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Thanks for the video! My ETX-90 is older and don't have anything to grab onto on the mirror side. should re-check the back. As for those wrenches, to everyone using them, warning: tighten the interchangeable metal tips! Chance of them falling from the wrench right on the piece of glass you are working with is surprisingly high. Luckily i learned this NOT the hard way.

Hope all is well, Garnett. Miss your vids.

So... how do you know someone's an engineer?... They tell you 😂 Just picking on ya... great video. It's totally true tho 🤭

You seriously ragging on a 70 dorra scope made by a Chinese kid in some sweatshop?! lol

Great info. Thanks!

Fantasic video and very helpful ty

Very thorough review, Garnett!

Beautiful!

This is the best video on planetary with PIPP, AUTO, etc… I’ve found yet! Thanks!

Great review, I'll stick with my MAK.

Does it track good if mounted with a motor gear ?

Through a Window? 🤔

Can I use a single axis motor on it ?

Thats a great set up ,thanks for sharing ,im a new subscribe ,found you through Lukomatico

Thanks for your video. I have the following manual focus telephoto lenses: 135mm f/3.5 Takumar 200mm f/5.6 Takumar 300mm f/6.3 Takumar 135mm f/2 Zeiss 135mm f/3.5 Nikkor 400mm f/5.6 Nikkor 500mm f/4 Nikkor I have never used any of them for astrophotography. How do I test them to determine if they are suitable for astrophotography?

Garnett - how would you rate the 80 vs your 40? I have the original non-modular Lunt 60 (very happy with it too).

Excellent video Garnett. Just a heads up (others have probably already said this in the comments) - the larger blocking filter means visual observing with an eyepiece will be more comfortable, especially if you wear glasses. Also, vignetting will be less of an issue with imaging. The larger blocking filter also gives you more room around the solar disc for proms...

Very useful info! Can’t help but feel inspired to go at and shoot with this music. The whole thing is a build.

Managed to eliminate most of image shift following your video!. Mirror is a solid piece of glass, not as delicate as what most people think. I put a “cover” on the mirror with soft material so I could work freely when doing the adjustment w/o any risk of damaging the mirror. My only mistake was not to properly clean the protective surface and I had to clean the mirror afterwards…not a big deal with alcohol and cotton.

Great video but please put all of the equipment, parts you used for the entire setup

Any tips on focussing? I really struggle to get a sharp image and any help would be much appreciated.

I'm picking one of these up now. For $30 or $40 it seems like a great choice to take hiking or camping. Use a 1.25 upright diagonal and it's a spotting scope; a regular diagonal and eyepiece and it's a cheap 80-90mm telescope. Way cheaper than a C90; hopefully lightweight too. The one thing missing is a tripod collar, but you get what you pay for :-) If I wanted one, I'd go for a used Sigma or Nikon... or just get a C90.

awesome

I have a Celestron 80mm (f/5) refractor. I have found that a SvBony CLS light pollution filter eliminates all chromatic aberration by blocking the color blue entirely and it is cheap. I have also found that using narrow dual band filter eliminates all chromatic aberration and allows you to photograph on nights with a full moon, but only allows you to photograph emission nebulae.

Just purchased a Super Multi Coated version. Its like new in case and boxed here in UK £24.

Thanks. However, at 13:43 you said you would put the key at the end of the video - what adjustment to make based on where the drift is. But I cannot find that key. Where is it? Tx

So is it good for stars, planet (like jupiter mercury etc..) ? I really want a telescope that can provide some details for planet (like jupiter) at least. And maybe even nebulaes

Continue your channel

Continue your channel

You can also use the shadows from the sun. As the sun drifts across the sky the tip of a shadow such as your tripod will make a straight line East and West. Mark one Point and wait 10 minutes and then mark the other point. Draw a straight line between the two points and place two of your tripod legs directly on that line and the third leg will be pointing North or South as long as the legs are equally spaced out. Also, if you setup at Solar Noon the shadow will pointing directly north as well in the northern hemisphere.

Degree field of view quoted in the first few minutes! More math, please!

Growing up we had 35mm cameras with film in them there was no such thing as auto focus as we know it today and no digital cameras LOL I find that most people today have no idea how to auto focus a camera and then they blame it on the camera lens.

Love your videos man, thank you!! Problem: I have a 10” Newtonian f/8 I made many years ago using a 12” piece of schedule 40 PVC. Works great with home made mount, but I have no tracking capability. I cannot find a heavy duty mount with tracking. Like the one in this video. Could you help me out on that…? Thx!

Thx!

Where would you recommend getting these parts and how do I go about getting the right ones. I need this modification but I’m worried about getting the wrong stuff or messing it up.

You've got me convinced.... Always looking for ways to do more with less equipment.

If you are on a budget a #11 Yellow/Green color filter goes a long ways at removing fringe. If your scope is a doublet Apo with an ED lens, but you still get minor fringing try a #8 Light Yellow or a #12 Yellow. I had that cheap Explore Scientific 4" f/10 Doublet with that poor EQ mount (all for $350), but the scope wasn't bad, but the Moon was Blue, Venus was blue etc. etc. etc. Guy in my club gave me a #11 Optolong 1.25 filter and the blue got eaten up and even Vega had next to no fringe. The color filters are really saving money with the jump to 2 inches, those Baader 2" fringe filters run over $130+.

Thank you, this was just what I needed! Careful about them bolts people, they're tight and will strip and snap off! I had to drill out two of them, not pretty work but I got the job done. Also, is there a specific extension tube or length of tube you use with this set up to allow you to achieve focus with a telescope lens?

I have the 50mm and B600 blocking filter. Guy ask me why I didn't get the 40mm because it comes with a Vixen plate and Sol Searcher. I told him I have Vixen bars, but 50mm is 50% more light gathering power and I want it for viewing not photography. For the Sun I don't need a finderscope, that's what shadows are for.😁

Can you add other eyepieces to this scope and will it giver any better viewing?

All these videos end in the same way. You remove that IR filter but then what ? Just put it back together again ? Someone mentioned a replacement filter... another that 'both filters' should be removed.... What ??? Some narration would have been great.

Grandsons my CG-4 on zero and took off the weight shaft and now it's an Alt-Az that you cannot make it any shorter. I gave it to my grandsons with a 6" reflector and a 102 SW Maksutov. Since they've outgrown the 4" tabletop Dob I gave them and they didn't like using it in EQ as where they live was kind of hard to polar align with a building in the way and they didn't like Meridian flips. They figured out they could turn it to zero and use it that way. Smart enough to turn it into an Alt-az, but not polar align. More like lazy way to do it. I'd bought an iOptron Az Pro that has the easiest to understand handset control I've used. Has a database of over 112,000 stars and can hold two scopes up to 43 pounds. For the 2nd saddle I did not like the look of their little one they sell separately so I bought a dual Vixen/Losmandy saddle for the 20mm shaft from ADM and it's bigger than the dual saddle that comes with the AZ Pro. www.admaccessories.com/product/dual-cw20-dual-series-saddle-fits-20mm-counterweight-shaft/

Useful, thanks. Question, why concentrate on North, when the trailing legs should line EW?

I will try this out tonight. I do use a laser and as long as the secondary is aligned, I just bump the laser till it gets centered on the primary then adjust the primary knobs from there. In other words, lasers do not need to be accurate. It all depends on the accuracy of the secondary to alighn the primary. I do have a dob equatorial mount so that will help in repeating the alignment by star process keeping it i center. Reason I was to do this is because I did noticed that when I photographed Jupiter last time, it had just a hint of some chromatic abberation when i saturated it in editting. Might be due to some slight mis alignment. Stars look fine though.

I bought one new when they first came out in '76, had it for 35 years, or so. Came with the 28mm RKE eyepiece, but without the red grip-ring that shortly became the standard dress for the RKE line. It had a knurled or grooved grip machined in the metal. Another advantage of the early base is that it had a 1/4-20 threaded hole on the bottom, but angled off center. Thus, the base could be supported on a photographic tripod, but the ball could still swivel. This let you stand-up and walk around to view the sky. More easily aimed too. Of course, it required a stable tripod to be useful. I concur with all your other noted points on the dust cover, hardware, strap & etc. My only two complaints would be the inability to clean the inside of the scope, and the poor traction of the focusing knob on the tube, especially as it got older, it became insurmountable. Perhaps that's why Edmund went with the black finish, might be better for traction (wild guess here). Anyway, enjoyed your video a lot, thanks for posting it.

Thanks - could you clarify the instructions for adjusting the azimuth as the sun drifts? If the camera / lens are on the eastern side of the meridian, what would be the alt/az adjustments to make given upward/downward/leftward/rightward drift of the sun out of the frame?

Hello. I have an Orion 12" Skyquest. The primary mirror springs have always anoyed me because not enough tension. Do replacement springs have to be precise or can I just go to Home Depot and get anything similar?

Had an old timer at Oregon Star Party collimated his 12” dob that had duct tape all over it, using the star test. He was a visual observer, but it literally took him 3 minutes to do it each night. His views were awesome.