UHC-S High-transmission Nebula filter

[Screwdriverone]

Phew!

Just got back from my second home, namely Andrews Comms (just too darn close to home - while I was there I met Mark from Bankstown [forgot the sign on name Mark, sorry]) and after spending 2 hours bending the ears of Luke, Cameron and Lee in between heaps of customers and phone calls, I decided to risk it all (marriage that is) and buy a Ba'ader UHC-S High-transmission Nebula filter 1.25". I was going to splash out a bit more for the OIII, but this one seemed to be what I was after.

These guys are fantastic, knowledge is great, advice is second to none and the prices are unbeatable! Also, I never felt like they were trying to get rid of me, lucky I had some things to do or I probably would still be there and be about $2K poorer after discussing the Promak150-180 on GOTO. DAMN, I need to win lotto.

No, I don't work there, but hang on........maybe that's not such a bad idea! ;)

This will hopefully sort out my contrast and help me find some nebulas I have been looking for and bring out some more details on Jupiter and Saturn.

Fingers crossed, I will keep you posted on its performance with my 5 inch Skywatcher.

Thanks for reading.

Chris

[Screwdriverone]

OK well....

I tried the UHC-S out the other night and found out two things;

1) ALWAYS listen to the posts of other IIS members (specifically NGCLES - thanks again) and READ everything posted about the object you wish to purchase before you buy it!

2) A UHC-S high treansmission nebulae filter DOES work quite well, it brings out the shape and contrast of all nebulae I could see. I looked at M42 in Orion and Eta Carinae as well as the LMC areas and found the greys that I was previously seeing become black in the darker areas and the Nebulae almost TRIPLED in size. All in all, the filter performed extremely well.

Having said that however, I found that the amount of light reduced by this filter frustrated me a little. I know its specifically designed to do what its designed for, but I feel that my money is better spent elsewhere considering my setup. There just isnt enough light coming in my 5 inch scope and the light that does come in is very messy from where I live.

So... with that in mind, the kind folks at Andrews allowed me to swap it the very next day for a cheaper Neodymium Moon and Sky Glow filter which is much better suited to my needs as it will hopefully reduce the light pollution I get from the city and the moon and should give me more contrast and make things easier to see.

That's the theory anyway, and from reading the brochure included, I feel it's a much better fit for my gear. Add to that the remaining money from the swap allowed me to get a 15mm GSO Super Plossl and a weather station and I am stoked at what I got to replace the decidedly hollow feeling I got from buying the wrong thing in the first place.

I haven't had a clear shot at trying the M&S Ba'ader out yet but rest assured, I will be keen to see the results and keep you posted.

It's also very nice to deal with an establishment like Andrews who are very helpful and courteous to do what they did to save me some embarrassment and potential money wasting on a filter I probably could have kept on standby but probably never ever used with my scope again. :) [P.S. - I even found from their website that this is not policy, so now I am twice as happy]

Cheers

Chris

[Screwdriverone]

VERY happy with the moon and skyglow filter, brought out the details in a lot of objects as well as increased the contrast generally in the night sky with the moon out.

Check out here (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=29844) for some shots I took with the M&S in the 12.5mm ED eyepiece.

Good buy, this filter! :thumbsup:

Chris