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Save your Lens money and get this instead :D


Zed

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Hi folks, so I visited Al Sadeem's Observatory last night (website http://alsadeemastronomy.ae/visibility-times/ ) and asked questions how they created those nice images on their Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/alsadeem.observatory/?hl=en) and witnessed 2 approach:

But first, some nice Astronomy / Interstellar trivia: did you know when you take photo or look at the moon, that snapshot is from few seconds ago? And that if you take photo of the sun, the snapshot is from 8-10 minutes ago? The whole universe is a "Virtual Time Machine" *wow 😲

Ok, so the first approach he showed is basically mounting his Canon DSLR to the telescope and then doing long exposure of 10 seconds 10 times, for a total of 100 seconds (1.5 minutes) of exposing your aperture (make sure your DSLR can handle this and not overheat the sensor 😂). Then he stacks them using Photoshop. As simple as that, but the cheapest Telescope he used was a 7,000dhs Compound Telescope (google this, basically a compound telescope is a  mix of Lenses & Mirrors). Problem is the Stars & Moon are moving in micro-seconds, so when you buy a Compound Telescope, make sure it has a "Tracking" feature, or a motor that rotates the telescope slowly adjusting to the object-in-observation speed.

Second option, he was using a more expensive, AI-powered, controlled via iPad, gadget called Stellina (see https://vaonis.com/stellina ), which costs USD 4,000 or around 16,000dhs. This gadget is so cool, it automatically stacks your multiple mages so you don't need to stitch them on Photoshop. The iPad & Android app even has "History" feature so you can compare the photos of the Nebula, stars, moon, from last week, or months before.

BUT this is the cool stuff. Stellina will have a sister called Vespera (see https://vaonis.com/vespera ) which will cost USD 1,500 or 6,000dhs which is available for pre-order (but I suggest you wait until it's in full production). It's more expensive than portable telescopes, but knowing that it does automatic stitching, tracking / moving along with the position of the stars, battery-powered (so you can bring this to desert without requiring AC Inverter), all controlled via Wi-Fi to an iPad / Android app, I think this is a better option than spending a 600mm lens or buying a 50 MP full-frame 😁 🔥

Here's a Video Teaser of the Stellina:

 

Edited by Zed
added video link
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3 minutes ago, Mario Cornejo said:

Check this one out :) 

 

Thanks @Mario Cornejo , although nice and will complement my Sony A7S-II, that looks bulky and not easily transportable to the desert... how heavy is the setup? From quick visual, it seems I need minimum 2 people to carry  all those stuff 😅

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Frankly speaking I have no idea, I found it in a fbook group for owners of Nikon D850s.

However I would assume users will not feel they are transporting an observatory or Hubble telescope with them 😅, the system might be transportable for enthusiasts who will seek areas where light pollution is minimal.

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It's a very good price for such revolutionizing product. I always wanted to buy the telescope but the one on which I can attach my SLR and always drop the idea due to it's weight, size, pricing and mobility issue.

This seem to answer all in one. Even if the first version is half as good and crisp as explained in video, I'll go for it.

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Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

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See @Frederic …. Worth secretly purchasing and hiding from the wife (I had recommended this to Fred a short while back 😂)!  I have followed this product for a short while and love the idea (previous it felt like cheating however have come to terms with going the easy route :))
 

the observatory @Zed mentioned is the officially distributor for the product here and the owner on Instagram posts his captures from the unit often… I was super tempted also and just waiting to see if the new smaller version will be as effective (comparison is below) Meet Vespera, our newborn star Vaonis.pdf

This would make our Astro nights a breeze and we could just focus on beers and bbq!! 

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4 minutes ago, Niki said:

This would make our Astro nights a breeze and we could just focus on beers and bbq!! 

Spot on

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Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

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