ASIAIR Plus - Raw First Impressions & Thoughts During the First Session!!
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- čas přidán 26. 07. 2024
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Well, this is a LONG video I know! - I wanted to give you my raw first impression as I used the device for it's first imaging session, and give you all my thoughts as the night went on.
#asiairplus
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Timestamps!
00:00 Intro
02:05 Starting Setup
04:24 Polar Alignment
06:20 GoTo Caph
07:29 Auto Focus
09:36 Object Browser
10:55 GoTo IC63
11:55 Guiding
14:25 Intro to the Plan
17:14 Plan Start & Initial Thoughts
18:06 WiFi Test
19:51 First Exposure
20:45 Histogram Manual Tune
21:43 Meridian Time
23:15 Thoughts on the Flip!
27:11 5AM Thoughts on the ASIAIR PLUS
33:05 ASIAIR Plus vs Pro?
34:45 Taking Flats
40:20 Taking Bias
41:35 Final Thoughts?
43:15 IC63 Reveal - Věda a technologie
Hey Luke, let me tell you, your “rambling” is what makes your videos extraordinary. Your videos are, as they say, “user friendly.” I don’t have my Plus (yet), but with your instructions, I think I’m already off to a flying start. I especially appreciate the fact that you don’t assume that we know anything, i.e., you have the patience to walk us through each step of the process (unlike the majority of other videos) . And, to reiterate, it’s your “rambling” that makes your videos more of an intimate, personal experience. It’s like I’m at a dark site, sitting next to you….just listening and learning. You are truly a master teacher and coach.
Hey Joe!! You flatter me! what a wonderful thing to read, thank you! - I was initially worried that my approach to this video wasn't going to work for people, but it appears to have gone down quite well afterall! :-)
I appreciate you taking the time to leave such a well thought out and perspective-granting comment, thank you very much my friend.
All the very best,
Luke
Normally I will skip through all the "chit chat", but I was hanging on your every word. This was educational, enlightening and entertaining. Very good video. Well done. :)
Hey there Pat! Wow! What a wonderfully kind thing to say, thank you so much! :-)
Genuinely I am happy to hear that you enjoyed the video, and again I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and leave a lovely comment!
All the very best,
Luke 👍👍
Love the cable management. Going for something similar.
Thank you so much mate! - I'm really happy with my system :-)
Clear skies!
Cupa char and a sit down and watched this again, It makes up for the cloudy nights ☁☁☁☁
Awesome haha, glad to hear you enjoy them my friend!! 😀
What a great video! Your enthusiasm beamed through and really connected with me. I also love my ASIAIR-plus and could not image taking astro images any other way. And... love your chickens. We have 8 heritage chickens as well in our back yard. Cheers and Thanks!
Hey there Mike! - really I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the video! I think because you have an ASIAIR yourself you really know where I'm coming from! :D Glad to hear we're of the same opinion my friend!
That's awesome re: the chickens! we love ours, they are such characters :-)
Thank you for watching!
Very nice video. I'll be heading out to do my first ASIR Plus as soon as weather permits. Thanks for the very informative video.
My pleasure!! Thank you so much for watching and good luck with your first session!! :-)
Excellent video, my ASIAIR arrived yesterday cant wait to try it out.
That's awesome to hear Andy! I hope you get some clear skies soon my friend :-)
Enjoy!!!
Great video. I have got to stay this is the best video of the ASIAIR Plus I have seen.
Hey Dean! That's really very kind of you to say, thank you so much!! - I was worried the 'raw' style of the video may be unappealing for viewers, but it appears to be going down well :-)
Thank you mate!
All the best,
Luke
Another awesome video, Luke. I love the content of your videos for tips and guidance. You also give me some great ideas for targets to try. I do have the Pro and I'm thrilled with the results, but I still learnt something from this video. For instance I haven't been brave to trust it to do the meridian flip, but after watching this, I think I will! Good comments on guiding too - I'm definitely a beginner in that.
Hey there Paul! - I'm very grateful to you for the kind words my friend, thank you!! :-)
The automated meridian flip is a wonderful tool I think, I'll probably still come out and watch my mount flip just because it's cool to see it do it automatically, but I wouldn't feel worried about sleeping through it if I needed to! :-) I'm developing a lot of trust and faith in the device, it's working well!!
Thank you so much for watching mate,
Luke
Great review. Extremely helpful. I enjoy your presentation style. Thanks.
Awesome, thank you so much for that! :-) I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment!
Clear skies!
Ramble on! It is great how you show and tell us in detail your workflow. Thank you!
Thank you so much Aswin! :D I'll do my best to keep the ramble going haha, I appreciate your kind words mate! :-)
Clear skies!
Great video Luke, ive just got the asiair plus and your video is by fair the best tutorial, thankyou
That's brilliant to hear Lea! - I hope you have a fantastic time with it mate, they are brilliant devices, I love mine! :-)
So glad you were able to get your hands on the ASIair Plus. Can't wait until all the astro proletariat can get one. Great Job! Love your videos.
Hey Sebreem! :-) I'm very happy indeed with the unit my friend, and honestly I feel so lucky and privileged to have been able to buy one early! 👍👍
I hope you are doing well and getting plenty of clear skies!
Cheers!
great video, just bought the ASI Air Plus too, can't wait to start using it!
Awesome to hear dude! Can't wait to see it appear in your videos 👍👍
Clear skies!
Welcome to the club Luke. I’m image right outside my lounge and kitchen and with a WiFi mesh have never had any WiFi issues with the Pro, I use the built in WiFi for set up and then move on to my house WiFi. I know many says it’s great for beginners but I’m with you, it takes a lot of hassle out of the process and when it works, which for me has been about 95% of the time over the past year, nothing could be easier. Great video showing the major processes and nice final image. Kr Ian
Hey there Ian! - That's interesting to hear about! so I take it after initial setup you run the Pro in Station mode? intriguing! :-)
Definitely I can see the value in the simple & solid approach of the AIR, it aligns with my own sessions so well!
Thank you very much indeed for watching mate!
Luke
I eventually settled on a mesh disc too. My driveway spot was just too far away for a long ethernet cord.
Great video! Thanks! Looking forward to getting my backordered ASIAIR plus. Your tutorial will really help! I completely agree with everything you say about PC based astrophotography-can be very frustrating getting various software to work well together.
Thanks mate! - PC's can be a real pain in the rear lol, - I do currently use a minipc attached directly on my main rig as these days I have a camera unsupported by the asiair, but I do miss it - such an incredible device! (my asiair plus is currently on my 2nd rig, never gives us an issue and it's out under the sky every single clear night possible! :-) )
Yesss!! Longer video! Although I won’t be buying this in the near future it was still good to see how good it is and appreciate its use. Great video Luke. Hope you are doing well :))
Hey Aarij! :D I'm really glad you liked the video my friend, I'm doing very well by the way thank you!! I hope that you and yours are doing great too! :-)
I hugely appreciate you taking the time to give this a watch even though it's something you're not currently looking at buying, the support you give is fantastic - thank you!!
I should hopefully have a more 'normal' video out soon where I'm back out imaging nebulae! :D
Take care mate, thanks again!
Great Review Luke!! Very Depth and Thorough! Those New Features Really Make It a game Changer in AP! Love the Final Image of the Nebula Is awesome!!
Very Nicely done!!
Clear Skies!🔭
Hey Avanteesh! - Ah mate you are too kind :D Thank you! - I'm really feeling lucky to own the ASIAIR Plus, it's making my sessions so enjoyable and stress free, I love it!
Thank you for watching my friend, I appreciate it!
Clear skies :-)
I’ve been on a back-order wait list for a month and came across an “in stock” listing for an ASIair Plus a week ago. Although skeptical, I immediately placed an order, and, sure enough, it was indeed in stock! So, now I have one. In anticipating its eventual acquisition, I’ve looked at countless videos regarding the device and just came across yours. I have to say, your thorough walkthrough of an observing session with the Plus is the best by far that I’ve encountered, and I’m now looking forward to my first clear night of imaging. I’ll have your video at hand to get me over the rough spots that I will no doubt come up. Thanks so much for this lovely work.
That's just fantastic to hear Hal, I really hope you're blessed with some clear skies very soon so you can enjoy the fantastic ASIAIR Plus! we love ours!
I really am glad to hear you found my little video useful too, that's superb :-)
All the very best, and good luck!
Luke
I had to go back and watch this a second time....it is that well done. Your attention to detail for those who may not know what all the bells & whistles do ( which I'm one of them ) is very informative. Thank you again Luke...keep 'em coming.
Hey there Mike! - I'm so happy you've found it a useful video!! :-) I'll certainly be making loads more content using the ASIAIR as I just enjoy it so much! Imaging is back to being what it should be, FUN!! :D
Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment, and also thank you for joining my channel and giving your support, I greatly appreciate it my friend! :-)
All the very best,
Luke
@@lukomatico Golden Rule sir.....you put in a lot of time and effort to help us Newbies. I really appreciate it. And....you are very welcome, it's only fair for the amount of information I have learned watching your vids.
@@mikelockwood2104 That's brilliant of you Mike, thank you kindly :-)
Clear skies!
Great video Luke! Love your enthusiasm. I’ve taken a couple years off AP but plan to get back into it with the ASIAir Plus when I return to Arizona in October. What a game changer. I was really put off with how complex everything was with laptops, software, drivers etc, but this is really revolutionary! Now if they could just use all this AI to help with the complexity of post processing! I didn’t catch you discussing stacking, but isn’t that available on the device too? Decided to watch your videos after hearing your name mentioned by a couple other youtube AP superstars. Keep them coming, I subscribed today! Cheers! EDIT: Found your ASIAir stacking video after posting this comment.
Hey mate! - Thanks so much for the lovely comment, I'm really glad to hear that you've found the video enjoyable!! :-D I appreciate your time and support, cheers!!
Great video on the new ASIAIR Plus,also lots of good tips and advice even for Pro users on your night of imaging with it.The ASIAIR series really does a great job in assisting and making it almost foolproof for those fairly new to the hobby like myself and it’s great to see seasoned imagers being so impressed with this gear.Great image on the ghost nebula.Clear skies.
Hey Jon! - I appreciate your well reasoned thoughts, thank you so much for sharing them! :-) I think like you say, it assists both new and not so new users alike and almost coaches you into being a better photographer with it's workflows - I'm a huge believer in the system and so happy to be on board and able to share with others too, life is good right now! :-)
Thank you for watching and as always thank you so much for your support, I appreciate it a huge amount!
All the best,
Luke
Worth every minute of my time, Luke! Great upload as always...the PRO is great, but really looking forward to the extended wifi of the PLUS...especially as us Brits are heading into the winter! LoL!
Hey there! It's really kind of you to say that mate! Thank you! I know the length of the video was a little extreme but I just wanted to keep things as raw and authentic as possible, to give people my real first impressions :-)
AS you quite rightly say, that WiFi range will be welcome come winter!! Cozy inside while still imaging!! awesome :D
Thank you for watching my friend!
Another nice informative video Luke, also one of the few Astro peeps using the AZ-GTI. Keep up the good work Luke.
Thank you so much Andrew! - very glad you liked the vid mate! :-)
Clear skies!
Target shooting too? Lots of similarities :) You make a compelling case for the ASIAIR. Great image that the end, love how bright the ghost came out.
Hey mate! - I do love a bit of target shooting and general plinking too! :-)
I'm glad you liked the image by the way, I was very pleased given the conditions during capture! 👍👍
Thanks for watching mate!
Well done sir, thank you. I now want that AirPlus.
Thank you! - it's a great device, highly recommended! :-)
Clear skies 👍👍
Nice intro to the ASIAIR Luke. I have the pro and love it. I got the same type of flats as you with my LPro filter and my L enhance. They processed fine.
I’m just starting another imaging session now, been imaging the Navi star while this full moon is glowing so bright, I really enjoy doing stars.
All the best mate.
Hey! :D It's good to hear we both got similar flats, mine worked just fine too! they just looked kinda funky on the stretched preview :-)
Thanks so much for watching!
Nice capture Luke!
Thank you Joe!! :-)
Great video...thanks for posting!
My pleasure mate! I'm glad you liked it :-)
Great video Luke
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks mate!
Awesome first review luke many thanks. Shame I wasn't elegable to test one ov these out. Video was filled full of great info and very happy about the range. There is no messing around with this bit of kit. I have took the plunge and pushed the button on this, so exited for it to turn up. However when it turns up is a good question as it's on back order.
Nice image at the end too.
Clear skies mate!
Hey Ben! - I really appreciate you giving this a watch mate, it felt good just giving my thoughts as they popped into my head even though I imagine it was a bit of a slog to watch!
I'm really happy about the WiFi range too man, I was just sat inside with Chloe chilling out and I was able to keep an eye on my imaging session with the phone, absolutely brilliant!! :-)
Absolutely chuffed for you having purchased one by the way, I'm certain you'll love it as much as I do!! I'm a total convert haha :D
Thank you for watching and for your support mate! I'm sorry I forgot to credit everyone at the end like usual, I was still editing this at 7am this morning and my head had turned to mush by that point :P
Clear skies!
I enjoyed the video, lots of good stuff in there :)
I'm glad you enjoyed it Alex! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment mate :-) Much appreciated!
Hi Luke,
Another great video. You have a great "on camera" manner. Keep it going. You should come down to my observatory in Kent sometime to compare notes.
Best,
Simon
Hey Simon!! Thank you so much mate, I'm glad you've been enjoying the videos :-D
If I ever find myself down near Kent I'll be sure to be in touch to see if you're around! :-)
All the best mate,
Luke
Thank you Luke for another great video, light years ahead of me.. I was chuffed as nuts making a manual goto for my star adventurer, working out HA Hour Angle to match the dial as well a degree declination scale, used last week finding M31 within a few degrees.. now I want computer control :) Clear skies
Hey mate! I hope you are getting on well :-)
You should be quite rightly proud of finding m31 the 'old school' way! there's still something to be said for that kind of approach if it's something you enjoy! - That said, I do like my GoTo & Plate solving :D!
I hope you are having some clear skies!
All the best,
Luke
Hi Luke, you’re right, you are so easily pleased😀 Great to see you so excited! It is no doubt a fantastic bit of kit! I have the pro and the minute I can get my hands on the plus, I’ll have one! I’ll run two rigs at the same time then! When I did my first meridian flip with the pro, I did the same as you and came out to watch, glad I did because I’d actually forgotten to turn it on!! The scope almost struck the tripod, so nightmare just averted 😀 it is important to know to turn on the meridian flip function! I’m yet to add my ZWO EAF, I will do it soon! Great idea with your flat panel Luke! I must get one on them! Glad you really like the ASIAIR plus! and glad to see you’ve got the reducer on and working absolutely fine! Those flats Luke, look at them when they’re not stretched, they should look an even grey! I thought the same as you when mine came out weird, they they look fine when not stretched! Brilliant video Luke as always and great image of IC63 mate👍👍
(Sorry about the essay 😀)
Hey Simon!
I appreciate the effort to leave such a thoughtful comment, thank you very much!! :D
I am so happy with how the EAF worked right out of the box with the ASIAIR, it's such a game changer when paired with that temp sensor too - that will be seriously handy come winter with the big temperature swings through the night :-)
The tracing panel for flats is a really handy thing, highly recommended! :D
Handily the flats did work fine so no problem, just the look of them when stretched was odd like you say!
I'm really loving the ASIAIR Plus and have to say, I think this has changed the game for me!
Thank you for watching matey, I appreciate it!
Luke
Great video I definitely need to buy THE ASIAIR PLUS
Hey Sean! - It's a truly great device mate if you use ZWO kit! (or canon/nikon dslr :-) )
I love using mine still!
Only thing I've learned of since this video is that if you have a celestron mount it can be a little finicky, but still doable.
Clear skies buddy!
Another excellent video Luke. Your Channel/Content/Editing goes from strength to strength💪with each upload. Your "Rambling's" are part of who you are and for myself and alot of your followers are full of helpful information and show you complete love for this hobby. Again well done on a great upload mate. Keep up the excellent work👍😃✨. Ive also just joined as a member mate😃
Hey mate!! - Thank you so much - I'm so glad to hear that you are enjoying the videos!!
It's also great to hear that my ramblings have turned out okay and somewhat useful haha, that's good news :D
I just want to say a huge thanks to you for joining my channel bud!! Massively appreciate the support, that's awesome of you! :-)
All the best,
Luke
Between you and Cuiv I feel like I own one. Thank you for this very practical hands on review. Great job.
That's great to hear Garnett! :-) I hope that you are doing well my friend!
I hope my genuine enthusiasm for the ASIAIR comes over well, I'm totally bowled over by how much this little red box has changed things for me! :-)
Thank you so much for watching!
@@lukomatico it did. I ordered it lol.
@@GarnettLeary Haha!! - That's brilliant, congratulations! :-) I think you are going to have a wonderful time with it for sure!
Clear skies!
No need to apologize, you're not rambling. It's another a lovely picture 👍 And the music took me back to my Ozric Tentacles days 😎
Hey Paul! - Glad you liked the music mate, that's great! :D
Re: the rambling, Thank you!! it's great to hear that it still came across ok, cheers for that :-)
Thank you very much for watching and for your support! I greatly appreciate it my friend!
All the best,
Luke
Hi Luke, great video mate. Thanks for showing the distance the wifi reaches to, very helpful. Just found your channel and would like to congratulate you and wish you all the best for the future, also subscribed. I have the pro but will see if I upgrade to the plus.
I was nervous and holding my breath waiting for that meridian flip though 😅.
Looking forward to your next video mate. Best wishes from Perth Australia
Hey there!! - Ah that's brilliant of you mate, thank you so much for the well-wishes and your kind support, I genuinely appreciate it! 👍👍
I'm really glad you liked the video! I've been so happy with the pro, and now the plus too! I'd say though that if you like your pro and get on well with it then there's no real 'need' to upgrade currently! :-)
I still have a big silly grin every time it does a auto flip haha, absolutely love it 😂
All the best mate, and thanks again!
Luke
Haha me too. Once dragged my wife outside to show her, and she gave me that " is that it?" look.
We're lucky here that we have nice dark clear skies most of the year so can get lots of hours in the field. Hopefully once the world gets back to some sort of normal you can come down and see, you'll be more than welcome. Take care mate
I think you and I are using the exact same camera quick release plates for the Plus 😂 they work so well!!
Hey mate! - Man, it really does work perfectly for this doesn't it haha :D Thanks for watching!!
Hi Luke, another great video.... Thanks for sharing your views on the asiair plus. Regarding the flats, my asi294mc pro produces similar flats. I've been told that you should aim for 50% of the histogram, which you did, and a expnrime of 3~5secs. Flat darks should be shot at the same expnrime as the flats, I've found this to be most effective. I recently imaged and processed ngc7000 using your Cygnus wall tutorial and it came out great, my best image to date. Thanks for your hard work and please keep the videos coming.
Hey Gary! - that's awesome to hear about your recent ngc7000 :-D
I definitely was a little puzzled at first with the appearance of those flats, but sure enough it was just the aggressive screen stretch making them look a little crazy! - they worked perfectly 👍👍
Appreciate you taking the time to comment mate! Clear skies!
What a GREAT Channel my friend.
I really appreciate that Greg, thank you my friend! :-)
Best,
Luke
Seriously considering this as my next purchase!
Hey there Alan! - if it fits into your rig and you like the approach it offers then absolutely go for it mate! :-) I'm so glad to have switched, genuinely.
Thank you for watching, and thank you so much for your support!
All the best,
Luke
I got the Pro a couple of months ago and love it but don’t see myself upgrading to a Plus any time soon. However if I didn’t have a Pro the Plus would be at the top of my shopping list. Those little red boxes really are fantastic bits of kit. Interesting first impressions mate, thanks for sharing.
Hey mate! - I fully agree really, if you have a pro already and the WiFi isn't causing you issues then there's no real big reason to switch :-) keep enjoying that little red box haha! :D
Thanks for watching!
Great video Luke... as usual.
Love how blown away you are, your enthusiasm is tangible and always makes your videos a fun watch, great to see a fellow enthusiast enjoying the hobby.
This looks like a great, hassle free(?) system, my only real issue with ASI is that it appears like a closed ecosystem, I have a homemade auto-focuser (MyFocuserpro2) for which ASI don't have drivers (I believe). I use a very similar system using a Raspberry Pi 4 and Astroberry (free) software which has drivers for just about everything and has the added benefit of costing about £40 in total (fellow Yorkshireman here mate). The only really issue I have is the Wi-Fi on the RPi4 can be a little flakey and I am in the process of looking to add an external antenna to try and remedy this (soooooo annoying when it drops just before you pull the trigger on the imaging session). Looks like ASI have remedied this with the ASIair Plus.
Of course this does beg the question "Is astro-imaging less fun now you don't have to solve random technical issues?" 😂
Keep up the good work buddy 👍
Hey there mate!, or since you're a fellow Yorkshireman "Narr then cocker!" :-D
The RPi solution seems to be a good one for a lot of people, but I just wanted something that's basically plug & play to be honest with you, from our experience with the original ASIAIR & the ASIAIR Pro it seems this was the way to go for that!
I have to say so far it's been faultless, imaging has never been so fun!
Re: "Is astro-imaging less fun now you don't have to solve random technical issues?" - haha :-D for me it definitely is a lot more fun now things are smoothed out!! I must be a real lazy bugger!
Thanks so much indeed for watching mate, I hope you are getting some clear skies! :-)
All the best,
Luke
Good Job !
Thank you Mike!! :-)
Very nice and thorough review. Loved the RAW format. Flats Kinda "Wacky" lol. Poet and didn't know it!! haha. image came out nice. This product is a godsend for anyone using all ZWO products..
Hey Jason! haha :D I was facepalming at myself during editing but I just had to leave it all in :-D I'm glad you enjoyed mate!
Thank you so much for having the patience to give it a watch man, I appreciate it a great deal!
All the very best,
Luke
Definitely gonna get this for the next build as Luke sold me on the simplicity. I have to wrestle with my PC almost every time I go out. Probably use a tablet so I don't lose my mind when the 15th call comes in on the cell phone from people that never call unless there's serious imaging going on.
Hey mate! :D I think you'll be so happy with the ASIAIR if it fits your system, I myself am very happy to be using it now! :-)
you really made me laugh with the 'never call unless there's some serious imaging going on' part, hahaha - i'm glad it's not just me mate :D so true!!
All the best, mate!
Clear skies!
The Plus was my first dabble into ASiAir and it’s amazing. I’m even getting 5Ghz wifi in station mode by some fluke so it’s downloading in seconds while I’m sat in the warm in the house.
That's superb news!! - I really do believe in this device and the quality of life it offers for people who adopt it, so that's really nice to hear - thanks for sharing! :-)
Very nice final image.
Thank you Logan! - conditions were challenging but it was still a decent result! :-)
Clear skies!
Great video Luke! I use an ASIair Pro and love it. I have a wifi extender that gives ample coverage through my yard. I'd love to see how we're using the "plan" mode. It seems a little fragile on the Pro and was wondering how it'll function on the Plus model. Can you demo that in a video sometime soon?
Hey there! - I hear you re: plan mode, it's powerful but I have to say I really prefer Autorun at the moment :-)
I believe plan mode is the same between plus and pro, I'll have to check though when next I have both rigs out! 👍👍
Thank you for watching mate!
Hi Luke, great video and can't wait until I get my plus! I think the flats looked so strange because they were heavily stretched by the Air. Your camera is 16 bit which means brightness varies between 0 and 65536. When displaying one of the flats, your screen showed a min value of around 37,000 and max value of 44,000. I'm sure if you were to view one of the images unstretched it would appear more uniform.
Hey Tim! - Thank you mate!! :-) You are absolutely correct about the flats, the amount of auto screen stretch is quite aggressive so was making them look odd, but when viewed in a linear state they looked totally normal :-D
Thanks for watching!
Hi Luke Thanks for the vid.I have the Plus as well and mostly found the same results.The focus is pretty unreal I agree.I am in the southern Hemp and the only real issue I have is on plan mode sometimes it doesnt do a successful plate solve on the far southern target and as I try Moasic imaging with plan mode the plan fails and you loose a nights imaging.A good feature would be pause then the ASI retries to plate solve so it re covers the session.I also had an issue the other night I had the pro on one mount and the Plus on the other and for some reason there was a conflict between them and I could not connect to either one.I lost a few hours before I could sort it out.But even with all this as you say its pretty great
Hey there Stu! - Ah mate I'm glad we agree, it really is a lovely unit to use - there's the odd niggle of course, but that's life eh? :-D
On the note of failed plate solves, I recently upped my "center exposure time" setting to be around 10 seconds and found it really helps it be more reliable at successfully solving every time, maybe worth a try if you haven't already changed it up mate?
RE: pro and plus at the same time, I think me and my girlfriend have experienced a similar thing once or twice, only in our case it sometimes it's the tablet connecting to the wrong asiair and seemingly kicking the right one off the network! odd, but sortable haha!
Thanks so much for watching bud, have a good one!
Thanks!
Thank you so much mate!! :-) That's really kind!
Well it came out nice! I've got thr Pro and never got round to trying it yet!
Hey Dave! - I still think the Pro is wonderful for sure! :-) not much difference to the Plus, just that WiFi boost and bit extra speed is nice mainly! :D
All the best mate,
Luke
The thing with the ASIAIR that is just awesome is how it all just works!!! Before this device only one auto meridian flip worked. Since buying a pro and a plus I have done 6 full night sessions whilst sleeping and meridian flips have worked like a dream!
Hey Marc! - I think that says it all really mate, it's going to help people get a higher success rate with their sessions, and that has some serious value!!
Thanks for your comments matey!
@@lukomatico we need all the help we can get in this hobby. 😂
I got the pro and I love it. By the was, with the PA, lower the exposure speed to the lowest time you can still get a successful plate solve and check auto refresh. Makes it a much smoother experience IMO, but I don't put my filter on til I'm ready to shoot my target. I can get it down to .5 or 1 second.
Hey mate! - That's good advice RE: PA, I just tend to leave my filter in place so that nothing moves (dust motes etc) and I can keep reusing the same flats for multiple sessions :-) If I kept removing/replacing the filter I'd need new flats each session is all - swings and roundabouts I guess!
I appreciate you watching mate! Thanks for that! :-)
All the best,
Luke
Another great video Luke 👏 Must say an EAF is high on my wish list for the redcat! The PLUS looks incredible and Íll definately get one!
Hey Scott! - I'm very glad you liked the video! The ASIAIR Plus is fantastic for sure, and when coupled with the EAF it makes for a brilliant combination! :-)
Thank you for watching and leaving your thoughts my friend, and thank you for your support!
All the very best,
Luke
@@lukomatico Hi Luke! Do you power your EAF from your ASIair plus or seperately? Going to order one today 👍
Hey Scott! - it's powered by USB so you could use either the asiair or your ZWO cam if you have a USB hub on it, really love it my friend, highly recommended!
@@lukomatico Thanks Luke 👍 Ordering right now together with a Black Cat 😉
@@ScottDavies Wow!!! Oh man, you are really going to have a good time with that kit Scott, fantastic choice! :-)
Clear skies!
Ah just the right guy for demoing this. I like how after watching all the other ASI AIR plus videos you took note and put your own practical spin on it :) How did you get on with the Esprit reducer spacing in the end? P.s The ASI485 and 482 cams are in! :)
Hey Chris! - I'm glad to have had the chance to offer my first thoughts on the device, there'll be lots more to come as it's now my main imaging system :-) I'm seriously impressed!
RE: the Esprit reducer, third time was the charm! , the first two I originally had were tilted which has to be some kind of new record for bad luck, this one however arrived in perfect collimation but did not give a flat field at 55mm back focus, after much testing and experimentation with a bahtinov mask on a rich star field I got a flat field at 59.5mm back focus! all working, nice stars in every corner, happy days! :-)
RE: the new ASI's, I'd love to pick up a 482 or 485 right now but I'm afraid I've just came down with a bad case of skintness! :D I wish I'd just ordered one when I still had the cash, but that's how it goes I guess!
Thank you so much for stopping by and offering your thoughts my friend, I'm sure you already know this but I really do appreciate it!
Clear skies :-)
Great video! I enjoy watching how others use it as I learn to use mine. Totally agree how simple it is and how pleasurable to have an imaging session that just works. I noticed you did not take Dark frames. What's the reason?
Hey there mate! - Glad to hear we're on the same page haha :-D
RE: darks, or lack thereof - I don't bother using them with the 2600, as long as you dither your frames during capture then using darks or not makes no difference to the end result from my testing! :-)
that guiding is awesome below 1as
Thanks mate!!
Great video Luke, very informative and understandable explained ! great image again 👍 👍
Would be interesting to hear how to calculate the stepsize of an EAF though
Please keep on rambling 😀
Ow, and have you figured out how come the flats had that strange gradient color ??
Hey there Siegfried! :-)
I'm happy to hear you liked it, I was a little worried about this one because of the loose format and long video length!
RE: step sizes, I used a bahtinov mask and moved my focuser 10 steps at a time, counting how many moves it took to change direction and see a movement on the mask pattern, after checking it a few times it turns out I had around 110 steps of backlash total in both directions :-)
RE: the gradient, still no idea! but the flats worked perfectly at least!
Thank you for watching! I'll do my best to keep on rambling in the future haha :D
Clear skies!
@@lukomatico Thanx Luke, wasn't the Primalucelab EAF better with the backlash ?
How much backlash did that one have ?
@@siegfriednoet Hey Siegfried! - The primaluce didnt really have enough backlash to bother with measuring! :-) a great focuser for sure!
That said, I do really like my EAF now i'm used to it :-)
@@lukomatico Yes the Primalucelab is a great EAF and I love how it's attached to the focusser , very solid and a better connection than the ZWO system for sure, pity though that the asiair only supports ZWO, maybe (I hope) someday it will support other brands.
Another option is to buy an Primaluce Eagle4, but that is way over priced
Great video. I have all the pieces but hadn't yet set things up so now I'm almost ready to hit GO. One question - I hadn't reallized that the ASIAir PLUS allowed power management. Did it recognized that you had plugged a dew heater into one of its ports or where you just able to adjust the voltage on that particular port?
Hey there Paul!! :-)
Re: power management, you just plug your device into one of the 4 powered outlets, tell the asiair what you plugged in and from there you can control the power! Works great 👍 I often run my dew bands around 60% which saves a good bit of power/excess heat around the scope
Hope that helps! :-)
Man, one day I'll get one. Idk if I'm ready to leave my laptop yet 😢. Great video though man!
Hey Isaac bro! - I hear you for sure! If you are enjoying the laptop then don't worry about it mate! :-D
Thank you for watching man, and I really wanna thank you for your support too, it is appreciated 🙏
Best wishes,
Luke
Hey Luke! I really enjoy your channel and thanks for all the amazing content! Curious, what is the backlash on your Esprit? I have the same ZWO EAF on an Esprit. Thanks!
Hey there Jason!! Thank you so much mate! That's very kind of you to say :-)
RE: the Esprit & EAF, I'm seeing 110 steps of backlash on my system :-) I hope that helps!
@@lukomatico you are awesome!
It a long very long and detailed review. As expected you came up with yet another good picture.
Hey Savjol! I'm sorry it turned out so long mate, I just wanted it to be a real & authentic first session with a minimum of cuts/edits so people could see what I really think about it! :-)
Thank you for watching man! I appreciate it
Luke
@@lukomatico oh no I appreciate it being long because it was much more detailed than most other reviews. Don't worry about it
Wow, coincidence, I been imaging the Navi star a few nights knowing there was some nebula here but never new it was called IC63. Imaging my end with L pro filter. Will be interesting to compare with yours as you used the L exteme.
Hey mate! - That would be a cool comparison for sure :-) I hope your sessions went really well!
Clear skies
Nice video Luke. Did you manage to find out what was wrong with the FLATS? The patterns were very strange. Hugs
Hey Jesus! - Luckily the flats turned out totally fine when used, they worked well! :D I was very skeptical they'd work but I'm glad they did :-)
Thanks so much for giving my video a watch my friend, I appreciate your time! big hugs! :D
I understand about having nothing to do. When I experienced that with my two rigs the problem is that it led to a third rig so I would have something to do. 😊😊
Hey Andy!! - it's such an odd feeling having pretty much nothing to do during capture, though admittedly I do enjoy that aspect now I've had a taste of it! :-D
Three rigs by the way!! - my word, that's some dedication, bravo! 👍👍
Hey Luke,
This is certainly looking like a popular piece of kit. The poet comment certainly made me laugh. I thought the raw format of the video was good to show it actually working.
I also get some weird flats in NINA but they always seem to work. With your Bias I assume this was just an example and your don't normally take these each time. How often do you retake these? Just making sure I'm calibrating right.
Lovely final looking image.
Clear skies mate!
Hey Ollie!
I'm glad you liked the format of the video, it felt weird just kind of being there with the camera and no plan, but it seemed to work ok! :D
I'm glad to report the flats worked fine! - And you are absolutely right, I would not normally take new bias :-) it was just for instruction/completion purposes. I'd probably use bias for 6+ months to be honest, longer even if they are still working right :-)
Thank you for watching mate! your patience is appreciated,
All the very best,
Luke
Hi Luke, you may be a few days behind some of the other asi air plus reviews but in my opinion they don't even come close to the detail and quality of this review. I've been using a air air for 18 months now after moving over from apt and would never go back. The air just works and is seamless in all aspects of a nights imaging. Great video 👍
Hey Paul! - I hope you are well :-)
From what you have said it sounds like we are on the same page about the ASIAIR, the fact it just works and does everything I need is freeing, no more worrying about the session - I can just enjoy it :-)
Really good job explaining it all. Watched every bit. I know it is a bit of work for you. Go get some 😴
Hey Bruce! WOW - now that's some patience! Thank you so very much for watching the whole video, I really didn't think anyone would due to the length of it!
I appreciate your support my friend,
All the very best,
Luke
I so much appreciate your excellent YT videos. One of my annoying issues with my Asiar Pro and Asiair Plus units is that my flats and dark-flats get put into a catch-all folder instead of keeping them with the specific lights. I suppose if I only shoot one target a night that's not a problem but with HyperStar I sometimes shoot a couple of targets a night so it can be confusing to locate the correct flats and darks. Maybe I'm missing something? Do you know of a way to organize them into the same folder as the lights without selecting and transferring them manually? Also, having more filter choices that could be included with OSC lights would be helpful for the lights fits headers...
Thanks so much for watching James!!
I think you may be a bit stuck with the file naming/folder format problem mate, but I can't be 100% sure - there's been a new update since I last used the asiair so perhaps those issues have been addressed!
Sorry I can't be much help right now mate!
Great review, thanks. Having to stay within the ZWO ecosphere is the deal breaker for me as I have too much non-ZWO kit. Also, I’ve heard of someone who had a dead pixel issue affecting guiding as there appears to be no dark library option for guiding (still the case?). I’ve also being using FireCapture a lot recently - any option for planetary imaging on the ASIair?
Hey Cliff! - I hear you mate, for me it was an easy switch but I already had zwo cameras etc :-)
I've not had any issues with guiding on dead pixels etc with either basic ASIAIR, the Pro, or the Plus now :-) I think it won't automatically select a star below a certain size, so should never be an issue unless someone maybe had a big cluster of hot pixels perhaps? (even then, it should not select them due to being saturated)
RE: Planetary, there's video mode which is fine for planetary sessions I would imagine, but it's well worth investigation! Thank you for the suggestion and for taking the time to leave a comment, I appreciate it mate! :-)
God video, I am planning on using my 102 triplet with ASIAIR PLUS to take photos also. I will be using a ZWO ASI 183 Pro cam. Hope I have the same results as you , there great.
Thanks so much Frank! glad you liked the video mate :-) I'm sure you'll be able to get fantastic images with your 102 triplet and 183 cam, that's a nice combo!
Clear skies :-)
I have an ES ED80 triplet used for observation and considering getting into EAA/AP. Would the 183 be a good fit with the smaller scope? Or what others would you suggest, thx.
The 183 would be a good match for sure, but the 533 would likely be more fun to use, a lot to think about! Hope that helps
@@lukomatico thx, the 533 looks schweet indeed....
Great video with much details about AsiAir Plus. I enjoyed this video until 37m16s when this video freezes.
Thank you so much for alerting me to this! - I'm live-chatting to youtube support as I type this to try and resolve the issue :-) I really do appreciate you taking the time to watch and also to help me out like that, that's really good of you!
It should be fixed now! 👍👍
Great tag along video, like being there with you. I just subscribed and liked. ...I've been into visual astronomy for several decades dragging my old C8 moded with an Astomaster to dozens of star parties. Now, at 74, my objective is to present the night sky to my four grandsons.
I finally received a Celestron Evolution 6, which is light and compact, and purchased a ZWO 183MC camera to connect to my i7 Dell laptop for live view. I'm hoping this will inspire the youngest boys and stimulate the older ones.
The Alt/AZ mount of the Evolution should only manage about 10-15 second exposures, so only bright objects are expected.
Question please: Do you see any real advantage to adding the ZWO ASIAIR Plus to my new rig? No guide scope and no electronic focuser involved. I'm not sure what's left for the ASI to do with the Evolution mount other than shift some control to a tablet through wifi. Thanks for your thoughts, Michael in Arlington, Texas.
Thank you Michael! I very much appreciate your show of support my friend :-)
It sounds like you have some nice usable gear there which will no doubt do a great job of delivering the wonders of the night skies to your back yard, to be shared with your family! :-)
In regards to your question about advantages to adding the asiair to your system :
I think if you and your grandsons are already confident and happy with using the PC to view the skies then it won't add too much to the experience right away, however if you have ever found that the PC and associated software is indeed a hurdle to maximizing enjoyment with minimal "fiddle" time, then it would likely be worth investigation!
As a secondary point: I believe that particularly for the generation currently up & coming who have been raised around smartphones/tablets etc, the idea of using the kind of interface an ASIAIR system uses to control a telescope may not only be appealing due to it's inherent familiarity, but it may also serve to add further interest and reduced chance of boredom for them as they'd more easily be directly able to take control of the system and make choices about "live stacking" what to slew to and image, how long for, etc etc - it certainly makes those everyday tasks a stress-free doddle and offers little chance for errors to occur due to it's streamlined nature.
I hope that is the kind of thing you were looking for Michael! :-)
Thank you very much indeed for your time and support, I wish you all the best with passing on a generational interest into our amazing world of astronomy!
Luke
P.S - It was the ASIAIR (original model) which got my girlfriend to finally try out astronomy for herself, the ease of use and quality of life the system brings is hard to really quantify until experienced, but I'll be very grateful to the system forever more, for allowing us to share this passion together!
@lukomatico Wow....Thanks so much for the wonderfully thorough response. If you're ever in Texas, the Texas Star Party has skies you wouldn't believe. When the Milky Way comes up, you'd swear it's a cloud bank about to ruin the night. Then you put binoculars on it and damn!
Be well and clear skies to you Luke.
Welcome to ASIAIR Pro. I have 2 of them. Nothing is perfect, there's always little glitches for various people, right now, the AIR is so much easier to use than a laptop that I am frankly surprised that no one else has a competing product on the market yet. I started with a laptop and NINA. Heck, NINA is probably better software overall, but being tethered to a laptop compared to being inside your house all evening with an iPad, there's just no contest. I do suggest being careful when you pull cords out of the pro, as I have twice had the "innards" of the USB port come out of the box with the cord. The ports are connected to the RPi card, which can be replaced, but it's not something you want to be having to do.
Auto flats actually work fine, I thought at first the Air was putting the curve too far to the right, but they work fine. You can do them manually of course, like we all did before the auto function was put in.
Hey there Paul! :-)
Thank you very much for the comprehensive comment, appreciated!!
I really do feel we're on the same page for sure, NINA or APT, sgp, etc etc... they'd have to offer something ludicrously special and advantageous to make me want to go back to messing around with my laptop for imaging purposes, as it stands the asiair does absolutely everything I want from a session of imaging, what's more, it does it easily and does it well!
I'm always careful with connections but thanks to your cautionary tale i'll be extra gentle! I'd hate to think of my little red box of joy getting damaged!
RE: the flats, - it was just an appearance thing I guess, they worked totally fine so no worries there at least, it's just getting used to the new normal for me I suppose, a bit of an adjustment period :-)
Thank you so much for your comment!
All the very best,
Luke
Its ironic. After using ASIair Pro. for the last year, I find that for my main rig (EdgeHD 11" / 10 Micron mount) I am switching to NINA. Thats because it can dither when unguided (for the 10 Micron) and it supports the Optec Leo Focuser which will allow me to lock my mirror (to avoid mirror flop) and auto focus the Leo. BUT, I will continue to use ASIair with my second rig (RASA 8 / EQ6-R) since it is a pleasure to use.
Hey Tom! - That's very interesting to hear, thank you for sharing! :-) both your main and secondary rigs sound absolutely tremendous! I bet you must get some wonderful data from them both!
It's great to hear you will still continue to use the AIR though, - I couldn't have put it better, it is a pleasure to use indeed! :-)
Clear skies!
A great and helpful video, thank you. I've just bought one of these gizmos but haven't had the chance to use it yet. I have a question if you don't. I notice that you didn't take any Darks, is there a reason for that? I'm not sure what's best with an astro camera, my Asi 533mc pro
came in the same box as the air plus, so an absolute beginner with both.
Thanks.
Keith
Hey there Keith! - Thank you for watching and a huge congratulations on your new gear my friend!! :-)
Regarding using darks, if you have a camera such as your 533, or the 585, 2600, 6200 type cameras then you can safely skip darks provided you dither your sub exposures at least mildly frequently (once every 10 mins is probably enough to be fine!) - I tried many times both with and without and there was just no difference to be seen, so I stopped using them as I really think darks should go the way of the dinosaur ideally! :-)
I hope that helps you mate, All the best and enjoy that new gear!
Clear skies!
@@lukomatico Thank you. That sounds the way to go for me. Like you, I like to make things as easy as I can and darks are a pain. I just need clear skies now.
Great video as usual Luke 👍. I have ordered an ASIAIR Plus and currently have an HEQ5 mount, Sony A5000 (astro-converted) camera and a ZWO 120MC-S camera. My slight concern is that I use the Sony A5000 as my main camera, but it is not compatible with the ASI Plus. I was wondering if I can fit my 120MC to my main scope to polar align though the app, then use the plate solving on the app to fully centre my target. Once centred, I would then want to remove the 120MC and fit it to my wee guide scope where It would then be used for auto-guiding and just fit my Sony A5000 to the main scope for imaging. An alternative idea I had was ensuring that the scope and guide scope were accurately lined up and would it then be possible to do polar alignment, plate solving to my target and then auto-guiding through my guide scope only. Basically the computer would think that there was no main telescope fitted. Sorry, finally do I still need my mount controller, or is full control of the mount achieved through the computer. Sorry again for so many questions. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
Hey Dougie! - I'm sure you're gonna love the asiair mate 👍👍
Regarding mount controller, no need for it anymore when you connect the mount to the asiair :-)
Regarding using your guide scope + guide cam to polar align and plate solve, you 100% can do that mate yep! Accurate Co alignment is key for your plate solves but it works great!
Hope that helps mate
@@lukomatico nice one. Thanks for your speedy reply 😁. I might not get it till the end of April, but hope to use it a couple of times before it gets too light at night. Wishing you all the very best with your astro adventures. Clear skies 🖖
Thanks for this!! Feel like it's perfect for a go-to mount, but a little less useful on a regular tracker, so many functions that can't be used. But still good for portability. Also you didn't take darks? Any reason? Thanks
Hey there mate! :-)
I think you are spot-on with your summary really! it really comes alive when attached to a GoTo mount! :-)
On every other camera i've had I always used to need darks, but I choose not to take darks on my 2600MC Pro as there's no amp glow, and almost no thermal signal to speak of, the only benefit really would be in hot+cold pixel calibration but as I dither my frames during capture they too are removed by stacking :-)
it gives me a lot of freedom to experiment with subexposure lengths etc as I don't need a dark library for each new setting, very nice indeed!
Thank you very much for watching! :-)
@@lukomatico cool thanks for that quick answer !! I'll check into that camera, dark frames are so annoying I'd be willing to pass on in exchange for money 🤣. Love your channel keep up with the uploads :)
@@OptiquevideoFPV Thank you mate! and re: the camera, I honestly felt the exact same way - I love not needing darks for it! :D
Clear skies!
Hi Luke, I've come back to this video as I'm having huge problems getting a decent flat frame on my newly acquired Skywatcher 200 Quattro f4 newt. I have tried an A3 tracing panel as well as the sky but I get a heavily vignetted image with a bright centre (a colour gradient from magenta to cyan is also clear) that when combined with the lights etc in Siril gives an irregular white border around the image. In the hope that with your experience with newts you can help, thank you and best wishes.By the way I use the ASIair Pro and leave the setting on auto as you have and haven't experienced any problem doing this on either my Redcat or Fluorostar. Cheers mate
Hey there Pete! - Ah mate I'm sorry to hear you've been having some flat issues, they can be a real bear to capture mate for sure!!
There's a few things you can check to try and sort this out -
1: check with just the lights stacked, see if there's any obvious patterns occuring that shouldn't be there (circles, flares, brightened edges etc)
This would help to find out if you have any light leaks that need sorting first as they'll always make flats not work right.
2: check the flats alone, give the flat master a good stretch and check again for things that seem abnormal, brightened rings and the like - this would indicate internal reflections that would need to be addressed.
I'd make sure either way that the back of the scope is properly blocked from stray light, the primary mirror cell to tube body connection is sealed (electrical tape works wonders) and also the edges of the secondary mirror are blacked, plus something around the focuser drawtube, like a hairband to block stray light entering :-)
It'll seem like a pain in the rear if it's your first newt mate, but it's doable - and once done you can forget about all the messing and just get to enjoying! :-)
Hope that gives you something to work with Pete!
All the best,
Luke
Thanks so much for your help Luke. Yes this is my first reflector scope, love the extra reach but it appears to come with a new set of challenges. 😊 I’ll get onto it and let you know. Cheers.
Your flats may be in the uniqueness of the Optolong L-Extreme filter your using :)
Hey mate! - It turned out even though they looked weird, they worked fine! :D phew! what a relief
I believe you are right by the way, definitely to do with the l-extreme, but at least they worked still :-)
Thank you very much for watching!
Hi Luke, would you please consider doing an instructional video for Zwo ASI Studio? I did my first night with my ASI 294mc pro last night and am trying to stack the images with calibration frames. The individual 3 minute subs look pretty good even if the highlight in the Orion Nebula which was my target is a
Iittle blown out but once combined with darks,flats amd bias the stacked image becomes extremely dark and I can’t seem to do much with it in PS, although I need to point out that I am very much a beginner. The gain was 120 for the lights and darks both with the same exposure time and camera temperature. The bias were done with the same temp, exposure time 0.01 secs and the flats decided by the ASI air pro at 1.6 secs with a flat panel and two layers of white tee shirt. I’m sure I’ve done something daft but just can’t see it. Any help will be hugely appreciated. Thanks for all your videos. I should also say that I use a Mac so DSStacker isn’t an option. Cheers from New Zealand.
Hey there Pete! :-)
Congratulations on first light with your new gear mate!
When you view the lights as the appear on screen, they are usually quite aggressively stretched automatically allowing you to see a lot more than on a stacked image without stretching, - It sounds like your stacked data might be alright and it just needs a bigger stretch to start to show! Are you able to share the stacked file with me somehow and I'll take a look at it?
There's a "business inquiries" email on my channel's About page that you could send me the file if possible :-)
as to ASI Studio instructional, I could take a little look into it at some point but in truth I've never used the program so I'd be starting from scratch, haha :-)
Hope this is helpful mate,
All the best and thank you for your support!
Luke
Luke. One other thing. I've bought a ZWO auto focuser. I saw on another video that the backlash on the Espirit is 90. Is that what you have set it at?
Heya! Backlash will vary from example to example, on both the EAF itself and the Esprit's rack and pinion arrangement.
90-120 steps or so may be a good ballpark to start with, but you'd ideally want to test this yourself and establish a more accurate figure for your particular example to ensure best accuracy on AF 👍
Cheers!
(For reference, mine is set to 110 steps)
Hello Luke, I have recently got my Esprit 120ED, as you can see in the cloudy nights forum and also elsewhere online, the dew shield of this skywatchers lineup tends to be a little wobbly..
I am afraid to tight the thumb screws too much and damage the scope, I wonder if you have found any solution for it ?
There is no problem during imaging sessions except for flats, I place a tracing panel on top of the dew shield and I am not sure if it has any effect on the final master flat results.
Thanks a lot !
Hi, I too have the Esprit 120 and thought the same, a bit wobbly! But I found if you just turn the dew shield round so the two screws are top and bottom, then it’s not so wobbly! Just means you can’t see the skywatcher 120 ED logo so well ! But it’s dark anyway😀
Hey Doc! - That's a good point, and my only gripe with the Esprit 120 - I fixed it by using some foam insulation tape wrapped around the outside of the OTA to bush up to inside the dew shield, it's stiffened it up no end! and now it doesnt really even need the lock screws! :-)
Well worth a look into it! - you could protect your scope's paint too if you wish by first putting a turn of painter's masking tape around the tube, low tack - easy remove should you ever wish!
I may look into 3d printing a bushing system to permanantly solve the problem someday but for now the foam tape works great! :-)
Clear skies, and congratulations on your Esprit 120!!! what a beautiful scope to own mate
Hi Luke, nice in depth video. Was the WiFi test on 5ghz or 2.5ghz? I tried my Plus 2.5ghz through Station Mode and the signal was superb all through the house. When I changed to 5ghz through it dropped when I stepped foot in the house but then I didn't try anywhere else. Might try and that tonight
Hey Paul! - Good question mate! It was on 2.4ghz mode :-) I've yet to try station mode though, do you recommend it?
Thank you for watching!!
@@lukomatico when I had the Pro, I used to run an ethernet cable into my BT Home broadband disc in my conservatory on the 5ghz mode, that would give me a good signal next to my bed (I like to keep checking through the night 🤣) now with the Antenna on the Plus I can do away with the ethernet cable but I've only tried it once so I used the 2.4ghz through my home network. Signal and download next to my bed was superb.
@@paulradford6902 That sounds fantastic!!
May be worth a look into as while it's fine in the living room it did get weaker upstairs for me :-)
Thank you for the detailed reply!
Hey! Do you know the diameter of the cable management sleeve you use and how long you needed?
Hey mate! It's probably around 15mm and about 1m long 👍
Like, great video as always. Did you watch Trevor's video, dude still won't plate solve, lol. Big question, is the software the same as the Pro version is, only difference being better wifi and faster processor?
Hey Bill! :-) I hope you are well!
Largely the differences are stronger WiFi, faster processor and more feedback over power management :-) the software as far as I can see is basically the same, just that extra power management feedback!
Thank you for watching my friend! :D
the flat looks a little bit wired and why you choose 0.5s for bias rather 0.001s？your video looks amazing！
Hey Charles!
The flats looked odd with a screen stretch for sure, but they worked fine! :-)
I used 0.5s just to ensure there was no problem with unstable bias at short exposures as can sometimes be a problem with cmos, I've since started using darkflats though! 👍👍
Thank you so much for watching mate!
Hey and thanks for your honest video. I am representing Zwo and the Asiair in France. Is it okay for you if I use parts of your video during my presentation in Paris next Sunday ? Of course I will credit you right under the video. Clear skies :)
Hey there Elodie! :-)
I'm glad you liked the video, that's great to hear!
I'm of course more than happy for you to use my video in your presentation! - I'm flattered in fact, thank you!
I wish you all the best of luck with it, have a great time 🙏
Clear skies!
Luke
@@lukomatico hey ! Thanks again for letting me use your video ! The presentation was great, a lot of people were interested ! I have a short video of someone filming the sequence where I was explaining how the meridian flip works with your video, in case you want to see it, please let me know :) no big deal, just a souvenir ! Thanks again and clear skies !
Hey that's great to hear!! :-D I'd love to see it if it wouldn't be too much trouble to share :-)
I'm really glad things went well for you! 👍👍
Curious, how did you record the smartphone running ZWO ASIair Pro and combined it with the video of the imaging session?
Hey Terrence! - I just used the inbuilt screen recorder feature on my android phone, works great for tasks like this!
As to combining, I just synchronised both footage feeds in the editing software by aligning the audio waveform, and then resized one window over the other!
Hope that helps :-)
@@lukomatico Yes it does help. I am glad it is so simple. I enjoyed the video. I am starting back into astronomy after a seven-year break. It certainly has changed.
Luke - I leave the Histogram on Auto. If I were to manually stretch and find a more "pleasing" sub with the Histogram on the AAP, would the remaining subs retain that setting ?
Hey there Mike! :-) that's a good question!
Each sub would have that same new visual stretch applied, but it won't have any affect on the data actually being recorded to be stacked later, so you can freely stretch the view on the AAP to your hearts content without worry! :-)
I hope that helps, and I also hope you are doing great and getting some clear sky time!
All the best,
Luke 👍👍
@@lukomatico thank you sir !
So....I guess that leads to a 2nd question. What is the actual benefit of the Histogram ? I can only find it advantageous if you are using the Live Stacking function ?
Again...let me thank you for all the information you generously offer with your instructional videos.
Hey Mike! - no problem at all my friend 👍👍
Re: the histogram's use - it can be useful to preview a stretched image to assess your target framing, perhaps to check for clouds passing through, trailed stars etc, all of which are very hard to see with an unstretched/linear histogram view :-) I think the main thing for me though is it's just nice to see the target! :-D
I hope that helps Mike! 👍👍
@@lukomatico all of those suggestions are golden....thank you sir
Looks like ZWO listened to the users through the first two versions. Should be a hit with all the improvements.
I think you've hit the nail on the head David! - They've listened, and it shows! I'm having a brilliant time :-)
Thank you for watching!
@@lukomatico it seems like that’s the case. Your raw review was representative of what most of us experience first time out with new gear. Have fun sir. Sound like you’ll be purchasing your “test” unit.
@@davidaylsworth8964 It's already bought! :D I'm not letting this thing go anywhere, haha :-)
Clear skies!
So, It does not come with a power adapter. Which adapter did you use? Thanks
Hey mate! - Just a cheap-ish thing off amazon really, works OK! as long as it's 12v+ (up to 15 is OK) 5.5x2.1mm tip positive then you're golden, good luck! :-)
Hi Luke. Do forgive me for asking so many questions, but this one has been bugging me for a while. "Old school" astronomers continue to say "one can't break the laws of physics" when referring to telescope aperture being exponentially better in terms of resolution per inch of diameter, but I'm assuming they are referring solely to visual observation. Given modern imaging technology - CMOS/CCD sensors, tracking, stacking, post-processing and whatnot - is that rule of thumb now potentially misleading as to telescope choice with regard to astrophotography, whereby even a 50mm objective is now far more useful than it was considered only a few years ago? In which case, with the exception of purely visual astronomy - which is always a great pleasure - would you say there's no need to invest in those very costly light buckets any more? Best wishes, Ant.
Hey there Ant! - no problem at all RE: the questions mate! :-) happy to help!
A very interesting question on a subject that has interested me for a long time!
There's still a lot of truth in the 'old school' wisdom, generally speaking a good big scope will out-resolve a good small scope, but there's a lot more at play of course - let's look for a moment.
If you are pursuing visual astronomy, then aperture rules basically, it's a bit of a simplification but largely holds true :-) - certain designs punch well above their weight class though due to very low diffraction & high contrast from unobstructed optical designs, like a refractor - you may find a quality 5" refractor handily matches/beats an 8" newt/sct.
if you were maybe looking at lucky-imaging, likely planetary and lunar astrophotography & maybe some bright DSO's, then again aperture gives a strong advantage on the amount of details that can be resolved, simply because the influence of the seeing is reduced in these disciplines, so again - bigger is better :-)
if however we're talking about amateur long-exposure deep-sky astrophotography, then past a certain point more aperture becomes largely useless in terms of detail.
With long exposures you are at the mercy of the seeing as the limiting factor of how much resolution can be achieved, for example 5-6" scope can match the detail of a 10-12" scope if they are both under the same skies and with the same sampling ratio, the bigger scope would be photographically 'faster' in this example and still give a better image in terms of signal, but not better detail :-)
narrowband imaging changes things slightly again, but generally speaking if you have a telescope&camera combination that is sampling the skies at something like 0.7-1.1" arcsec/pixel, then you will be taking very high resolution images, and likely better than the sky from most locations could ever support anyway :-)
I've had a huge amount of scopes over the years, ranging from 50mm to 300mm aperture, and have found this all to be consistently true really, that said - there's a reason I've settled on a nice big refractor for my main astrophotography rig! :-) bags of resolution, and it just works reliably night after night, endlessly!
I hope that helps!
@@lukomatico I'm very grateful to you Luke for posting such a comprehensive and thoughtful response, thank you very much. Food for thought, not only for me, but for many of us (perhaps) older visual astronomy hobbyists thinking of getting serious with astrophotography. I really do appreciate your sage advice. Best wishes, Ant.
Luke. You state your Espirit 120 has a focal length of 645 but it actually has a focal length of 840mm
Hey Gareth! I'm using the matching 0.77x reducer for the Esprit 120, bringing it from native 840mm down to 646mm 👍
Ah now I'm with you. I also have an Espirit 120 and have just bought a 2600mc pro. My ASIAIR is on order with a 10-15 day wait for new stock. Looking forward to it. One thing. Would it not be better to polar align without filter and insert once set up?
Hey mate! If you just adjust your exposure time for polar alignment plate solves to match the type of filter you're using then it makes no odds 👍
It's best practice to leave any filter you're using in place and unmoved until you've finished your current project and taken flats for it, otherwise you can run into the issue of the filter/drawer not re-indexing exactly, or allowing dust to ingress, which will give you uncorrectable dust spots on your final image 👍
Hope that helps!
@@lukomatico it's been very helpful. Thanks for all the info. Been enjoying your videos. 👍
I don't understand the plan v. Auto run and using them in tandem..on of the less ' intuitive ' parts of this work flow... Can you elaborate...
Hey mate! Set up plan mode if you want to have the asiair execute a series of actions such as target 1 until 11pm, then target 2 till 3am, then park etc, allowing you to go to bed.
Autorun works fine if you're going to be semi-attending the scope, it'll just execute your frame plan (incl. Dithers, autofocus , meridian flip, filter change etc, just like plan mode) but won't automatically swap targets or park etc.
Hope that helps!