more nights to image with
Thanks!

Dr Samir Kharusi did some investigation on this subject.

Click here for his findings.

Scroll right to the bottom for his "Guidance for a Newbie with a DSLR"

Hope you will find it useful and he will give further advise if you contact him.

cheers