Thanks so much, Walt. I've been searching for two weeks trying to find a video on using the ASIAir for plate solving with a star tracker, and here you are! I had a couple of very disappointing whiffs on my targets recently when using filters and I think the ASIAir plate solving will help tremendously. As for the ASIAir Plus (and the guidescope/camera), I've had the setup for a few weeks and I'll second your claim about how great it is. I absolutely love it, and (on the 2-3 rare nights there was a break in the clouds) I've been able to track with a SkyGuider Pro as long as five minutes without star trails. It's an amazing setup, really, and I'd recommend the ASIAir (and guidescope/camera) wholeheartedly. Thank you again for your great, very informative, and 'down-to-earth' videos (complete with alien cameos!) that are so useful for beginners like me. Keep up the great work!
I made the video I wish someone would have done six months ago! So many nights wasted trying to find targets. The ASIAir truly is the best accessory for beginners like us! If you have an Instagram, find me. I would love to see your photos!
@@deltaastrophotography Well, I'm afraid I don't have much of a portfolio yet. I started in October and the weather has been the pits! I posted my few photos on Instagram. To be honest, I forgot I had an Instagram account!. :-)
Really enjoyed Video. I’m new in the field. Equipment on hand now is a Canon T7 with a 75-300mm lens. Waiting for an Askar FM135 and Askar 65phq, along with a Skywatcher Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack. The last piece of equipment is the ASIAIR MINI. I starting this hobby fairly late in life I’m 70. And planning all you youngsters to help get me going. So I appreciate the quality of your video and will be following you. Thanks for sharing your knowledge to others
Thanks so much for this tutorial. I’ve been looking for ways to frame up these nebula just by looking at stars in the area. Didn’t know about plate solving with my DSLR. Also, didn’t know I could auto stretch like that to see the nebula in the test shot. I can’t wait to get out again and try this stuff. Stay weird my friend!
Fantastic video to say the least. I've been using a scale on my star adventurer Dec bracket and the RA / HA method which gets me pretty close most times. Now I have an other use for my ASIAIR Pro. Keep up the amazing work and clear skies.
Just discovered your videos. I will tell you, your videos and tutorials are some of the best I have seen. You have made the process user friendly. Kudos to you. I look forward to all your future videos. Maybe you might add some info on using the Move Shoot Move tracker. Thank you.
What I love most about your channel is your ability to explain complex astro concepts in a very simple manner..your deliberate and occasional use of humor also makes learning fun! Wish you all the best. You got a fan in India who looks forward to your phenomenal work!! Thank you!!
I may have missed your comment about the DSLR that you used. Is it astro modified? This is a spectacular image and very encouraging for a budget setup.
Hi - thanks for your video. I need some encouragement as am struggling with my setup. I have Canon R5, Star Adventurer Pro and newly arrived ASIAir Plus, Zwo mini guidescope and ASI mini camera. I would like to see your exact cabling if possible and any advice on focussing the guidescope - this is proving to be a big challenge. There seems to be a lot of lag between changes to focus and the visual appearing on my phone! Without this I cannot begin to guide. I have seen other videos where the camera is not connected to the ASIair and I am now confused. If you have any other related videos, can you point me at them for basic setup?
@Delta Astrophotography So helpful, thank you so much Walt! You do such a great job helping the new comers like me that love this hobbie! Cheers man, have a great new year!! What's the telescope you're using??
A cool video. I am a begginer in AP and I am wondering if with initiation gear: StarAdventurer star tracker, ASI120MC-S, RebelT3i, SVBONY 120mm guidescope and Evostar72ed worthwhile to add the Asiair plus. I do not have expierence with autoguiding, but I want to increase my shoot times. Greetings
Hi Walt!! I am looking to do an upgrade and buy an ASIAir Plus with a guidescope and guide camera ZWO120mm mini and a WO Redcat 51. I am essentially looking to have a system that would perform as a GOTO feature WITHOUT USING A GOTO mount. What would you recommend? Would the ASIAir Plus do that? Is there a software that can work in the computer with ASIAir and talk to the telescope and guide camera and slew to a chosen target or for that I do need to get a GOTO mount? If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear from you. Also do you also have a detailed video from start to finish on how to use the ASIAir Plus and how you choose the tether and frame and how to work the software and system, I’d love to watch that. Your videos are super informative and valuable. Thank you 🙏🏻
That all sounds like a great rig! You would need a GOTO mount to automatically slew. But the ASIAIR can help you manually guide to any target with ease with a star tracker. I'll work on a full ASIAIR workflow video. Keep the questions coming!
@@deltaastrophotography Walt thank you so much for your input. Would you happen to have a video on how to use a setup such as I am contemplating from start to finish and also offer a suggestion of a good GOTO mount that would not break the bank? May I also ask you another question not related to this? I have recently astromodified my Canon RP and all the images are now coming out with a reddish tinge. Yes, I know it’s now more sensitive to the red spectrum and that’s what I needed to capture the bright reds of the Ha emission in the nebulae and galaxies and Milky Way. But is there a way to tone down/remove the extra reddish hue in the whole photo? Any specific way for WB adjustment (currently it’s set at AWB) and also have bracketing exposures. I also use a Kase Clip-on LP filter on that camera. I live in NJ. Or do you have a trick to get the red tinge out in post processing? I followed your processing of the Orion Nebula with the nifty fifty Canon and to date that has been my best Orion capture. You’re an amazing teacher and that you so much for creating these extremely informative and helpful videos that give us amateurs hope and encouragement. 🙏🏻
@@ujjwaldatta6713 High Point Scientific currently has the HEQ 5 Pro in stock for $1,100. That's probably as good as you are gonna get at the moment. There are a few cheaper GOTO mounts out there, but none seem to be in stock anywhere. As far as the red tinge, I use a custom white balance with my modified camera. I took a photo of an 18% grey card outside on a clear afternoon. You could also use a white sheet of paper. Then I went into the camera menu and found custom white balance. I used the photo I took of the grey card to make a preset. Then I went to my white balance settings and switched from AWB to Custom . That got rid of the red tinge. But now I have a bit of a green tinge so I'm not sure if the custom white balance really helps. In the end I end up balancing my red, green, and blue channels using Levels in Photoshop. Then I do a white balance adjustment (temp and tint) using Camera Raw Filter. Finally I get rid of any remaining green using a free Photoshop plug-in called Hasta La Vista Green. I'll try and make a video soon on how to balance colors with an Astro-modified camera.
Nice. Apparently there's a new firmware for the ASIAir (Plus?), which allow now for All Sky Polar Alignment - could you please test it, for those without a view to the North (so simulating that by looking South or South-West for example)?
I tried to find information on this. Buried somewhere deep on the internet I saw someone mention that they were "working on it." I certainly hope they do!
I am glad that you mentioned this. I was looking at this for a springtime purchase but I was planning on using my A7R III as my imaging camera. I will have to wait until they work out whatever issues they are having with Sony.
The app normally auto stretches by default. But if you look at your test shot in the bottom left corner there are two buttons that say Auto and reset. That's the auto stretch area.
@@deltaastrophotography, wow! Hope you get it soon, as it will really change the game for you considerably. Without placing an order for one, I just kept my eye open for availability of an iOptron CEM40 and after about a year, they came available at OPT. I wasn't quite ready to drop the cash for one but I did and don't regret it a bit. Clear skies!
@@Ambress I got an email from OPT saying that mine should be arriving by the end of the month. I also saw on Highpoint Scientific that the EQ6-R Pros would start shipping in 14-21 days. Looks like the wait is coming to an end, and I'm beyond excited!
@@deltaastrophotographythat's great news, and if an EQ6-R Pro then I sure you'll be happy with it, if reviews I've read are any indication. I was looking at it myself yet even though the price of the CEM40 was hard for me to justify, I liked the design concept and the seemingly more compact form factor of it over the EQ6-R enough to sway me....well, that and seeing it come available was huge also. I hate "buying up" incrementally and hope a 40-lb. rated max payload will meet my needs for the forseeable future. Having no sizable OTA yet, that will be the next big step for me from my 360mm focal length Z61, and I hope I can find something I'm happy while keeping the total payload to 30-ish pounds. I've seen some 800-900mm scopes around 20 lbs., so I think my goal is reasonable and I think that focal length should keep me satisfied for quite some time....famous last words? haha!
Thank you for this video, it explained what i needed to know!!! now i will be able to start using my ASIAIR plus in the correct way with my skywatcher mount! Great job!
Another great video Walt. You have a very clear and concise way of explaining astrophotography and I thank you for it. Love your humor and your videos. I appreciate your help in navigating the rough seas of astrophotography. Here's to clear nights!
Being able to plate solve on SKyGuider Pro using ASIAIR and Stellarium is incredibly helpful. Thank you for demonstrating this feature! Btw, after you found the target IC1396 (9:35), how did you move it from the top to the center of the screen (9:48)?
Freakin’ awesome content! Thank you! Unfortunately I don’t believe I can use the ASIAIR ( regardless of the model ) I did purchase a guide scope and a guide camera ( 120mm monochrome - I believe it is from ZWO as well ) . I’ve got the EAF as well from them. BUT… it seems it won’t work with my camera! 😓🤦🏻♂️🫤! Fujifilm XT4. Or is it working ( AsiAir ? ) I m also a bit stucked on the mount. Should I get a mount like iOptron Sky Hunter ? With GoTo capabilities? Or no need ? I’m a bit overwhelmed, just starting on AP 🧐🤔
If you are into Milky Way nightscapes and traveling, go with a star tracker. Otherwise go ahead and invest in a goto mount. I wish I could give more advice of Fujifilm cameras.
I'm researching and saving for the ASIAIR plus. Would you kindly explain how and why to take dark, flat and bias photos for post processing? The way you explain things makes it easier to understand.
That’s cool, Walt! I have never used my ASIAIR with my Skyguider. Looking forward to trying this if we ever get a break in these clouds. Should be clear after this cold front coming through, but it will definitely be COLD!
I'm a beginner and I'm shooting with a modded 70D Canon+SkyguiderPro - I guess I'm missing something...can you change all your DSLR camera settings through ASIAIR interface? Does ASIAIR also replace the intevallometer plugged to DSLR? Thanks a lot for your great help!
As many other have commented. This is by far the best explanation of how to use the Asiair. I have been contemplating buying a new mount as an upgrade to my SWSA. But for half the price I can buy the Asiair and a guide camera. I just need the right time to tell the wife that I need to spend some more money😂 Thank you so much for sharing what you do with this hobby. I’m an avid viewer and love your channel
Hey hon you bought that $400 purse and $200 dress with my card by accident. I'ma just go out and buy a zwo asi 533 for about the same money and we'll forget any of it happened 😜😭😎😁
Hry walt, could you do a video that explains how to turn the star tracker into a "near Go-To"?? There is a guy that did a video on it but I must be slightly retarded because i get confused. You explain things much better, at least in a way that I understand.
4:10 So if the ASIAIR shows the RA and DEC, why can't you put in the RA and DEC and have the ASIAIR move the camera to the right location via plate solving??
Okay, you are a little quirky (like myself) but that is a GREAT image and good video. I am getting back into this after several years of not doing anything so relearning lots. Thanks.
Thanks for the video very interesting. I have a larger camera set up with my telephoto lens but it keeps hitting the Sky Guide pro as it’s a chunky thing. Is it possible that you can tell me what equipment you’re using with regards to the long red plates and the holder for it and how to put the guide scope on top of my telephoto lens. I am looking to shift the camera more away from the guider as it touches the top of the sky guider (nikon Z9) and also I have the guide scope on a hotshoe on camera so by moving it like you have it I can then move my camera back incase of balance issues. Much appreciated.
connect the mount direct to the asiair. its much better connection and better tracking. you then wont need to attach the guide camera to the scope. Use the EQMOD cable :)
Your videos are so incredibly helpful to those getting into the hobby. What you do is something I appreciate, with the very clear, simple explanations that make things easy to follow along. Finally decided to pull the trigger on getting an ASIAIR myself. Thanks for all you do! If you ever decide to put yourself on patreon or anything like that, I'd happily chip in for all the things I've been able to learn from watching your videos.
Hello, This is a good video explaining the use of asiair with a star tracker. Currently I do astrophotography with nikon d750, Tamron 150-600 and a simple tripod (without a tracker). I am planning to buy an EQ mount (because I am planning to buy a redcat 71) with goto ability and asiairplus. But looking at your videos and the final image, I am left confused whether I shall buy a star tracker and continue with DSLR + telephoto lens?
Hi Walt, just got my ASI Air Mini, and can't wait to try it out with my SWSA Pro. Question: are you using any light pollution filters in this video? When you DO use them, do they block out most of the stars that it makes it difficult to locate and plate solve, and maybe auto-guide? My scope is a Red Cat 51 with the filter (Optolong L-Pro) screwed within the scope tube, not in a filter drawer. I guess I'll find out myself when I finally get some clear skies around here, until then I'd like to hear your feedback. Thanks!
I use an Optolong L-Enhance screwed into my Radian 61 and have never had any problem plate solving at IS0 800 and 3 second exposures. As long as I'm in focus it works great every time. I don't know if it makes a difference, but I always start the session by using plate solving to help polar align. The Air has a great polar align feature.
Very nice.Gotta get me an Asiair for my Star Adventurer after seeing this,especially for the platesolving and live stacking functions.Of course the polar alignement must be done prior to this.But I gotta ask you:what screen did you use?It seemed kinda big for a smartphone?Thanks.
Thank you for the detailed and a demonstration of capturing a DSO. Buy may I ask if the mount that you use, does it have a GoTo functionality? Because I thought with a GoTo mount, we just input what object we want to point to, and it will point to the coordinate automatically, or am I wrong?
For the star tracker he was using in this video, there is no GoTo functionality. That is why he manually moved the scope in RA and DEC to get the it pointed at the target.
Quick question really important for me: why is my intervalometer a couple mili seconds off. If I take a 2sec exposure for example it gives me 1.9 or 1.8 seconds.
Hi Walt. Great tutorial! You make it so clear with wonderful results. This was highly appreciated and saves so much time searching and finding the object of interest.
Question. I’m new this and have a similar setup on order. During this shot did you do a polar alignment or once the Guide camera locks on target polar alignment isn’t necessary. Bruce
For me it came down to the fact that the Star Adventurer uses AA batteries. I'm not a fan of always having to have batteries around. I can charge the Skyguider Pro pretty quickly before each session and be fine. Also the Skyguider has a heavier counterweight and an option for a counterweight extension rod. This allows for heavier lenses and scopes. Oh and it comes with a vixen dovetail saddle for telescopes. The Star Adventurer on the other hand does have wifi and a better DEC adjustment though.
@@deltaastrophotography yes of course the wifi and DEC is better with Staradventurer also it has many other modes for timelaps photography as well, but the thing with ioptron is that if I want to use it like your set up I have buy an additional ASIAIR and to use the plate solving method to find the targets easily and maybe even an additional tablet. But I really love your set up its easy and hassle free and it would make life easy and that's where the confusion begins haha 🤣 Thank for for your video, it's very informative ❤
@@ronak_photos516, both the SGP and SA Pro are very good star trackers with perhaps a nearly even split of users. I personally chose the SA Pro because I liked how its fine tuning platform, a.k.a. DEC platform, was designed despite that I also improved upon it by adding my own DEC scale. Another very nice feature of the SA Pro that I don't think the SGP has are the indexed time and date dials on the back of the tracker, which aid you in making your corrections. They confused me for a while, because I was trying to use them in what I thought to be a more exact way, yet wasn't. In the end what worked best for me in combination with the plate solve/annotation capability of the ASIAir Pro, was to simply reset the dials to a known reference point, such as aligning the 1AM hour index mark to the 0 date mark. Then, once I did a plate solve and knew how far off the mark RA was, I could pretty accurately rotate the tracker to provide that amount of time offset relative to that 0 point. My only remaining confusion was which direction to go, but that was most easily answered by simply seeing what a new plate solution told me, and if I'd gone the wrong direction as in Walt's video here, I just rotated the tracker for the new offset needed once again, but in the correct direction. If in lieu of using the ASIAir you are using some other method to get a plate solution, I expect the use of the tracker with the dials would still apply rather well. If you are just taking a fully manual approach then certainly that will be more difficult and time-consuming, and you'd use the SA Pro in a more conventional way by aligning the dials initially for your time and date, and for that, a DEC scale would also prove even more handy....I really think SkyWatcher should've provided a scale on their DEC platform, but it isn't too difficult to make your own and add it as I did. Should you end up buying a StarAdventurer Pro, you can download and print my DEC scale from tinyurl.com/dp-SAdecscale. Regarding the battery power for the SA Pro, it also has a mini-USB port from which it can be powered as an alternative to the 4xAA battery approach, whether you use a connection such as to one of the USB ports of an ASIAir Pro or other device as I did for a while, or an external power pack. I never once used batteries in mine. :)
Yeah I use the USB port on my EQ6 mount. My star tracker doesn't have a USB option, but since I got the EQ6 I really only use the tracker for 24mm photography. No guiding necessary.
You didn't miss it. I don't think I really covered it. I go over polar alignment in a lot of my videos, so I was just trying to keep the time down. It can be a challenge because there is so much to talk about.
Thank you for the step-by-step on using ASIAIR, especially on knowing the difference between RA and Declination. The lights suddenly went on for me as to why it's called a declination bracket. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling when knowledge replaces the lack thereof in my brain. I'm actually leaning toward Astroberry myself. Since I'm a noob, I have no preference, but I'm also a cheapskate and a DYIer, so I like the challenge. I'm still waiting for my Raspberry Pi 4 to ship - two-month wait...chip shortage. Sigh! As with several of your other videos, I've saved this for future reference. Thanks again!
Dude I know what you mean about the lights going on! Such an exciting feeling! That's why I made this video. When things suddenly made sense with plate solving and finding targets, I had to tell the world! No more desperately wanting a goto mount because I couldn't find what I was looking for!
Great video, easy to understand. Can you tell me if this system will work with the nikon Z6 as I am just start my adventure into star photography. Also what is your preferance for a tracker???
Sadly I don't think it will work with that camera. I'm currently working on a way to do the same thing with a laptop though. I'll post a video when I get it all figured out. And I would go with the Skywatcher Star Adventurer. Maybe get an extra counterweight and a dovetail clamp to go with it.
@@deltaastrophotography Thanks very much for getting back with the information on the Z6. I have the 20mm 1/8 lens for the Z 6 and will start taking a few photos very soon. I was leaning toward the Skywatcher Star Adventure Pro. Will keep an eye out for some deals ?? None available on amazon currently. Maybe new version coming out?? Cheers
Long time follower yet only recently did I click the subscribe button (not used to it at all haha). Nonetheless, amazing content you are convincing me more and more to get an ASIAIR pro/plus to my star adventurer 2i mount as I really cant afford to get a proper equatorial go-to mount in the near future and it seems like an ASIAIR will help with some of the solutions that a eq go-to mount offers over a star tracker. I do have to ask - can the ASIAIR also help with polar aligning properly on a star tracker ? I feel like sometimes I get ti perfect (2mins at 135mm no trails and sometimes its trailing at 1min) so if the ASIAIR can also help, perhaps with plate solving, it would be an insta buy!
Yup! I've never had to look through my polar scope on my mount. For a star tracker it will get you to take a photo while your camera is facing the North Star. It will plate solve it and then ask you to rotate the tracker 60°. From there it will take pictures and tell you which way you need to adjust your alignment. Works great!
@@deltaastrophotography oh my gosh so its just like I thought it would be - just like a goto will do it but instead you do the rotation to 60 degrees. Well if that really is the case then I am sure ordering one, perhaps even the bundle with guide scope and cam. Thank you once again for all the helpful content and especially for the quick reply! Helpful and knowledgeable gents like you inspire newbies like me to keep going in this vast hobby :)
Thanks so much, Walt. I've been searching for two weeks trying to find a video on using the ASIAir for plate solving with a star tracker, and here you are! I had a couple of very disappointing whiffs on my targets recently when using filters and I think the ASIAir plate solving will help tremendously. As for the ASIAir Plus (and the guidescope/camera), I've had the setup for a few weeks and I'll second your claim about how great it is. I absolutely love it, and (on the 2-3 rare nights there was a break in the clouds) I've been able to track with a SkyGuider Pro as long as five minutes without star trails. It's an amazing setup, really, and I'd recommend the ASIAir (and guidescope/camera) wholeheartedly. Thank you again for your great, very informative, and 'down-to-earth' videos (complete with alien cameos!) that are so useful for beginners like me. Keep up the great work!
I made the video I wish someone would have done six months ago! So many nights wasted trying to find targets. The ASIAir truly is the best accessory for beginners like us! If you have an Instagram, find me. I would love to see your photos!
@@deltaastrophotography Well, I'm afraid I don't have much of a portfolio yet. I started in October and the weather has been the pits! I posted my few photos on Instagram. To be honest, I forgot I had an Instagram account!. :-)
Just found your post and used it to find the Elephant Trunk Nebula. Awesome. Found it in much less time and much less of a struggle. Thank you.
Great job and I always appreciate the humor you put in your videos! Clear skies!
Really enjoyed Video. I’m new in the field. Equipment on hand now is a Canon T7 with a 75-300mm lens. Waiting for an Askar FM135 and Askar 65phq, along with a Skywatcher Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack. The last piece of equipment is the ASIAIR MINI. I starting this hobby fairly late in life I’m 70. And planning all you youngsters to help get me going. So I appreciate the quality of your video and will be following you. Thanks for sharing your knowledge to others
Good luck with everything! It's such a rewarding hobby!
Thanks so much for this tutorial. I’ve been looking for ways to frame up these nebula just by looking at stars in the area. Didn’t know about plate solving with my DSLR. Also, didn’t know I could auto stretch like that to see the nebula in the test shot. I can’t wait to get out again and try this stuff. Stay weird my friend!
thanks for this good tutorial.
may be i will make screenshots and write a short "step by step" for myself
1:59 LOL .. I actually knew what most what you said is, just from watching your videos.
Hey Walt, thanks for the vid, and Happy New Year!!! ~Clear Skies~
Fantastic video to say the least. I've been using a scale on my star adventurer Dec bracket and the RA / HA method which gets me pretty close most times. Now I have an other use for my ASIAIR Pro. Keep up the amazing work and clear skies.
Great tutorial thanks
Magic, now I want a Asiair.. great presentation !
And now i have an ASIAIR Plus. The best thing for astrophotography.
Just discovered your videos. I will tell you, your videos and tutorials are some of the best I have seen. You have made the process user friendly. Kudos to you. I look forward to all your future videos. Maybe you might add some info on using the Move Shoot Move tracker. Thank you.
Thank you. That's a great tutorial.
Excellent video!!! Super helpful. Keep em coming. New sub here.
What I love most about your channel is your ability to explain complex astro concepts in a very simple manner..your deliberate and occasional use of humor also makes learning fun! Wish you all the best. You got a fan in India who looks forward to your phenomenal work!! Thank you!!
Discovered tool use thanks to this video! Thank you stupid question from a newbie. At what point do you turn your tracker on?
Nice capture
Great vid and tutorial.
Tnx 4 the video.
Question, the pictures you have taken are only with your mini cam or wirh your DSLR?
They are with the DSLR. The mini cam is only used to guide the star stracker. It's optional!
I may have missed your comment about the DSLR that you used. Is it astro modified? This is a spectacular image and very encouraging for a budget setup.
Yes the DSLR I used was an HA modified Canon 700D! I got the camera for next to nothing on EBay and had it modified by LifePixel for about $250.
Hi - thanks for your video. I need some encouragement as am struggling with my setup. I have Canon R5, Star Adventurer Pro and newly arrived ASIAir Plus, Zwo mini guidescope and ASI mini camera. I would like to see your exact cabling if possible and any advice on focussing the guidescope - this is proving to be a big challenge. There seems to be a lot of lag between changes to focus and the visual appearing on my phone! Without this I cannot begin to guide. I have seen other videos where the camera is not connected to the ASIair and I am now confused. If you have any other related videos, can you point me at them for basic setup?
The mini guide scope is 160 if you have the svbony 165v and the ZWOasi 120mm planetary camera combination.
Clear skies.
@Delta Astrophotography
So helpful, thank you so much Walt! You do such a great job helping the new comers like me that love this hobbie! Cheers man, have a great new year!!
What's the telescope you're using??
A cool video. I am a begginer in AP and I am wondering if with initiation gear: StarAdventurer star tracker, ASI120MC-S, RebelT3i, SVBONY 120mm guidescope and Evostar72ed worthwhile to add the Asiair plus. I do not have expierence with autoguiding, but I want to increase my shoot times. Greetings
Hi Walt!! I am looking to do an upgrade and buy an ASIAir Plus with a guidescope and guide camera ZWO120mm mini and a WO Redcat 51. I am essentially looking to have a system that would perform as a GOTO feature WITHOUT USING A GOTO mount. What would you recommend? Would the ASIAir Plus do that? Is there a software that can work in the computer with ASIAir and talk to the telescope and guide camera and slew to a chosen target or for that I do need to get a GOTO mount? If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear from you. Also do you also have a detailed video from start to finish on how to use the ASIAir Plus and how you choose the tether and frame and how to work the software and system, I’d love to watch that. Your videos are super informative and valuable. Thank you 🙏🏻
That all sounds like a great rig! You would need a GOTO mount to automatically slew. But the ASIAIR can help you manually guide to any target with ease with a star tracker. I'll work on a full ASIAIR workflow video. Keep the questions coming!
@@deltaastrophotography Walt thank you so much for your input. Would you happen to have a video on how to use a setup such as I am contemplating from start to finish and also offer a suggestion of a good GOTO mount that would not break the bank?
May I also ask you another question not related to this? I have recently astromodified my Canon RP and all the images are now coming out with a reddish tinge. Yes, I know it’s now more sensitive to the red spectrum and that’s what I needed to capture the bright reds of the Ha emission in the nebulae and galaxies and Milky Way. But is there a way to tone down/remove the extra reddish hue in the whole photo? Any specific way for WB adjustment (currently it’s set at AWB) and also have bracketing exposures. I also use a Kase Clip-on LP filter on that camera. I live in NJ. Or do you have a trick to get the red tinge out in post processing? I followed your processing of the Orion Nebula with the nifty fifty Canon and to date that has been my best Orion capture. You’re an amazing teacher and that you so much for creating these extremely informative and helpful videos that give us amateurs hope and encouragement. 🙏🏻
@@ujjwaldatta6713 High Point Scientific currently has the HEQ 5 Pro in stock for $1,100. That's probably as good as you are gonna get at the moment. There are a few cheaper GOTO mounts out there, but none seem to be in stock anywhere. As far as the red tinge, I use a custom white balance with my modified camera. I took a photo of an 18% grey card outside on a clear afternoon. You could also use a white sheet of paper. Then I went into the camera menu and found custom white balance. I used the photo I took of the grey card to make a preset. Then I went to my white balance settings and switched from AWB to Custom . That got rid of the red tinge. But now I have a bit of a green tinge so I'm not sure if the custom white balance really helps. In the end I end up balancing my red, green, and blue channels using Levels in Photoshop. Then I do a white balance adjustment (temp and tint) using Camera Raw Filter. Finally I get rid of any remaining green using a free Photoshop plug-in called Hasta La Vista Green. I'll try and make a video soon on how to balance colors with an Astro-modified camera.
@@deltaastrophotography love it. Walt. God bless you. I’ll look forward to that video. Thank you.
Great video! What telescope are you using here?
It's the Radian 61. It used to be known as the Radian Raptor 61, but raptor got deleted for whatever reason.
Did you polar align before beginning video? Curious.
Nice. Apparently there's a new firmware for the ASIAir (Plus?), which allow now for All Sky Polar Alignment - could you please test it, for those without a view to the North (so simulating that by looking South or South-West for example)?
Loving your vids mate, really want a spiderman Box haha
So you don't have to Polar align
Yeah you still have to polar align.
Does the ASIAIR support sony cameras yet?? Looked at one a while ago but they didn’t support sony cameras at the time 🙃
I tried to find information on this. Buried somewhere deep on the internet I saw someone mention that they were "working on it." I certainly hope they do!
@@deltaastrophotography yeah I read the same thing but sadly couldn’t find any further update on it. I’ll just have to my fingers crossed 🤞🏻
I am glad that you mentioned this. I was looking at this for a springtime purchase but I was planning on using my A7R III as my imaging camera.
I will have to wait until they work out whatever issues they are having with Sony.
What did you do in the app to auto stretch?
The app normally auto stretches by default. But if you look at your test shot in the bottom left corner there are two buttons that say Auto and reset. That's the auto stretch area.
@@deltaastrophotography Thanks
why not just use a go-to mount
I ordered one back in May. Still haven't received it
@@deltaastrophotography, wow! Hope you get it soon, as it will really change the game for you considerably. Without placing an order for one, I just kept my eye open for availability of an iOptron CEM40 and after about a year, they came available at OPT. I wasn't quite ready to drop the cash for one but I did and don't regret it a bit. Clear skies!
@@Ambress I got an email from OPT saying that mine should be arriving by the end of the month. I also saw on Highpoint Scientific that the EQ6-R Pros would start shipping in 14-21 days. Looks like the wait is coming to an end, and I'm beyond excited!
@@deltaastrophotographythat's great news, and if an EQ6-R Pro then I sure you'll be happy with it, if reviews I've read are any indication. I was looking at it myself yet even though the price of the CEM40 was hard for me to justify, I liked the design concept and the seemingly more compact form factor of it over the EQ6-R enough to sway me....well, that and seeing it come available was huge also. I hate "buying up" incrementally and hope a 40-lb. rated max payload will meet my needs for the forseeable future. Having no sizable OTA yet, that will be the next big step for me from my 360mm focal length Z61, and I hope I can find something I'm happy while keeping the total payload to 30-ish pounds. I've seen some 800-900mm scopes around 20 lbs., so I think my goal is reasonable and I think that focal length should keep me satisfied for quite some time....famous last words? haha!
Hmm maybe I will go back to bird photography 🤔
Hold on pls, what auto stretch button.
Thank you for this video, it explained what i needed to know!!! now i will be able to start using my ASIAIR plus in the correct way with my skywatcher mount! Great job!
Another great video Walt. You have a very clear and concise way of explaining astrophotography and I thank you for it. Love your humor and your videos. I appreciate your help in navigating the rough seas of astrophotography. Here's to clear nights!
Being able to plate solve on SKyGuider Pro using ASIAIR and Stellarium is incredibly helpful. Thank you for demonstrating this feature! Btw, after you found the target IC1396 (9:35), how did you move it from the top to the center of the screen (9:48)?
Same question🤷♀️
I have exactly the same question as you've plate solved at this point. So doesn't centreing affect the tracking coordinates?
Freakin’ awesome content! Thank you! Unfortunately I don’t believe I can use the ASIAIR ( regardless of the model ) I did purchase a guide scope and a guide camera ( 120mm monochrome - I believe it is from ZWO as well ) . I’ve got the EAF as well from them. BUT… it seems it won’t work with my camera! 😓🤦🏻♂️🫤! Fujifilm XT4. Or is it working ( AsiAir ? )
I m also a bit stucked on the mount. Should I get a mount like iOptron Sky Hunter ? With GoTo capabilities? Or no need ?
I’m a bit overwhelmed, just starting on AP 🧐🤔
If you are into Milky Way nightscapes and traveling, go with a star tracker. Otherwise go ahead and invest in a goto mount. I wish I could give more advice of Fujifilm cameras.
@@deltaastrophotography thank you 😌
I'm researching and saving for the ASIAIR plus. Would you kindly explain how and why to take dark, flat and bias photos for post processing? The way you explain things makes it easier to understand.
That’s cool, Walt! I have never used my ASIAIR with my Skyguider. Looking forward to trying this if we ever get a break in these clouds. Should be clear after this cold front coming through, but it will definitely be COLD!
I'm a beginner and I'm shooting with a modded 70D Canon+SkyguiderPro - I guess I'm missing something...can you change all your DSLR camera settings through ASIAIR interface? Does ASIAIR also replace the intevallometer plugged to DSLR? Thanks a lot for your great help!
As many other have commented. This is by far the best explanation of how to use the Asiair. I have been contemplating buying a new mount as an upgrade to my SWSA. But for half the price I can buy the Asiair and a guide camera. I just need the right time to tell the wife that I need to spend some more money😂
Thank you so much for sharing what you do with this hobby. I’m an avid viewer and love your channel
Hey hon you bought that $400 purse and $200 dress with my card by accident. I'ma just go out and buy a zwo asi 533 for about the same money and we'll forget any of it happened 😜😭😎😁
Hry walt, could you do a video that explains how to turn the star tracker into a "near Go-To"?? There is a guy that did a video on it but I must be slightly retarded because i get confused. You explain things much better, at least in a way that I understand.
4:10 So if the ASIAIR shows the RA and DEC, why can't you put in the RA and DEC and have the ASIAIR move the camera to the right location via plate solving??
Thanks a lot. Very simple and very useful information. I have subscribed.
Great video. Thank you for this. Just what I needed to know before I pick up an ASI air (looking at the mini) as I am shooting with a SWSA tracker.
Very well . I’m started yesterday with my setup Asiair and SAbut every time Probleme! Thank you 😊
Okay, you are a little quirky (like myself) but that is a GREAT image and good video. I am getting back into this after several years of not doing anything so relearning lots. Thanks.
Thanks for the video very interesting. I have a larger camera set up with my telephoto lens but it keeps hitting the Sky Guide pro as it’s a chunky thing. Is it possible that you can tell me what equipment you’re using with regards to the long red plates and the holder for it and how to put the guide scope on top of my telephoto lens. I am looking to shift the camera more away from the guider as it touches the top of the sky guider (nikon Z9) and also I have the guide scope on a hotshoe on camera so by moving it like you have it I can then move my camera back incase of balance issues. Much appreciated.
Impressive result. Great video. Thanks. Subscribed.
Thank you. For the video. Is it possible to use the ASIAir for polar alignment with this setting?
Best video of this process I have seen!.....Brilliant ,& thank you
Hello, your Canon is modify for astrophotography?
Thanks Walt! I love your videos, keep them coming!
connect the mount direct to the asiair. its much better connection and better tracking. you then wont need to attach the guide camera to the scope. Use the EQMOD cable :)
Great video as always Walt ! Happy New Year.
Hey Walt. What is the music you use in your opening? It's so calming and I have insomnia
Great video. 👍 I appreciate your approach to explaining information. No detailed technical jargon. I think this asi is a must have . Thanks again .👍
Vert cool, thank you for this sharing, excellent video.
Your videos are so incredibly helpful to those getting into the hobby. What you do is something I appreciate, with the very clear, simple explanations that make things easy to follow along. Finally decided to pull the trigger on getting an ASIAIR myself. Thanks for all you do! If you ever decide to put yourself on patreon or anything like that, I'd happily chip in for all the things I've been able to learn from watching your videos.
We still need to do polar alignment right? Just no need to do the 3/5 start alignment, correct?
By the way, this video made me subscribe to your channel!
Another great and informative video. Thanks, Walt!
Great comprehensible presentation🙂
I’m going back to bird photography. 😂 that me
Hey Walt! great video as always, keep it up!
This is amazing, such a good use for the asiair!
Hello,
This is a good video explaining the use of asiair with a star tracker. Currently I do astrophotography with nikon d750, Tamron 150-600 and a simple tripod (without a tracker).
I am planning to buy an EQ mount (because I am planning to buy a redcat 71) with goto ability and asiairplus. But looking at your videos and the final image, I am left confused whether I shall buy a star tracker and continue with DSLR + telephoto lens?
Go with an EQ mount unless you are really into Milky Way nightscapes. A star tracker would be much better for that. Good luck and clear skies!
Hi Walt, just got my ASI Air Mini, and can't wait to try it out with my SWSA Pro. Question: are you using any light pollution filters in this video? When you DO use them, do they block out most of the stars that it makes it difficult to locate and plate solve, and maybe auto-guide? My scope is a Red Cat 51 with the filter (Optolong L-Pro) screwed within the scope tube, not in a filter drawer. I guess I'll find out myself when I finally get some clear skies around here, until then I'd like to hear your feedback. Thanks!
I use an Optolong L-Enhance screwed into my Radian 61 and have never had any problem plate solving at IS0 800 and 3 second exposures. As long as I'm in focus it works great every time. I don't know if it makes a difference, but I always start the session by using plate solving to help polar align. The Air has a great polar align feature.
Are you using an astro modified camera in this video?
Very nice.Gotta get me an Asiair for my Star Adventurer after seeing this,especially for the platesolving and live stacking functions.Of course the polar alignement must be done prior to this.But I gotta ask you:what screen did you use?It seemed kinda big for a smartphone?Thanks.
It was a Samsung Tablet.
Thank you for the detailed and a demonstration of capturing a DSO. Buy may I ask if the mount that you use, does it have a GoTo functionality? Because I thought with a GoTo mount, we just input what object we want to point to, and it will point to the coordinate automatically, or am I wrong?
For the star tracker he was using in this video, there is no GoTo functionality. That is why he manually moved the scope in RA and DEC to get the it pointed at the target.
Much appreciate your plain speak for us nubies. Maybe some explanation on what “darks” and “flats” are in the future. Thx.
Sounds like a good video idea to me!
Excelente explicacion, gracias!!!
Thank you, great stuff! 🎉
Thanks! Just what I was looking for!
Quick question really important for me: why is my intervalometer a couple mili seconds off. If I take a 2sec exposure for example it gives me 1.9 or 1.8 seconds.
I don't know but I noticed that with my photos as well!
Hi Walt. Great tutorial! You make it so clear with wonderful results. This was highly appreciated and saves so much time searching and finding the object of interest.
While watching your video, you 'auto stretched' the frame. Can you explain how to do this please?
The ASIAIR actually does it for you automatically. I think I just had it disabled.
Question. I’m new this and have a similar setup on order. During this shot did you do a polar alignment or once the Guide camera locks on target polar alignment isn’t necessary. Bruce
Polar alignment is still necessary. The better your polar alignment, the better your guiding will be.
Nice work Walt! You have a good looking rig there and, more importantly, it's delivering great results!
I love your setup..
I want to get a star tracker but I'm confused between sky guider pro and star watcher Staradventurer
For me it came down to the fact that the Star Adventurer uses AA batteries. I'm not a fan of always having to have batteries around. I can charge the Skyguider Pro pretty quickly before each session and be fine. Also the Skyguider has a heavier counterweight and an option for a counterweight extension rod. This allows for heavier lenses and scopes. Oh and it comes with a vixen dovetail saddle for telescopes. The Star Adventurer on the other hand does have wifi and a better DEC adjustment though.
@@deltaastrophotography yes of course the wifi and DEC is better with Staradventurer also it has many other modes for timelaps photography as well, but the thing with ioptron is that if I want to use it like your set up I have buy an additional ASIAIR and to use the plate solving method to find the targets easily and maybe even an additional tablet.
But I really love your set up its easy and hassle free and it would make life easy and that's where the confusion begins haha 🤣
Thank for for your video, it's very informative ❤
@@ronak_photos516, both the SGP and SA Pro are very good star trackers with perhaps a nearly even split of users. I personally chose the SA Pro because I liked how its fine tuning platform, a.k.a. DEC platform, was designed despite that I also improved upon it by adding my own DEC scale. Another very nice feature of the SA Pro that I don't think the SGP has are the indexed time and date dials on the back of the tracker, which aid you in making your corrections. They confused me for a while, because I was trying to use them in what I thought to be a more exact way, yet wasn't. In the end what worked best for me in combination with the plate solve/annotation capability of the ASIAir Pro, was to simply reset the dials to a known reference point, such as aligning the 1AM hour index mark to the 0 date mark. Then, once I did a plate solve and knew how far off the mark RA was, I could pretty accurately rotate the tracker to provide that amount of time offset relative to that 0 point. My only remaining confusion was which direction to go, but that was most easily answered by simply seeing what a new plate solution told me, and if I'd gone the wrong direction as in Walt's video here, I just rotated the tracker for the new offset needed once again, but in the correct direction. If in lieu of using the ASIAir you are using some other method to get a plate solution, I expect the use of the tracker with the dials would still apply rather well. If you are just taking a fully manual approach then certainly that will be more difficult and time-consuming, and you'd use the SA Pro in a more conventional way by aligning the dials initially for your time and date, and for that, a DEC scale would also prove even more handy....I really think SkyWatcher should've provided a scale on their DEC platform, but it isn't too difficult to make your own and add it as I did. Should you end up buying a StarAdventurer Pro, you can download and print my DEC scale from tinyurl.com/dp-SAdecscale.
Regarding the battery power for the SA Pro, it also has a mini-USB port from which it can be powered as an alternative to the 4xAA battery approach, whether you use a connection such as to one of the USB ports of an ASIAir Pro or other device as I did for a while, or an external power pack. I never once used batteries in mine. :)
Endless stream of clouds lol, tell me about it.
I used to use the st4 port with plenty of issues. Was told by many never to use the st4 port. Just USB to PC only for all items that apply
Yeah I use the USB port on my EQ6 mount. My star tracker doesn't have a USB option, but since I got the EQ6 I really only use the tracker for 24mm photography. No guiding necessary.
Super job on a neglected subject.
Thanks for the good tutorial!
Dude this is awesome thanks for the info
ohhh my 2:00 killed me xDDDDDDDDDDD love ur vibe
beautiful image and thanks
Thank you Walt... really. This was like Xmas. Goodbye laser, hello ASIAIR.
I tried to include a bit about using a laser, but the camera didn't pick up the beam so I scraped it!
really woooowww i like sooo mutch
How did you center your object?
Unless I missed it, you didn't go over polar alignment.
You didn't miss it. I don't think I really covered it. I go over polar alignment in a lot of my videos, so I was just trying to keep the time down. It can be a challenge because there is so much to talk about.
What if we dont have a guide scope, does it still work without it and help us guide?
You can still find any target without a guide scope! The guide scope just helps you get longer exposures when you start shooting.
Ordererd the Asiair + yesterday... your clip pushed me over the edge!
That's great! It'll make everything so much easier! And if you get a GO-TO mount it will become almost effortless
Thank you for the step-by-step on using ASIAIR, especially on knowing the difference between RA and Declination. The lights suddenly went on for me as to why it's called a declination bracket. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling when knowledge replaces the lack thereof in my brain.
I'm actually leaning toward Astroberry myself. Since I'm a noob, I have no preference, but I'm also a cheapskate and a DYIer, so I like the challenge. I'm still waiting for my Raspberry Pi 4 to ship - two-month wait...chip shortage. Sigh!
As with several of your other videos, I've saved this for future reference. Thanks again!
Dude I know what you mean about the lights going on! Such an exciting feeling! That's why I made this video. When things suddenly made sense with plate solving and finding targets, I had to tell the world! No more desperately wanting a goto mount because I couldn't find what I was looking for!
Great video, easy to understand. Can you tell me if this system will work with the nikon Z6 as I am just start my adventure into star photography. Also what is your preferance for a tracker???
Sadly I don't think it will work with that camera. I'm currently working on a way to do the same thing with a laptop though. I'll post a video when I get it all figured out. And I would go with the Skywatcher Star Adventurer. Maybe get an extra counterweight and a dovetail clamp to go with it.
@@deltaastrophotography Thanks very much for getting back with the information on the Z6. I have the 20mm 1/8 lens for the Z 6 and will start taking a few photos very soon. I was leaning toward the Skywatcher Star Adventure Pro. Will keep an eye out for some deals ?? None available on amazon currently. Maybe new version coming out?? Cheers
Long time follower yet only recently did I click the subscribe button (not used to it at all haha). Nonetheless, amazing content you are convincing me more and more to get an ASIAIR pro/plus to my star adventurer 2i mount as I really cant afford to get a proper equatorial go-to mount in the near future and it seems like an ASIAIR will help with some of the solutions that a eq go-to mount offers over a star tracker. I do have to ask - can the ASIAIR also help with polar aligning properly on a star tracker ? I feel like sometimes I get ti perfect (2mins at 135mm no trails and sometimes its trailing at 1min) so if the ASIAIR can also help, perhaps with plate solving, it would be an insta buy!
Yup! I've never had to look through my polar scope on my mount. For a star tracker it will get you to take a photo while your camera is facing the North Star. It will plate solve it and then ask you to rotate the tracker 60°. From there it will take pictures and tell you which way you need to adjust your alignment. Works great!
@@deltaastrophotography oh my gosh so its just like I thought it would be - just like a goto will do it but instead you do the rotation to 60 degrees. Well if that really is the case then I am sure ordering one, perhaps even the bundle with guide scope and cam. Thank you once again for all the helpful content and especially for the quick reply! Helpful and knowledgeable gents like you inspire newbies like me to keep going in this vast hobby :)
11:01 how do you auto stretch?