Steve Solon:
Hi gang,
Filter technology has changed and improved greatly over just the last few years. As such, my 30-year-old set of 1.25" LRGB filters is well past its 'sell by' date, and I would like to update it. I use them with a QSI CCD camera on an 11" EdgeHD scope under ~Bortle 4 skies.
I certainly would appreciate hearing from many of you on the brands you use, your likes and dislikes, and preferences. Again, these will be used with a CCD camera, which I understand differs from those used with CMOS sensors.
Many thanks for all your thinks. The imagery here on AB is astounding, and I assume that your expertise and newer filter technology are the culprits!
All the best,
Steve
I'm also using a C11EdgeHD and a QSI CCD camera under Bortle 4 skies, though it is my 2nd favorite rig behind my refractor setup due to problems with dew/frost in my area. For the C11EdgeHD / QSI 660ws combo, I made out great with 1.25" Astrodon filters for years, but they were old Astrodon filters from the years before the company changed hands. I recently added a 3 nm Chroma Oiii filter to the filter wheel in my QSI 660ws, and it has produced halo-free images of several planetary nebulae.
If I had to buy a new filter set right now, I'd go for all Chroma filters (regardless of price) and not look back. For narrowband, if you want them, I'd go with 5 nm bandpass rather than 3 nm. The signal from the 3 nm Oiii is a little too weak for my tastes, and many stars essentially disappear in my C11 EdgeHD images, making registration and stacking more difficult.
Keep in mind that the Chroma filters are 3 mm thick, Astronomik filters are 1 mm thick, and many others are 2 mm thick. Try not to mix and match thicknesses if you want filters to be parfocal.
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