Astronomic H-Alpha 12nm CCD EOS Clip Filter review and results

Managed to get a great filter for my astrophotography the Astronomik H-Alpha 12nm CCD EOS Clip Filter.

Capturing Narrow band images with a modified Canon 450d is amazing and I cant recommend it highly enough. I have been blown away by the data I have captured with this filter over just a couple of nights. I used one a long time ago to do my image of the Crescent Nebula but never had my own and now I have I cant wait to redo all my old targets again with it.

So if your using a DSLR and have not got this filter for your imaging stop what your doing and get one, they are brilliant.

Ok so once you have it you will need to pop it in your DSLR camera and try out your first imaging session with it. BUT be warned it will not be easy to focus with it as it will let through much less light then before and you will need to do at least a 60 second exposure to see much at all.

Here's how I did it using Astrophotography Tools Bahtinov Mask tool and my Cameras live view function.

Slew to a patch in the sky with lots of stars and take a 60 second exposure while guiding this should be enough for you to then do a blind solve in APT and synch your position. Next slew to a very bright star like Vega and put your Bahtinov Mask on your scope. Next turn on live view and zoom in on your star and focus manually as best as you can by looking at your cameras display screen. When you think its ok go and check it in APT and the Bahtinov Mask took so that focus is close. Then take shot and see if your in focus. If you are good if not tweak it again.

So what kind of images have a managed to get the last couple of clear nights. Here are a few I have done using the Ha data combined with my old RGB versions.

THE CALIFORNIA NEBULA






THE WALL IN CYGNUS HA AND RGB AND HA COMBINED








THE PELICAN NEBULA HA ONLY





This is just using my Old Canon 450d which I have recently modded for astrophotography by removing the red filter.


Exposure times for these images was generally 2 or 3 minute exposures at an iso of 1600 and then stacked with darks flats and bias as you normally do with your rgb images. The rest is just the normal processing in PS.


SO in conclusion getting the Ha filter is a complete game changer for instance capturing the data on the California Nebula last night was only 10 three minute subs, only 10 and I got an amazing amount of detail from the stacked image. Got to say I am very excited about this and which I had got this filter a long time ago. So if like me you have been using a dslr camera for a while but need a fresh challenge get this filter you wont regret it.
Clear skys everyone.