Wonderful and timely tutorial for me, Luke. I've modified my Skywatcher AZ GTi for EQ and purchased an Astro-tech 60mm EDP Petzval scope with EAF focuser to go with a Svbony guide scope/camera and ASIAIR Plus. I did get the special "chipped" USB cable to pair the ASIAIR controller with the mount. Thanks so much for your FULL instructions! Michael
@lukomatico
7 ай бұрын
Great to hear that Michael!! Enjoy 👍👍
@paulm2358
Жыл бұрын
First one I've caught from you. Well done and I learned a lot so I thank you. Just starting out so raw using like this is very helpful.
@lukomatico
Жыл бұрын
Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for watching mate :-)
@HogarthsAstrophotography
3 жыл бұрын
Brilliant, just proves huge pots of money doesn't have to spent to get great images of the night sky.. Fantastic result.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you Nigel mate! - I have basically just as much fun with this little rig as my big one!
@astrojourneyuk
3 жыл бұрын
I was just thinking that too! I love the make shift tripod!
@paulmckeown5672
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for doing this video! I came apon it just as I'm about to set up the same mount, camera and guide scope with my newly arrived asi air plus. Thanks for going through the cabling step by step as well as your process very educational.
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
I really appreciate that Paul, thank you!! - my fingers are crossed that you have a painless time getting set up and running :-) Clear skies!
@jimm3328
3 жыл бұрын
What a great video. It really tied a lot of things together for me, lessening the apprehension of firing it all up for the first time and getting first light soon on the 2 rigs I’ve been putting together for a while. Not too technical, easy to follow. Nicely done. Thanks.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks very much Jim! :) I'm glad you found it useful, I hope you get the chance to go out and test everything out soon! Best of luck mate, Clear skies! :)
@Astrolavista
3 жыл бұрын
Fantastic run through Luke! and wow did I see right!? does the ASI Air Pro have literally everything you need in one package? - Polar alignment, plate solving, focus, guiding, object catalogue and capture? If so that just seems incredible! Thinking about it I think Ruz has been playing around with the ASI Air recently. I probably should research this further as an option with the EXOS2 pmc8. Superb Sadr image, really superb! I've seen rave reviews of that lens for astro. Fab video mate :)
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you Chris!! - yes, you saw right haha! It's completely fully fledged and smoothly integrated, honestly blown away. Going in I expected a kind of watered down package with it being a tiny system but it doesn't feel that way at all 👍👍 Highly recommend! Thank you for watching, I'm sorry if this one was a little boring though!
@Astrolavista
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico I want one! :D I know what you mean, when I've got silent bits in my videos or something is taking a while to explain I think people are going to get instantly board and click off. Honestly Luke, you have nothing to worry about or apologise for :) When you said that in the video I was like, behave lol Everything was really well ran through and explained. I think this will be really useful for people wanting to setup a portable rig, or buy an ASI Air Pro...or both! :)
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey Chris! - Thank you mate, it's reassuring to hear it's not just me worried about that kind of thing! 😅 I really do hope that some people find it useful, it's such an appealing side to astronomy to me that I was excited to start sharing it 👍👍 Thank you for your time mate!
@sajjadahmed46
3 жыл бұрын
wow..thats an awesome wide field shot..lovely stuff
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you Sajjad, I'm really glad you liked it man :)
@srn4couk
3 жыл бұрын
Really interesting Luke. A really practical demo of the mount and ASIair. Thanks
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you! - I'm very happy to hear you liked the demo mate, it means a lot! :)
@markattardo
3 жыл бұрын
That was fantastic. I've been tempted by the Asiair pro for a while now but wasn't sure how well it could work...and now I know👍
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey Mark! - That's absolutely brilliant to hear, I'm very happy to have given you some help mate :-) I love the ASIair myself, such a compact yet capable little system! Thank you so much for watching and sharing your thoughts, I really appreciate it! Clear skies, Luke
@mikelockwood2104
3 жыл бұрын
very informative....enjoyed watching the polar alignment with the ASI Air and slewing to your target. Not too many videos go into that much details. Great job.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey Mike! - thank you very much mate, I'm so glad you found it interesting! 👍 It makes it so rewarding :)
@alesizzz1
2 жыл бұрын
Well done. Great presentation.
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you very much!! :-) clear skies!
@AntPDC
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you Luke. At 6:15 I got confused. You chose not to use the ASIair's 5G wireless functionality and instead "used a Lynx Astro wire, because it then enables you to the ASIair wirelessly in 5GHz Wi-Fi mode, which is quite a lot faster". But you used a USB 3 cable, right, so where's the wireless/Wi-Fi part?
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey there! - sorry for the confusion, allow me to try and clarify :-) If you connect the ASIAIR to the AZ-GTI via WiFi, you are then only able to use 2.4ghz wifi mode for both units, as while the ASIAIR supports both 2.4 & 5, the mount itself can only use 2.4 which then locks you in to that frequency. By using the cable to connect the mount and asiair together, you are then free to use whichever ASIAIR WiFi frequency best fits your situation without any worry about the mount's connectivity being restricted :-) I hope that helps, thank you for getting in touch! All the best, Luke
@AntPDC
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico Many thanks Luke for your comprehensive response. I was confused about switching terminologies between AISAIR's AP and Station "Wi-Fi" modes and its LAN Ethernet port, which is not (of course) Wi-Fi, so there are no obstacles to go through at 5Ghz. At any rate, I'm guessing your "Lynx Astro wire" is an Ethernet cable, right? If not, then I'm flummoxed!
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
@@AntPDC Hey Mate! the lynx astro wire is an 'ftdi to usb' cable, whatever that means! :D all I can say is it allows a wired connection of the mount to the ASIAIR, which in turn allows you to use the ASIAIR in 5ghz mode if you so wish :-) if you only ever planned to use 2.4ghz wifi mode on your ASIAIR, then you would be totally fine to skip the mount wire entirely and just use a wireless connection between the mount & air - I hope that helps somewhat - I'm sorry this is quite a confusing thing to explain! All the very best, Luke
@AntPDC
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico Thanks again Luke - so kind of you to take the time to respond. I've another question so as to torture you even more, which I'll post on the main thread.
@andrewwellum6472
3 жыл бұрын
Great video Luke, you say boring, I say precise, I like precise. Good clear instruction, you got yourself a new subscriber.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey there Andrew! Thank you so much mate, that's brilliant to hear :) I appreciate you watching and your support! Thank you! 👍👍
@billvinson7859
3 жыл бұрын
Cool tripod and mount. Superb cable management. Great overall setup.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Bill! - I love that little rig, it works great, I should really use it more than I do!
@bpatterson1972
3 жыл бұрын
This fantastic video, I wish I had this tutorial when I first started using my AZ-GTi and ASIair Pro. Thanks for sharing.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Cheers Brad! That's great to hear, I'm sorry if this one was a little boring though mate! 👍
@markben05
3 жыл бұрын
Great as always Luke . Will watch in full later tonight. This will be a great help for me
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
That's brill to hear Mark, I was worried it might be a bit boring but I'd just hoped it would help a few people! 👍
@mikelockwood2104
3 жыл бұрын
Excellent info on the guide star - I did not know about the flat top on too bright of a star- thank you
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
No problem Mike! - it's a little tip, but can make a huge difference to accuracy so thought it worthwhile mentioning :) Thank you for watching!
@mikelockwood2104
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico Had to go back and watch this one again. A refresher course. You have built quite a library of information sir.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
@@mikelockwood2104 That's brilliant! Thank you so much Mike, I'm only too glad to be able to help 😊👍👍 Clear skies my friend!
@JoesAstrophoto
3 жыл бұрын
Great portable Luke! Astrobloke has one as well, between you two, you're going to talk me into getting one for camping trips lol.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey Joe! - Thank you for that mate :) - I think you'd love it, haha. but it's another can of worms to open I guess! Thank you for watching!
@gazza9839
3 жыл бұрын
Great set up ... love mine too, the Az-Gti is such a great little mount - guiding at just over 1 arc second for a mount that wasn't even designed for imaging :-) really enjoying the videos.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks so much Gaz! - it's an amazingly capable little system, I'm so happy with it 👍
@LogansAstro
3 жыл бұрын
Nice video Luke. Very clear. The ASIAIR is certainly a great little kit especially for portable setups.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you Logan! - it's such a brilliant little unit, I agree 👍👍 Thank you for watching!
@caklnl
2 жыл бұрын
Thinking of buying the AZ-GTI. You said your counterweight shaft was M12. What is the thread pitch? I already have an M12x1.75 threaded counterweight shaft and am wondering if it fits the dec. clutch of the AZ-GTI.
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
Hey Kristen! - Good question mate, I should have outlined that in the video! - it's just standard m12, so a 1.75mm pitch :-) your current counterweight shaft should work fine! Hope that clears it up for you my friend, good luck!
@paulradford6902
3 жыл бұрын
Love my Asi Air Pro. Had it running all night last night on M51. Hopefully tonight too.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Brilliant Paul! I'm glad you are enjoying yours too mate :) 👍
@Luka81k
Жыл бұрын
Hi Luke, you say you're using an UHC filter inside. Is that a clip-in version or a round one? If the latter - how did you install it? Cheers!
@lukomatico
Жыл бұрын
Hey there mate! - I was indeed using a clip-in filter, you simply take the lens off the camera, and then clip the little filter in it's housing into place within the body of the camera, allowing you to reinstall the lens :-) Hope that explains it!
@Luka81k
Жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico Thanks, that's what I thought actually.
@Westlake
3 жыл бұрын
Great portable rig/setup Luke! Super easy workflow with the ASIair Pro & your dslr!
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you mate! It's so fun to use 👍
@OlliesSpace
3 жыл бұрын
What an efficient looking little setup Luke. Really well explained and yes that software looked pretty user friendly, I guess helps explain why ZWO is doing so well. Nice looking image, always enjoy your vids mate. 👍
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you Ollie mate! - I'm sorry if this one was a bit boring but I thought people might like to see in basically real time! I'm glad you enjoyed it regardless though man! 👍👍
@martrich1098
3 жыл бұрын
Luke - that's about the best explanation of how to use the Asiair Pro on a small rig with a DSLR that I have seen. Well done and thank you for taking the time. I ordered an Asiair pro yesterday, I wasn't sure how well it would play with a DSLR but now I see it's going to be extremely useful indeed - so I am really pleased I went ahead with it! Thanks for the videos, you are a natural at this so keep it up - I'm sure you'll be at 1000 subs very soon.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey there! - My word, thank you so much for your wonderful comment mate! - I'm so pleased that you found it useful, really I am 👍👍 I have loads of fun making the videos, so to read fantastic feedback like this really spurs me on, thank you so much for taking the time to watch and get in touch! 🙏 I hope your asiair gets to you soon and that you get off to a good start :) I think you'll have loads of fun! Clear skies, Luke
@martrich1098
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico My pleasure, I'm liking that surveyors tripod too, surprised more people haven't thought of that.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you! I saw someone do something similar on a forum, so thought why not give it a go!! :) the spreader really helped a huge amount, and was just made from stuff I had laying around 👍 Happy days!
@yannbrelivet6069
2 жыл бұрын
Hello, it's me again ;) I have some difficulties to connect all the parts. How did you connect the azgti and the asiair plus on power supply? Is it the same or independent power supply? Which type?
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
Hey Yann! - if you supply the asiair with power then you can use one of its outlets and a short 5.5x2.1mm male to male cable for connection, this would probably be the neatest way! As to which power supply, you need a 12v 5+ amp supply that has the usual 5.5x2.1mm tip positive connector on the end :-) Hope that helps!
@barryscully1820
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for putting this video up. I have not used the AZ-GTI much yet since I have found it still difficult to polar align accurately enough to get more than 10 second shots. It looks like it would be well worth the money to copy your setup with the ASIair and the guide scope you have there.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey Barry! - I have to say if polar alignment is something you are finding difficult (as MANY people do!! Don't feel ike you are alone mate :-) ), then the ASIAIR may well be worth it's weight in gold to you! - highly recommend it, genuinely :-) Thanks so much for watching and leaving a kind comment my friend! All the best, Luke
@Rainy78
Жыл бұрын
Wow, very straight forward and a great video all around. Im looking to build a setup like this myself to start my astro journey. Looks very portable and capable for a red cat 51 or similar scope? What is the weight limit on the mount? Is all that done on the ASIAir pro? Pretty much does all the work for you. You've got a new sub 👍 Thanks for sharing!
@lukomatico
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for the sub, I appreciate it! RE: the weight capacity of the mount, around 5kg is it's capacity, works great with our redcat 51! Everything was done with asiair, aside from final stacking and image processing :-) Hope that helps explain it! All the best, Luke
@savtheastroguy
3 жыл бұрын
Great video and Amazing results! Never been disappointed from your results
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey Savjol, I really appreciate that mate! I'm sorry if this one was a little boring though 👍
@savtheastroguy
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico nope, the video was fine
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Well, that's great to hear! 😀 Thank you again for your time mate 👍
@netwolfstar
2 жыл бұрын
Thx just got my Azgti so looking for peoples setup , can you advise does the saved raw images go to camera sdcard or on asiair ?
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
Hey! Congratulations on your new gear mate :-D With a DSLR you can set it to save to both at the same time if I recall correctly! - hope that helps 👍
@Fractalite
Жыл бұрын
A great video , fascinating . Thanks !
@lukomatico
Жыл бұрын
Many thanks! Clear skies my friend!
@fabbopeep8556
3 жыл бұрын
Fantastic video thanks. I was thinking about going for a Star Adventurer to support a portable rig but as I already use an ASI AIR Pro on my main scope I've now pressed the button on an AZ-GTi, instead. This combo will be so much easier than having to go back to polar and multi star aligning.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
That's brilliant! - I think you'll be really happy with the Az-gti, I love mine and how well it integrates with the ASIair! :) Thank you!
@siegfriednoet
3 жыл бұрын
Great video Luke, very informative, didn't know that the ASIair Pro was so easy to set up and handle You got there some very inventive solutions on that Rig with that tripod and countershaft 👍👍
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hi Siegfried! - I'm glad you found it informative :) it's certainly a lovely and simple setup that works satisfyingly well!
@Jtw.Outdoors
3 жыл бұрын
Awesome image dude!
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you bro!
@ws5246
3 жыл бұрын
Cracking video (nice look at your work flow).. I thought the ASI Air-pro only connected to ASI cameras... every day is a school day 😊 Keep up the great work 👍
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you very much mate! :) and yeah the Canon and Nikon support list is really comprehensive now! Thanks again! 👍👍
@capdelaxavineta6267
3 жыл бұрын
awesome rig
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you mate!
@allisonvonbuelow1338
2 жыл бұрын
Hello Luke. Thx for the video 👍Could you please share your Asiair guide module settings for use with the Azgti ? Please include your aggression settings. Thx in advance !
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
Hey Alison! Glad you liked the video! :-) RE: guide settings, I don't believe I have them recorded unfortunately so It'll have to be from memory as best I can recall when I last was using it - these settings were to be used with high guide camera gain settings by the way, the actual amount will vary dependent on your guide camera. (my 120mm mini I use 80 out of 100 for example.) RA+DEC aggression 60%, guide exposures 0.5s, guide rate 0.9x, max movement pulse 5000ms, and the calibration step was 1500ms with a 30mm guidescope (120mm F/l), and is 800ms with my 50mm guide scope now (242mm F/L) I hope these are useful to you, I know the AZGTI can be a real handful to get guiding well, especially with slightly unbalanced loads. The best improvements were the short guide exposures, coupled with medium/high aggression, allowing it to react quickly. (the rest, less important perhaps) Hope that helps! Clear skies
@yannbrelivet6069
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks a lot for your video. It will be very useful for me. I bought recently the same setup. One thing I don't really understood. During the polar alignment process you moved your tripod and something on the wedge? Could you explain me a little bit more please?
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
Hey Yann! - when I move the tripod I am doing the large movements by moving the whole tripod to point the north leg accurately, when I am getting close to accurate alignment, I then switch to using the azimuth bolts on the wedge to make fine adjustments & finish polar alignment :-) Hope that helps!
@yannbrelivet6069
2 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico Thank you! I will try this.
@astronebulee578
3 жыл бұрын
Absolutely brilliant video. I have the az gti mount and converted into eq mode, with my sw 72ed and have an asiair pro on order due to arrive moro. I love the look of the simplicity of the whole asiair interface. I have struggled a bit with astrophotography without the asiair but this will hopefully make it so much easier for me, in respects of guiding, dithering and PA which i hve to do via other software programs atm. Could you maybe do more videos on this set up soon and its a real nice portable set up. I'd like to see how you connected the software of the asiair to the az gti as i have the lynx astro cable and a zwo asi120mc-s to guide with. Really love your videos and so instructive to follow to. Keep up the good work and clear skies.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey there mate! I'll definitely be doing more Az-gti videos, 100%!! - regarding connecting it to your new asiair, you can just use your cable and select Az-gti in the mount connection drop down box :) Re: the asiair, It's honestly and truthfully one of the best bits of astronomy kit out there in my view, I'm considering buying another one for my main rig! If I had the spare cash it'd be on order already 😅 Thank you so much for watching and leaving a lovely comment mate, I really appreciate it! Have a good one, Luke
@desmcmorrow2978
3 жыл бұрын
Great video. I have just set up a system with the same lens plus Zwo eaf etc. I’m thinking of getting an Az GTi as well but have been a bit put off by stories of large DEC backlash. Have you had to tune yours? Cheers, Des
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey there Des! - that should be a wonderful system for sure, I bet the autofocus is really handy on the fast lens too :) Regarding the Az-gti backlash, nothing really to report in truth, it guides well! - I'm not sure about unguided imaging though, I only did that at 50mm for 1 min subs. I have heard that mileage can vary with the Az-gti, but mines been just a pleasure to own and use, the full goto /automated plate solving is tremendous too when paired with the asiair, it's not something I'd easily give up now I've got it! :) Thanks for watching and I hope that helps!
@thiagoprado7540
2 жыл бұрын
Very nice! I have been having some problems calibrating my azgti in autoguiding. Is it possible for you to pass the setting used to calibrate your guidance? Thanks
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
Hey Thiago! - on a 30mm f4 guide scope we use 2000ms calibration steps, that should be enough to give good movement :-) Hope that helps!
@Sebreem
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks on behalf of all us that don’t have an extra 10k to spend on a hobby that brings meaning to existence.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
It really is my pleasure! - I wish everyone could enjoy this amazing hobby. - thank you so much for watching and leaving a comment!
@ScottDavies
3 жыл бұрын
Great video Luke 👌 I like how you calmly go through the whole process!
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
I appreciate that Scott! - It's brilliant to hear :) Thanks for taking the time to watch and leave a comment mate!
@ScottDavies
3 жыл бұрын
Hi Luke! Quick question, just going to load up the firmware for eq conversion and have been reading a lot on CN about versions 3,2 and 3,26. Which version are you running?
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
I'm sorry about the really late reply Scott, I missed this for some reason! - I use the slightly older version, 3.2 as the guiding works properly 👍👍
@ScottDavies
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico no worries at all Luke I'm grateful for the advice 👍 I will revert to 3,20 if 3,26 causes me issues? I have tested the az using synscan and it worked great and this is without begin able to see any stars 😂 (2 star configuration) Looking forward to August
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
@@ScottDavies Hey Scott! Everything worked great on the new firmware, it just gave issues with autoguiding when using it with the asiair :) not a problem otherwise! I'm glad to hear you've had the chance to give it some initial testing by the way! 👍👍
@JJherne
3 жыл бұрын
Great video. I'm using the AZ gti (did you modify yours at all to help with backlash?) with a Baader modded Canon 700D and same guide camera/scope as well, but using Sharpcap for PA and PHD2 for guiding. That set up you have there with the ASIair looks much smoother and I can't get anywhere near 5 min subs. If you don't mind me asking, were you capturing your (stacked) images on the DSLR or direct to the iPad - it looked like the iPad? I also noticed after PA you slewed direct to your target. Normally with the AZ gti I'll also do a 2 or 3 star alignment after PA but you didn't seem to, is that correct? And finally you mentioned connecting the ASIair to the AZ gti via a Lynx Astro cable - can you remember which one exactly? I'm very tempted to go down the ASIair route and bin Sharpcap/PHD2.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey there J J! - Thanks so much for watching and leaving a comment, I appreciate that! I'll try to answer your questions in order for you :-) 1:- No modifications for backlash, I did however find that mine worked better with the azimuth plate 180 degrees away from home position! 2:- the images were being saved to both the DSLR and the ASIair, the iPad is just used as a monitor/controller for the ASIair :-) 3:- With the ASIair you can plate-solve, so no need at all for multi-star alignment routines, just polar align and go - it's great! 4:- The Lynx Astro cable is www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/lynx-astro-ftdi-eqdir-usb-adapter-for-sky-watcher-az-gti-mounts.html - that one FTDI EQDIR usb cable :-) one final thing to note if you are thinking of going the ASIair route and skipping sharpcap+phd etc, you'll need to have an ASI guide camera to continue your autoguiding with it, it can only speak to ASI equipment (except for mounts/dslr's etc) I hope that helps mate! Have a great day :-) Luke
@JJherne
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico thanks for such a full answer :). This set up is definitely worth considering for my light weight rig. I already have the same asi guide camera as you, so all good there. Cheers btw is that just a regular mini usb cable to connect the 700D to the asiair or something more fancy? I also couldn't see an additional shutter release cable from asiair to dslr, I guess that isn't needed and all done via the app? (Sorry for all the questions, this has really caught my interest!)
@Astrobloke
3 жыл бұрын
Nice set up Luke. I have the AZGTI and run my Z61 off it. Excellent little goto mount. Actually using mine now as away for a few days in Suffolk (Bortle 4, such a difference) I got a really nice bar from mine off Ali express. About £30 and has some end weights incl
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey mate! I take it you recommend the bar then? They do look very good! I hope you get a nice image captured in those nice skies!! Best of luck to you mate 👍
@SimonsAstro
3 жыл бұрын
Hey Astrobloke, I live in Suffolk, bottle 4, should be good tomorrow & Saturday. Clear Skies!
@Astrobloke
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico yes its nice and fits the Az with no adapters. Just check your couterweight hole is big enough. I have a 3.5kg skywatcher weight i use. My 360mm is causing me target issue atm. Too small for most targets and not wide enough for others, typical lol
@Astrobloke
3 жыл бұрын
@@SimonsAstro 👍
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Stuck in the middle! I've had that before haha - always leads to an expensive visit to an astro retailer 😂
@avt_astro206
3 жыл бұрын
Awesome Video, Great Depth workflow!! I do Love videos Astrophotography With Budget Equipment's, you have Got Fantastic Results Thats a Really Nice Image of Sadr Region!! Keep It up Mate👍 Clear Skies!🌌🔭
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you mate! I'm glad you like to see the more reasonable side of astronomy! Thank you for watching
@DavesAstrophotography
3 жыл бұрын
Nice luke.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you Dave!
@ridearocket
Жыл бұрын
Do you know how much weight you had on your GTI at this time? I just acquired an AZ-GTI with a RasPi. I am running astroberry with my Canon t7, Redcat 51 and GTI. I am currently not guiding, but I cant get much more than a minute of exposure time without trails. It could be due to balancing and my polar alignment skills, but I feel like I see people push the 11lbs limit and get 5 minute exposures easily, and you even mentioned your rig was a little top heavy. Is this strictly due to guiding? I'd imagine with everything you have up there you aren't far from 11lbs if not over.
@lukomatico
Жыл бұрын
Hey mate! I believe it was probably around the upper limit of recommended payloads for it yeah, the imbalance was likely to keep pressure on the drive from one direction - a while back though so can't really remember 100% I'm currently running the az-gti fairly overloaded and still getting 5m subs at reasonable focal lengths. I definitely recommend auto guiding, it'll really change the game for you if longer subs are what you want 👍
@ridearocket
Жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico Thanks for the reply! Currently in the works of getting a guide scope and guide cam. I was a bit worried of pushing too much weight after I add those things. But considering I see what others throw on their AZ GTI, I should be able to get away with it. Thanks again and clear skies!
@capdelaxavineta6267
3 жыл бұрын
same dslr that you use, but i was Wondering if yours is astromodified or not?
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey! Mine is modified mate, it's got the baader mod :) Thank you for watching!
@boredwarlock5216
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you for sharing this!
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
You are most welcome mate! Thank you for watching and leaving a comment! :) 👍👍
@astrogerard2022
2 жыл бұрын
Great video, thanks. One question please- the payload weight is rated at 5kg I believe. Is 5.5kg too heavy do you think?
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
Hey Gerard! - it would be okay in calm conditions and with autoguiding I think, as long as that 5kg wasn't very far off axis (think like a short refractor telescope), a small Newtonian of similar weight probably would cause it to struggle though! I hope that helps 👍👍
@astrogerard2022
2 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico It would be a DSLR and large lens plus autoguider.
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
That would likely be fine mate 👍👍
@SimonsAstro
3 жыл бұрын
Excellent video Luke! Love the inventive tripod setup, I’ve got one of those, but actually use it with a laser level! Very well explained Asiair. I’m not having so much luck with my guide camera! It’s probably my mount as it only moves in RA, works well with the main camera though. Brilliant final image of the Sadr region, that’s a lovely little lens! Keep them coming!
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you Simon! - the little tripod works well! Super pleased :) Sorry to hear you are having trouble guiding, hopefully it's just something easily remedied! Thank you for watching matey! 😊
@dougiesmart1623
2 жыл бұрын
Another superb video there Luke 👌. I'm hoping to translate this information into using my Skywatcher HEQ5 and only one camera (ASI120MC) connected to my ASIAIR PLUS and mount (my main camera is a Sony A5000 and is not compatible with the computer). Keep up the good work 💪
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
Hey Dougie!! - I'm so glad to hear you liked the vid mate :-D I really hope the info transfers well for you man! Clear skies and good luck :-D
@dougiesmart1623
2 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico cheers Luke. I had a wee try of M13 last night and nothing blew up 🤣.
@astronebulee578
3 жыл бұрын
Hi Luke I've finally got out with my sw 72ed AzGti Canon 600D and asiair pro, it was a full moon but wanted to give my AAP first light, done PA and guiding ok, was dithering 10px as my Canon has a 4 pixel size. I've taken 32x120 sec test images on NA nebula, I've taken my flat (with light drawing screen) and bias frames indoors, how do you do flat dark or dark flats with the AAP?
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey mate! - That's awesome! I'm really glad to hear you've had some time out shooting, top man! :-) regarding how to take darkflats, you'd set a manual exposure on your "bias" plan on the AAP, ideally something like 1 or 2 seconds, pop your lens cap on, make sure it's shielded from direct light so nothing is getting in through the cracks, then take your darkflats! regarding your 600d though, just using normal lights, darks, flats and bias should be totally fine with that camera :-) it's usually the 1600mm and 294mc/mm that need special darkflats as far as I remember! (worth noting that if you use darkflats, you wouldn't also use bias - and vice-versa is true) All the best mate, I hope that helps! Clear skies!
@astronebulee578
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico hi Luke thank you for your kind words and advice. It felt good to be back out there. I will take my dark flats that way now thank you, I don't take darks with my dslr as they don't make any difference to me, last night to take my dark flats I just put lens cap on, set dslr to aperture priority mode and snapped a load with my intervalometer without AAP but can do it your way now as I feel dark flats may benefit my dslr better, clear skies and thank you again 👍
@astronebulee578
3 жыл бұрын
Hi Luke Sorry it's another piece of advice needed, regarding bias frames, now using my dslr before the AAP i did 1/4000 shutter speed ggor bias but how can I input that to the AAP or what speed to use eh can I go faster than 0.1 seconds or what is the equivalent to 1/4000 in the AAP. I have asked on sgl and zwo forum but no luck. Thank you
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey matey! - if it were me I'd set the exposure to auto on the bias plan, that should take over for you I think! :-) I hope that helps mate
@astronebulee578
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico thank you, I really appreciate your help with my bias frames I'll give that a try, just experimenting to find the perfect way of takjng them, clear skies
@ianmacdonald2307
Жыл бұрын
Hi Luke: I watched this video some time ago and it inspired me to buy the AA+ to use with my Samyang 135mm lens and my Skywatcher 72ED on my Star Adventurer mount. Have managed to use it twice recently, once with the telescope and once with the lens. I have a similar guide scope and the same guide camera. I got pretty good guiding results with the telescope but not so good with the lens ……. because I kept messing with the ‘calibration steps’ and the ‘Max RA and DEC Duration’. I think I’m pretty close on the calibration steps having tried different settings, but I think I perhaps need to adjust the latter if that makes sense. I don’t suppose you know what settings you use? I appreciate you are using a GOTO mount whereas I’m only using RA guiding with DEC mode switched off, but I note that you managed 5’ subs that night on the Samyang. I’m pretty sure I should get somewhere close to that but I only got 2.5’. My PA was ‘spot on’. I’ve reached out on FB groups trying to find a solution with so far limited success. Any help would be great 🤝
@lukomatico
Жыл бұрын
Hey Ian! Dialling these things in can be a real pain in the neck for sure, between thin documentation, notable example to example variance on the mounts and anecdotal advice (which I'm about to offer too, haha!) It's a bit of a minefield! I'd try around 3000ms calibration step size, which if using a 120mm f/l guide scope and any pretty typical guide cam should see you calibrating within 20 steps or so, then use 5000ms max ra/dec duration. I'd try guiding with 1 to 2 sec exposures with a fairly high aggression, around 70%+ Hope they help you get a little closer mate! Good luck 👍
@ianmacdonald2307
Жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico - Hi Luke : Many thanks for your input on this. It puts some reality to the process. Interestingly, I started off with a 2000 calibration step and the guide scope stepped west by 13 steps when I first tried. I never saw it step east on screen but when I later looked at the phd guide log it had (13 steps). I wish I’d known about that log before I started messing. However, I then adjusted the calibration step to 8000 (4-5 steps). Dropped it to 3000 (around 8 steps). So for me I was going the wrong way? The next clear night I’ll dial in 1800 or thereabouts. What was interesting was that on my first attempt I got perfectly round stars on every single exposure(60 x 2’) even though the guiding graph on screen looked rather ‘ropey’. Unguided I’d only ever got 45” on my Skywatcher 72ED (420mm focal length). It seems that the settings are very mount specific and in my case on a star tracker they can be be very different to a fully GOTO mount with guiding in both axis. I’m very grateful for your advice and input 👍
@lukomatico
Жыл бұрын
No problem mate, I'm sure you'll get to the bottom of this! I'd definitely agree that the settings can be very user specific on these star tracking mounts 👍 Good luck mate!
@ianmacdonald2307
Жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico - just an update on this. A couple of nights ago I used your suggested RA and Dec suggestions and used a calibration step of 1800. Managed to guide for 3hrs solid, with 3’ subs. Dec guiding was below 2 arc minutes throughout. Polar alignment was good but not perfect - but the result was a win for me. Thanks so much for your help Luke 🤝
@lukomatico
Жыл бұрын
@@ianmacdonald2307 Ahh that's superb news mate! Really glad to hear you've had success, thank you for sharing!! Clear skies! 👍👍
@frackcenturion
3 жыл бұрын
great and informative, i am putting together an azgti in eq mode with a ed80 scope and was wondering if getting the ASIAIR would be useful.... now i know thanks 🔭👍 ps you have a new subscriber
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey there mate! - I'd definitely recommend the ASIAIR for just about anyone, it's such a great bit of kit! :) - it sounds like you'll have a powerful & compact rig there! Thank you so much for watching and subscribing, I genuinely appreciate the support!
@matsphotography2843
3 жыл бұрын
Super good video! Im getting a az gti with eq mods soon, with either an asi air pro and autoguidingabout 2 months later, or the otherway around. What would be the best option; Asi Air or Autoguiding first. It would be my first mount, coming from untracked ap. (Asi AIr for better Polaralligment etc, guiding for guiding of course)
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey there mate! - That's a good but quite difficult question! - of course both are vital in the end, but I really do think you get a lot of bang for your buck out of an ASIair, the polar alignment, plate solving to targets, imaging plans etc are all very good, however if you are imaging with a scope/lens above around 135mm focal length then potentially autoguiding would be the most useful start - as long as you have a pc to use for astronomy tasks such as running phd guiding etc :) A tough question! :) I hope that helps somewhat, it won't be an easy choice! Thank you for watching
@matsphotography2843
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico Thanks a lot! I currently have a 50mm, 70-200mm and a Skywatcher 72ED which id logically use most for imaging. I have an old laptop, but ill loose the portability aspect because it lasts on a charge with just apt running for about 3h max. But I think it probably is enough for summer till the Asi Air. Thanks a lot, again!
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
No problem mate! :D happy to have helped
@paulcizdziel3769
3 жыл бұрын
Luke, Outstanding video and explanation for someone like me who is building something similar! Thank you. Was your visualization for polar alignment done with the DSLR camera or the guide-scope camera? ……I am guessing the guide scope camera. But is it possible to use the DSLR for this purpose if it’s connected to a small telescope, like my 60mm AT60ED? That way, an actual guide scope is not actually necessary? Is there a way to program the ASI device to do that? Initially I want to try it without guiding, and possibly/probably add that later when I am sure my AZ-GTi can handle the weight. Astro Paul
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey there Paul! - I'm glad you enjoyed the video mate! :-) To answer your question - I did the polar alignment with the lens+dslr, it works really accurately so there's no problem! Trying without guiding could work, but to get the best from your setup you'll really need to go the autoguiding route, the AZ-gti should handle the payload quite well I think - for reference I'm now using mine with the following payload - William optics redcat, zwo1600mm pro mono, zwo 8 slot electronic filter wheel, 30mm f4 guide scope, zwo 120mm mini guide cam, ASIAIR pro, an extended dovetail and a carrying handle + a bunch of wiring, - with the right counterweight it's handling that load really admirably, I can get 10 minute exposures with no trailing! :-) All the very best of luck in the future, I hope to be coming out with plenty more AZ-gti + asiair videos soon! (weather permitting) Clear skies!
@paulcizdziel3769
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico Thanks for the details on your rig. That helps! Don't mean to be a pest, but one more question...... Any idea about the use of DSLR cameras with ASIAIR PRO. I know they have a list that includes many Canon and Nikon camera. But the Canon camera I have is not on that list, probably because it is fairly new (2019/2020). I wonder if the ASIAIR Pro is finicky with regard to cameras (i.e. some work and some don`t)? I suspect it will probably work on most, inclining mine (Canon EOS RP) even if not on the list. Do you / or anyone have any knowledge or experience with this? ZWO just says it is "not tested".
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey there Paul! - that's a good question! I've had a look around online and now I'm confused too haha! In truth I do not know for sure if it would work, I'm sorry about that - Zwo do seem to be working through a list of cameras and adding support over time though, so my gut feeling is it'll be supported officially within the next few releases (I hope!) Clear skies mate 👍👍
@romysantos9250
3 жыл бұрын
Great video Luke, just started deep space imaging and use a portable rig like this so the video was hugely relevant and informative. Seriously reconsidering returning the star adventurer 2i to replace with the AZ-GTi with the motorized declination drive for auto guiding and object lookup. Is this a smart move in your opinion?
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hi Romy! - I'd say if you are willing to spend more and buy the extra parts to make the AZ-GTI work in EQ mode for astrophotography (firmware update via pc- free), counterweight bar and weight ideally, and an eq wedge) then I'd say it would be worth it, and if you intend on autoguiding your rig and maybe even using an ASIair in the future, then it's totally worth doing if it's an option to you. Personally I love the convenience of full goto and plate-solving from the azgti+asiair combo, but I would also say that a lot of people have great results from the star adventurer alone at a much lower price point! Let me know if you have further questions :) Thank you for watching! Luke
@jr10
3 жыл бұрын
This was a wonderful and comprehensive tutorial. Thank you for taking the time to detail everything that you used and how to use it. You just got me to spend $379 on a new skywatcher mount. LOL. As I stated this was a very comprehensive review, and I subbed your channel. Thank you for sharing.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey mate, that is so great to hear! - I'm really hopeful that you'll love the mount, when it's set up in EQ mode the possibilities are endless for astrophotography! :) Thank you so much for taking the time to get in touch, I'm glad to have helped with this video and I appreciate your support a great deal, so thank you for the subscribe! :) Clear skies (and hasty delivery! 🚚👍)
@jr10
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico I finally got my new Skywatcher az-gti mount. I hate to burden you with a bunch of incessant questions, but can you please tell me which cable you used for your Eqmod connection. I purchased a Washinglee Cable that was supposed to be specific for the Skywatcher mount from Amazon, but it did not work. Did you download the equatorial firmware update drivers from Skywatcher to get this to work? Sorry to be a bother but any help would be greatly appreciated.
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey there mate! Great to hear your mount has arrived :) So I downloaded the firmware from the skywatcher site like you mentioned, there's also a firmware loading/transfer tool from skywatcher which puts it on the v mount for you :) Regarding cable, I'm using a lynx astro cable but I believe that's maybe a UK offering - I think I remember having to set the mount for this using the skywatcher synscan Pro app on my phone as far as I remember, though I may well be misremembering! I did do a fair bit of googling around at the time! 😅 I hope at least some of that helps mate, don't feel bad about firing away with more questions! I'll do my best to answer them for you 👍 Good luck!
@jr10
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico Thank you sir for taking the time to help me out. I truly appreciate that. I'll keep working on it. I hope you're getting some good imaging time.:)
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
@@jr10 No problem at all mate! - I am totally confident you'll get it sorted without much more fuss :) one thing is for sure, it's all worth it in the end, what a brilliant little mount!! Cheers!
@christlesterlin8787
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this excellent video. I am a big fan of your posts. I am using a similar setup, but the ASIAIR guiding calibration would always fail (during south and north steps calibration). Did you get that problem? How did you manage to set guiding in Auto mode working? Thanks again for all your great videos
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey mate! I'm glad you have been enjoying the videos, that's really nice to hear! :) regarding calibration, I too did see some issues initially - try to set the guide exposures to a few seconds each and the movement step size to be much larger than automatically set - try 6000ms in each direction. re- guiding in auto mode, if you are having trouble with dec randomly going flying off the graph, then try to revert to the earlier firmware - that fixed it for me! Thanks for watching! Clear skies :)
@christlesterlin8787
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico Hi Luke . Just wanted to let you know that you solved my problems regarding guiding calibration with the settings you proposed. Thanks a million you are great…and you dumbbell is quite amazing for 1h15 of data! 🤩
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
@@christlesterlin8787 That's excellent! I'm so happy to hear you've got it sorted out mate and can start to enjoy it properly! 👍👍
@taurus7228
Жыл бұрын
Hello. I’ve been lookin at the Az-GTi for the past few months. So much interested in having one esp with the portability and go-to capability.. Sadly FLO won’t post it outside the EU. They are having good price. My bad luck. I rushed to it while I saw you made a video about it. Thank yours
@lukomatico
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching mate! - I'm sorry to hear it's difficult to source one of these mounts, you may have better luck finding one of the newer version - the Skywatcher EQ-Gti :-) I'd recommend that one over the older AZ-Gti anyway! Good luck!
@taurus7228
Жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico hi. You probably mean to say the star adventurer GTI. Nice one but out of stock almost everywhere i think. I will try to see for a second and portable setup. I hope the new one has a good equatorial wedge too. Thank you
@lukomatico
Жыл бұрын
You're right haha, I did indeed mean the adventurer gti! :-) I believe there's another restock of the SA Gti coming in March, so you may be able to pre order one of those from a shop if you'd like 👍 Good luck my friend 🙏
@KeyserRacing94
2 жыл бұрын
Luke! Great video! Thanks for creating and explaining the entire rig and every step throughout. I’ve been using a star adventurer and have just purchased an az-gti. now building this setup for myself. I was wondering what length is your camera rail? Would you build this any different? I also have a redcat setup which will be a bit easier to use/balance etc.
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
Hey there mate! - Thanks for watching, and for your question too :-) I believe the rail was 10" long, that said - I'd build it differently for sure, and indeed did do later on! - in one of my later videos you can see the AZ-GTI setup with a Redcat 51 and full mono setup, and on another with some more rearrangements :-) they may be of some help to you! - redcat setup - kzitem.info/news/bejne/laV_r3-bfZeXl2U - lens setup - kzitem.info/news/bejne/u32jrpiom4uKhoo
@KeyserRacing94
2 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico awesome!! Thank you. I’ll have to take some video when everything gets here. Waiting for Christmas maybe a zwo cooled camera will be here. But till then lens shots it is. Thank you again!!!
@julianhoe9909
3 жыл бұрын
Great demo, thanks Luke. Are the frames still stored on the cameras sd card or are they saved on the iPad?
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Good question! - they are stored on the asiair memory and also the camera if you choose to do that 👍 they include a thumb drive also to transfer files over which is very easy to do!
@julianhoe9909
3 жыл бұрын
@@lukomatico Thanks Luke, it looks like the ASI Air will be the way forward for my set up!
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
Hey Julian, I think that's a good plan mate - I'm consistently impressed with it! 👍
@fernandoapausa4931
3 жыл бұрын
Great video Luke! I just found your channel and subscribed. May I make you a couple of questions about the ASIair Pro? Does it include any alternative polar alignment rutine that does not require view of the celestial pole? and also, does it require to be connected to the Internet to perform plate solving and for accessing the targets database you show in the video? This content is very interesting for me. I'm controlling a bigger rig through laptop (NINA, PHD2,..) but just adquired the AZ-GTi to put together a more portable rig and I'm considering now to get this ASIair Pro for further streamlining... :)
@lukomatico
3 жыл бұрын
HI Fernando! - Thank you very much for watching the video and subscribing - I appreciate the support! I had a look around online to see if I could find out about the polar alignment for you, and it seems that if you can get within 30 degrees of the pole it can still perform polar alignment :) (this was found on a facebook group about the asiair) regarding the plate solving and object browser, no internet is needed! it's all stored on the device and your phone/tablet's ASIair app :) it works great! (during the video there was no internet connection, just a direct wifi connection from tablet to asiair) I hope that helps mate!
@fernandoapausa4931
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the quick answer and for taking the time to look around info! One of my targets for the portable rig is to use it on by bedroom balcony which faces South, so no way to get close view to Polaris 😫 anyway, keep the good stuff coming, I’ll stay tuned! Cheers
@fernandoapausa4931
2 жыл бұрын
@@MisterM950 Thanks for your reply. Since I wrote this, more than a year ago, the “3-point polar alignment” plugin for NINA was released and it is now my standard procedure for PA, both the portable and the big rigs. It takes a few minutes to execute but it works in all cases for me, without any need to see the north, and achieving even less than 1’ accuracy. More than enough when running auto guiding. Clear skies!
@demisonlopes8620
2 жыл бұрын
Excelente!
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you my friend! :-)
@ShevillMathers
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing your setup. Two points would make this better is to do all the assembly,connections etc. in daylight, so mu.ch easier to see than a wandering headlight. Once the setup is done, then the workflow that needs stars can be done at night. Delete the music, it makes hearing your narration difficult to hear clearly and certainly detracts from your presentation. I have seen so many presentations like yours falling into the same pitfalls-thinking it has to be done in the dark of night. Greetings from Tasmania Australia-Southern Cross Observatories-42 South.
@lukomatico
2 жыл бұрын
Hey there Shevill! :-) I hope you are doing well, I appreciate you taking the time to weigh-in and offer advice - thank you! I have to say this video wasn't my finest work in fairness, the nature of the recording was unplanned of course and a little "rough and ready" - we live and learn eh! Sorry about the late reply to this, the comment was initially filtered out by KZitem automatically due to it mistakenly detecting a link in the post. All the best and I hope you are enjoying those beautiful Tasmanian skies! Luke
Пікірлер: 195