A perfect example of my ideal setup at the moment.

Just imagine the mount is changed to EM11, the camera is changed to a DSLR, and the guider is changed to the new SG-4...

My FS60C can be sold; much less counterweight (but more battery needed maybe); then add a pair of Fujinon binoculars... Can't be more relaxed doing imaging.

Shopping List

----Main Setup:----

Main Scope:
1st Choice: Takahashi TOA130NF
2nd Choice: William Optics FLT-132*

Main Equatorial Mount:
1st Choice: Takahashi EM200 Temma2*
2nd Choice: Skywatcher EQ6

Guidescope:
1st Choice: Takahashi FS60CB + Extender*
2nd Choice: Stellarvue 80/9D

Camera:
Spectrum Enhanced Canon 5D MarkII



----Lunar/Planetary Setup----

Main Scope:
Celestron C9.25

Camera:
Imaging Source DFK 41AU02.AS



----Portable Setup----

Main Scope:
1st Choice: Takahashi FSQ106ED*
2nd Choice: William Optics FLT-98

Main Equatorial Mount:
1st Choice: Takahashi EM11 Temma2 Jr
2nd Choice: Vixen SXW*

Guidescope:
1st Choice: Takahashi FS60CB + Extender*
2nd Choice: Stellarvue 80/9D

Camera:
Spectrum Enhanced Canon 500D



----Visual Setup----

Obsession 15" Ultra-Compact


*More prefered due to various reasons

Suburban M42

5min x 35 + 1min x 8 + 30sec x 8, ISO800
Sky90 manual guide

8-orientation dithering, causing the banding noise to form squares...

One of the longest exposed single frame to date.

Longer exposed M63

A combined 158min of exposure from downtown HK...

70 x 40sec + 112 x 60sec.
350D ISO800

Deepskystacker 3x drizzle enabled.

Urban M63

It's the first time I shot something outside the local group of galaxy...

40sec x 70, ISO800

It's really small, but its fun to play with this kind of stuff.

Another round of rooftop astrophotography

I'm giving up on shooting nebulosity in urban areas... But it doesn't mean I'm giving up deepsky shooting in urban areas.

I'm trying to do something new when weather cooperates. Perhaps better results could be achieved by shooting distant galaxies? They are much more point like than extended nebulsity, so should I expect better results than shooting M42 and horsehead nebula?

I realized in the previous 2-hour M42 shot the limiting magnitude of stars can go down to 13-14th... it's just an estimation because I have no reliable starmap that goes down that deep available. I hope shooting galaxies around 10th mag wouldn't be a problem.

Also I hope 405mm wouldn't be too short for galaxies like that. And this thought reminds me of my previous plan of getting a 6" F5 reflector.

Selling things

I'm recently selling my Canon 400mm F5.6L and my modified 350D.

A friend is already interested in the 400mm, dunno if anyone would be interested in the 350D....

The 400mm is an excellent lens for deepsky photography. The stars are all neat and tight and round at the corners, at least on an APS-C size sensor. It is ultra light and portable, it is even smaller than my FS60C. I hate to let it go but i don't have any serious use for it after the solar eclipse. My Sky90 has the same focal length but almost one stop faster, and it can be used with a 2" LPS, while the 400 cannot.

I'm not complaining anything about my 350D, its just I am getting a bit lazy and I want liveview with DSLR... Also its autofocus is not working really well for daily use, but i'm sure its the problem of all 350Ds but not only mine.


People are asking if i want to sell my 135 F2... you bet, haha.