QHY5III485 Colour Camera
Specifications
Let customers speak for us
Building my first astrophotography rig around a Williams Optics RedCat51 and the iOpteron Skyhunter with iPolar.
Great support from Astronz, answering my questions about assembly and set up. Some reviews of the Skyhunter point to problems with the RA clutch sticking, but I found the "use weight bar for leverage" solution worked fine.
Set up quick and easy; the instructions do assume a bit of technical knowledge but I'm finding CoPilot makes a great coach, even accepting screenshots if you are unclear.
iPolar took a little getting used to, but now down to a few minutes to get a very good alignment, after lining up on a compass baring. It does require a clear view of the Southern celestial pole, and I sometimes have to jockey the gain a bit if I'm setting up early evening and the light is changing.
Comparing to polar-alignment via platesolving in APT iPolar is faster, simpler, and easier, especially when setting the mount up in roughly the same place.
The mount plays very nicely with APT, so after using iPolar I'll platesolve, go to target, centre and sync. Very little drift even without a guide scope. (As an aside, CoPIlot makes a great coach, even able to interpret screen grabs and offer practical advice)
Not requiring power is another plus, keeping the cabling a bit easier. Powering/connecting the iOpteron, mount and a ZWO EAF all through a single USB-C hub from the laptop works fine.
Once I'd got past total newbie learning (with CoPilot) my first attempt landed my ~180 x 30 second exposures of Eta Carinae and exactly the kind of image I wanted to get.
Added an extra weight later on to balance the scope - CoPilot again very helpful on torque calculations and carrying capacity if you are a newbie like me.
Total rig weight is about 3.2KG excluding counterweights which works fine.
Very happy!
As someone new to Astronomy I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using these binoculars to observe Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and many different stars and constellations. Using these alongside the app Stellarium has made me even more interested in Astronomy, and I’m looking forward to exploring telescopes sometime in the near future too.
Good Heavens provides guided stargazing experiences in the Dark Sky Sanctuary of Aotea Great Barrier Island. We mainly use Astronz' 8" Dobsonian telescopes for planets, the moon and deep sky objects and their 10X50 binoculars to enhance our stargazers' view of open clusters and for Milky Way gazing. We find Astronz gear sturdy and of good quality and perfect for our frequent use throughout the years. Their employees are very pleasant and fast. We highly recommend Astronz to our own and to other stargazers. Hilde
Awesome light pollution filter for galaxy astrophotography. I haven't tried planetary nebula yet, so can't comment. M83 was just awesome with this filter. Keen to try optolong l extreme and ultimate sometime.
Super pleased with the quality of this telescope and all accessories. Andrew is very knowledgeable and provided a lot of ongoing support and start-up information, taking the time to walk me through exactly how to use the tech, and provided plentiful resources and recommendations. If you can, I would definitely suggest viewing the telescopes to get a feel for size and weight, and to get some great information from the team. Highly recommend!
Ordering, delivery and invoicing was all done very professionally and smoothly and the binoculars are a great product. Very happy.
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Had difficulty obtaining monthly star charts as stated but eventually received response from AG at Canty Uni
My first purchase as I am new to stargazing. These binoculars a great start. Quality product at a good price. Looking forward to my next purchase as I look for even better views.
Bought this for archery. It is heavy but what that’s what I wanted. It is solid in the ground and will not be blown over. I have accidentally knocked it with my bow when shooting and the scope has not moved a millimetre. Perfect!
I purchased this as a mount for an 80mm refractor. The aim was for something relatively portable that could be used in the field. So far it works well and should be ideal for the job. Being able to control the mount with an iPad using Commander Lite is helpful.
