Mini review of the
STC Astro-Multispectra Clip Filter for Nikon Full Frame DSLRs.
Product page.
Purchased from
Cyclops Optics.
Price HKD1620 (approx AUD270)
First up Thanks to fellow member
zardos123 for posting elsewhere bringing this product to my notice.
I'm not much of a reviewer but will give this a shot.
Gear used:
Nikon D800E DSLR, unmodified
Nikon 70-200 f2.8 lens
Vanguard camera tripod.
Canon users have long had access to clip in filters for astrophotography but Nikon users have had to cope with light pollution and added postprocessing. As a result I've seen many people claim Nikons can't be used for astrophotography which has never been the case. Hopefully things are changing and Nikon users are getting an easier time of astrophotography.
My understanding for the lack of clip in filters for nikon (which may be false) are due to the extension of the rear of the lens from the mount ring which restrict available space inside the camera body for an additional item. So far this filter is only available for Full Frame nikons, not cropped sensor models, but its a start.
After zardos123 posted a link to a news post on this filter I just knew I had to have it. A stroke a few years ago left me barely able to walk and without the use of one arm so my existing gear is beyond me being able to use. So my visual astronomy and astrophotography options and capabilities were immediately restricted. As a result DSLR on tripod is pretty much the physical limit I can manage. So bear this in mind before flaming me about SBIGs, filter wheels and EQ6s. DSLR is how I work, it's not the best but its still a very capable method of astrophotography and shooting from tripod instead of a tracking mount imposes huge limits but I can overcome most of those with optimising my settings and processing workflow.
Anyway, once I found out about the existence of a clip in filter for Nikon (something I never thought would ever come about) I got in contact with Cyclops Optics. The filter was out of stock at that moment but they contacted me when it was back again and have been pleasant and easy to deal with all along. There were no problems with payment or delivery (about 10 days I think, didnt count). Email communications have been very pleasant and prompt, I can't fault their customer service and would confidently purchase from them again.
Sorry I don't have unboxing videos but they are boring. The filter itself is safe in a padded filter case inside a small product box with the single page installation instructions. This was wrapped in appropriate bubble wrap to protect it in transit. The product box showed no signs of crushing in transit, and even if it did the filter itself was well protected in its case.
The filter on inspection was clean, dust free and optically clear with a reflective tint from its surface coatings and a little loss of light transmission as expected, dont forget a filter BLOCKS light. The filter has a thin blackened metal frame maximising the filter area, reducing reflections and providing a nice stiff frame to handle.
Installation is easy even for a cripple like me. Remove your camera lens, use Live view or Mirror up to flip the mirror up out of the way. The filter though doesn't go deep down near the sensor, it just goes in flat at the top close to the mount ring. It sits snug and firm held in by friction not a "clip" so perhaps it should be called a drop in filter? There is no scraping or effort needed and absolutely no play in the fit. I could turn the camera body over and it stayed in place but I wouldn't be confident shaking it at that point.
For myself I don't use my D800E for photography anymore. Its dedicated to my astrophotography, so it stays on tripod with the 70-200mm ready to rock. I very rarely want to swap to another lens. And so far it seems there's no problem keeping the filter in place at all times. The mirror flipup doesn't touch the filter and there are no changes in camera sounds so I'm confident its safe for me to leave in place, as Cyclops Optics advised me it would be. But for other users I'd say take care when swapping lenses with the filter in place. Also I can't make any comments on having the filter in place during the day but I can imagine it will cool some warm colours but not all so lifelike colours wouldn't be achievable. No real point using it during the day for regular photography anyway but may be something creative to play with. My filter arrived yesterday arvo so I had limited time to devote to installing and testing. Weeknights have no spare time for astro for me but you know what its like when getting new gear and trying to sleep without having a play
So if you've made it this far without falling asleep you only want to know what it does. In simple terms its a light pollution filter, without effecting the natural colours of a shooting target. By blocking the ugly glow from street lights in urban areas you get a stronger contrast and signal in your shots reducing signal loss in removing the skyglow in post processing.
I ducked outside just after 9pm and the Southern Cross is in an easy position for me at the moment so thats what I shot, I tilted up too after I was happy I got Crux hoping to get some of the nebulosity in Carina. I took a couple of dozen subs and took my memory card upstairs to knock out some quick jpgs to show you guys. I picked out two images, one with Crux and another with the Eta Carinae Nebula NGC 3372(?) plus I dug out a comparable sub of Crux from a preview set I shot. This shows the light pollution present in all my subs previously, I'm not interested in wasting time on a swap of filter for a perfect "lab test" comparison. I shoot from one spot out front, after astronomical dark so light pollution should be identical for the purposes of this comparison and camera settings are similar too. So all three subs I dropped the raws into PixInsight and applied an autostretch to the histogram on each then saved to jpg, loaded to Photoshop to resize and apply the info text on the shots. No other adjustments, no stacking shots or noise reduction or anything. And of course individual autostretching means the stretch is different on each shot the results are so dramatic it show well the huge gain this filter respresents, its NOT a subtle effect that requires controlled conditions to compare.
So on with the show, this image shows an older sub of Crux which clearly shows the ugly brown-orange skyglow I get here in Canberra from the street lights which is present in all my subs. Forgive the faint clouds.
http://astrob.in/284699/0/rawthumb/gallery/get.jpg
Followed by the same shot of Crux I took last night with the filter in place. Luckily no clouds. Apologies it was a little out of focus, I bumped my lens during filter install, which I try to keep at optimal infinity focus.
http://astrob.in/284698/0/rawthumb/gallery/get.jpg
Immediately you can see the skyglow has been effectively removed. There is still a green cast as you get with all DSLR shots and removing this in PixInsight the result is a flat neutral grey tone across the sub.
Here is Eta Carinae also with the filter, no older comparison shot this time.
http://astrob.in/284700/0/rawthumb/gallery/get.jpg
Not a spectacular photo but I usually take and stack several hundred subs and normally this nebulosity would be mostly lost to visual inspection in the skyglow but here its plainly there in shot in colour. Not bad for a 1.6 second exposure I feel.
An unexpected bonus is this particular direction for me has me shooting past a parking area light in a garden at my complex which often adds a noticeable gradient to the bottom right of my subs. Its a different bulb to the regular street lights but the filter seems to have also blocked it out for me.
As I can't stand and look upwards let alone bend down to my viewfinder overhead imaging is a matter of guesswork for me, the D800e does not have a flipout screen unfortunately. My best manual composition of shots is low to the horizon where skyglow is at its worst. So I envisage this filter will let me get more usable subs than I've been capable of. I look forward to taking a proper set to process but I can already tell colour calibration and gradient removal will be less lossy to my shots when processing and maybe give me a chance to bring out some of the fainter structures at my current limits. I don't see the loss of light a filter inherently does will have much if any impact to my camera settings, in fact I tended to bump up ISO to try to give me more signal to process with meaning i had tons of noise to process out. So this filter might allow me to drop ISO and still give me the same signal to process without as much noise.
For those of you using Nikon cameras on tracking mounts and bodies on telescopes this filter I'm confident in saying will give you spectacular performance
Due to my physical circumstances and desire to keep my existing Nikon investments from gathering dust there is little I can hope for in the way of upgrades to my astrophotography source subs. So trying this out was a no brainer for me and at under $300 a risk I was willing to take.
Initial inspection of my subs I couldnt see any tinting or chroma effects introduced by this filter. I don't have the skills to test the wavelengths blocked/transmitted by the claims of the product page but as an eyeball guide I'm happy it is close enough. I'll reiterate my earlier statement, I am under no illusion this is not the pinnacle of astrophotography nor even DSLR astrophotography and most people will move quickly beyond this stage but for me its a new high and hopefully for other starters wanting to improve their Nikon DSLR astrophotography they will see it as a cost effective upgrade. Or perhaps some new life to existing gear pros have but don't use. Then there are all the people who travel and want to get shots they can't from home, this will be an awesome addition to your travel set, the filter case is compact and filter is well protected inside that.
Conclusion
Wow!
Simply wow. This actually WILL improve your astrophotography. The price is reasonably, installation dead simple and Cyclops Optics a pleasure to do business with. Don't forget this filter is meant for Full Frame Nikons so if you have a cropped sensor unfortunately this is not an option for you. I don't know if someone is working on an option for cropped sensors and if you have a full frame not listed on the product page best to shoot them an email before ordering, just in case Nikon have modified a model that prevent the filter working (clip in filters are not usual for Nikon so no such thing as a standard fitting).
This review was prompted by my own enthusiasm of this product and not at the prompting of Cyclops Optics or anyone else. I purchased this filter in full myself, no "discount" or "review copies" from Cyclops Optics nor do I have any affiliation in any way with them beyond a first time customer. Not only has the product impressed me but so has their customer service, I've seen a few people posting questions online about trusting new Asian products or businesses so I just wanted to express my confidence in this product and this business. I hope others find this mini review helpful in their purchase decisions. And thanks yet again to
zardos123 for posting about this product and taking my astrophotography to a new level.
-steve
Sorry to hear of your difficulties, and how it affects your imaging. You mentioned that imagining higher in the sky was difficult as the 800e doesn't have a flip out screen. You could use a small (tiny) 5 or 7inch monitor from the HDMI output of the 800e, now available for possibly $100-200. These work for HDMI out to an external recorder and should also be OK for monitoring live view, but best to check first. These often have arms to mount from your tripod. I think they are a great idea also because they increase the screen size to help focusing.
